Chengdu Hunters announce full lineup for 2019
Over the last three days, the Chengdu Hunters have announced nine players. Chengdu split these nine players by roles, announcing supports first, tanks second, and DPS third. Today, Chengdu made the final announcement of their DPS line to complete the 2019 lineup.
Support Line
Chengdu have signed Team CC’s Kong “Kyo” Chun-ting, Lucky Future Zenith’s Guan “Garry” Li, and Li “Yveltal” Xian-yao to set up their support line. All three supports have been at the top of their role this year, making waves in Contenders China. Garry most notably subbed in for Lucky Future Zenith’s all-Korean roster, proving his skill as a player despite the language barrier, and aiding in the team’s Championship run. Yveltal most recently competed with Team China at the Overwatch World Cup, making the finals for the first time.
Tank Line
Along with the support line, Chengdu have signed Team CC’s Ma “LateYoung” Tian-bin, LGD Gaming’s Ding “Ameng” Meng-han, and LinGan e-Sports’ Luo “Elsa” Wen-jie. LateYoung is the most notable portion of the tank lineup, being part of the notorious Chinese team, Miraculous Youngster, in 2017. As the strongest Chinese team to ever compete in Overwatch, LateYoung is also recognized as one of the greatest tanks in the Overwatch scene. Ameng helped lead LGD Gaming to a 2nd place finish in Contenders China Season Two, while Elsa is a less-experienced prospect with significant potential.
DPS Line
In their final announcement, Chengdu announced the signings of BTRG’s Yi “Jinmu” Hu, Lo “Baconjack” Tzu-heng, and Zhang “YangXiaoLong” Zhi-hao. Jinmu has carved out a reputation for himself as a strong Genji and projectile player in Contenders China the last two seasons, while Baconjack and YangXiaoLong did not play Overwatch at all in 2018. YangXiaoLong is another ex-Miraculous Youngster member, profiling as the team’s hitscan star, while Baconjack served on Pacific Champions Flash Wolves, as their mainstay Tracer player.
The Chengdu Hunters are set for 2019 with their full-Mandarin speaking lineup — the first of its kind in the Overwatch League — and will hope to avoid the ire and pity of last year’s 0-40 Shanghai Dragons. The Overwatch League kicks off on February 14th, 2019.