The New York Excelsior have released Tae-hong “MekO” Kim, and the Washington Justice have signed Chang-hoon “rOar” Gye from the Los Angeles Gladiators.
A surprise departure for Meko
Meko was the New York Excelsior’s off-tank player for all of their first two seasons in the league. His consistency and flexibility were considered some of the best in the league, and it showed in both seasons. His partnership with main tank teammate Dong-gyu “Mano” Kim depicted one of the best duos in the league, and they hardly were the issue in the roster. As such, when the news got released on Twitter that Meko was leaving the Excelsior for free agency, it shocked the community.
Today our contract with Tae-hong "MekO" Kim has come to an end. We thank @MekOppa for two outstanding seasons and for everything he's done for NYXL.
You'll always be part of the family and we wish you the absolute best in your career.#EverUpward pic.twitter.com/i5s43hFA3G
— NYXL (@NYXL) October 17, 2019
While the Excelsior didn’t win the title in either of previous years, they finished in top 3 both years. People are speculating that Meko’s departure was either due to homesickness or New York being unable to afford what he wanted. We can’t truly know for sure, but this makes Meko one of the biggest free agents in the market in any case. He has been an all-star and won’t be a free agent for long.
A surprise signing for Roar
From a surprise release to a surprise acquisition, the Washington Justice have signed main tank Roar from the LA Gladiators. Roar had signed to the Gladiators as a replacement for Chan-hyung “Fissure“ Baek, who left before the season started to Seoul. His signing with Gui-un “Decay” Jang made Gladiators fans excited for their second season, but it didn’t end as well as fans had expected. They still performed in the top third of the league, but they continued to underperform in playoff situations.
Today we say goodbye to @rOar_ow as he joins @washjustice in 2020. We thank him for all his contributions to our team and wish him the best of luck! #ShieldsUp pic.twitter.com/ACHaIemhhV
— Los Angeles Gladiators (@LAGladiators) October 18, 2019
The signing means a lot for the Justice, as they let go of their tank duo from their first season in the league: Jun-hwa “Janus” Song and Hyang-ki “SanSam” Kim. This is an upgrade from Janus, as Roar did well for the Gladiators in the time he was there. But now it is a matter of finding an off-tank to fit with him.
