It's about that time...

---

fair warning this shit is LONG

I should have been writing this months ago... but here we are. I'm retiring from competitive Overwatch. I just want to briefly explain why I'm doing so and then I'll talk about the future and about my career. I still very much love playing the game competitively, if you watch any of my streams that may not seem to be the case but I am still very passionate about Overwatch. I just don't see the path back to OWL for me, feels like the curtains were closed once I was dropped from Valiant. I had planned on retiring shortly after that but I was messaged to play for Revival on short notice (and we all know how that turned out LOL). I just got caught up in the grind again and ignored the obvious. For now I am looking at opportunities for coaching potentially. I'm also looking forward to making content for OWL and streaming. What I'll do in the future isn't 100% certain but I just want to do whatever makes me happy and I hope you guys will continue to support me <3

From the bottom of my heart I want to thank Artur Minacov (SuB) for giving me my first paycheck in Overwatch, I wouldn't have been where I'm at today without EnVision Esports. Shortly after EnVision fell through I reached out to Aero about joining Envy as the Dallas Fuel academy team and that made me a part of one of my favorite orgs of all time, so thank you to Aero, Tazmo and Hastro for making that happen. I missed the big signings of season 2 and thought my career was over but then Matt Akhavan reached out and asked if I wanted to trial for the Florida Mayhem. I made the team and I was so happy. It really fell apart on me very quickly but I'll never forget my debut map on Numbani where I went absolutely insane. Last but not least, LA Valiant. Man what would my life be without this team... I was basically traded as a "fuck it you can have him for free" player and who thought it woulda turned out like this. I just wanted one solid chance at playing for a team at least once in my career and I can't thank Packing10/Gunba/Reprize/Stoop/Mike enough for that opportunity. Season 3 was derailed by COVID-19 but getting to walk on that stage in Dallas made everything worth it. I've been a harsh critic of IGC/Valiant lately but I'll always be proud of my time on the LA Valiant.

I'm gonna talk about players/coaches etc now (theres a fuck ton so you can leave now if you want l0lz)

Envision

kophee - we still talk all the time in discord and we even lived together for a short time. would i live in that apartment ever again? absolutely not but it was a fun experience. still the best ult tracker ive ever played with and you stopped in like 2017 so thats saying something.

darksma - my first exposure to a weeb. who woulda thought id be a weeb myself after all the time. you kinda fell off the face of the earth and i havent messaged you in years but i hope you are doing well

Tseini - Still one of the most incredible pharah players I've played with to date. I can still hear your Finnish R rolling in my head. i enjoy opening your snapchats of you in finnish nature, looks like you're really enjoying life and im happy for you :)

Fahzix - man when we played I think we argued so much and i hated you for a good chunk of time LOL. you were one of the first amatuer overwatch streamers that I really enjoyed watching and you inspired me to start a stream of my own. still a good friend to this day and i hope collegiate ow is working out well for you

numlocked - even though we only played together for a short time, you were apart of my first lan experience and you were also present on "The Night that shall not be discussed". Still think you were a criminally underrated main tank. Wish we coulda played together again at some point Seb

iShiny - ive modeled myself as a teammate a lot after you man. you were the perfect teammate, always supportive and the voice of reason when things were going poorly. i like to think that a lot of my positive traits from s3 owl on valiant i learned from you. i havent kept up with apex too much but it makes me really happy to see you still doing well <3

Buds - i dont know who i argued more with you or fahzix but its definitely close. we were both so stubborn and would never back down on how we thought the game should be played. but you are still one of the craziest widows ive ever seen. there were games where i thought you might be cheating myself. i still think back on our match vs xl2 and you just went absolutely crazy that series, ive seen you playing valorant but im not really sure what you are up to but i wish you the best man.

roflgator - jesus man when i think about you i can only remember that time where i told you to suck my balls in the most disrespectful tone ever (i am so sorry LOL). I watch your stream actually, you've gotta be one of the funniest dudes on twitch and im so happy to see your stream blow up the way it has.

Fire - my brother from another mother. shit man, i dont even gotta put it into words. we been through it all together and theres legit nobody else i woulda rather done it with. im so happy you are getting your chance to play on vancouver and best believe i'll be watching your matches and cheering you on. love you mr king

Jaru - brother from another mother #2. fuck you jason white, i wish you were more confident in your own play. everyone around you knew how good you were but you didn't see it yourself. people would always say you were bad when you weren't around and i always went to bat for you. you'll always be the genji to my tracer, i love you man and i hope you're doing well.

