Leaving Octalysis, joining DJ (ex-GFE)

Hey guys, I feel as though I owe some sort of explanation for why I decided to leave a top 3 team (again) as well as my plans for the future for those of you who have supported me throughout my tenure as a HOTS pro. Apologies if this gets a bit rambly at times.





When I joined the Roll 20 Esports roster (Team Twelve/Team Octalysis) in November, I knew that I was taking a big risk leaving behind the Team Freedom family that took me in when I was an unproven, overrated hero league/Heroes of the Dorm star who got virtually no other offers or tryouts. Despite this, the allure of joining the roster that went 21-1 in the HGC prior to Blizzcon was too great for me to always wonder "what if?" when looking back on things. To further help the decision, I would be joining that team with daneski who I got along with the most on TF and agreed with on the philosophy of the game immensely. Not to mention, I would be swapping from offlane to ranged DPS, my original role that I dreamed of playing again, and we would be joining a team that already had an established shotcaller and drafter in Justing - something that daneski and I were really drawn to since neither of us really wanted to take up those duties on a new roster.



GCWC in China was our first test as a team and we discerned quite quickly as seen through our underwhelming results that things would take some time to click, but despite all of our efforts throughout the HGC season we just never really seemed to be on the same page. We had a lot of differences in ideas about how to play the game - including drafting and macro play - that were never truly resolved, and over time there was a feeling of disillusionment of our original dreams of success and glory as a "superteam". We struggled to create a healthy team environment and atmosphere that allowed us to fully communicate with each other on issues that we needed to work on individually, and as a team. Though we worked to remedy this, especially towards the later part of the season, it felt as though each loss we suffered, including in scrims, was a regression back to the same problems that we continually dealt with but never found a real solution for. Among our other issues we were stagnating and being passed up by teams who were far worse than us when the season began (HeroesHearth GODS). In my opinion this stagnation was a direct result of a flawed team dynamic and a lack of willingness to admit weaknesses in an attempt to become better. I realized that I was not really having fun or improving much as a player and teammate, and though the desire to be the best has always driven me it felt as though something was missing. It became very evident to me that even if you built the greatest team of individual players, if you don't have the chemistry or full trust in each other, as well as the continued humility and combined willingness to improve, things will never work out to their true potential.



Despite never getting the results we expected, or ever really living up to what we unquestionably could have been, it was still an enjoyable experience with a ton of ups and downs and I have learned a lot as a player and as a person about what it means to be a team player and how to fight through differences to perform the best that you can as a squad. We genuinely set everything aside and gave it our all in attempt to qualify for the Mid-Season Brawl, getting extremely close with a run in the playoffs to be proud of. With that being said, I decided to leave the roster due to our differences in game and out, in addition to the lack of progress on fixing our issues.



I wish everyone on the roster the best of luck and I have no doubt that they will enjoy continued success in the HGC. I would also like to thank our manager Yitbaus, for all of his hard work, as well as Yu-Kai Chou and The Octalysis group for sponsoring and believing in our team and in the HGC.



After some time mulling over what to do with my future, between finishing my undergrad with the Dorm scholarship or continuing to pursue my dreams of being a professional player for a game that I love and believe in, I decided to remain in the HGC and join Team DJ (formerly GFE). Unfortunately this means that I will have to give up the Heroes of the Dorm scholarship that I received for winning in 2016, as the scholarship only allows you to take two semesters off before having to forfeit it. It was a pretty tough decision to make but I really do believe in the future of this game and its pro scene, and I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.



I’m excited for a new chapter in the HGC, I think that this roster has a lot of potential and tools to succeed. More importantly, I’m happy to be playing with close friends and veterans in the scene. I will be answering any questions you guys have about why I left or the new roster on my stream tonight at 9 PM PDT.



Thank you to everyone who has ever supported or believed in me, I am often overwhelmed with gratitude over my position as a professional player and my good fortune in being able to live out my dream job. I will continue to work hard and attempt to make you all - and NA - proud.



TL;DR: Leaving Octalysis, joining DJ (ex-GFE).



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