The upper echelons of competitive Overwatch have been shaken up by big roster changes. Some of those lineups have already found success, most notably EnVyUs winning OGN Apex Season 1. The community is calling for these rosters to solidify. But Overwatch is a harsh mistress that doesn’t want to settle down just yet, continously shifting the requirements of a championship winning side. Be careful EnVyUs, don’t marry the meta!

Dating

The initial phase of every promising relationship should always be mutually beneficial. People get to know each other and try to gouge whether or not they could have a shared future. Mickie joining EnVyUs marked their first effort after a long drought of tournament wins to suggest themselves as the best team in the World. The young Thai’s D.Va does indeed look sexy, performing exceptionally well both against Rogue and Afreeca Freecs Blue. Their friends and family suggest that it might be time to take the next step. “Everything is working so well! Isn’t it time for the next step?”, they postulate and indeed it seems like a match made in heaven.

What most miss is how the stars had to align that these things came to be. Hulk performed above expectations on Lucio and the team’s shotcalling didn’t seem to suffer from the positional switch with Harryhook all that much. The one DPS hero we expected Harryhook to play on a world class level received a sizeable buff heaving him into the meta. D.Va was buffed to ridiculous levels and is considered overpowered by most pro players and Mickie seems to be the best in the world. If any of those three conditions doesn’t happen, it’s hard to imagine them winning the series against Rogue in the OGN Apex semifinals.

What if the environment changes? Is everyone flexible enough to be able to work on the relationship? Is the hard work worth it? The team still lacks a projectile DPS player after the departure of Pharah whiz Talespin. Does it not seem insane that Taimou, a top 3 hitscan player in the world, is currently trying to take on the task of learning Genji? Is it worth changing yourself so much when the perfect someone might just be around the next corner?

Kids & the forced proposal

EnVyUs met Mickie after a strong showing as a hitscan DPS player for Thailand at the aftershow party of the Overwatch World Cup at Blizzcon. There he was, the world champion and super star of the Point Blank World Championship 2015, an FPS developed by the South Korean company Zepetto. They hit it off quickly and told him about their woes with former partner Talespin and their impending separation. Mickie listened patiently and understood the needs of the other EnVyUs members.

As they invited him to their home to practice with them, it all fit so well. The shock of having been picked by Rogue still sat deep, but Mickie was the hope that the team needed. In the end they did the seemingly impossible and prevailed. The fruit of their love would be called Victorya Apex I. and they contemplated a common future.

Given their success, entertaining the thought didn’t seem entirely loony. As it is after having conceived kids, everything changes. Had it not worked out, one would’ve wished each other a great fulfilling life, could’ve possibly remained friends, but would’ve continued on the journey for a soulmate. Now that Victorya Apex I. is here, it isn’t so easy anymore but the questions remain unanswered. Are we on the same wave length? Do we speak the same language and share core beliefs? Are we losing ourselves by making it work?Many a partnership succumbs to sunk cost fallacies unable to let go.

Still the obvious threat looms. The philosopher Knowles-Carter phrases the problem as such:

„If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it

Don’t be mad once you see that he want it”

Other teams noticed EnVyUs indecisiveness and are knocking on Mickie’s door. A player of his calibre is invaluable in the market for teams with offtank or even hitscan DPS problems. The hounds are barking.

As a licensed marriage counselor (not really) I’d suggest to them the following if they are serious about the future of their relationship:

Prenup

As any sensible adult in this day and age will tell you before entering marriage you should figure out what happens if it doesn’t work out. In a sizeable amount of marriage especially by the upper classes these are done by prenups. You name your price and if it ever gets too high, you leave both parties with a sensible basis to build from. Suggest to Mickie a deal that would allow you to terminate his contract but continue to pay his salary for a reasonable time frame so he can find a new team but not longer. Make it so he can be happy with what he’s offered and also have him take English classes after practice as part of the contractual agreement.

“My dear boy, the people who love only once in their lives are really the shallow people. What they call their loyalty, and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination. Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect” -Oscar Wilde, Lord Henry Watton in “The picture of Dorian Grey” suggesting against becoming like NIP’s CS:GO team

Polya(r)moury

Another solution that will inevitably find itself into the scene once the Overwatch League professionalizes the industry is rosters that consist of more than six players. Enyvus has demonstrated that they are serious about their investment into Overwatch, offering living wages and practice facilities as well as living areas to their players already mid-beta. If what you have can’t satisfy your needs, maybe you need to add another player. Having kept Talespin around in case the meta ever switched to a state which required a projectile DPS player would’ve been optimal with the caveat that he would’ve had to work on his Genji. Maybe it would’ve discharged the internal struggles if Talespin hadn’t been burdened with picking up heroes outside his comfort zone and skillset, maybe it wouldn’t have. He too seemed to have been a sultry femme fatale. With the meta currently often requiring one or two hitscan players and a DPS that can flex onto tanks, a lot of very attractive options are on the market anyway as projectile DPS are simply less desired.

EnVyUs seems to share this skepticism and has put Mickie on trial period. One would suggest that they at least wait out the Christmas season to see which gifts Mickie picks out. In the end it’s all for the game of love and the love of the game.