OWL 2021 Power Rankings – #5 Philadelphia Fusion

Philadelphia Fusion is 5th in our Overwatch League 2021 power rankings.

Ever since the Inaugural Season, Philadelphia Fusion keeps on appearing in the top tier of Overwatch League teams. The team placed 2nd in both the Inaugural Season and the 2020 Regular Season, but never managed to snatch the crown.

The off-season was full of events for Philadelphia Fusion. The team lost some of their iconic players but signed promising ones to fill their shoes. Here is a preview of the Philadelphia Fusion 2021 roster.

Philadelphia Fusion 2021 Roster Preview

Tank:

  • Gael “Poko” Gouzerch
  • Hong-joon “HOTBA” Choi
  • Dong-gyu “Mano” Kim

Gael “Poko” Gouzerch is a well-known D.Va player. Placing a smart D.Va ultimate is even known as a Poko Bomb in the Overwatch community, as a reference to the Philadelphia Fusion player. From now on, he will share his off-tank position with another D.Va player, formerly from NYXL.

Hong-joon “HOTBA” Choi is rejoining the Philadelphia Fusion, over two years after leaving the team. The Fusion traded HOTBA to a then-new expansion team, Guangzhou Charge. After a season with the Charge, HOTBA came back to an American team with New York Excelsior. HOTBA is now back with his first Overwatch League team, Philadelphia Fusion.

Dong-gyu “Mano” Kim is the main tank of the Philadelphia Fusion. He formed a tanking duo with HOTBA in New York Excelsior and now in the Fusion. Mano is one of the best Reinhardt players in the Overwatch League and is also able to flex on Winston or Orisa when needed.

Support:

  • Kyung-bo “Alarm” Kim
  • Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway
  • Jin-mo “tobi” Yang

Kyung-bo “Alarm” Kim joined Philadelphia Fusion in late 2019, following two successful seasons with the Fusion University. With the Fusion academy team, Alarm won the Overwatch Contenders 2018 North America Season 1, 2, and 3, as well as the 2019 North America East Season 1 and the Atlantic Showdown.

Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway played with Philadelphia Fusion during the Overwatch League 2020 Season. He previously played with the Atlanta Reign, placing 5th in the Overwatch League 2019 Playoffs. FunnyAstro is the main support player of Philadelphia Fusion but will have to share his seat with a new signing this season.

After three years with Seoul Dynasty, Jin-mo “tobi” Yang joins Philadelphia Fusion for the Overwatch League 2021 Season. He joined Seoul Dynasty for the Inaugural Season, right after winning the Overwatch World Cup 2017. As the Dynasty’s main support player, he helped the team climb the ranks in the League, eventually placing 2nd in the Overwatch League 2020 Grand Finals.

DPS:

  • Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee
  • Josue “Eqo” Corona
  • Niclas “sHockWave” Jensen
  • Dong-jun “Rascal” Kim

Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee is the team captain of the Philadelphia Fusion ever since the team’s creation, back in 2017. He led the Philadelphia Fusion to second place in the Overwatch League Inaugural Season Playoffs, as well as Overwatch League 2020 Regular Season.

Josue “Eqo” Corona has also been playing with the Philadelphia Fusion since 2017. The team teased the departure of the DPS player after the 2019 Season, but Eqo is still a key member of Philadelphia Fusion heading into the Overwatch League 2021 Season.

A new DPS player joins Philadelphia Fusion this season: Niclas “sHockWave” Jensen. The hitscan specialist made his debuts in the Overwatch League last year with Vancouver Titans. The team ended the 2020 Regular Season at 18th place, out of 20 teams.

The biggest signing for Philadelphia Fusion this season is Overwatch League two-times Champion Dong-jun “Rascal” Kim. He was a key element of the San Francisco Shock roster, being able to switch from DPS to support and master a large range of heroes. As he joins Philadelphia Fusion this year, Rascal becomes the only currently active player to have been part of four different Overwatch League teams throughout his career.

Philadelphia Fusion 2021 Power Rankings

The off-season was pretty hard on Philadelphia Fusion, which parted ways with Head Coach Dong-gun “KDG” Kim, main tank Su-min “SADO” Kim, off-tank Jun-ho “Fury” Kim, as well as DPS players Seung-hyun “Ivy” Lee and Hee-su “Heesu” Jeong.

The new Head Coach, Bumhoon “NineK” Kim, had to build a new team while handling potential visa issues. He strengthened the remaining roster with players that proofed their worth in other Overwatch League teams, signing an all-star roster.

However, visa issues could still be an issue for the team, which is home to players from five different countries. While there are at least two South Korean players in each position that shouldn’t have any trouble playing together, the evolution of the pandemic could highly hinder the rest of the Philadelphia Fusion roster.

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