The Shanghai Dragons has just announced its 2023 roster, with a surprise twist of Fleta on the Tank role instead of his trademark DPS. along with a returning diem swapping over to Support.
The 2023 off-season of OWL is about to wrap up, and that means rosters for most teams are being announced. One such team that has been waiting to join the part is the Shanghai Dragons, but now we’ve got a good idea of what to expect when they next load into a match.
The star DPS, and 2022 OWL MVP, Fleta, has now pivoted to the Tank role instead of his trademark DPS. The Dragons seem to have solidified their DPS lineup with Jeong “Heesu” Hee-su as the hitscan, and Lee “Viper” Jung-woong as the second Damage player.
Let’s welcome Fleta (Kim Byung-sun)!In the 2023 season, Fleta will restart as a tank player with the Shanghai Dragons, seeking any and all possibilities on the stage of the Overwatch League.@ow_fleta pic.twitter.com/EcS1V0VTDS
— Shanghai Dragons (@ShanghaiDragons) March 9, 2023
However, role swaps don’t stop there for the Dragons in 2023. Bae “diem” Min-sung is back from retirement, and now playing once again for Shanghai. Though instead of hitscan DPS he is known for, he has shifted onto the Support role. With Kang “Gangnamjin” Nam-jin as the other Support player.
The change comes as a shock to the entire community as Fleta and diem were known as one of the greatest DPS lineups in Overwatch history. Even earning an OWL trophy along the way, along with an MVP trophy for Fleta as well.
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Welcome back, diem! The story between diem and the Dragons will keep going on. With diem, the Dragons will upgrade and take on new challenges in the next chapter.@diem_ow pic.twitter.com/xBke9USPwX
— Shanghai Dragons (@ShanghaiDragons) March 9, 2023
This is not the first time a star DPS player has shifted into other roles. Danteh famously switched to the Tank role in his move to the LA Gladiator, although he did have prior OWL experience on the role during the GOATS era.
Fleta historically does not have much Tank experience recorded in OWL. With what little time he has recorded when he uses Echo’s ult to transform into a Tank Hero. Meanwhile, diem too does not have any recorded experience in the Support role.
If you would like to keep up with any OWL roster shifts, you can find our coverage here.