The SF Shock dominantly winning the Grand Finals against the Vancouver Titans, would have sounded unheard of this time last year. The SF Shock turn around after a lackluster season one, has turned them into a top-tier team. They were Stage 2 Champions, and OWL Grand Final Champions. It should be said, that every single player of the SF Shock is arguably the best at their given role. As such, it is hard to pinpoint which player has had the most significant effect on the team- given different meta’s and changing roles.

Matthew “super’ DeLisi, has undoubtedly become an integral part of the SF Shock. Especially during the GOATs meta which made up the majority of the season. This season was a break outperformance for the young main tank player. It’s easy to forget that it wasn’t always like this.

In the first installment of a new series, the Tank of Personality, we will be looking at the playstyle and career of super – and of course his over the top personality.

Beginnings

Super, like many of the other talented players on SF Shock, was signed to an Overwatch League team back in 2017. During OWL’s inaugural season, super was unable to play because of his age. He was benched during most of season one, and only become eligible in the final two stages, after his 18th birthday in 2018.

He is still one of the youngest players in the OWL, and like many other pro-players, he got his start playing Team Fortress 2. Super made his way to Overwatch, where he played on a team called “Luminosity Gaming Evil” in NA Contenders with fellow OWL player Jacob “JAKE” Lyon. Eventually, both players found teams in the OWL. JAKE had made a name for himself playing on Team USA and became a fan favorite before joining the Houston Outlaws. But, when super joined OWL he was still a relatively unknown player.

Average Inaugural Season

Compared to last year’s roster, the SF Shock are almost unrecognizable. The Shock had signed a lot of young and promising players, but most were not able to play because of their age. They finished Season One in ninth, back when there were only 12 teams. Needless to say San Francisco struggled.

Even when Jay “Sinatraa” Won and Super were finally eligible to play, the team only slightly improved. However, they showed a lot of progress in Stage 4. When the SF Shock hired Dae-Hee “Crusty” Park as a coach.

Crusty was formally the coach of the Boston Uprising, and led the Uprising during their undefeated stage. The SF Shock were already out of contension by Stage 4, but the improvements under Crusty were immediately felt. They were clearly under new and improved management. Many predicted that they would be an extremely threatening team by the time Season 2 of OWL started.

Season Two: A New Way Forward

There were rumors before the season began, that Crusty would move the team towards an all-korean roster. Crusty had picked up two DPS stars, Nam-joo “Striker” Kwon and Dong-jun “Rascal” Kim during the off-season. As well as, main tank player Myeong-hwan “smurf” Yoo and many speculated that smurf would take super’s spot on the permanent roster.

Despite what some considered to be a lackluster season one, super became a mainstay for the SF Shock. His Reinhardt was considered one of the best in the League, and was a crucial part of the Shock’s success during the 3-3 meta. While many didn’t like the 3-3 meta, it lasted for three stages. Ultimately it had an undeniably massive impact on the overall season. In the 3-3 meta, the SF Shock were a force to be reckoned with and in large part this was because of super.

As Stage 4started and the 2-2-2 role lock was instituted, super was benched in favor of smurf. Rumors swirled that super was “a Reinhardt one trick”, and smurf would become a permanent replacement. It’s doubtful those rumors will completely vanish. Especially given that smurf was on the starting roster during the Shock’s Play-off run and during the Grand Finals. However, super has had an overwhelmingly positive influence on his team. It that shouldn’t be diminished simply because Stage 4 and the Grand Finals were on a different patch.

This season the SF Shock were in every single Stage Play-off, and where the Stage 2 champions. In Stage 2 the Shock went on an undefeated streak, where they didn’t drop a single map – making them the first team ever to have a Golden Stage. Overall, the Shock had a spectacular Season two, and their impressive upswing made Super a household name.

Super earned himself a nomination for MVP, this season. He also secured a spot on Team USA for the upcoming World Cup, all but cementing his place as one of the best western main tank players.

Super Confident

This season super became a fan favorite, not just because of his explosive playstyle on Reinhardt, but because of his entertaining personality. He is a player who has often found himself the topic of speculation, as well as praise. He is frequently in the limelight and handles it with a breath of confidence and humor. Habitually going over the top in interviews and trash talking other teams- in one incident even trashing talking casters who criticized him.

Not many people can forget when super strutted on stage in sunglasses. It was for the NightHawk Router Rumble against the Seoul Dynasty. Later, he put on quite the performance during the post-match interview. Declaring that, “there are a lot of stupid people out there, you understand, they don’t know what they are talking about.”

Super has become one of the faces of the San Francisco Shock, even when he’s not playing. His confidence and bragging nature mirror the brand that the Shock have projected all season long. It is also even comparable to how they play as a team, aggressive and decisive.

Super has certainly made this season of the OWL interesting, with his own personal brand of boldness and wit. With the World Cup coming, there won’t be a shortage of opportunities to see him play on a major stage.

As for the OWL 2020 season, super will undoubtedly still be a major player. The Shock will likely continue to be a success story. But, there are already questions if super will become a permanent fixture, or will he ride the bench? He, has proved himself worthy of being on a starting roster- and any team would be lucky to have him.