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The New York Excelsior is adding more to their already powerful arsenal with Yeon-oh “Flower” Hwang.
Flower, also known as Nanohana, has been on the New York Excelsior’s Contenders team, the XL2 Academy. He would gain popularity after his great Widowmaker play in the 2017 Overwatch World Cup. Unfortunately, the overwhelming amount of talent on the New York Excelsior meant that there wasn’t any room for Flower. However, after losing Joon-hwa “Janus” Song to the Washington Overwatch team, they now have a spot for him.
New York Excelsior and the Future
The New York Excelsior would have a pretty good inaugural Overwatch League season. For example, they would end up with the best record in the entire league. NYXL would finish with an impressive 34-9 record, with a +83 map differential. Additionally, they would win both stages one and two, while finishing in second and third in the last two stages. Their dominance would falter in the last stage of the season, with the team ending with a 7-3 record.
Many would consider them the favorites heading into the playoffs, especially with the amount of talent on the roster. However, even with a first round bye, they would be upset by the Philadelphia Fusion in the semifinals. It was a very disappointing end to a great season. Many people would blame the team’s ability to adapt to the meta, as Philadelphia’s DPS players, Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee and Josh “Eqo” Corona would rain pain on the New York Excelsior.
Still, this loss did not need to warrant any big changes to the lineup. The New York Excelsior still have arguably the strongest roster in the league, and adding Flower will only make them better. In fact, their flexibility at the DPS position was already strong to begin with.
Flower, XL2 Academy, and NYXL
Flower has always been a very talented player, renowned for his deep hero pool. However, his performance in the Overwatch Contenders left something to be desired. He hasn’t been the most consistent player on the team, overshadowed by players like Liam “Mangachu” Campbell and Yeon-kwan “Nenne” Jeong. Also, Flower has been having wrist problems for some time now. He will need to help heal that wrist, while trying to be a productive part of the New York Excelsior.
Right now, Flower will be joining the starstudded DPS lineup of Jong-ryeol “Saebyeolbe” Park, Do-hyeon “Pine” Kim and Hae-seong “Libero” Kim. It is hard to see Flower starting over one of these players, due to their immense skill. However, if Flower can successfully rehab his injured wrist, as well as become consistent with his play, he will be a great tool for the New York Excelsior. If anything, he would probably share some time with Libero, as SBB and Pine are usually mainstays on the active roster.
One factor that could help Flower find success is the lack of a language barrier. With the XL2 Academy, he would be playing with a mixed roster with some North American talent as well as some Koreans. With a full Korean squad, his communication and coordination may improve drastically for the second Overwatch League season. Also, having a great support system in the New York Excelsior should help whenever he needs it.
What are your thoughts on Flower joining the main New York Excelsior roster? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more Overwatch League coverage, check us out here!
Born and raised in Toronto. Sometimes a writer. Sometimes a creative director. Sometimes bored. Catch me with hundreds of unplayed games in my Steam library.
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