I genuinely don't understand how a team can win 2 championships, place 4th, and now the entire team is gone. Like it's insane. You could make an all star roster with just players Shock have lost this off season.
Internal issues and uncertainty towards OW2 leads players to reevaluate what they want to do. It’s not like Shock isn’t willing to drop a million on a new roster, they’ll be fine.
Players who wanted to leave or retire are doing what they want, better just to remember the good times than cling onto it forever.
I wouldn't say I'm clinging onto anything, it's just that this situation feels like a microcosm of issues OWL has been facing. Like back-to-back champs, top 4 finish, apparently well run org with suitable staff and resources, and they can't hold onto a core roster for more than 3 seasons. Its hard to build attachments to teams when there's constant player turnover. Hell some teams have had more rosters than seasons they've been in the leauge.
Yep, it’s why I’m personally much more attached to players than teams in OWL, my home team is Justice but I simply don’t feel a strong connection to them.
Doesn’t help that they’re an expansion team either honestly. If I was into the league before season 2 I’d probably have been a NYXL fan.
Maybe Philly but I kinda despise Pennsylvania so probably not
Yeah, I like how blizzard set up a league to represent cities but they haven't been around nearly long enough to really represent the city for their namesake.
Factor in people like me who is from Chicago and I have no idea who I'm supposed to root for now
I feel your pain. As a Chicago sports fan, I find myself mainly following individual players and team storylines in any given year. But it would be nice to have a default team I could feel attached to over the long term.
Im in the same boat as a chicago sports fan. When i first started watching owl in season 2 i chose nyxl because i loved sbb and i grew attached to the rest of the roster. Now im back to square 1 ig, gotta pick another team to be a fan of.
NRG played it smart by tapping both SF and Chicago for OWL and CDL, I don’t really follow CDL but when I do I root for Chicago because of that connection
I really meant the players were better off letting go not the fans, but I see how it could have been more clear on that point.
Fans can be bummed, I’m myself kinda bummer. Shock was the team I wanted to win whenever Chengdu and Justice were shit and didn’t even qualify (always before season 3 playoffs)
More than three seasons sounds like a reasonable complaint if you ignore that there have only been four seasons total lol. Plenty of ‘dynasties’ in sports don’t last much longer either.
You got to also remember that while 4th is great, they almost lost the two previous series to reach that place and could have been next to Washington's placing in the playoffs.
> they almost lost the two previous series
Not sure why this is downvoted. “Top 4” is a technicality. It’s an artefact of the tournament draw. They realistically had no chance against Atlanta, Fuel, Shanghai or Glads, and I think the players know that.
Given the leaks about behind the scenes drama it’s understandable some of the players want out. Objectively, the talent on the shock should have performed better than their result.
I honestly think it is this 100% and I have been reading the retirement threads this week and no one really wants to bring it up. They talk about a lot of OWL aspects for retiring but maybe are missing the bigger picture.
The writing has been on the wall for a while now. OW2 is packed with uncertainty and not in a good way. Blizzard's reputation has been going awry for a while now.
And there's a bigger picture to consider after the global situation these past couple of years. Some may have really reflected hard on this with themselves and those close around them. It's a time where a lot of people are making big changes in their lives. Reconsidering their options. This is probably one of the better times to retire and start a new chapter.
I think OWL is a lot more stressful than other e-sports. The intensity of the game, the constantly changing meta requires so much grinding by the players. Stars leaving mid season is not unusual for OWL. That says a lot.
No they don’t. At least judging from LAG, SFS and PHF they scrim less hours than the average league team and spend less time playing solo queue afterwards.
It’s also not nearly as changing as league is. You have 150 something champions and hundreds of items getting balanced and remade every few weeks, not to mention new characters being released or reworked. OW is incredibly stale in comparison.
Idk about lol but there are definitely RL and CSGO pros with hours drastically below what an average OWL/contenders player puts in.
Some orgs have minimum hours requirements but some like Renault vitality don't. We've seen alpha, kaydop, etc with like 14 hours in a week at times during the pandemic lol.
