9 Potential Sleeper Picks for OWL 2019
Hello and welcome to another article from yours truly, WolfofVillainy. AS OWL’s first season has ended, time to look forward to what 2019 will bring. For this, I present to you a pair of articles that will no doubt be very relevant to the next season: the potential sleeper players that everyone should keep their eyes on lest they get signed to an OWL team, and the potential bust that everyone should brace for impact lest they underperforms in relation to their pre OWL hype. Today, let’s started off with the more positive one of the two before we touch some sacred cows. Without further ado, here’s 9 underrated players that have the potential blossomed in OWL.
- Undine
In the list of many flex supports waiting to be poach to OWL, one of the name that never really get any mention is Undine from MVP Space. As MVP limped into season 2’s playoff, Undine has performed well, keeping an acceptable level of contribution as well as occasional moments of his own. He may not be as mechanically gifted as Viol2t or as well rounded as WonJaeLee, but OWL teams who looking for best bang for the buck in the flex support position should not overlook Undine. He should be suitable as someone in the role like Neko or Kariv: solid, dependable, and occasionally can pull more than his own weights to the team. Or at least, he cab be a solid second string/two ways player on the bench.
- Krystal
T1w is a team that has been going on a tear recently in the Chinese scene. Despite their loss to LFZ in a close BO5 set, T1w and their talents remains a viable option for Guangzhou to grab for their team, or any Chinese expansion team for 2019. Leading the team is star DPS Krystal, who should be looked at by every team, not just the Chinese teams. This is probably a cheating pick because for those familiar with the Chinese scene, he is a no brainer for OWL. But for the rest of the world, he continues to fly under the radar compared to other powerful regional talents. Krystal is a hitscan-flex with a prototypical carry hero pool, and his consistent improvement in performance between seasons shows that he has high ceiling as a player. All he really needs is a competent support crew and a flexible partner around him in order to perform at a really high level.
- BeastHalo
Despite Fusion University’s continued dominance as the king of NA Contenders, BeastHalo has been unfairly lowballed as FU’s weak spot as much of the spotlight has been surrounded the trio of Alarm, Zacharee and WhoRU. Make no mistake, BeastHalo’s tank play has been the silent carry for the team, allowing Zacharee and WhoRU to play up to their full potential. Even in season 1 i felt his tank play was unreasonably underrated, perhaps as a result of his tendency to die first. But his tank play has markedly improved with the introduction of a strong off tank player in BERNAR. There might be some reservations with his Reinhardt, and especially Wrecking Ball, but under the right team and coaching staff BeastHalo can go quite far as a starter in OWL, or at least someone who can fulfill a Janus-like role in the team.
- Nanohana
It is strange to list Nanohana as an OWL sleeper pick but here we are. A lot of things can change in a year, sadly. Nanohana went from being one of the most hyped prospects in OW after his performance in World Cup 2017 to barely registering as a blip in 2018. After 2 seasons in Contenders, Nanohana has been overshadowed by Nenne and weirdly enough, Mangachu. But I firmly believed that he can be a force to be reckoned with in OWL. After World Cup 2017 I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that Nanohana is a system player, someone that can excel in a particular system (LW Blue/NYXL) with the right personnel (SBB, Janus) but if you take him out of that, he will underperform. And so far after 2 seasons in Contenders, it seems like that assessment is true. If NYXL can promote him to the main squad, for Nanohana while NYXL will be able to round out a truly formidable 4 man DPS rotation that will address their depth issue in 2018.
- Rio
Full disclosure I helped Meta Bellum in their top 4 Contenders season 2 campaign. But I think Rio is one of the better KR main tank that is available in the market at the moment. His Winston has been quite solid for the past 2 seasons, and it keeps getting better and better as time passes. Happy emerged as one of the best Widow’s in Korea, and I think is in large part due to excellent tank play coming from Rio. Being able to keep up with a stacked region full of potential OWL level tanks in Korea is a huge plus for him. His Reinhardt is solid , even if Meta Bellum lost to the tank monster that was Kongdoo Panthera in the semi final. In OWL I think he is more than capable of being a starter on a team that needs a dependable, and versatile main tank who can adapt to different metas and playstyles to help the team.
- Smex
With the flash about Rascal and Stratus in NRG, it is Smex that seemingly flew under the said this alrdyin the conversation of “who’s the most OWL ready off tank”. But he is a veteran off tank with plenty of experience from all the way back to 2017 under the YGGP banner. And throughout 2 seasons of Contenders he has shown himself to be a very well rounded off tank with no hero pool problems, as well as having excellent synergy with his main tank Swon. He might not be throwing Poko bombs or pulling off insane aggression like Space, but I think he is a solid, consistent performer in the mold of Manneten or Nevix that a team can anchored around. Going to OWL, I think he can be a capable starter like the aforementioned two, or at least a role player in style of Void in certain maps.
- Yaki
There are seemingly an endless amount of Flex DPS players in Korea. Across the top 8 there’s Order, Na1st, TTuba, Haksal, and there’s Yaki. Similar to Undine, he also got stuck in the quagmire of mediocrity that is MVP Space. But like Undine, that didn’t stop him from showing his diverse hero pool that seemingly approaches Eqo/Profit levels of flexibility. However, without a proper DPS partner, he has to shoulder a lot of responsibility within the team by himself. Any OWL teams that is looking for a full suite DPS that is relatively solid, consistent, cheap and developable into someone like Eqo should look no further than Yaki.
- Shax
For an EU hitscan DPS, Shax has had a bit of an up and down season fluctuating between the 2 Western regions. There’s a bit of Fleta-ism going on with his career as he struggled along with his team even if he has showed a lot flashes of brilliance. His hero pool is a prototypical hitscan in the manner of SBB where he can flex on a lot of main carry heroes such as McCree, Tracer or Widow. This is a niche that is needed for every OWL team. And the fact that Shax has performed exceptionally well despite his setback is promising for any team looking for a central piece to build around.
- FunnyAstro
And finally, someone who actually plays in EU Contenders. FunnyAstro’s stock has gone down along with the Hurricanes’ crash from being season 1 champions to being relegated to Trials in season 2. But his skill as a Lucio, along with an improving Mercy, is undeniable. His profile seems to fit someone like Boink/Dhak, a Lucio specialist on certain Control maps, but simply better). While I have no clue how he performs in-game as a caller, if he is a solid communication presence in the team, I’m sure he will be a fine piece for anyone to pick up who wants an excellent main support for their team in OWL.
And there you have it. Those 9 players are my 9 sleeper picks for OWL season 2019. In my opinion these players bring tremendous value to their team while being under the radar most of the time for various reasons. If an OWL expansion team wants to get the best bang for their buck, look no further than this list. In the next article I will touch on 9 players that are hyped up and constantly on the tip of people’s tongue as the next big thing in OWL, but might never actually reach that ceiling at all. Some sacred cows will be slaughtered. But in the meantime, thank you for reading and as always, you can find me on reddit, twitter @WolfofVillainy or at my own discord at here.
