After a long three years with the Los Angeles Gladiators, since the inaugural season of the Overwatch League in 2018, both support players for the LA Gladiators Jonas ‘Shaz’ Suovaara and Benjamin ‘BigGoose’ Isohanni have parted ways with the team.
Ben was the main support player with a signature Lucio and a decent stint with Brigitte during the GOATs meta endeavor, and Jonas was a flex support that frequented both Zenyatta and Ana.
For Benjamin Isohanni, this is the end of the line in terms of his Overwatch League play; the support player stated that he is looking to retire with the announcement and spend some time considering what his next move will be.
Been an amazing journey these last 3 years and got to meet awesome people throughout my time with Glads.
As for the future I will be retiring from Overwatch as a player and take some time off to think what's next in the radar https://t.co/38Cuztshez
— BigG00se (@BigGoose) October 6, 2020
Jonas ‘Shaz’ Suovaara, on the other hand, is a bit murkier on what he is considering to do; his Twitter bio states that he’s a flex support free agent, while his announcement states that he similarly wants to take some time to consider his future.
Gonna keep it short.
I want to thank Gladiators for giving me the opportunity to grow as a player and a person. Had alot of fun and memorable moments over the last 3 years with the team.
Going to take some time to think about what I will do next. https://t.co/W4iVcu5V78
— Shaz (@Shaz_OW) October 6, 2020
Both players could likely have a spot in the future of the Overwatch League if they choose; the Gladiators are ranked nine of twenty on the back of solid healing and backline support from the Finnish duo, and have done admirably well in the entirety of the three years that they wore the shield. Admittedly, in recent showings for the LAG’s 2020 season, the support line has arguably been the weakest link for the team, succumbing to flanks and being picked from backlines due to poor angles.
This marks the rest of the original roster of the LA Gladiators as officially replaced, and LiNkzr is now the only remaining Finnish player in the Overwatch League.
The question for the LA Gladiators, at the moment, is precisely who will be filling the role of the two support players; there are no other players listed on their official roster as being able to fulfill the now vacant positions.
Further, some have been pointing throughout the season towards DPei, the head coach, as possibly past his prime.
Regardless, where the Gladiators bring their roster in terms of support-line during the offseason will be a point of speculation and interest that could offer an idea of how the 2021 season will play out for future Battle’s of LA; how the 2021 season of the Overwatch League will play out in a larger picture is the speculation of everyone at the moment.
It’s sad news for fans of the Gladiators as both BigGoose and Shaz were prominent members of the line-up; whether or not Shaz, at least, will fall back in with another team is unknown.