Crimzo - hands down the funniest player ive ever played with. i dont know what it is about flex supports but you and lastro have always been the players that have found a way to make me laugh. i knew you were destined for greatness once we started playing with you. you were supremely confident and you were always in the enemies backline more than our own. dallas wasted your talent last year and i know youll show just how great you are this season on the outlaws.

Chu - god i can hear your absolutely disgusting british accent in my head constantly. i still use your netflix account so thanks for that. i think i would still be that cocky asshole with no filter if i hadn't met you. you helped keep me in check and we were constantly growing and learning together. i will continue to visit your 3 viewer league streams just to shit talk you <3

Team Envy

Trill - cunt we gotta be the biggest what ifs in western tank line history. we were suppose to be a tank duo in OWL so many times that ive lost count. i really wish i coulda played with you longer cause it truly felt like we were just getting started. i miss being in dallas and walking over and hanging out with you. love you ashley hope valorant is treating you well

Fischer - god you absolute hulk of a man. a freak flex dps and a nasty danish accent to go along with it too. i still remember you trying root beer and saying it tasted like tooth paste (what?). i miss you motivating us to go to the gym and just banging out a workout and cranking some tunes at 2am. its honestly no surprise you're an OWL coach cause your super smart and articulate ideas really well, will be cheering you and london on next season

Sharp - im sure you feel this way yourself but you gotta be the biggest waste of talent of all time. i really wish atlanta had given you more of a chance to shine. one of the best raw hitscans ive seen play the game, its very rare to see someone who can play the snipers AND the tracer at a really high level.

Talespin - man imma be real, i dont remember why we pulled you out of retirment but it was a blast playing with you. truly one of the OGs of the game and its an honor to say you were my teammate at one point. pharah legend

Florida Mayhem

Imma be real here guys, my time on this team was so limited that I really don't have that many memories on this team. It was a pretty sucky period for all of us cause we were absolutely awful but you guys were all great to be around and I'm super happy for the people that have found success with the team still and the others who have went down different paths.

LA Valiant Season 2

Custa - I'm not sure I would be the teammate I am today if you weren't around to help me out as much as you did. Those talks we had in the ubers back home were always so helpful and you were always around to lend and ear and listen. It was an honor to win the Dennis Havelka award especially knowing you were the player that won it the year before. I was a big fan of you as a player and I'm still a big fan of you as a desk analyst/streamer.

Kariv - actual ana god. ive never seen a flex support carry a game as hard as you did in season 2. always so fun to be around and such a good player to boot. i will cheer you and the charge on in season 4!!

Agilities - genji 1 trick lol!!!!!! i miss goofing around with you and kariv at the office. i wasnt always in the best place mentally in season 2 cause i was benched but you guys were always around to talk and goof around and that made my time so much more enjoyable. im really upset that you got screwed this year with the valiant situation. i will be around in ur stream to shit talk you <3

FCTFCTN - i think you are the only roommate ive had thats been semi responsible and cleaned up after themselves. you have an absolute brain on you and it was a pleasure to watch you command the team to victory with your calls. i am sorry my time on revival was so scuffed i dont think thats how any of us envisioned it going down LOL

space - i wont lie it was very hard to not be jealous of you. you were always considered the better player to me and honestly thats fair but as my time as a player i could never admit that to myself and you were my opponent in a way even though we were on the same team. ill still never forget when we were both on the bench and freaking out over the titans match. i just might have to cop your jersey and be a Glads fan for season 4 :eyes:

LA Valiant Season 3 -

Dreamer - SANGLOK SONG. I think we were both skeptical of each other at the very start of the season. As we got more comfortable with each other we argued more and more but I think that made us both better players in the long run. You are the best main tank I've had the privilege to play with and you've only seemed to have gotten better. It was a tough pill to swallow when i got dropped but you and Adam were gonna be a great tank duo and honestly would have performed better then we did as a duo.

Lastro - sex big dick. You are the funniest fucking player ever, I don't know who taught you some of the words you know in English but that shit is hilarious to me. I miss flipping you off at the office and messing with you. You are one of the most criminally underrated flex supports ever. Everyone mentions KSP/Shax but I think you were just as much of a carry as those guys were. I love you Lastro

Rain - Honestly we picked you up at the very last second and I wasn't sure what you were gonna be capable of but you turned out to be a beast. Super soft spoken but when you talk everyone listens. An absolute freak on the lucio and it was awesome to see you go absolutely crazy and get revenge on the Mayhem with me.

