This article is brought to you by StatBanana, the best Overwatch strategy tool.
It’s the first day of the Overwatch League All-Star event and everything feels a bit strange. The talent team is playing a grudge match on stage. Fans are rooting for divisions instead of teams. A game is played with only support characters and it’s actually intentional. Amid this chaos, Dante “Danteh” Cruz, DPS player for the Houston Outlaws, is playing his own part in making things feel a little off: He’s decked out in a bright blue Atlantic Division jersey instead of his usual black and neon green kit.
The Overwatch League All-Star games were created last year to give players and viewers a chance to step out of the day-to-day seriousness of league matches. On May 15 and 16, 18 players from the Atlantic and Pacific divisions participated in wild arcade modes, Widowmaker showdowns, and a final All-Star game. The winner earned bragging rights, which is almost better than money in this league.
The starting six players for each division were voted in by Overwatch League fans. General managers and coaches vote in the rest of the roster. Danteh was one of the players brought up to the All-Star Atlantic roster by the coach and manager vote. “It’s cool that those people think I’m good,” Danteh told Dot Esports. “I’m happy I’m in that.”
During the 2018 All-Star event, Park “Saebyeolbe” Jong Ryeol of the New York Excelsior famously said the Atlantic team had “no practice, no plan” for the event. Danteh echoed that sentiment when he talked about this year’s games. “[All-Stars] is just for fun,” Danteh said. “We didn’t really do any prep or anything. I’m just here to have a good time.”
On the first day of the event, Danteh participated in the arcade mode “Sibling Rivalry,” in which players could only select one of the Shimada brothers, Hanzo or Genji. Considering no healers were present on either team, it was complete chaos, as intended. The Pacific team won that mode, but the Atlantic team came back to win where it mattered.
During the actual All-Star game on day two, the Atlantic Division won 4-1 against the Pacific Division. Many players got to flex from their usual hero picks—and Danteh was no exception. As a DPS specialist, he’s known for his Tracer play. This season, his Sombra has been a bright point for the Houston Outlaws. While Danteh did have to play his trademark Sombra during the All-Star game, he also got the chance to pick up another Outlaw specialty: Junkrat. Considering how many Pacific players fell to his mines, Danteh seemed to be having a good time.
This season, the All-Star games were scheduled during the month-long break between stages two and three—last year, the event was held after the regular season concluded. Many players, including Danteh, said that this was difficult because the games cut into their break.
“I think stage breaks are really helpful,” Danteh said. “This season more than last season, because there’s a lot more time.” This year, the Overwatch League instituted multi-week breaks between stages compared to last year’s much-shorter breaks.
Danteh focused on the social aspect of having time away from the often extensive practice hours the Overwatch League requires when he resets and relaxes during a stage break.
“Say my parents are visiting; I try to hang out with them as much as possible,” Danteh said. “Or if I want to grind streams, because there’s not much time to stream during the season. I just hang out with friends that I can’t normally hang out with—my [San Francisco] Shock friends, my [Los Angeles] Valiant friends. Whoever I want to hang out with, I try to do that, because there’s not much time during the actual [stage] where we play matches.”
After the end of the Overwatch League’s first season, Danteh was traded from the San Francisco Shock to the Houston Outlaws. When the San Francisco Shock won the stage two championship, Danteh was in the front row of the audience with his mom for the league’s Mother’s Day event. The team came out to hug him after their victory interview, still including him in their success.
As someone who’s transitioned so seamlessly from one team to another, maintaining relationships across both social circles, Danteh gave some advice for the numerous Overwatch League players who are about to join a new team.
“I think just being comfortable with your new team is the biggest thing,” Danteh said. “It’s a little weird at first because you live with your team for a long time. I lived with Shock for a year. Transitioning is pretty weird because you go from people you live with every day to brand new people you live with. But I guess that’s kind of just… life?”
Danteh emphasized the importance of building friendships when transitioning to a new team. He suggested that players try to get “comfortable with [their new team] and make sure you hang out with them. Maybe go to dinner with a couple of them every other night. Just try to be yourself and bond with the team. It’s important.”
Danteh and the Houston Outlaws played their first game of stage three last week against the New York Excelsior. They made the second-ranked team in the league sweat by taking them to a map five tiebreaker. Despite the loss, it’s growth for the team, who logged no wins last stage.
Their next match may be the most important for Danteh, considering his history. The Houston Outlaws take on the San Francisco Shock today at 6pm CT.
