After years of mid-tier results, the Seoul Dynasty finally took their place among top-level teams during the 2020 Overwatch League season. In last year’s Grand Finals, the Dynasty put up an admirable fight, losing to the San Francisco Shock.
Seoul owed their late-season success to favorable meta changes and quick adaptation, but in 2021, the team is looking for a more consistent level of dominance in the East region. By combining veteran talent with possible future superstars, the Dynasty may finally live up to their namesake this year.
Tank
On paper, the Dynasty tank line appears to be led by veteran Hong “Gesture” Jae-hee, a former champion with the London Spitfire. While Gesture’s Winston is still a force to be reckoned with, fellow tank Hwang “Marve1” Min-seo may see most of the playtime this season. During the NeXT Cup, Marve1 impressed by flexing back and forth to fill his team’s needs while maintaining a high level of play.
The off-tank role will be fielded by relative newcomer Lim “Toyou” Hyun-woo, who was brought up from the Dynasty’s Overwatch Contenders team last August. Toyou also had a great performance in the NeXT Cup, boasting a destructive Zarya that demolished enemy teams.
Support
Seoul lost its veteran support Yang “tobi” Jin-mo over the offseason, leaving former New York Excelsior player Jeong “ANAMO” Tae-seong with the main support mantle. ANAMO was an important part of the NYXL but was never known as a playmaker, so he’ll have to work to earn the trust of Dynasty fans.
A surprising source of pop-off potential comes in the form of flex support Kim “creative” Young-wan, who gave impressive performances in both the 2020 Grand Finals and the NeXT Cup.
DPS
Over the offseason, the Dynasty went all-in on veteran talent, picking up ANAMO and legendary Tracer player Park “Saebyeolbe” Jong-Ryeol from the NYXL. Some analysts think that Saebyeolbe is past his prime; this is his time to prove he’s still got what it takes to compete.
Seoul’s DPS focus is, as usual, on phenom Park “Profit” Joon-yeong. It’s been three years since his stunning performance in the inaugural season Grand Finals with the London Spitfire, and Profit still carries fights, bringing back losing matches from the brink. He may be the star, but keep an eye out for Kim “FITS” Dong-eon at Profit’s side. While he lacks the star power, FITS offers incredible Sombra play and infinite flex potential.
2021 outlook
This year, the Seoul Dynasty is banking on the proven performances of veteran players. Unfortunately for fans, the team carries with it a history of unpredictability that these players may feed into. Seoul has always been hot and cold, demolishing enemies in some metas and floundering in others. If the team can even out those results, they’ll be a dangerous part of the East region.
Players like Saebyeolbe and Gesture may have the star power and veteran presence to bring fans to the team, but it’ll be the young whippersnappers that pop off this year. Off-tank Toyou and flex support Creative were carry players during the NeXT Cup and their skills should only improve as they mesh with this new Dynasty lineup.
The Seoul Dynasty’s first game of the 2021 Overwatch League season is against the Philadelphia Fusion on April 17 at 7am CT.
