Paris Eternal drops 4 players, signs Overwatch Contenders staples

It’s apparently never too late to say “au revoir” and revamp a team in the middle of an Overwatch League season. 

The Paris Eternal announced today that it has parted ways with four of its players less than 24 hours after the first weekend of Summer Showdown qualifier matches concluded. In their place, the Eternal has signed multiple players from North American Overwatch Contenders team Odyssey. 

Most of the team’s core was dropped early on Aug. 15, according to an announcement by the Eternal. Tanks Daniël “Daan” Scheltema and Ilari Vestola, as well as support players Arthur “dridro” Szanto and Emir “Kaan” Okumus, were all let go by Paris. 

Only North American DPS duo Cameron “wub” Johnson and Jesse “Dove” Palermo remained on the roster after the initial drop.   

“The team decided to go a different direction,” tank Daan said on Twitter. 

The future “Las Vegas Eternal” is apparently leaning into its 2023 branding, considering that direction is now anchored by some of the most familiar faces in North American Overwatch Contenders.

To revamp its roster, the Paris Eternal looked to Odyssey, a North American Contenders team that just won the region’s latest tournament cycle. Supports Luke “Lukemino” Fish and Kyle “Rakattack” Rakauskas, as well as DPS Josh “Malthel” Gonzales, will be joining from Odyssey. Domenic “Krawi” Akrawi, most recently playing for WISP, will be taking on tank duty for the team. 

Though the change seems drastic, it’s not as if things can go much worse for the Paris Eternal: the team will be heading into the next weekend of qualification matches with a 1-13 season record.