The Overwatch League’s biggest showmen

Overwatch League has some incredible players in it. Every single one of these people is fucking ridiculously good. On top of being the best players in the world, some OWL players also bring hilariously entertaining personalities to the stage. These players, who I dub the showmen of OWL, come in various roles, on various teams, and have various play styles. What unites them is their love and talent for entertainment and flair.

The most interesting players aren’t just good at Overwatch, they are entertaining both on the stage and in the game. This list is dedicated to five of my favorite Overwatch League showmen.

My criteria for this list is based primarily on my own experiences and watch history. If there is a player that I missed, feel free to mention them in a comment! There are a ton of great players and I can’t include all of them in a single list. With that said, here is my list of 5 incredible showmen in the OWL:

5. Surefour – The Goofy DPS Flex

Lane “Surefour” Roberts is a Canadian DPS player who has played for the Los Angeles Gladiators and is currently playing for the Toronto Defiant. Surefour is without a doubt one of the most fun players to watch play Overwatch. From meming the walk out, to making jokes in post game interviews, Surefour is relentlessly entertaining.

Part of what makes him so fun to watch in matches is the diversity of heroes he plays. He plays an amazing Tracer, Sombra, Pharah, and Widowmaker, sometimes more than one of these in a single game. Surefour was one of the earliest players to catch my eye during Season 1 of the Overwatch League and he continues to be fun to watch to this day.

He is more than a DPS, he is also a personality.

4. Carpe – The fight is never lost so long as Carpe is alive

Sometimes you just want to watch an insane Widow destroy everyone on the map. Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee is that widow. He is a South Korean hitscan DPS player for the Philadelphia Fusion. 

Carpe turned heads in the first week of OWL Season 3 after clutching out a very close round against the Washington Justice. 

For Carpe, this was just another game.

His accuracy and game sense make it feel like the Fusion can always win a fight, even when things look dire. In this way, Carpe adds suspense to Fusion matches. You never know when he is about to pop off. In my book, that makes you a great showmen. Sometimes you don’t have to be the super entertainer on stage when you can just be the very best at what you do in game.

Like many of the top tier Korean talents, he has been around since before the Overwatch League was even a thing. If I had to guess, he will be sticking around a little bit longer. 

3. Babybay – redeeming the king slayer

Andrej “babybay” Francisty is an American DPS player for the Atlanta Reign. Formerly, Babybay played competitive Counter-Strike until he was VAC banned. For most professional esports players, a VAC ban from Valve would mark the end of their career. However, despite his sordid past, babybay was able to redeem himself as an Overwatch professional and eventually made it onto the Shock’s roster before being traded to the Atlanta Reign.

His redemption story is pretty interesting. Like the phoenix in Atlanta’s logo, Babybay himself seems to have arisen from the ashes.

One of Babybay’s greatest moments came in the Season 2 playoffs, when Atlanta Reign defeated the Shock in the Season 2 playoffs, in no small part due to his incredible and skillful plays.

Babybay is a highly energetic force on stage, always hyping up his teammates and the crowd. When he defeated his former teammates, the Shock, he smugly commented on Twitter that at least “one Shock player won today.” His arrogance and ability to back up that arrogance remind me of a Conor McGregor type figure in the OWL. He definitely keeps us entertained by talking shit and building up the tension. Every once in a while, the Atlanta Reign win a match they aren’t supposed to, thus proving their star DPS correct. 

Other times…. Things don’t work out quick as well.

Either way, Babybay shows up to entertain.

2.Stratus – Highly entertaining on stage deadly DPS in game

Ethan “Stratus” Yankel is an American OWL players who started his Overwatch career competing in the Contenders league for NRG. After proving himself as a contender, he eventually earned a shot at the big leagues. 

When he started in the Overwatch League, he was a bit of a silly young man. Although he came across as awkward at first, he has since blossomed into a fun and relatable esports influencer. Stratus has incorporated sunglasses into his brand, leading one of the most iconic walkouts in Overwatch League history.

Stratus has quickly elevated himself as an icon in the Overwatch League. His silly, fun, and personal brand is backed up by some serious in game carry skills. As a DPS player for the Washington Justice, Stratus has made a name for himself not only as an entertaining showman, but also as one of the best DPS players around. His hilarious antics have made him a crowd and commentator favorite, supplying a welcome personality to the Washington Justice squad.

1. Jjonak – The greatest Zenyatta to ever grace the OWL stage

Hailing from South Korea, Sung-hyeon “JjoNak” Bang is one of the greatest Overwatch players to ever open Battle Net and install the damn game. JJoNak plays as a flex support for the New York Excelsior, where he flexes primarily between Zenyatta and Ana. Regardless of his hero pick, JjoNak makes huge game swinging plays on characters that have a very high skill ceiling. 

His top tier Zenyatta player won him the inaugural season’s MVP award. 

Outside the game, he is also a crowd favorite. He is a very likable guy in the interviews, who has a surprisingly tasteful sense of fashion. He is not only amazingly composed in games, he is also composed in front of the crowd, too. He is sometimes a quiet presence, but only because he is plotting the end of his enemies.

JJonack’s technical displays of genius encapsulate what watching esports has always been about for me. Esports is about watching people way better than myself show off their best in the world talent. Much like traditional sports, esports is fundamentally about incentivizing players to challenge the impossible; to ask questions and analyze a game to the most exhaustive extent, find the strings that control the system, and control those strings. When JJoNack plays, the angels sing.