Hangzhou Spark sign Chinese Overwatch World Cup star as first player

The Hangzhou Spark have announced the first player on their new roster.

The team announced the acquisition of main tank Xu ‘Guxue’ Qiulin via their account on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The team have yet to make the same announcement for their English-speaking fans, however.

The announcement came shortly after the team revealed their name, Hangzhou Spark, team logo, colors, and skins.

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Though Hangzhou are one of three new Chinese teams joining the Overwatch League, they’re the first to confirm the acquisition of a Chinese player.

Guxue representing China at the 2018 Overwatch World Cup

Guxue was one of the stand-out players of China’s team for the 2018 Overwatch World Cup.

Despite many fans writing off Chinese Overwatch after the abysmal performance of Shanghai Dragons, the Overwatch League’s only Chinese squad in Season One, Team China quickly changed minds at the World Cup.

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China dominated their opposition all the way to the grand final, where they lost to South Korea, who claimed the title for a third consecutive year.

Throughout their run, Guxue stood out as one of the key players on Team China, so it will come as little surprise to fans who witnessed China’s run that he’ll be joining the Overwatch League.

Prior to joining Hangzhou, Guxue competed for LGD Gaming in Contenders China. LGD finished second in both Season One and Season Two, losing out in the grand finals to all-Korean squad Lucky Future Zenith on both occasions.