- Boston Uprising had a lackluster performance in the Overwatch League’s Kickoff Clash tournament
- Marve1 is leaving the team over some “personal issues” he needs to address
- Hours after, this announcement was followed by one saying Striker is also leaving Uprising
Boston Uprising is making large changes to its Overwatch roster by parting ways with two of its star players – Marve1 and Striker.
Marve1 Leaves Boston Uprising
Boston Uprising has not had a great time in the Overwatch League’s Kickoff Clash tournament. The team’s performance was mediocre so the organization decided to make some changes. One of these is the departure of Uprising’s star tank Hwang “Marve1” Minseo, citing “personal issues” as the reason for it.
Chris “HuK” Loranger, president of the Boston Uprising said in a Twitter post that Marve1 has been dealing with some personal issues since last year. “We have worked on trying to alleviate some of those issues but came to the unfortunate mutual conclusion that returning home to South Korea, where he can focus on his personal growth, would be the healthiest option for his well-being,” HuK explained.
Marve1’s career in Overwatch spans many seasons. He played for three years for the Seoul Dynasty before switching over to the West Region when he was acquired by Boston Uprising. This season, he shared playing time with the team’s other two tanks, Leyton “Punk” Gilchrist and Kim “ITSAL” Chang-hee.
In an interview with Danny Lim after a surprising win against the Washington Justice on May 22, Boston’s primary tank Punk said the team has “had some stuff going on behind the scenes.” One of those behind-the-scenes reasons is likely Marve1's decision to go back home to focus on his personal growth.
Striker Also Leaves
Just a few hours after Boston Uprising announced the departure of Marve1, his former teammate Kwon “Striker” Nam-joo was also announced to be leaving the organization. He was Boston’s star DPS and one of the org’s biggest acquisitions during the offseason.
Striker began his career in 2018 when he was signed to Boston for the first time. However, he quickly transferred to San Francisco Shock, where his skill as a Tracer main helped the team’s championship wins in 2019 and 2020. Striker then surprisingly retired in 2021, but even more surprisingly re-signed with Boston Uprising for the 2022 season.
“We are grateful for what Striker has brought to the Boston Uprising in his two separate stints with our organization,” said Chris “HuK” Loranger in a Twitter post. “[We] concluded that where we are as a team is not the right fit for Striker at this point.”
The Boston Uprising’s next Overwatch League match in the Kickoff Clash will be on May 29 against the Dallas Fuel.
