Breaking down the 2021 Overwatch League MVP candidates

August 25, 2021

by Jessica Scharnagle

There’s still time to vote for the Overwatch League MVP for the 2021 season. Voting is open until 3 a.m. ET Aug. 27. The winner will be awarded the MVP trophy and $50,000.

Fan votes make up 25% of the tally, while the other 75% come from a plethora of sources including broadcast talent, general managers, head coaches and media.

Those who prefer to vote on Twitter rather than the OWL website can use the hashtag #OWLMVP and either the Twitter handle or Battle.net name of the candidate they wish to vote for.

For those unsure who to vote for, here is a breakdown of each player and what they’ve accomplished during the regular season.

Note: All stats are courtesy of the OWL Stats Lab.

Dallas Fuel

The Fuel are one of the teams many think will reach the grand final this year. They’ve been consistently good throughout the entire season, qualifying for three out of the four tournaments held this year. It’s no surprise that three players on their roster were nominated for MVP, considering the team as a whole is solid.

Eui-Seok "Fearless" Lee -- Tank

Fearless is a main tank player who has some pretty impressive stats for someone who plays a tank. He has the highest amount of final blows, eliminations and hero damage among all tank players across the league and is the best Reinhardt and Winston in the league. He’s easily considered the best main tank, and the closest competition is far behind him.

Because Fearless is a main tank, his death to final blow ratio is a moderate 1.1, but with how clutch his gameplay has been throughout the season, he’s a clear prospect for MVP. There are many clutch plays that might not be reflected in the stats, such as the earthshatter that set the Fuel up to win the May Melee during Map 6 on Blizzard World.

Stats:

Final blows: 989 (7th)
Deaths: 927 (2nd)
Solo kills: 67 (17th)
Eliminations: 3,240 (3rd)

Han-been "Hanbin" Choi -- Tank

The other part of the tank duo, Hanbin has positioned himself as the best Sigma and D.Va player in the league. The Fuel went to three out of the four tournaments this year, and Hanbin was a big part of that. The duo was the best in the league, making the Fuel tank line almost impossible to get through. Hanbin’s ability to eat ultimates like they were a snack was one of the most essential parts of the Fuel defense.

If how many ults Hanbin has eaten this season were a stat, we’re sure that he’d be on the top of the list, and it’s part of what makes him the best off-tank in the league. His stats are impressive, which isn’t surprising given the dominant nature of the team as a whole, and Hanbin has been heralded as the glue of the team by casters.

Stats:

Final blows: 1,162 (4th)
Deaths: 694 (13th)
Solo kills: 67 (17th)
Eliminations: 3,347 (1st)

Yeong-han "SP9RK1E" Kim -- DPS

There is no argument that SP9RK1E has been an integral part of the Fuel’s success this season. During a hitscan meta when the Fuel couldn’t play their hitscan ace Do-heyon “Pine” Kim, SP9RK1E had to pick up the slack.

SP9RK1E is well known for his Tracer and Genji plays and can be completely unpredictable in any given match. Although SP9RK1E is on the top of the list for the most deaths this season, he’s also on the top of the list for most final blows, hero damage and solo kills.

Stats:

Final blows: 1,511 (1st)
Deaths: 1,066 (1st)
Solo kills: 133 (1st)
Eliminations: 3,324 (2nd)

Photo credit: Overwatch League

Shanghai Dragons

The Dragons had the best record in the league during the regular season at 12-4. They are clearly the most dominant team of the East Region and a scary team to face. They appeared in three out of the four tournaments this year and won both the June Joust and Summer Showdown grand finals. This team is another contender to make it all the way to this season’s grand final.

Byung-sun "Fleta" Kim -- DPS

It’s not a surprise that Fleta was nominated for MVP. He won the 2020 MVP title, and he even has a stat named after him called a “Fleta Deadlift” which is when a player accounts for 50% or more of their team’s final blows in a map.

