Overwatch League has shown some of the best performances that Overwatch community has to offer throughout Season 1.

But, it also had its disappointments. And one of the biggest disappointments was that there was no RunAway. Having one of the biggest fan bases in Korea and abroad, the Overwatch community assumed that at least one of the 12 teams offered to pick up this group of extremely talented players.

But, that news never came, and the feeling of disappointment as a RunAway fan has been insurmountable.

However, one year later, our boys in pink (and mother Flowervin) will finally prove that they still have what it takes to be part of the best, and with Season 2 Overwatch Contenders championships under their belt, it is time for RunAway to set their eyes on Overwatch League championships.

In this article, I would like to present you my version of what RunAway could look like in Season 2 of Overwatch League.

Analyzing the Current Family

The real MVP of RunAway are the coaches and Flowervin. They have found a way to effectively rotate their DPS lineup between maps to maximize the lineup’s strengths. I dare say that RunAway has never looked this strong. However, it doesn’t mean they are invincible, RunAway has shown that they still have gaps throughout the season and if they are to succeed in Overwatch League, they’ll need to identify them and fill them with additional coaching support or recruit new talents to complement their lineup.  

Let’s look at the current roster:

 
Tanks – BUMPER & Jjanu

BUMPER & Jjanu have been one of the strongest tank duos in Korean Contenders and it is not hard to tell why. First of all, BUMPER’s super aggressive plays allow his team to have space to set up better positions to finish off kills. Jjanu has evolved from a relatively quiet D.Va in Season 1 to one of the best in Korean Contenders. Now, he is everywhere, perfectly balancing between his duties, and his D.Va bombs have been on point. However, BUMPER has a tendency to overextend, gets picked off too early in the fight and eventually forces the team to regroup.

Insane Hammond plays by Jjanu.

DPS – Haksal, Hooreg, seominsoo & Stitch

Haksal & Stitch, along with BUMPER, are the last remaining members of the original RunAway. They have been playing together for quite some time now and with their extensive LAN experiences, their veteran status allows them to get out of sticky situations. But, that has not always been the case. Both Haksal and Stitch experienced slumps, and consistency is something they need to work on. However, when they are on fire, the dynamic duo will do whatever it takes to win fights. Their hero pool has gotten deeper throughout their careers and they are slowly becoming one of the most valuable players in the Overwatch community.

The two new additions, seominsoo and Hooreg, have had their ups and downs. seominsoo has been an amazing DPS time to time, but there were times when he was quiet in the battlefield. However, the real strength of seominsoo is his flexibility and playing heroes that were not possible with Haksal or Stitch. Hooreg, on the other hand, needs to get back to his previous form. He was considered one of the best hitscan players during Season 4 of APEX, he has not been able to show this thus far.

Support – Slime & TwilighT

I would argue that the real carries of RunAway are their support lines. Not only they are mechanically skilled and have incredible game sense, they are also incredibly consistent. While everyone in RunAway could be considered one of the best in their roles, both tanks and DPS lines had consistency issues. Slime and TwilighT seem to make the least amount of mistakes and have shown that their ability to save their teammates has been one of the best in all Contenders.

Growing the Family – The NYXL Approach

NYXL’s philosophy of rotating players based on maps is probably the most optimal way of building a roster. Here is a list of few reasons why:

1. It prevents burn out/injuries

2. Players can specialize in certain map types that they are more comfortable with

3. It gives all players equal chance to play

Furthermore, giving players equal chance to play will end the stigmatization of “non-starter” lineups, which could damage the player’s confidence and morale. Therefore, filling up the roster with additional players could benefit RunAway in the long run.

Here are my player recommendations:

Tank – r0ar (Kongdoo Panthera):

In my humble opinion, r0ar is a slightly better tank than BUMPER.

BUMPER is often seen making these hyper-aggressive plays that could be effective and it is also very exciting to see. However, his aggression comes with risks, and BUMPER could lose fights even before they begin. r0ar, on the other hand, is less aggressive, but more consistent. And I believe that these two players can complement each other in the League. When playing in a match that requires aggression, BUMPER could join the lineup. If the matches require a more methodical approach, r0ar could lead the way.

Flex – DDing (Kongdoo Panthera):

I have given DDing a lot of praise on my last article and I am here to do it again. Not only is he one of the best DPS that Korean Contenders can offer with his Pharah and Hanzo, but he is also an excellent D.Va. While it is true that his hero pool could overlap with Haksal, DDing can give RunAway the flexibility to switch between 2 DPS line up to a 3 DPS line up within the same map. As Overwatch slowly becoming a game of adaptations, having more options within the team should work for RunAway’s advantage.

If you would like to know more about DDing and why I believe he should be picked up for OWL,click here.

DPS – Nenne (XL2 Academy):

There is a ton of hitscan specialists in Korean Contenders that could would wreak havoc in Overwatch League. However, one of the gaps that I have noticed about notable hitscan specialists in Korean Contenders is that they lack consistency. Bazzi, Xzi, GodsB, and Happy all had their golden moments, but they sure had their slumps. What I like about Nenne, above all others, is that he is consistently good. He is there to clutch every moment in every match and map. In a way, he reminds me of Striker, who people never realized he was good until he started playing in the League by showing up every single time.

Support – WonJaeLee (Meta Bellum):

There are very few Ana players that stand out in Korean Contenders right now, and one of them is WonJaeLee. While RunAway has one of the best support duos in Korean Contenders, I believe that an incredibly Ana player could bolster their roster, and with Ana’s recent buff, there’s a chance that she might become more relevant. Plus, this could give TwilighT a chance to focus on Zenyatta and to some extent, Moira, that he is usually known for.

Final Roster and Final Thoughts

There are so many talented players in the Korean Overwatch Contenders, and the combination of players to form a RunAway Overwatch League team is limitless. However, I would argue that my list fills a lot of gaps that RunAway could have in the long run and at the same time complement their current style of play.

What do you think? What would your fantasy RunAway Overwatch League team look like? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.