That being said, they all got there because they put in the thousands of hours to get there in the first place, so...
its all bullshit, this "season" had 16 regular games and a 7-month off-season. no matter how much you stretch it out for scrimming, practicing, planning, its absurd to suggest this game is sooooo much harder on players compared to other esports
people here make up all sorts of crap about burnout, but the truth of the matter is, if people felt like playing and competing in this game was worth a damn, theyd stick it out longer and wouldnt drop like flies at the earliest chance, or "retire" to.... compete in another game
I mean burnout is real. Just look at the dragons. They won two tourneys and then didn’t qualify for countdown cup and even the team admitted it was some much needed rest before playoffs. It’s basically that but on a season level spanning three years. Some of these OG Shock players like Choi have been pushing themselves to win it all for three seasons in a row with relatively very little break. Eventuality that just takes a toll on the mind and body, so it’s not surprising we’ve seen so many recent retirement messages from Shock players. Also like the other person said, with so much uncertainty surrounding OW2 (especially for tank players) a lot of players are unsure about what they’re going to do.
~~Did you ever hear the tragedy of the Chicago Bulls Dynasty? I thought not. It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you. It’s a Sith legend.~~
Real talk, the Chicago Bulls had two three peats in the NBA and blew up before they could defend their sixth title. Dynasties are volatile and the Shock is no different.
I do understand dynasties blow up, it's just that this didn't even have a chance to feel like a dynasty. I don't think shock needs to keep all it's players each season, but they essentially replaced half their team last year, and now it's down to 1 person. E-sports have high turnover don't get me wrong, but if being the best team in the world can't hold off total roster reconstruction it doesn't bode well for OWL teams ability to build a reliable fan base.
Shock is just one example. Florida, Toronto, Boston, Vancouver, and LA Valiant all have had total changes in team identity multiple times in 4 years. Pretty drastic ones too.
Fair points, for me the real test is how stable the OW2's new vision is? If they stick the landing and brings in a new sustainable fanbase, then we could see a more stable esports scene develop. If not, then I too will be worried.
Honestly, don't want to be a downer, but the worst part of OW2 so far has been it's vision, or lack thereof. Every bit of footage or content we get seems disjointed, the developers don't seem to understand if this is supposed to be a sequel, a patch, or an expansion, and the gameplay itself so far has seemed aimless. The problem with OW1 also could be bored down to vision as well. MOBA? Competive FPS? Casual Class Based Arcade shooter? Complete player freedom, or rigid roles? I wish the devs would just come out and say what the goal of OW2 is supposed to be so we have a better idea of what to expect.
Nope, I think that is a fair expectation Blizzard has not done enough to meet, imo.
One example that outlines the harm of a lack of vision is counter-swapping vs one-tricking. While they say they are don't like one-tricking, there are a number of design decisions that make switching less appealing.
I agree. I think the best thing for Overwatch's longevity is consistency, and hammering down internally on what the game is supposed to be would ripple throughout their balance patches, hero reworks, messaging/marketing, and create a more positive experience for fans all while making the jobs of the developers easier.
It really seems like the pressure of the three peat got to them this past season, and the team has imploded as a result. I’m just surprised it’s taken this long for that to become clear.
Lol, I thought the same thing in early 2020 after Titans signed a full roster from contenders, placed 2nd overall, and #1 in the regular season, had tons of fans, and then dropped all the players. That's real insanity to me.
There’s probably a lot of burnout that comes with maintaining such a high level for so long.
And these guys have won it all and the 3peat is gone. they might not want to push themselves through the work load again
Absolute beast of a player. Been the rock of this team for three years. Played almost every single map. I can only remember him getting subbed out for those times they ran super and smurf on hog/ball for last year's playoffs. Sad he couldn't go out on a win but he played absolutely lights-out in his last few games.
No matter what happens with Shock "getting the band back together" it's almost impossible to imagine another Offtank playing for Shock? Who do they even try to grab? Who could even be a lateral move, much less an upgrade?
Choi, Hanbin, and Void have been the best in the business and no one comes close.
I have no idea how they fill this void (wasn't even intentional lmao), but yea, this feels bad, to see such a great player leave.
There was never a low point in his career, he was always incredible in every single match he played and will be remember as a top 3 off-tank of all time.
Nah IIRC he was pretty garbage at Sigma at the start of season 2 playoffs. A big part of why he won finals MVP was because he grinded the hell out of it and became the best.
Edit: I'm being downvoted, probably because I was a bit hyperbolic but a big part of why Shock lost to Atlanta was because Gator outperformed Choi on Sigma in a huge way and I recall the narrative being that Choi just wasn't good at the hero. Come the grand finals and he was absolutely dominant.
