A Pelican’s Journey from King to Crime Lord
2022 Overwatch League Team Preview: Houston Outlaws
Ode to Overwatch: Can Houston Make a Playoffs Run?
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This is likely Houston Outlaw’s best iteration within the Overwatch League, especially with the addition of Pelican. The 2022 roster kept Danteh and Piggy while adding Pelican, Merit, Ir1s, and Lastro.
On paper, it’s a promising roster, but so are a lot of last year’s teams which only upgraded. So, it’s going to be blast seeing how Pelican plays along with his friend Piggy and in a new, possibly better environment for him.
How Well Will Pelican Fit In?
It’s hard to say just how good the 2021 Atlanta Reign would be without Pelican. Interestingly enough, considering how the 2021 Houston Outlaws finished 8th in the Regular Season, could the addition of Pelican back then have upgraded them a few spots up as well? It’s an alternative one can think about, but there may be a more simple answer. It comes down to coaching.
It’s going to be interesting how Junkbuck evolves Pelican as it’s entirely possible the 2021 Atlanta Reign’s Unter truly unlocked Pelican’s potential, and so if the 2022 Houston Outlaws want as much out of him, then Junkbuck will have to invest into him.
It seems obvious, but the team has to find its footing. Pelican can most likely carry the team to an extent, but if the team wants to win some Finals, they have to pick up their own weight, which is quite likely.
Can Piggy Pull His Weight as the Single Tank?
Piggy showed us interesting plays and stats during the 2021 Overwatch League season, and I believe he may be one of the better solo tanks to invest in before picking up a new one.
It’s possible that the community and analysts may be overthinking the idea of one Tank player having to play all the different tanks. But if we try to understand the ideology of Overwatch 2 5v5 at the budding stage, the gameplay should be less about the meta composition and more about individual skill.
With less players on the board, ultimately less protection for supports, DPS Heroes are…
