JJANGGU signs to the Houston Outlaws

Completing their other signing today, another tankline is set in the Overwatch League. The Houston Outlaws have signed Korean main tank Myung-heum “JJANGGU” Cho, formerly of Talon Esports. Much like their signing of teammate Min-jun “PIGGY ” Shin earlier today, it seems Houston is taking from Talon Esports. This also looks like Houston, while still a mixed roster, will have a mostly Korean team. Also much like Piggy, his experience and talent have gotten him to the league, even though JJanggu’s path was much different.

https://twitter.com/Outlaws/status/1334915384525381632

JJanggu’s path to Houston

JJanggu had a very interesting start in the competitive scene. The first major team he played for, GC Busan Wave, won Open Division with him on it. However, this was when JJanggu was still a DPS player. Yes, this Overwatch League main tank player didn’t play main tank competitively until mid-2019. Either way, he was a part of the GC Busan Wave squad from Open Division to Season 2 of 2019 Korean Contenders.

While he did perform admirably on DPS, becoming main tank and moving in mid-2020 to Talon Esports proved to be the catalyst for his play. As main tank, he led Talon to a semi-final finish alongside teammate Piggy. Besides some showmatch results, that was the last season he was a part of. Being known for his Orisa and Reinhardt, this Korean tank was picked up alongside his off-tank to Houston to improve their results.

The Outlaw’s tanks

With these two signings from today, the team is clearly happy with how the Talon Esports tankline played recently. The coordination between JJanggu and Piggy is something that should stay with their move to Houston. Plus, with Korean teammates Jung-woo “Happy” Lee, Tae-hong “MekO” Kim and coach Jaewon “Junkbuck” Choi, communication should be fine.

For these new signings, it’s the idea of mixing in Korean talent with a mixed roster. Some teams in previous seasons have succeeded with that idea, but others not so much. We’ll have to wait until next season to see how it works, but taking a complete tankline for synergy is never a bad idea.