Before the 2021 Overwatch League season began, the New York Excelsior underwent a major roster reconstruction with the hope that rookie players could be the key to success. That plan didn’t exactly pan out, so the team is heading in a new direction in 2022.
The NYXL is moving on from six of its players, the organization announced today. The team’s entire tank line, including main tank Jo “Yakpung” Gyeong-mu and off-tanks Shin “Kalios” Wooyeol and Kim “BiaNcA” Dong-wook, won’t be returning in 2022. Main support Jo “Friday” Min-jae and DPS players Lee “FEATH5R” Seung-woo and Kim “Gwangboong” Gwang-won were also released.
BiaNcA and Friday will also be retiring from professional Overwatch altogether, according to posts from BiaNcA and the NYXL itself.
Only rookie DPS player Lim “Flora” Young-woo and veteran flex support Bang “JJoNak” Seong-hyun, the league’s 2018 MVP, still remain on the NYXL roster for the time being.
This past season was a moderately difficult year for the NYXL, which suffered not from a lack of talent but from a lack of coordination. Stacking the team with rookie players was a bold choice that ended up not paying off, but New York performed much better than most analysts predicted.
The Excelsior ended this season ranked sixth in the East Region, barely missing the postseason cutoff with a 7-9 record.
