The Gauntlet, Overwatch Contender’s largest tournament yet, is drawing ever closer. The tournament is packed to the brim with talent from all around the world. But no region holds as much representation as South Korea (to the surprise of no one). Among the sea of incredible talent from a region that has always been the leaders in the world of esports, it can be tough to stand out. Enter Element Mystic. Though the team does not have the luxury of avoiding the group stage like Atlanta Academy or Runaway (who they lost to at the most recent Contenders Finals), they are the team to be feared.

The DPS

There’s only one name that comes to mind when thinking of Element Mystic and that is Kim “Sp9rk1e” Yeong-han. The superstar DPS player is one of the most talked-about players in all of Contenders. His Genji play would give any OWL player a run for their money. However, depending on what Element Mystic want to play, it may come down to his Doomfist play which he also excels at and could possibly be the best in the world at. Any success Element Mystic will have will come off the back of Sp9rk1e.

But it’s not just the Sp9rk1e show at Element Mystic. Jung “Xzi” Ki-hyo and Kim “Doha” Dong-Ha have also shown exceptional talent on their respective roles. As for who the team runs, it stands to reason based on their most recent performance, that the team will open with Doha on the Reaper and Sp9rk1e on the Doomfist. Xzi is an exceptional player, but in the current meta, hitscan heroes are few and far between. That said, Xzi has shown aptitude on Sombra which could be a potential pick to deal with cooldown based heroes like Doomfist or Sigma. Bastion is also a hero that has been seen a lot at the OWL level, so Xzi might also fill that role. Regardless, the DPS line up for EM is one of the scariest in the Gauntlet.

The Tanks

Up next at the tank role are “AlphA” Jae-hyeon, Choi “Hanbin” Han-been and Lee “Takoyaki” Young-hyun. Element Mystic find themselves in an interesting position in that the team have two main tanks in AlphA and Takoyaki. It was common during the Overwatch League playoffs to see two main tank players playing Orisa and Sigma and fans could potentially see the same during the Gauntlet. Though AlphA has been taking a backseat to Takoyaki during Contenders playoffs, don’t be surprised to see him return to fulfill a role in Sigma.

The Supports

Finally at support are Yoo “Unique” Dong-hyun, Son “Undine” Young-woo and Lee “MCD” Jeong-ho. Though they are not as flashy as the other roles for Element Mystic, they are still a squad to be feared. MCD, though joining the team relatively recently, has been a great flex support for the team. Unique as well has enabled his team to be as impressive as they are through his Lucio and Mercy play.

Predictions

Element Mystic are by far the favorites in their group as they go against the lone PAC region representative Talon Esports as well as the winner of XL2 vs. HSL Esports. All three of those teams are good in their own right, but accounting for travel time as well as some members preparing for the Overwatch World Cup, don’t be surprised to see Element Mystic advance to the Finals bracket.

The Gauntlet will begin October 9th and will be streamed from the Overwatch Contenders Twitch Page.

Follow Brad on Twitter @BradKillion for the latest opinions and musing about the world of esports.



Featured image courtesy of Liquipedia

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