The Toronto Defiant’s tank lineup just got a new reinforcement. The team signed Seb “Numlocked” Barton to the team as a player today, less than a week after revealing his addition as a coach.
The Defiant’s announcement joked about Numlocked’s coaching position. “The rumors of Numlocked joining as a coach have been greatly exaggerated,” the team tweeted minutes before revealing the new player.
The news of Numlocked’s coaching position came from Adam Adamou, co-founder of Defiant parent company Overactive Media. “We’ve also brought Numlocked in,” Adamou said in an interview last week. “He’s gonna work with the tanks and he’s gonna be basically our tank-focused coach.”
Adamou had already teased that Numlocked might see some playtime. “In the worst case, maybe he can come in and play too, because he still has it,” he said. Adamou said the pro could “probably have a role, maybe as an in-game leader,” but stressed that there was “nothing announced there.”
As a player, Numlocked was part of the Los Angeles Valiant in the Overwatch League’s inaugural season. After leaving the Valiant, Numlocked played in the Contenders Series with the British Hurricane, Team Envy, and Defiant academy team Montreal Rebellion. Numlocked made his way back to the league after the Rebellion dropped out of the Contenders Series due to budget cuts.
The Defiant are having a difficult season, sitting in 15th place at 5-9. Signing Numlocked aims to give the team’s tank lineup an overhaul. The new player may take the spot of fellow main tank Adam “Beast” Denton.
