DPS player Cai “Krystal” Shilong signed a two-way contract with the Overwatch League’s Guangzhou Charge and its academy team, Ignition One, today after spending more than half a year on the inactive roster for the Hangzhou Spark.
Krystal was indefinitely suspended by Hangzhou last year after a week-long public feud over his attitude toward practice and several extended absences from team activities without informing management.
Krystal allegedly repeatedly lied to the organization, saying his mother was in critical condition. The Spark offered him extended leave, which he took but then proceeded to ignore team management’s messages. He later posted images of himself with both his girlfriend and mother at a theme park in China on Weibo and Instagram.
His lack of response and publicly calling out his team for benching him during the GOATS meta led to his suspension in August, which lasted almost a full year. He was released into free agency on June 19, with the Spark’s parent franchise Bilibili Esports being put in charge of all follow-up matters in the legal department.
Before his signing with the Charge was announced, Bilibili reportedly filed a request for arbitration at the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission on June 15. The organization is reportedly demanding that Krystal compensate them with around $2.2 million in reparation.
This legal dispute was filed due to several allegations against Krystal, including multiple instances in which he feigned illness to skip practice, was disruptive during the team’s practice time, and intentionally delaying his arrival to the U.S. during the 2019 preseason.
The Charge offered some clarification on the situation, though. While the team did sign Krystal as a free agent and there were no conflicts with Spark or league regulations, Guangzhou won’t be handling Krystal’s legal dispute.
As of now, Krystal will begin playing for Ignition One in Contenders and try to work his way up to the Spark’s Overwatch League roster.
