The Overwatch League was filled with some top-level talent in 2020. But as we head into a new year and the next Overwatch League season, it’s good to look back and remember all the amazing performances we got to see this past year.
Here are our picks for the best players from the Overwatch League in 2020.
Choihyobin, San Francisco Shock
Choihyobin served as the off-tank player for the San Francisco Shock throughout the 2019 and 2020 seasons. During that time, he was the silent rock for his team, consistently performing at the highest level every week. He was a key player in helping the Shock earn back-to-back championships and has shown no signs of slowing down his output anytime soon. Although his plays might not show up in a highlight reel, he’s considered one of the most important players in the world and was nominated for the 2020 MVP award.
Fearless, Dallas Fuel
Fearless was the main tank player for the Shanghai Dragons throughout the 2020 season. On the back of his flexible and powerful performances, Shanghai ascended to new levels of success in the league, ending their regular season with a top ranked 27-2 record, winning two APAC regional titles, and attending the OWL Grand Finals weekend after conquering the APAC regional playoffs. Although his team fell short of the championship in the end, Fearless was a key part of the Dragon’s incredible 2020 season. After the end of the season, he left the team to join the Dallas Fuel for 2021, where he’ll play with many of his former teammates from Element Mystic.
Fleta, Shanghai Dragons
Fleta served as the starting DPS star for Shanghai in 2020. He won the 2020 season MVP award after producing highlight-worthy performances all year. His incredible flexibility came in handy for the Hero Pools, which saw a new set of DPS heroes banned every week throughout much of the season. Whether he’s playing as a Widowmaker, taking to the skies as Pharah, or switching over to Tracer to devastate the enemy backline, Fleta is definitely one of the best Overwatch League players around—and fans should expect great things from him for years to come.
Alarm, Philadelphia Fusion
Alarm was the starting flex support player for Philadelphia Fusion during 2020 and he was named the Overwatch League Rookie of the Year. He showed off amazing flexibility in the support role, dominating at various times as Ana, Zenyatta, Baptiste, Moira, and Brigitte. The former Fusion University star provided the support backbone for Philly to put on their best season performance yet. They ended the year ranked second on the leaderboard and even attended the Grand Finals weekend, though they were the first squad to be eliminated.
Ameng, Chengdu Hunters
Ameng was the unorthodox main tank player for the Hunters this year. Although the Hunters didn’t perform particularly well overall, ending the year 14th out of 20 teams, Ameng managed to put on some truly spectacular performances as Hammond, proving that the often overlooked dive tank was indeed viable if played correctly. He cemented his 2020 legacy in a match against NYXL in week 24 when he led his team to an upset victory playing as only Wrecking Ball.
Yaki, Florida Mayhem
Yaki was the starting flex support player for the Mayhem in 2020. The rookie immediately showed that he belongs in the Overwatch League, dominating on Mei, Echo, Tracer, and more. Yaki shined during the May Melee event when he helped his team achieve a runner-up placement, losing only to the Shock in the NA May Melee Grand Finals. He was a candidate for both the 2020 Rookie of the Year and season MVP awards.
Decay, Washington Justice
Decay spent most of the 2020 season playing for the Dallas Fuel. While with the Fuel, he was unquestionably their most talented player. The few games that Dallas managed to win this year were on the back of Decay’s amazing Tracer abilities. After a falling out with the Fuel near the end of the season, Decay was released from the team. Soon after being released, the Justice picked him up on a playoff-only contract. On the back of Decay’s ridiculous Zarya plays, Justice made a strong run in the NA playoff bracket, falling just short of qualifying for the Grand Finals weekend.
Sp9rk1e, Dallas Fuel
Sp9rk1e served as a flex DPS player for the Paris Eternal throughout the 2020 season. He made a name for himself as one of the scariest DPS players in the game during the Summer Showdown event. At the height of the Genji meta, Sp9rk1e dominated opponents, including the top-ranked Fusion and Shock, leading Paris to their first Overwatch League event title. After the end of the 2020 season, Sp9rk1e left Eternal to join the Dallas Fuel, where he’ll play in 2021 alongside many of his former teammates from Element Mystic and Paris.