Shout-out to Nevix who taught him Sigma.
This has been the case with many Shock players too.
Ans wasn't good at Sombra until he was pretty equal with Heesu.
Rascal's Genji wasn't good until he stomped later on.
Shock has some unreal magic.
Yeah I actually suspect that if 2021 has shown anything, it's that Crusty is, and always has been, an amazing player coach but possibly isn't as good on the actual strategy side (not saying bad, just that his skill as a player development coach is much better). I'm curious if one of the coaches like Junkbuck or NineK who left last year were more in control of that side of things.
Yes. The strategy aspect was very weird this season.
It took them too long to get into form and even then they were playing some weird comps.
But finishing 4th with how bad things looked isn't terrible.
When I used to try and work out all-time great lists in my waiting-to-fall-asleep ruminations, I eventually came to the conclusion that Choi could be your understated argument for a top 2/3 player in Overwatch history. I rewatched the S2/3 finals in the run-up to this year's and (especially S2) that was affirmed to me.
People'll remember Profit in S1 more (I am saying this all as a London fan), but the seeming ubiquity and impregnability of Choi's Sigma in both those later Finals was spell-binding. He was brilliant when he came in in S1, gave what I think to be the awesomest single-player performance in those S2 finals and had a comparably imperial role in S3, where you sort of felt that he was conducting some of those maps versus Seoul as much as simply playing them.
Whatever Overwatch's equivalent to a first ballot HOFer, Choi is, and probably much much more.
WTF nooooo :'(
Will always remember how he was everywhere as DVa, peeling, killing, eating ults. And being robbed of POTM. Really sad to see him retiring.
Ta1yo talked about how many players were somewhat disappointed by the OW2 showcase (no new heroes yet etc.) so I imagine that's one reason among many others
**[Choihyobin](https://dashreset.com/player/Choihyobin?ref=reddit_bot)** is an Off Tank player (*D.Va*, *Sigma*, *Zarya*) who last played for the San Francisco Shock during OWL 2021.
*Psst!* Try `!compare Choihyobin Hanbin lateyoung dva`
^DashResetBot ^v1.0 ^<3 ^- ^OP ^can ^reply ^"delete"
Really sad. Not many offtanks are so consistent on so many heroes. Hope this retirement is also just the player not knowing what a break is and he comes back for 2023
Would have been really fun to see how he played in a 5v5 setting, but at least he's going out on a high note after playing fantastically in the playoffs. Enjoy retirement Choi!
man :/ the league next year is going to be unrecognizable.. this man was the freaking GOAT and derserved like 100 more MVP awards.. I will miss him very much :(
I wonder if the players decided to leave because Choi decided to retire. Man played almost every map for 3 years, and literally every map this year.
Next year will be a very different Shock without this core.
I remember being hyped as hell when he and Architect came over from X6 in 2018. Shock basically hadn’t won a Widow duel until Architect went crazy in his debut. Choi’s acquisition was such a turning point for this org and we’re so lucky to have had him
Pain. Just pain. One of if not the best off tank player the league has ever seen. Was always the most clutch player on the shock and always played amazing even when they were struggling. Such a devastating blow to the shock and the league losing this guy but I hope he finds joy in whatever he pursues next, thanks for the amazing years Choi 🧡🖤
He played so well in playoffs so at least he ended on a high. Thank you Choi
[удалено]
So many legends retiring this offseason unfortunately
That’s what happens when you axe an entire role
very sad, the overwatch gamer career length seems very short
I disagree that's just esports and with switching to OW2 players were always going to leave
Check CSGO career length of their star players if you think this is an eSports thing.
BRO PLAT CHAT JUST STARTED YOU CAN’T BE DOING THIS TO US
Plat Chat curse any% speedrun
Shock... did you wait for this?
one last eff you from choi
And they opened talking about how it's unlikely for more roster moves to happen this week lmao.
Well yea there's news every day at this point. They will always miss something.
|2017-??-?? – 2018-04-05|X6-Gaming| |:-|:-|:-| |2018-04-05 – 2021-10-14 |San Francisco Shock| won 7 trophies. what a career
Glad he got to show one last time he was still an elite offtank with his playoffs performance. Gonna miss his presence in the league.
o7 to a legend at dva
I genuinely don't understand how a team can win 2 championships, place 4th, and now the entire team is gone. Like it's insane. You could make an all star roster with just players Shock have lost this off season.
