The inaugural Overwatch World Cup was one of the highlights of the 10th Blizzcon this past weekend as 16 nations met in a country, rather than individual team, format normally associated with Football or Rugby. When all was said and done, the South Koreans had confirmed their dominance in eSports with a spectacular performance to defeat the USA, Sweden and then Russia.
Country based the tournament may have been, but the Koreans smartly used three members of an individual team, Lunatic-Hai’s Ryujehong, Esca and Miro, in an attempt to maximize their coordination potential. That it worked in such a positive manner may signal a tactic for other countries should Blizzard, hopefully, maintain the format moving forward in subsequent additions of the World Cup.
ArHaN
One of the rising stars of the Korean Overwatch scene, ArHaN is considered by many observers to be one of the best players in the world. ArHaN has been rising in the recent weeks during South Korea’s OGN Overwatch APEX League, carrying a fairly weak Afreeca Freecs Blue team to upset victories.
Primarily known for his Genji play, and with which he continued to impress with during the World Cup, even against Russia’s superstar Genji Shadowburn, ArHaN enhanced his reputation with a very solid display. It will be interesting to see if ArHaN can continue his incredible form during the coming months when he returns to regional South Korean play.
Tairong
Tairong’s pairing with Ryujehong provided South Korea with a quality support combo that would maintain its consistency throughout the Overwatch World Cup. Almost always on Lucio, Tairong’s ability to Sound Barrier at the perfect moment allowed South Korea to play more aggressively and dominate the competition. While it’s difficult to stand out as a Lucio player, Tairong did so by always staying alive, and giving his team the Area of Effect heals they so desperately needed in fight after fight.
Zunba
Zunba’s combination with Miro gave South Korea the perfect pairing of Tanks to dominate the competition at Blizzcon. While Zunba does not receive the recognition of Miro, amongst others, he was never a liability to the team as they made their undefeated run. Primarily playing on Zarya this tournament clutch shield support for ArHaN’s Genji, coupled with impeccably timed Graviton Surges, showed that Zunba belonged on this the team. Zunba was the perfect fit for this roster, being a pillar for team to play around, as the others always knew he would be in the right place at the right time.
Ryujehong
Arguably the most underrated member of the South Korean Overwatch World Cup team, Ryujehong put in a series of incredible performances on Ana to help his team win it all. Ryujehong delivered at a high level in every single match, providing ArHaN and Miro with perfectly timed Nano Boosts to secure the team fight win.
Moreover very quietly Ryujehong hit incredible Sleep Darts at crucial moments that gave his team time to react and execute the proper play. Others may have been more spectacular, but the play of Zunba and Ryujehong illustrated that the best teams have complimentary parts.
Esca
Esca was the consistent force South Korea needed, providing ongoing damage and control on both McCree and Mei. Playing whatever hero the team needed, Esca demonstrated excellence throughout the tournament, aiding in South Korea’s complete dominance. Esca may not have had the flashiest plays, but he was an incredibly important cog in the machine that was South Korea at Blizzcon.
Miro
The last but certainly not least member of both Korea and Lunatic-Hai was Miro who impressed with his mastery of Tanks, especially Winston, so much that he was named the MVP of the tournament. Miro has an innate ability to understand his role within the team, at times soaking damage in the front line while in other moments becoming a backline threat. Miro consistently shut down enemy Genji players while on Winston, giving his team the edge during explosive team fights. Look for Miro to continue his rise to the top of the Overwatch scene.
The Koreans have set the bar high with their domination at this first World Cup. The country based format was a welcome change from individual team play and Blizzard may have found a catalyst for further eSports growth.
