This must be one of the biggest surprise signings in Overwatch League history. The Houston Outlaws have signed off-tank player Tae-hong “MekO” Kim, formerly of the New York Excelsior.
Meko was a consistent all-star regarded as one of the best off-tank players, making his release from the New York Excelsior in October baffling. One suggested explanation for the release was his new contract offer was too high for the Excelsior, and they just opted to let him go. There were no rumors about Meko having a bad attitude or work ethic, which made him a perfect free agent as long as teams were willing to spend on him.
Will Meko fit on the Houston Outlaws?
The man loves his @TMobile teams.
Please Welcome @MekOppa to the Outlaws!
*pending league approval pic.twitter.com/3YNMp7K6Yz— Houston Outlaws (@Outlaws) November 17, 2019
One of the main reasons why this signing is such a big surprise is due to the Outlaws’ current roster. The Houston Outlaws, since the inaugural season, has been a mostly American team. They didn’t have any other Korean players on the roster until recently, with the signing of Jung-geun “Rapel” Kim. Nonetheless, Meko has decided to join the Outlaws. This is a risk for the Outlaws, but not as big as it would seem.
Meko has only ever played for the New York Excelsior in the league, a team that has always been fully Korean. He now has to communicate with a mainly English-speaking team, which could raise a real barrier for him. Still, his skills are inarguable. If they can fit him right and make him gel well with the team, they have a steal of a signing. And that applies no matter how much the Outlaws have paid for him. A team can pay for potential, but there’s never an absolute guarantee of quality. If Meko fits in this team though, the results will likely be dramatic. We’ll just have to wait and see in 2020 how it works out.
