After releasing two of its recently-signed players, Yugeun "h3dy" Kwon and Yeongjin "Jaekdow" Jeon, as well as both its coaches, Lim "FanXy" Junhyeok and Kim "DongUk" Dong-Uk, DWG KIA announced on Facebook the addition of four new players and a coach today.
Joining DWG KIA are the four Spear Gaming players Park "Woogiman" Jin-Wook, Park "Gotti" Geon-Woo, Jo "Coted" Sung-Joon, and Jang "RIN" Byeong-Uk (aka YulLin), as well as Lunatic-hai player Jang "HoundBird" Gwon-Jae, who will be coaching the team.
As the additions mean that the playing roster will balloon to seven, two players will be substitutes.
The significant roster shift comes just one-and-a-half months after the original roster had been signed from GC Busan Spear, comprising five players and two coaches. Of those, only Heo "CATsang" Sewoong, Jeon "Chanzo" Wongyun (aka aLx3inE), and Yoo "yass" Sanghoon were retained and have now been joined by four new players and a coach.
According to SiegeGG sources, the players had been embroiled in a contract dispute with the organisation over allegedly 'undesirable' behaviour of some of its players.
Of the dropped players is h3dy, who previously also played for Cloud9.
Of the new players, Gotti and Woogiman are considered to be some of the top ranked players in Korea, with their renown in the region similar to William "Spoit" Löfstedt in Europe. The duo were part of WHALE Clan (now Overhit Gaming), but only debuted in competitive play in the Korean Open 2020 Winter Trial, and later Relegations, when they turned 18 years old.
The duo had been on WHALE together with Coted, though little is known regarding his career prior to his debut with Spear Gaming alongside Gotti, Woogiman, and RIN.
Little is also known about RIN's career, except that he had played on Hate Shield in the US$4,500 amateur International eSports Festival in November 2020.
Finally, Houndbird joins the team after transitioning from a player to a coach following his Korean Open 2020 Winter campaign on Lunatic-hai. Houndbird's credentials are also limited, but his switch to a coaching role comes alongside his existing Twitch and YouTube tips-and-tricks Rainbow Six streams.
HoundBird, second-from-right, on the Lunatic-hai roster in the Korean Open 2020 Winter tournament. (Photo: Lunatic-hai)
Of the now-seven players, it is likely that CATsang, aLx3inE, and yass will be part of the main lineup, thereby preserving the majority of the GC Busan Spear roster that had successfully defeated the incumbents of SCARZ (now OhHamMa) during the APAC North 2020 Relegations.
The only other team to succeed in doing the same was ROFLCOPTER GG in the Oceanic region, which replaced Rhythm following a three-map matchup.
Catch this new DWG KIA roster in action on the 13th of March in the Korean Open Spring 2021 tournament, and then on the 19th of March in APAC North:
Heo "CATsang" Sewoong Jeon "Chanzo" Wongyun (aka aLx3inE) Yoo "yass" Sanghoon Park "Woogiman" Jin-Wook Park "Gotti" Geon-Woo Jo "Coted" Sung-Joon Jang "RIN" Byeong-Uk (aka YulLin) Jang "HoundBird" Gwon-Jae (Coach)
