After a pretty disappointing first season, the San Francisco Shock are dropping three players from the roster. DPS player André “IDDQD” Dahlström, David “Nomy” Ramirez and Daniel “dhaK” Martínez Paz are now looking for a team for the next season.
Today we say goodbye to three amazing players and friends, @Nomy @daitchaK @iddqd, who made history with us this year in the @overwatchleague.
We can't thank them enough for everything they have done for us and wish them the best in their future endeavors.#ForeverFamily pic.twitter.com/KcGfemll1T
— San Francisco Shock (@SFShock) August 22, 2018
It is not surprising that the San Francisco Shock would undergo a roster change, especially with how their season went. For example, in stage one and two, they would finish in ninth place. San Francisco would look a bit better in stage three, finishing fifth and missing playoffs by a slim margin. Also, in stage four, the Shock would falter again, dropping two spots and finishing in seventh. The team could not field the right combination of talent to find success. Additionally, the current lineup seems to lack synergy, and many of their players just haven’t been playing up to speed.
A Lack of OWL Level Talent?
The release of Nomy, IDDQD and dhaK makes somewhat sense for the San Francisco Shock. However, it does not make it any less unfortunate. Nomy, their main tank, had not been playing well for most of the season. Also, he wasn’t able to catch up to a meta where his main heroes just aren’t as good. That would create the perfect storm for the Shock to drop him before season two. Their shotcaller and support player dhaK is in the same boat. He plays mainly Lucio, but there are many other supports who play the hero much better than him. As for his other heroes, his play just isn’t good enough. Sadly, he just can’t keep up with the talented pool of supports in the Overwatch League.
IDDQD may be the only player to have a possible future in the Overwatch League. His Widowmaker play is relatively good, and we have seen how valuable a good Widow player can be for a team. He could fill the void for a team who desperately needs a decent hitscan starter, or even a bench DPS. I do think that IDDQD wasn’t given a chance to show his skills. He was on the San Francisco Shock bench for most of the season, and wasn’t even given time to scrim with the team. Although he is one of the older players of the Overwatch League, I think his skills and veteran presence would still be valuable for a team. Maybe when the expansion teams begin picking up players, he could be a good acquisition.
Moving Forward
As for the Nomy and dhaK, I think that a new slate should be good for them. They haven’t been playing at their best, so joining an Overwatch League team may not be in the cards for this season. However, I do think that joining an Overwatch Contenders team is a more realistic option. They need to find their footing in the meta once again. Therefore, getting practice with a Contender team could do wonders for their morale and form. If they can show that they can still play at a higher level, then after a few stages, an Overwatch League team could maybe pick them up again for another shot.
What do you think of the roster moves by the San Francisco Shock? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! If you want more Overwatch content, check us out here!
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