Team SoloMid seek an EFFECTive solution to roster woes

EFFECT, previously a sub for Meta Athena, has been struggling with coordinating the next steps of his professional Overwatch career. The former flex player is renowned for being one of the top Tracer players in Korea, and was most recently a part of Meta’s Bellum team, playing in the APEX Challengers League as a damage dealer and sub-tank. However, EFFECT has more recently been spotted practicing with the North American team Team SoloMid. This lead to EFFECT being offered a contract from the organization, as noted in some recent tweets made by the player:

루나틱하이는 지원서를 넣어보긴 했지만 솔직히 기대는 안하고있습니다.

워낙 수준이 높은팀이고, 제 실력또한 미숙하니까요.



앞으로 방송은 당분간 안할것같습니다.

대신, 제가 방송을 끄고 게임하는것을 유튜브로 올릴테니 아쉬우시더라도 유튜브로 ... ㅠ_ㅠ — EFFECT (@RzEFFECT) April 6, 2017

Here’s a rough translation of the tweets:

Tweet 1:

I’m in a dilemma. I don’t know if I should go to an overseas team [TSM] or stay in Korea. I’m having a hard time deciding. I have passed all of the tests, and just need to sign the contract to join the foreign team. The contract conditions aren’t bad, but I’m concerned with moving overseas. It’s as if I’m gambling right now.

Tweet 2:

I’ve applied to Lunatic-hai, but I’m not expecting much because of their elevated level and my lack of experience. I also won’t be livestreaming anymore for the time being. However, I will be continuing to upload videos to YouTube. Don’t feel too upset for my absence from livestreaming.

This is monumental in professional Overwatch as it potentially marks the first instance of a Korean player moving to a western team. Although Bishop was previously signed as a coach for Cloud9, no professional players have moved from the Korean scene yet. EFFECT’s hesitation towards signing with the organization has been reflected in other previous high-profile free agents who have been approached by the team. As harsha noted in a previous article, the organization has been approaching Korean players, albeit with mixed results. We’ll have to see if his excellent tracking and talent are enough to overcome the language and cultural barriers that are currently preventing him from immediately signing the contract. Currently, it is speculated that Team SoloMid's current roster is: Taylor "b1am" Forrest (Support) and Connor "ConnorJ" Johnson (DPS).