New York Excelsior drops main tank player Janus

The next Overwatch League player to fall victim to the free agency period is Song “Janus” Joon-hwa from New York Excelsior.

“It was an incredible year and we couldn’t have done it without you, Janus,” NYXL wrote on Twitter Friday night. “You’ve always been a wonderful player and teammate. We wish you the best in your career.” 

Janus joined NYXL in October 2017 with the rest of the LW Blue team. He’s played main tank for the roster since September of the same year.

Related: NYXL releases coach WizardHyeong ahead of Overwatch League’s second season

Earlier in the day, NYXL parted ways with coach Kim “WizardHyeong” Hyeong-seok, who also joined NYXL after coaching LW Blue. Despite Janus’ success with NYXL—he helped the team earn first place in the league’s regular season—the roster typically relied on main tank Kim “Mano” Dong-gyu for his Winston and Orisa play.

Nine players remain on the NYXL roster ahead of the Overwatch League’s second season. But teams still have just over a week left to negotiate with players before Sept. 9 when the free agency period begins. Come Sept. 9, any Overwatch League player without a new contract will become a free agent, eligible to be picked up by an expansion team.

Today’s been a big day for Overwatch League roster changes, with cuts made from Boston Uprising, Los Angeles Gladiators, and Seoul Dynasty. More changes are expected, of course, in the coming months ahead of the Overwatch League’s second season.

The Overwatch League hasn’t announced a start date for its second season. Further details are expected relatively soon, however.