The Shanghai Dragons have had a historic presence in the Overwatch League so far, and not in a good sense. Last season, the Dragons went through trials and tribulations with their original roster, failing to win a single game. Coming into this season, the only player who remains from the original roster is Weida "Diya" Lu.



The other players who stuck with the Dragons from last season are Se-yeon "Geguri" Kim and Eui-Seok "Fearless" Lee. Otherwise, the roster was revamped with players from Contenders Korea.

One of those players who was added this season was Jin-hyeok "DDing" Yang. During their match against the Boston Uprising, DDing played exceptionally well, especially using Sombra. DDing’s Sombra plays aided the Dragons to a 3-1 victory over the Boston Uprising.



After Shanghai Dragons' historic victory, DDing spoke with Inven Global about how it felt to get the first win in the Overwatch League, who he thinks is the most positive teammate, and how Youn-jin "Gamsu" Noh has changed the team’s environment.

▲ photo - Sean Costello

Congrats on the historic win. It was a big night for everyone in the Shanghai Dragons and the fans out there. How intense was it for you all to get that win? How nervous was everyone?



I didn't feel nervous or anything. I just did what I needed to do to get the win. Everything felt like it was going smoothly throughout the whole match. Actually, for the first match, I was a little bit nervous. Once I felt calm, everything seemed to be going in the right place for me. Everyone was a little bit nervous as well.





What was the team’s mentality going into this week?



Coming into this week, there were some players that were extremely nervous, but were able to calm their nerves as soon as we got to play. They were other players who were already nervous but got even more nervous when we started our game. It was a mix of both.





The Dragons had a tough Week 1 against Hangzhou and Vancouver. How did the team prepare to go into Week 2?



There were no special preparations going into this game. Those games last week did not mess us up mentally. We just grinded and did our usual routine.





What was the team’s plan going into the game against Boston, who beat the Houston Outlaws in their previous game?



So our plan wasn't something to counter Boston. When we train, we try to exploit every team. Today, everyone got to see my EMP action, which really helped out and got the win.





▲ photo - Sean Costello



Teams that I’ve talked to say that communication is key in this meta. How has the team’s communication evolved from the offseason to now?



The one thing that's changed is when we're getting feedback, there's a lot more discussion going on. For example, I don't really talk much, but I had to speak up because the GOATS meta is all about teamwork. Overall, we feel confident about our communication.





Would you say that this meta is favored for the Dragons?

No (laughs), we think we still have things to improve on.





Who in the team has been the most positive throughout the losing streak?



Diem has been the most positive because he can quickly change the team atmosphere. Even when we play on stage and talking to each other, Diem would often crack jokes and being funny. If you look at Diem, he's always smiling when he's playing so he's always in good spirits. His positivity helps us a lot.





▲ photo - Robert Paul



You’ve had Gamsu in the team for a week now. How well has he meshed with the rest of the team?

I'm not sure if Gamsu has a big personality yet, but he's meshing with us really well. Also, our training has gone really smoothly and he’s a big part of that.





Was there any wisdom that Gamsu passed onto you guys from his previous experiences in esports?

The one thing that stuck out to me was Gamsu is very solid and calm, even when we're in a fight. Gamsu is so calm, he's like a big brother to us. His demeanor is really calm and he is older than all of us.





Now that the weight is off the Dragons’ shoulders, what can we expect from the Dragons moving forward?



Our goal is stage playoffs. I know it's a tall order to win every game, but I think it's possible.





Anything to say to the fans?



I hope we don't let you down; please continue to cheer for us.