The San Francisco Shock announced that they have signed American off-tank player Colin “Coluge” Arai on Monday. He is replacing retired Matthew “super” DeLisi as their only tank player. With Overwatch 2 on the horizon and the team needing a tank player, one of the founders of GOATs joins the Shock.
38 DAYS UNTIL #OWL2022
Join us in welcoming @CucumberColuge to the family as our new tank player! Let's get to work! #WINNABLE pic.twitter.com/alb4P45ZPW
— San Francisco Shock (@SFShock) March 28, 2022
Coluge’s path to the Shock
Coluge’s history in Overwatch is extensive in many different ways. Having played competitive Overwatch since 2017, he had multiple stints on some notable Contenders teams in North America.
First off, he is one of the original members of the GOATs roster, the same one that popularized the GOATs meta in Overwatch. That alone has some merit, but he also fleshed out his experience on teams such as Second Wind, American Tornado, DarkMode NA and Maryville Esports. On those teams, he reached highs such as winning the NA Contenders Gauntlet with American Tornado.
However, at the same time, he did have some controversy in his competitive years, from general toxicity to harassment. These issues led to some bans from the game, multiple retirements and even getting shut down by the league when planning to join the Vancouver Titans after their original roster was disassembled. But, with a new season, the Shock have picked him up to start for their 2022 roster.
The Shock’s future
As is the Shock’s tradition, when surprise retirements hit their team, surprise signings follow soon after. Seasons ago, a similar situation hit when Nam-joo “Striker” Kwon retired from the Shock, only to be replaced by formerly retired Seonchang “ANS” Lee. As for super, his retirement is a blow simply due to his position as the only tank on their roster. Now, Coluge steps into that role, having to flex in between all Overwatch 2 tanks to compete in 2022.
Much like previous years, the Shock are running a roster that mixes American and Korean talent. Coluge and his San Francisco Shock teammate Samuel “s9mm” Santos will have to work alongside a new O2 Blast core. With how challenging mixed rosters can be, we’ll see if the Shock can contend once again in the Overwatch League.
