Ji-Sub ‘paJion’ Hwang has announced that he’s leaving the beleaguered Vancouver Titans mere minutes after Hyeon-Woo ‘JJanu’ Choi announced his departure yesterday. The burst of sudden announcements seems to be directly associated with the suspected implosion of the Vancouver Titans that have been witnessed as happening on social media, primarily Twitter. With the entirety of the team removing their status as being on the Vancouver Titans roster for Overwatch League; ‘JJanu’ was the last remaining member of the roster that had the team prominently displayed on his Twitter bio.
As it seems that whatever underlying struggle is ultimately coming to a head, it still has yet to come to light in precisely what the Vancouver Titans are struggling with. Based on reports from the Canucks Sports and Entertainment staff, however, this all seems based on the stress of COVID-19. Formal statements are intentionally vague and obtuse from all sides as the team struggles to right itself. Moving beyond this stress without scarring the team is now impossible, and we’re likely to see the results of this for at least the rest of the season for the Overwatch League.
‘paJion’ stepping away from the team is a colossal move that brings with it raised eyebrows and muffled whispers.
Ji-Sub ‘JJanu’ Hwang was with the Vancouver Titans since the organization stood up, bringing the fan-favorite RunAway team that was directed by Flowervin and Runner in South Korea to Tier 1 in the Overwatch League. Ji-Sub ‘JJanu’ Hwang took the tightly knit roster and led them to dominance in the Overwatch League, utilizing the unique strengths of the team to dominate in the GOATs meta and again in the role lock meta. They were rivaled only by the indomitable San Francisco Shock in the League.
With off-tank ‘JJanu’ stepping away from the team however, there is more at risk than merely losing the overall coordinator of the Vancouver Titans. They don’t have another tank to step into the shoes of the league-leading off-tank, and their overall performance will likely suffer as they bring someone from the bench to attempt to learn the strategy and mechanics behind playing an off-tank in the Overwatch League.
Yet now there are bigger fish to fry, it appears, for the Canadian team. Overwatch League caster Roy, who casts for China, has stated that all players of the Vancouver Titans have now left the team, with some leaving the Overwatch League as a whole. While precisely who and what is still a mystery, it’s known that Jehong ‘RyuJeHong’ Ryu is planning on retiring from the league. Haksal has found another team along with one other Titan player, and Vancouver Titans have already acquired a North American team to continue the season in their place.
The mere idea that a top team in the Overwatch League has suddenly imploded is difficult to consider, in regards to what it means for the league as a whole, the Vancouver Titans, and the fans that suddenly exist in a void. It’s obviously not a good look for the League which continues to struggle in what was supposed to be a ‘make or break’ season, fans are unlikely to jump back on the Vancouver Titans new roster as the main selling point was that it was RunAway, and it’s wildly difficult for the organization to spin this in a positive way when they break the news later today.
