There is no stopping the offseason outbreak for the teams of the Overwatch League. The Los Angeles Gladiators releases its DPS player Jason “Jaru” White and off-tank Hyungseok “Bischu” Kim to free agency. For the Korean player’s case, this feels more like déjà vu when the team dropped him for the first time in July 2019. These releases are the first move by the Gladiators management moving towards the 2021 season.
Jaru signed with the OWL team in December of last year and hoped to be the “final piece” for their 2020 run. The Genji player joined several Overwatch Contenders academy teams such as Toronto Esports, EnVision eSports, Skyfoxes, and Team Envy. In his stint as a Gladiator, he has to rotate the damage slot with birding, MirroR, and kevster.
🛡 THANK YOU, @Bischu! 🛡
Your optimism and smiles will always be ingrained in Gladiators history. pic.twitter.com/J9dWnOHlb8
— Los Angeles Gladiators (@LAGladiators) October 6, 2020
The D.Va player Bischu, also known as Aaron, was part of the original Gladiators roster alongside BigG00se and Surefour. He was released to joined Guuangzhou Charge, only to be brought to the California-based squad later in the same year. Bischu was often called prizeless during the inaugural season of the league as his ability to communicate in both Korean and English stands out among all other players. Before joining the hype for Blizzard‘s FPS game, he also played for several League of Legends teams such as Complexity Gaming and Cloud9.
The veteran off-tank had to share the spotlight with teammate Indy “SPACE” Halpern, and the change to the Hero Pools format did not help his case be in the starting lineup. The Twitter account of the Gladiators writes, “Your optimism and smiles will always be ingrained in Gladiators history.”
The short-lived career of Jaru with the L.A. team has to be addressed quickly by the management, as the rules indicate they only have until October 16 to renew contracts that were created this year. The Gladiators wishes the best for the DPS player, “Your hard work is undeniable, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors.”
🛡 THANK YOU, @JaruOW! 🛡
Your hard work is undeniable, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors. pic.twitter.com/1hjyM4rkqr
— Los Angeles Gladiators (@LAGladiators) October 6, 2020
For their 2020 record, the purple and white squad placed in the 5th-8th bracket for the 2020 May Melee and ended their third season’s regular season with an 11-10 record. Their win-loss record was right in the middle of the pack compared to the other 19 teams of OWL. During the Gladiator’s playoffs season, they advanced to round 2, where they defeated the Toronto Defiant. The team got knocked to the lower bracket by the Philadelphia Fusion and ultimately got eliminated by the Florida Mayhem.