KSP - I've hyped up other hitscans in this twitlonger and I don't mean to shade anyone else. But you are THEE hitscan player. We don't have the season we did without you. Everyone could play the game and every fight at 110% confidence cause we were certain that either you or Shax would make a play and carry a fight. I wish I coulda done more in the server to help us reach those higher goals. Wherever you land next you better believe I'll be a fan and be getting a jersey (make sure to sign it for me some day). Miss you Kai and I hope to see you around sometime in the future

Shax - Joe hands. Tracer fucking GOD. I was so happy when you were sticking around after season 2 because I knew you were much more than a sombra 1 trick that everyone was calling you. You were one of the players that helped me keep people in line and make sure the team was functioning as it should have been. I miss being in our apartment and seeing you come out of your den for a mountain dew and some toast with nutella on it. Like everyone else whatever team you end up on I'm gonna be a big fan and I hope to see you continue to do big things.

KSF - Kyle smiles. I think we got off to a bad start at the beginning of the season but we seemed to get back on the same page as the season progressed. Hanging out with you Apply and GiG even though it was rare was such a good thing for my mental health. I felt trapped in my apartment and you guys helped me out in so many ways. You always spoke highly of Junkbuck and I'm stoked to see you get coached underneath him.

GiG - Gigatron the packet whacker. Bro you roll with the punches and take it like a champ. Also an absolute menace on the reinhardt, shit was truly inspiring seeing my rein pin across the map LMAOOOO. Will never forget walking up on that stage and shit talking the crowd and making a big scene, it was nice to have another source of energy up on that stage. If I'm ever back in Cali you gotta teach me how to snowboard.

Apply - My man we ended up on Florida together and we have been together ever since. I'll be 100% real with you, I was really skeptical when it was decided you were gonna be on the team. I had only seen you play brig for us in goats and wasnt sure what your other heroes were like. You were truly a team player though and were super willing to learn new heroes and improve on the other ones.

Unter - I won't lie to you Maxwell, when you first joined I thought you were gonna be more of a problem than a solution. But you turned out to be crucial to keeping us together for the rest of the season, honestly a really smart coach and not afraid to get to the point. Just cause I'm complimenting you doesn't mean you aren't a dog though.

Stoop - I really didn't know much about you until I joined Valiant in season 2 and I quickly realized how crucial you were to the whole operation. You're really smart and you know how to get players on board and on the same page really quickly. It's a real fucking shame that you and Reprize got fired, really felt like you guys got done dirty and the fire in our team died along with you guys. stoop quit twerking on the table bro

Gunba - An asshole but the smartest asshole I've ever met in my life. I hold your coaching in the highest regard and I would have probably sucked way more if you hadn't been one of my coaches. I don't blame you in the slightest for leaving to Valorant but I was really sad when you did. Thank you for keeping me on my toes and constantly making sure I was working towards my goals and not making excuses.

Packing10 - Who woulda thought that we would be on Envision together you end up leaving and 2 years later you're my head coach in the Overwatch League. It's crazy to think about all the shit we went through and we still ended up near the top. I'm sorry I didn't meet your guys expectations, I wanted to take this team to the top but I just wasn't good enough. I know you and Gunba are gonna continue to do great things in Valorant and I'll be making sure to watch your guys matches when I can.

Mike - Referring to you by your ign doesn't feel right, you'll always just be Mike to me. I don't think I'll ever have a better relationship with a manager in my life. You were always willing to hear me out and have a conversation. You knew how shit it felt to get dropped and made sure to reach out and I really appreciated that. Even though IGC isn't really inspiring me at the moment I trust you and your vision and I know you'll find success. I hope I can come back to LA sometime so I can have dinner with you Meg and Delilah again.

Reprize - You have been my day 1 so I had to make sure I saved you for last just to show you how much you have had an impact on my life. I would not have touched Overwatch if you hadn't convinced me to play it. You are a true friend for life and I'm super happy to see you get the chance to head coach an OWL team cause you deserve it. If you ever need a washed up players opinion don't be afraid to come to me ;) love you Justin


IF I FORGET YOU I AM TRULY TRULY SORRY. I finally came to the decision to retire at like 2:30 in the morning and wrote this a little bit after. id just like to reiterate that I'm not entirely out of the OW scene yet and I hope you guys will continue to support me in my next journey (whatever that may be)

Reply · Report Post