San Francisco Shock main tank Matthew “super” DeLisi has officially retired from Overwatch League play, just before the 2022 season starts.
Super retires from the Overwatch League before 2022 season begins
After four seasons in the league, part of the roster since he was seventeen, he cited a lack of competitiveness and passion for the game as his reasons for retirement.
A true legend retires today.
super has been a cornerstone to not only the Shock but also Overwatch esports as a whole. As of today, he will be stepping away from our competitive roster. Thank you, for 4 incredible seasons.#ShockFam forever 🧡 pic.twitter.com/XD2tpY39MW
— San Francisco Shock (@SFShock) March 27, 2022
Despite originally planning to be part of the Shock’s roster for Overwatch 2, he will not play competitively, instead focusing on streaming. Super hinted that he is remaining affiliated with the Shock.
“When it comes to the Shock and doing stuff with them, I wouldn’t say this is completely the end yet,” super said in his retirement announcement video.
One of the best in the league steps away
Super’s career in the Overwatch League is a testimony to how young talent can develop into top players. Super originally signed to the San Francisco Shock during the first season of the Overwatch League, but was too young to be part of the starting roster. When he officially turned 18, he stepped into a mediocre Shock roster and surprised opponents with his stellar Reinhardt play. Even with young talent joining the roster, the Shock were looking to season two to begin competing at the top of the league.
With superstar at the helm, the 2019 season was the start of the San Francisco Shock dynasty within the league. In big battles against the Vancouver Titans, super traded blows with the best and won the 2019 Grand Finals. Also in 2019, he helped lead the United States team to gold in the Overwatch World Cup, beating China 3-0. The 2020 season proved to be more of the same, with super and the Shock winning the 2020 Grand Finals. As a back-to-back champions, the Shock were aiming for a threepeat, but couldn’t match previous years, finishing in fourth place.
After a roster overhaul super remained as the only player from the inaugural season Shock. Now with his departure, it signals a new era for the Shock and a firm end to their dynasty.
Super’s future
Super talked twice about his departure, once in a long written post and another time in a video on Twitter. In the written post, he said that he “lost the passion to compete” and that it ended up “wrecking me emotionally and physically.”
As for the Shock, they have yet to sign a replacement for super. They’ll have to be quick, as the beta starts on April 26 and the season starts up on May 5, 2022.