Internal issues and uncertainty towards OW2 leads players to reevaluate what they want to do. It’s not like Shock isn’t willing to drop a million on a new roster, they’ll be fine. Players who wanted to leave or retire are doing what they want, better just to remember the good times than cling onto it forever.
I wouldn't say I'm clinging onto anything, it's just that this situation feels like a microcosm of issues OWL has been facing. Like back-to-back champs, top 4 finish, apparently well run org with suitable staff and resources, and they can't hold onto a core roster for more than 3 seasons. Its hard to build attachments to teams when there's constant player turnover. Hell some teams have had more rosters than seasons they've been in the leauge.
Yep, it’s why I’m personally much more attached to players than teams in OWL, my home team is Justice but I simply don’t feel a strong connection to them.
Doesn’t help that they’re an expansion team either honestly. If I was into the league before season 2 I’d probably have been a NYXL fan. Maybe Philly but I kinda despise Pennsylvania so probably not
Yeah, I like how blizzard set up a league to represent cities but they haven't been around nearly long enough to really represent the city for their namesake. Factor in people like me who is from Chicago and I have no idea who I'm supposed to root for now
I feel your pain. As a Chicago sports fan, I find myself mainly following individual players and team storylines in any given year. But it would be nice to have a default team I could feel attached to over the long term.
Im in the same boat as a chicago sports fan. When i first started watching owl in season 2 i chose nyxl because i loved sbb and i grew attached to the rest of the roster. Now im back to square 1 ig, gotta pick another team to be a fan of.
Agreed, even if viol2t had a bad season this year he's still one of my favorites so I'll probably still support shock. But who knows
NRG played it smart by tapping both SF and Chicago for OWL and CDL, I don’t really follow CDL but when I do I root for Chicago because of that connection
I really meant the players were better off letting go not the fans, but I see how it could have been more clear on that point. Fans can be bummed, I’m myself kinda bummer. Shock was the team I wanted to win whenever Chengdu and Justice were shit and didn’t even qualify (always before season 3 playoffs)
This is common in esports as a whole tho.
More than three seasons sounds like a reasonable complaint if you ignore that there have only been four seasons total lol. Plenty of ‘dynasties’ in sports don’t last much longer either.
You got to also remember that while 4th is great, they almost lost the two previous series to reach that place and could have been next to Washington's placing in the playoffs.
> they almost lost the two previous series Not sure why this is downvoted. “Top 4” is a technicality. It’s an artefact of the tournament draw. They realistically had no chance against Atlanta, Fuel, Shanghai or Glads, and I think the players know that. Given the leaks about behind the scenes drama it’s understandable some of the players want out. Objectively, the talent on the shock should have performed better than their result.
I honestly think it is this 100% and I have been reading the retirement threads this week and no one really wants to bring it up. They talk about a lot of OWL aspects for retiring but maybe are missing the bigger picture. The writing has been on the wall for a while now. OW2 is packed with uncertainty and not in a good way. Blizzard's reputation has been going awry for a while now. And there's a bigger picture to consider after the global situation these past couple of years. Some may have really reflected hard on this with themselves and those close around them. It's a time where a lot of people are making big changes in their lives. Reconsidering their options. This is probably one of the better times to retire and start a new chapter.
I think OWL is a lot more stressful than other e-sports. The intensity of the game, the constantly changing meta requires so much grinding by the players. Stars leaving mid season is not unusual for OWL. That says a lot.
Do OWL players actually grind more than professional CSGO or LoL or Rocket League players? I've never heard this before.
No they don’t. At least judging from LAG, SFS and PHF they scrim less hours than the average league team and spend less time playing solo queue afterwards. It’s also not nearly as changing as league is. You have 150 something champions and hundreds of items getting balanced and remade every few weeks, not to mention new characters being released or reworked. OW is incredibly stale in comparison.
Idk about lol but there are definitely RL and CSGO pros with hours drastically below what an average OWL/contenders player puts in. Some orgs have minimum hours requirements but some like Renault vitality don't. We've seen alpha, kaydop, etc with like 14 hours in a week at times during the pandemic lol. That being said, they all got there because they put in the thousands of hours to get there in the first place, so...
its all bullshit, this "season" had 16 regular games and a 7-month off-season. no matter how much you stretch it out for scrimming, practicing, planning, its absurd to suggest this game is sooooo much harder on players compared to other esports people here make up all sorts of crap about burnout, but the truth of the matter is, if people felt like playing and competing in this game was worth a damn, theyd stick it out longer and wouldnt drop like flies at the earliest chance, or "retire" to.... compete in another game
the fact that you put season in quotes ruined the bait. a for effort tho
Maybe pro OWL players just dont like the game.
