The original superstar of the Overwatch League is back in the game. Coming out of retirement, Pine will now join the May Melee winners, Dallas Fuel.
Big Boss Kim “Pine” Do-hyeon has returned to the Overwatch League and has signed up with the May Melee champions, Dallas Fuel.
Return of the Big Boss Pine
Pine was a standout player during the inaugural season of the Overwatch League. As the hitscan player, Pine was the force behind NYXL’s first-place group stage finish and a semifinal slot in the Overwatch League playoffs. His Mccree and Widowmaker dominated the long-range battles in OWL season 1. He had some Pine retired from the competitive scene in December 2019 although he stayed on with NYXL as a streamer.
The Fuel started searching for a new hitscan player after Jung “Xzi” Ki-hyo had to step down from the active roster due to medical issues. Although Dallas Fuel has announced Pine as its new signing, the team is still waiting for his visa application to come through according to The Dallas Morning News. It might well be over a month before Pine officially plays for the Fuel. But the 23-year-old player can still practice (albeit at high ping) with his new Fuel teammates.
Pine had retired in 2019 after an extended time on the bench due to an unfavorable meta. He lost interest in the game and had significantly slowed down his practice time. Regardless, long-time Overwatch fans will be delighted by his return to the Overwatch League. They can expect some flashy plays, maybe even a Widowmaker ganking the enemy team on his own and still winning the fight.
Dallas Fuel recently won the May Melee tournament, the first-ever tournament win for the organization. The team took down Shanghai Dragons in the grand finals with some spectacular individual performances by Eui-Seok "Fearless" Lee and Yeong-han "SP9RK1E" Kim.
What’s next for Dallas Fuel?
After its first tournament victory, Dallas Fuel looks extremely strong. Pine’s addition adds the versatility in the DPS lineup that the team was missing due to Xzi’s absence. The Overwatch League is on a small break right now and will return for the June Joust qualifiers on May 21. Dallas Fuel will play London Spitfire on June 28 in its first June Joust qualifiers.
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