For longtime fans of the Overwatch League, the offseason may hurt more than usual today.
The New York Excelsior announced that it’s dropping DPS players Kim “Libero” Hye-sung and Park “Saebyeolbe” Jong Ryeol, as well as main support Jeong “Anamo” Tae-sung. All three players had been with the NYXL since the inaugural season of the Overwatch League.
Saebyeolbe and Libero were a part of the original Excelsior roster, introduced to fans in late 2017. Throughout the inaugural season of the league, both players quickly managed to impress fans with their immense skill and big personalities. Saebyeolbe’s immaculate Tracer paired well with Libero’s flexible, adaptable hero pool.
Anamo joined the NYXL in March 2018, taking over some main support duties as the inaugural season progressed. Over the next two years, Anamo served as the starting main support for the Excelsior.
For many fans of the team, these drops may come as a surprise. The last two seasons have been a struggle for the New York Excelsior, but the team continually relied on the star power and clutch potential of those original players, especially Libero and Saebyeolbe.
NYXL team manager Kim “nuGget” Yo-han explained in a Twitter post how much of a toll the 2020 season took on the team. After the COVID-19 crisis hit New York, the team moved back to South Korea to join the Asia-Pacific region of the Overwatch League. “Sadly, despite all the efforts we put into this season, we ran into a wall,” nuGget said.
At time of writing, the only member remaining on the New York Excelsior’s roster is 2018 league MVP Bang “JJoNak” Sung-hyeon.