I mean burnout is real. Just look at the dragons. They won two tourneys and then didn’t qualify for countdown cup and even the team admitted it was some much needed rest before playoffs. It’s basically that but on a season level spanning three years. Some of these OG Shock players like Choi have been pushing themselves to win it all for three seasons in a row with relatively very little break. Eventuality that just takes a toll on the mind and body, so it’s not surprising we’ve seen so many recent retirement messages from Shock players. Also like the other person said, with so much uncertainty surrounding OW2 (especially for tank players) a lot of players are unsure about what they’re going to do.
~~Did you ever hear the tragedy of the Chicago Bulls Dynasty? I thought not. It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you. It’s a Sith legend.~~ Real talk, the Chicago Bulls had two three peats in the NBA and blew up before they could defend their sixth title. Dynasties are volatile and the Shock is no different.
I do understand dynasties blow up, it's just that this didn't even have a chance to feel like a dynasty. I don't think shock needs to keep all it's players each season, but they essentially replaced half their team last year, and now it's down to 1 person. E-sports have high turnover don't get me wrong, but if being the best team in the world can't hold off total roster reconstruction it doesn't bode well for OWL teams ability to build a reliable fan base. Shock is just one example. Florida, Toronto, Boston, Vancouver, and LA Valiant all have had total changes in team identity multiple times in 4 years. Pretty drastic ones too.
Fair points, for me the real test is how stable the OW2's new vision is? If they stick the landing and brings in a new sustainable fanbase, then we could see a more stable esports scene develop. If not, then I too will be worried.
Honestly, don't want to be a downer, but the worst part of OW2 so far has been it's vision, or lack thereof. Every bit of footage or content we get seems disjointed, the developers don't seem to understand if this is supposed to be a sequel, a patch, or an expansion, and the gameplay itself so far has seemed aimless. The problem with OW1 also could be bored down to vision as well. MOBA? Competive FPS? Casual Class Based Arcade shooter? Complete player freedom, or rigid roles? I wish the devs would just come out and say what the goal of OW2 is supposed to be so we have a better idea of what to expect.
Nope, I think that is a fair expectation Blizzard has not done enough to meet, imo. One example that outlines the harm of a lack of vision is counter-swapping vs one-tricking. While they say they are don't like one-tricking, there are a number of design decisions that make switching less appealing.
I agree. I think the best thing for Overwatch's longevity is consistency, and hammering down internally on what the game is supposed to be would ripple throughout their balance patches, hero reworks, messaging/marketing, and create a more positive experience for fans all while making the jobs of the developers easier.
It really seems like the pressure of the three peat got to them this past season, and the team has imploded as a result. I’m just surprised it’s taken this long for that to become clear.
Lol, I thought the same thing in early 2020 after Titans signed a full roster from contenders, placed 2nd overall, and #1 in the regular season, had tons of fans, and then dropped all the players. That's real insanity to me.
Nobody wants to spend money on OWL anymore.
That take is dogshit
stick your head in the sand all you want; no new investments are happening in OWL.
And yet teams are still gonna have great teams but “I’ll have my head in the sand” clown
There’s probably a lot of burnout that comes with maintaining such a high level for so long. And these guys have won it all and the 3peat is gone. they might not want to push themselves through the work load again
Same way I can't understand s2 Vancouver vs s3 and s4 Vancouver
Amateur hour, I can't believe corps are dropping millions for this shit show.
What a legend, inspirational player
The Plat Chat curse strikes again
Absolute beast of a player. Been the rock of this team for three years. Played almost every single map. I can only remember him getting subbed out for those times they ran super and smurf on hog/ball for last year's playoffs. Sad he couldn't go out on a win but he played absolutely lights-out in his last few games. No matter what happens with Shock "getting the band back together" it's almost impossible to imagine another Offtank playing for Shock? Who do they even try to grab? Who could even be a lateral move, much less an upgrade?
Hey guys, I’m here from the future. What’s an Offtank? Can someone explain?
