The Vancouver Titans have taken a page from professional wrestling and executed a masterful heel turn. Playing up arrogance and throwing some shade, they have quickly become the “villains” of the Overwatch League.

Prior to joining the Overwatch League, the Vancouver Titans could be seen across the Korean Overwatch scene as the loveable team, RunAway. Fueled by undeniable passion, their story is filled with all of the tropes that make for a fan-favorite team. They banded together to get a team house. When Dae-hoon "Runner" Yoon—founder of the team and team Manager—was called to perform his mandatory military service, his wife, Hyun-Ah “ Flowervin ” Lee, took over. They got so close to winning, so many times. And, finally, they won Overwatch Contenders: Korea Season 2, and our hearts.

Now undefeated in the Overwatch League, fans have been treated to a different look on the team. Sporting unparalleled levels of cockiness—primarily from lead tank Sang- beom "Bumper" Park—the Titans have found new joy in talking a bit of trash. “When I joined, I thought it would be difficult,” said Bumper, earlier in the season. “Now, I realize it's not that hard."

Even the Overwatch League has taken note of the tone from the Titans, releasing a video that declared them as the “Bad Boys of the Overwatch League.” Walking down a graffiti-covered alleyway wearing sunglasses, toothpicks in mouths, members of the Titans play up the perception. However, after a quick anecdote about Bumper screaming as a bug flew around the Titan’s team house, it becomes quite apparent that it’s all just a bit of esports kayfabe.







“When they’re on media, they’re having fun with it, and when they’re not on media they’re just their normal selves,” said coach Harsha Bandi. “I see a bunch of comments every once and a while, if I ever look, ‘Why is Vancouver so cocky? I wish they’d just lose to wipe that smug grin off their face.’” And, actually, we’re not this kind of boisterous all the time. It’s just kind of for fun I guess.”

And fun the Titans have been having. Doubling-down on the over-top cockiness of Bumper, they released a new video on social media in a campaign to get their Main Tank into Overwatch League’s 2019 All-Star Game. In the video, Bumper names some of the other Tank players in the league, casually dismissing each of them. While the video itself is hilarious, what truly makes it great is Bumper’s giant smile through the entire clip. It’s easy to tell that he’s having a great time and is in on the joke.

“For Ameng , he’s good,” says Bumper in the video. “But his team lost against us, so he’s not as good as me.”

“Everybody sees the interviews with Bumper and all and think that we’re a very cocky team; that we don’t try very hard and stuff like that,” concluded Harsha. “But these guys work very hard; the results are on stage.”



Hear more from Titans’ coach, Harsha in our recent interview with him, and make sure to check out the Titans to see if they continue their streak (and their Heel-antics) in Week Three as they take on the Dallas Fuel and the Boston Uprising.



(Feature Photo Credit: Robert Paul, Blizzard Entertainment)

