The master of the D.Va bomb is calling it a career. With five seasons under his belt in the Overwatch League, Gael “Poko” Gouzerch is retiring, he announced earlier today on Twitter.
As one of the Overwatch League originals, Poko was a part of the Philadelphia Fusion for four years, before signing with the London Spitfire for the 2022 season. With the Fusion, he helped lead the team to the Grand Finals in the inaugural season. He became a consistent part of the Fusion core alongside DPS Lee “Carpe” Jaehyeok.
With Poko and Carpe departing from professional Overwatch, there are no players from the season one Fusion roster that are currently signed to a team.
The two-time All-Star signed with the London Spitfire, a young roster where Poko was the elder statesman of the team.
In the minutes he was called upon, Poko still showcased his sharp skills and proven ability to contribute to a winning team. The Spitfire team would go on to exceed expectations with a fifth-place finish and a 14–10 overall record. In the league, Poko has only missed the playoffs once, in 2019, out of five seasons of competition.
Poko was a prolific off-tank player during the 6-vs.-6 era. He entered the league as a flashy player that was consistently nailing D.Va Self-Destruct multikills; known throughout the community as Poko Bombs. He was a player that shined in the season one dive meta alongside his superstar DPS partners.
Entering the 2020 season, the Fusion picked up another elite off-tank player Kim “Fury” Junho, which called into question how Poko would fit into the team as the apparent number-two option in his role.
It didn’t end up being much of a concern. He found a solid role on the team as both a strong veteran presence and an elite Sigma player that started the season as hot as any player in the league. Finding his role and succeeding in it is something Poko was great at. Before entering the Overwatch League, Poko was a centerpiece star for GamersOrigin, leading them to success in the French scene. On the France Overwatch World Cup roster, he would help the team secure a fourth-place finish in 2018.
He was a crucial part of helping the new crop of Fusion players acclimate to the team each season. Poko remained one of the most beloved and popular players throughout his five years of competition.
He would act as one of the faces of the League and behind the scenes, all indications were his peers respected him as one of professional Overwatch’s original players.