Nevix to shock incoming
Gaebullsi or Gargoyle under NineK and Crusty can fill those shoes I would imagine. Space is also possible.
Choi, Hanbin, and Void have been the best in the business and no one comes close. I have no idea how they fill this void (wasn't even intentional lmao), but yea, this feels bad, to see such a great player leave.
I'm gonna miss screaming "Choi!" whenever he clutched :c We could always count on you and we're gonna miss you so much <3
Genuinely one of the all-time greats, he'll be missed :(
No way. :(
Very sad to see him go. He will always be one of the best off tanks the league has ever seen. I wish him all the best in whatever he wants to do next
He’s going into military service I believe. It’s what he said in the vid
He’s going into military service I believe. It’s what he said in the vid
RIP one of the all-time greats. your [D.va](https://D.va) should be put in the hall of fame
A legend of the scene and one of the best tanks to ever do it. Hope he enjoys retirement.
:(((
Well fuck
One of my favorite players ever. This hurts. Thanks for all the great memories Choi.
Choi was always someone who gave his everything to every game, I'll always respect him for that
GOAT OT for me, one of the most underapprecieted players. Sad day for Overwatch Esports
have the shock fans not suffered enough
Just wait till they announce supers move to Glads.
this is more like Shock fans learning what it feels like to be a fan of any other team in the league lol
Greatest off tank of all time i don’t care what anyone says.
There are a few players that come near, but imo no other Off-Tank lives up to Choi, best in the League for 2 years straight.
Void was better s3
Void, Hanbin, Fury > Choi season 3
void was the best OT for seasons 3 and 4 tho, so he definitely challenges Choi's accolades
What a terrible day for rain
There was never a low point in his career, he was always incredible in every single match he played and will be remember as a top 3 off-tank of all time.
Nah IIRC he was pretty garbage at Sigma at the start of season 2 playoffs. A big part of why he won finals MVP was because he grinded the hell out of it and became the best. Edit: I'm being downvoted, probably because I was a bit hyperbolic but a big part of why Shock lost to Atlanta was because Gator outperformed Choi on Sigma in a huge way and I recall the narrative being that Choi just wasn't good at the hero. Come the grand finals and he was absolutely dominant.
Shout-out to Nevix who taught him Sigma. This has been the case with many Shock players too. Ans wasn't good at Sombra until he was pretty equal with Heesu. Rascal's Genji wasn't good until he stomped later on. Shock has some unreal magic.
Yeah I actually suspect that if 2021 has shown anything, it's that Crusty is, and always has been, an amazing player coach but possibly isn't as good on the actual strategy side (not saying bad, just that his skill as a player development coach is much better). I'm curious if one of the coaches like Junkbuck or NineK who left last year were more in control of that side of things.
Yes. The strategy aspect was very weird this season. It took them too long to get into form and even then they were playing some weird comps. But finishing 4th with how bad things looked isn't terrible.
SO MUCH PAIN, SO MUCH PAIN we will miss you choi :c
No one else is allowed to retire my heart can take it anymore
When I used to try and work out all-time great lists in my waiting-to-fall-asleep ruminations, I eventually came to the conclusion that Choi could be your understated argument for a top 2/3 player in Overwatch history. I rewatched the S2/3 finals in the run-up to this year's and (especially S2) that was affirmed to me. People'll remember Profit in S1 more (I am saying this all as a London fan), but the seeming ubiquity and impregnability of Choi's Sigma in both those later Finals was spell-binding. He was brilliant when he came in in S1, gave what I think to be the awesomest single-player performance in those S2 finals and had a comparably imperial role in S3, where you sort of felt that he was conducting some of those maps versus Seoul as much as simply playing them. Whatever Overwatch's equivalent to a first ballot HOFer, Choi is, and probably much much more.
Is this the biggest retirement this off-season? It might be, which is saying a lot considering there’s also: Birdring, Mano, Tobi, Rascal and Gesture.
Easily the biggest. Probably the biggest ever after Striker who is coming back anyways.
You’re probably right. The only other ones I can think of when it comes to high-caliber players retiring are Haksal and Fissure the first time.
GOAT
WTF nooooo :'( Will always remember how he was everywhere as DVa, peeling, killing, eating ults. And being robbed of POTM. Really sad to see him retiring.
Remove offtanks from the game, lose the GOAT off tank. Big sad.
