The San Francisco Shock have signed American tank player Michael “mikeyy” Konicki to their roster just before the second stage of the 2022 season, Midseason Madness. As a longtime tank player on notable teams such as the Boston Uprising and collegiate team Maryville Esports, he’s now back in the main league. After posting perfect qualifiers for the Kickoff Clash but finishing fourth at the LAN playoffs, they’re adding a second tank player in mikeyy, hoping that he’ll give the Shock the edge they’re looking for.
It's time to take this team to the next level for Midseason Madness.
Join us in welcoming @mikeyy_ow to the Shock fam!
(pending league approval) pic.twitter.com/QqmDFuXl9J
— San Francisco Shock (@SFShock) June 10, 2022
mikeyy’s path to the Shock
Starting his esports career in late 2018, mikeyy fought through Open Division and made his breakthrough into Contenders with Skyfoxes. After a time with them, most notably winning the Mayhem Winter Classic in 2020, he moved to Noble. After a couple of months with Noble, the Boston Uprising took a chance on him, signing him to their roster. Unfortunately, mikeyy didn’t see much play time, mostly shuffling between the Uprising and their Academy team. That 2020 season was a poor one for the Uprising, leaving mikeyy to go back to Noble.
After that return to Noble, mikeyy played for six more teams in the Contenders scene. Some notable finishes on those teams include a second-place finish at the South American Gauntlet in 2020 for Majestados, a second-place 2021 finish with DarkMode NA in NA Contenders, and a first-place finish with Maryville Esports from the Overwatch Collegiate Championship Series for 2022. As a Wrecking Ball, Reinhardt and Orisa player, his primary role as the main tank was crucial in the original Overwatch. Now, for Overwatch 2, he joins one of the best teams in North America, hoping to continue his form.
The Shock’s future with mikeyy
This signing adds depth to a position that the Shock didn’t have any for before. Previously, their tank role was solely filled by Colin “Coluge” Arai; putting them into a successful, if inflexible position. The best example of this was their qualifying run for Kickoff Clash when compared to the playoffs at the same event. Strutting into the Kickoff Clash as the only undefeated team, they quickly received a reality check when they almost lost to eighth seed team Washington Justice. Even after winning, they proceeded to get knocked down to the lower bracket and burn out against the Dallas Fuel.
Coluge wasn’t the only issue, but having just one tank was a problem for the Shock. There was too much weight on Coluge’s shoulders, especially with the team’s constantly changing compositions and having to switch from Zarya to Winston and even Reinhardt. With mikeyy on the team, Coluge doesn’t have to play every map anymore — we’ll see if this means the Shock can continue their undefeated qualifiers run.