Gesture, Seoul Dynasty
Gesture served as the main tank for Seoul Dynasty during the 2020 season. He put on a strong performance throughout the regular season, but he really turned things around for Seoul in the end-of-year playoffs. During the 2020 playoffs, he was moved over to Roadhog inside the Seoul Special, a composition that ran two off-tank heroes instead of a main tank. In this unorthodox composition, Gesture absolutely dominated his opposition, averaging multiple kills per encounter during the APAC playoffs and the Grand Finals weekend. In the end, Seoul reached the Grand Finals, where they lost to the Shock in a thrilling 4-2 series. This impressive end-of-year turnaround was due in no small part to Gesture’s world-class Roadhog play.
Carpe, Philadelphia Fusion
Carpe was a hitscan DPS player for the Fusion during the 2020 season. This season, he had highlight-worthy plays, was a season MVP finalist, and became the first OWL player to reach 4,000 final blows. He’s been playing in the Overwatch League for the past three seasons, but 2020 felt like a breakout year for the young South Korean star. Going into the 2021 season, fans can expect to see much more from this phenomenal player.
ANS, San Francisco Shock
ANS was a rookie hitscan DPS player for San Francisco in 2020. Many doubted him coming into the season because he previously retired from competitive Overwatch to become a streamer before joining San Francisco. But ANS proved the doubters wrong by being one of the most dangerous and consistent Widowmaker duelists in the league. Perhaps no Widowmaker was as scary to face as ANS this year and he was invaluable to the Shock’s 2020 championship.
Striker, San Francisco Shock
Speaking of players who were invaluable to the Shock’s 2020 season, we can’t overlook Striker. Striker was an amazing DPS performer for San Francisco this year. He earned the Grand Finals MVP award after putting on a top-tier performance as primarily Tracer. During the final match alone, he landed 72 final blows to help the Shock earn their second OWL season title. Striker made the most of his status as the greatest Tracer player in the world this year and he definitely belongs on this list.
Profit, Seoul Dynasty
Profit served as the starting flex DPS player for the Seoul Dynasty in 2020. The former Spitfire star won the league championship with London in 2018. He was a top-level performer for Seoul throughout 2020, leading the Dynasty to numerous strong showings, including a second-place finish in the APAC May Melee event and a second-place season finish in the OWL Grand Finals weekend. During this season, Profit became the first OWL player to claim 10,000 total eliminations, a historic accomplishment that cements his legacy as one of the best players in the league.
Void, Shanghai Dragons
Void was the starting off-tank player for the Shanghai Dragons in 2020. The player, who primarily played Sigma this year, absolutely dominated his role and became a powerful force for the Dragons throughout their incredibly successful 2020 season. Void was nominated for the 2020 season MVP award in recognition of his many accomplishments.
Cr0ng, Guangzhou Charge
Cr0ng was the off-tank for Guangzhou Charge this past season. The Charge had a surprisingly strong showing in 2020, managing to win the APAC Summer Showdown event and qualifying in first place for both the May Melee and Summer Showdown. Their unexpected success was due primarily to the excellent efforts put forth by Cr0ng as Sigma. Cr0ng received a nomination for the 2020 MVP award.
Xzi, Dallas Fuel
Xzi served as the starting hitscan DPS player for Paris Eternal throughout 2020. Despite being a rookie this year and going inactive for two months of the season, Xzi still left his mark. He was an essential performer in the Summer Showdown tournament and served a key role in elevating Paris from a mid-tier to high-tier team. He was nominated for the 2020 season MVP award.
Leejaegon, Shanghai Dragons
Leejaegon served as the starting flex support for the Dragons in 2020. The former RunAway star stepped up for the Dragons in his rookie year, putting on world-class performances throughout the season. It can be easy to overlook supports when thinking about the most influential players in the league, but Leejaegon still managed to stand out this year.
Viol2t, San Francisco Shock
Viol2t served as San Francisco’s star flex support player this year. He was great at keeping his team alive and amazing at dealing damage in his own right while playing his hero specialties, Zenyatta and Ana. His consistent excellence was key to Shock’s historic performance this year. After a nearly flawless year of support play, he was nominated for the 2020 MVP award.
This list can’t cover every player that deserved recognition in the Overwatch League, so here are some final honorable mentions for players who nearly made the cut:
- Lip, Shanghai Dragons
- Moth, L.A. Gladiators
- Glister, London Spitfire
- Eileen, Guangzhou Charge
- Gargoyle, Florida Mayhem
- FDGod, Paris Eternal
Published: Dec 30, 2020 03:54 pm