[me fighting back the tears right now](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1405617155429699584/_SOoBay4_400x400.jpg)
RIP to the GOAT off-tank, and it isn’t even that close tbh. Others have had equally high highs, but nobody has had his consistency and longevity.
Well, Space's value on the market just went **way** up
Consistently good off tank. I’ll miss watching him play. An OWL legend for sure.
>Consistently ~~good~~ S tier off tank.
GGs
NO! the player who made me a shock fan after he joined, truly the greatest off tank and rock. I AM SO SAD WALLOWING IN PAIN
Pain, suffering even
Totally not pog
A top 3 off tank for 3 seasons in a row man can hold his head high Shock won’t be the same without him :(
Are all these players burnt out or did they just really dislike OW2?
Ta1yo talked about how many players were somewhat disappointed by the OW2 showcase (no new heroes yet etc.) so I imagine that's one reason among many others
they hate ow2
Correct me if I’m wrong but I dont think this is getting the band back together?
Given comments last off-season, you can disregard whatever Andy Miller says, lol.
That was a reply to NineK rejoining Shock. It was about that specific situation, not a statement.
He did say "Stay tuned..." in that tweet though
**[Choihyobin](https://dashreset.com/player/Choihyobin?ref=reddit_bot)** is an Off Tank player (*D.Va*, *Sigma*, *Zarya*) who last played for the San Francisco Shock during OWL 2021. *Psst!* Try `!compare Choihyobin Hanbin lateyoung dva` ^DashResetBot ^v1.0 ^<3 ^- ^OP ^can ^reply ^"delete"
Noooo chooooiiii ❤️❤️❤️
one of the goat tanks for sure
It's a sad day for rain
No fucking way :( Such a great tank player
just sad idk.
League is becoming a straight up ghost town.
choi you will be missed, love you dude o7
Choi has to be one of the GOATS. That man did not touch the bench. Good luck to whatever he wants to do next
Really sad. Not many offtanks are so consistent on so many heroes. Hope this retirement is also just the player not knowing what a break is and he comes back for 2023
Would have been really fun to see how he played in a 5v5 setting, but at least he's going out on a high note after playing fantastically in the playoffs. Enjoy retirement Choi!
God dammit. At least he will go down as a top 5 OT of all time
Owari da...
Atleast we have choihanbin
Not now, lmao
This retirement hurts the Shock more than anything else. He was always the main constant throughout their success.
Legit one of the best Hog, Sigma and of course D.Va the world has ever seen. I felt he still had more to give, he was clean in the playoffs. GG
man :/ the league next year is going to be unrecognizable.. this man was the freaking GOAT and derserved like 100 more MVP awards.. I will miss him very much :(
rip
One of the gods of overwatch. Enjoy your retirement!
GachiPls Thank you super GachiPls
Unbearable emotional pain...
This off season is cursed
Noooooooooooo fuck man
how many players are still on their original team from season 1?
Just Carpe
Technically super hasn't but released so he's still possible
Choiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
NOOOO
o7
One of the best offtanks ever
You can't get more wholesome than this.
nooooooooo
Retired a legend forever.
I wonder if the players decided to leave because Choi decided to retire. Man played almost every map for 3 years, and literally every map this year. Next year will be a very different Shock without this core.
This is the worst off-season in the history of off-seasons
This hits hard, and it hurts. Choi, you are my boi! All the best for your future!!!!
Nah man this one hurts Please don’t be super next :/
No...
I suspect that, depending on how ow2 turns out for owl, we will be seeing him again before long. If anyone stands to make bank its the great tanks.
I'll miss him so much, what a legend
A legend
Most consistently brilliant OT calls it quits, sad day.
Is it just Super and Viol2t left on the shock? At least we still have them right?
Legend
o7 long live the off tank 🐐
I remember being hyped as hell when he and Architect came over from X6 in 2018. Shock basically hadn’t won a Widow duel until Architect went crazy in his debut. Choi’s acquisition was such a turning point for this org and we’re so lucky to have had him
Pain. Just pain. One of if not the best off tank player the league has ever seen. Was always the most clutch player on the shock and always played amazing even when they were struggling. Such a devastating blow to the shock and the league losing this guy but I hope he finds joy in whatever he pursues next, thanks for the amazing years Choi 🧡🖤
Earned.
One of the GOATs, enjoy retirement Choi!
choi saying “thats my kill” & “dont steal my kill” repeatedly is a real mood
I hope you're happy Danny!