Team Japan stars CLAIRE and ta1yo leave USG Iridata

Team Japan surprised many in the Sydney World Cup Qualifier, placing above powerhouse nation Finland and only just falling short of qualification for BlizzCon. CLAIRE and ta1yo were members of the upstart national team, impressing on support and DPS respectively. Both have chosen to depart from USG Iridata, one of the top teams competing in Japanese Overwatch.

CLAIRE's announcement that he will leave the USG Iridata roster

CLAIRE’s future remains unknown, as his time with USG wrapped up today in the Japan Esports League 2017 - Summer. Ta1yo will take a step back from the Japanese scene, to focus on his studies. However, he does have his sights set on returning to competitive Overwatch on a Western team. As a native English speaker, ta1yo will be an attractive option for teams looking to pick up a hitscan DPS.

USG Iridata were victors of the GeForce Cup and have competed against Libalent Supreme, formerly USG Supreme, for dominance in the Japanese scene. With Libalent travelling to Taiwan for the Pacific Championship and USG taking a hefty blow with the departure of the two players, room has opened up for teams such as RPG Kingdom to step into the top spot in Japan.

The USG Iridata roster is now: