The Los Angeles Gladiators have been one of the most disappointing teams in Overwatch League history. They have always been a solid team, but seem to just fall short of the top-tier teams in the league. However, the 2021 team is much different and will succeed. The 2021 Los Angeles Gladiators will have much more success than previous years.
The 2021 Los Angeles Gladiators Will Go Far In Playoffs
There’s a reason the Gladiators have been so close to a top team in the league, they have many of the pieces already in place. However, after their tremendous offseason, they are looking to put all of their pieces in place.
Tanks
Since acquiring Indy “SPACE” Halpern from the Los Angeles Valiant in 2019, the Gladiators have held the best Western off-tank in the league. SPACE has consistently shown he is capable of playing his best, even when his team underperforms. His Sigma was considered one of the best in the league during double shield meta, and his D.Va, Roadhog, and Zarya are as sharp as ever.
The question in the Gladiators tank line comes in their new main tank, Kim “MuZe” Young-hun. The 18-year old comes from the Korean contenders’ scene, and it seems the Gladiators have had their eye on him when Minseok “OGE” Son was underperforming. OGE was not the worst main tank, but there was room for improvement. His Reinhardt left a lot to be desired, and his coordination during the double shield meta as Orisa looked off. The only issue that could arise with the tank line is the language barrier, but as SPACE and MuZe become more comfortable with each other, that barrier will dissolve somewhat. If MuZe is a loud and active shot caller, then he will have to restrain, as SPACE calls targets during fights.
DPS
The Gladiators DPS line does not have the biggest names, but they certainly have big impacts on team fights. Chris “MirroR” Trinh, Kim “birdring” Ji-hyeok, and Kevin “kevster” Persson is a deadly combination that the Gladiators can use to their full advantage. Between the three of them, virtually every single DPS character is covered. An extremely underrated hitscan player, birdring plays mostly Widowmaker and McCree. MirroR is one of the most flexible players in the league, flexing hitscan, projectile, and can play a high level Zarya, Roadhog, Brigitte, and Baptiste. And kevster can play a fantastic Tracer and Genji, if dive ever becomes meta again.
The biggest strength for the Gladiators’ DPS is their flexibility and the ability to substitute in any player for any need or meta. They have a proficient hitscan in birdring, an incredible projectile in MirroR, and a fantastic replacement in kevster. The DPS lineup for the 2021 Los Angeles Gladiators will be one of the best in the league.
Support
The Gladiators made big changes to their support line this offseason. After the Finnish duo of Jonas “Shaz” Suovaara and Benjamin “BigG00se” Isohanni retired after three seasons in the league, the Gladiators went after free agents in the market. And they came up huge. Reigning two-time Overwatch League champion Grant “moth” Espe, as well as Jinseo “Shu” Kim both, joined the purple and white this offseason. These two supports are a match made in heaven. The main support role will be filled by moth, playing Brigitte, Mercy, and Lucio. Shu specializes in flex supports, notably Ana and Zenyatta which propelled the Guangzhou Charge to some victories last season.
Shu shined as one of the best players on the Charge. His Ana gameplay was the perfect balance of aggressive and careful, as well as his Zenyatta gameplay being top-tier. On the Shock, moth was one of the most underappreciated players. However, on the Gladiators, he will constantly be in the spotlight. In addition, his previous chemistry with Team USA teammate SPACE from the Overwatch World Cup will prove beneficial in team bonding.