Fleta has an impressive 1.8 final blow-death ratio. His ability to stay alive while also doing maximum damage is something that any team wants to see in a DPS player. He can usually be found zipping around the map on Tracer and running circles around opposing players.

Stats:

Final blows: 1,271 (3rd)
Deaths: 714 (11th)
Solo kills: 70 (15th)
Eliminations: 2,672 (7th)

Jae-won "LIP" Lee -- DPS

Lip is the other half of the DPS duo for the Dragons, and he’s a big part of the reason that they have done so well this season. He also has one of the highest final blow-death ratios in the league at a 1.8, tied with Fleta. He’s one of the best Sombras in the league in a year where Sombra has been a consistent pick in all of the tournaments.

Versatility is what gives LIP his edge. He is able to play any hero well, and because of that he is able to adapt on the fly to any change in composition. The stats back him up, making him one of the most dangerous DPS players in the league.

Stats:

Final blows: 1,091 (6th)
Deaths: 602 (18th)
Solo kills:116 (3rd)
Eliminations: 2,542 (8th)

Min-chul "IZaYaKI" Kim -- Support

One of only two support players nominated for MVP, IZaYaKI is certainly one of the best at what he does. He’s been a crucial player for the Dragons this year and has been one of the silent drivers behind their success. Support players are hard to gauge because their stats are based less on their direct impact to the game and more on how well they’re able to judge the needs of their teammates.

IZaYaKI is the deadliest support in the league, landing himself at the No. 1 spot in final blows and hero damage among support players. He also has some pretty impressive healing stats and is third in the league in healing done.

Stats:

Final blows: 464 (49th)
Deaths: 672 (14th)
Healing: 1,447,798 (3rd)
Eliminations: 1,903 (20th)

Atlanta Reign

Another team that has been improving significantly since the start of the season is the Reign. They’re a good team, but in order to reach the grand final, they’re going to have to be able to defeat what seems like they’re Achilles heel, the Gladiators.

Photo credit: Overwatch League

Se-hyun "Pelican" Oh -- DPS

Pelican’s nomination is impressive because he is a rookie this season. He has consistently improved with the team and he’s done very well this season. He has a deep pool of heroes, including Echo, Mei, Tracer and Pharah, all of which he has played over 10% of the time in the regular season.

Pelican was one of our most promising rookies of the 2021 season, and it seems like he’s lived up to that expectation.

Stats:

Final blows: 909 (9th)
Deaths: 580 (22nd)
Solo kills: 88 (8th)
Eliminations: 2,142 (14th)

Chengdu Hunters

The Hunters had a slow start this season, but they’ve been picking up momentum recently after they’ve made the last two tournament grand finals. They fell each time, first to the Dragons and then to the Los Angeles Gladiators, but they’ve been consistently improving since the beginning of the season and are now real contenders to reach the playoffs grand final.

Huang "leave" Xin -- DPS

Leave is the only player in the league with more than 10 final blows per 10 minutes, which is incredibly impressive, and he has been consistently good across the entire season. He is another player who can be counted on to adapt to a meta with his massive depth as a DPS player and is able to pick up any DPS hero in the lineup with ease.

Stats:

Final blows: 1,446 (2nd)
Deaths: 771 (7th)
Solo kills: 115 (4th)
Eliminations: 2,847 (5th)

Los Angeles Gladiators

Photo credit: Overwatch League

Jin-seo "Shu" Kim -- Support

Shu is one of the most blood-thirsty supports in the league. He wrecks his opponents on Baptiste while making sure that his team is healthy at the same time. He originally started on Ana, but he moved to Baptiste and allows his team to do what they do best without worry of being quickly killed.

Stats:

Final blows: 429 (55th)
Deaths: 599 (19th)
Healing: 1,187,244 (8th)
Eliminations: 1,583 (28th)

Seoul Dynasty

Dynasty fans are ready to see their team go to the playoffs and to the grand final this year after just missing out in previous seasons. They were the third best team in the East Region and finally made it to a tournament when they qualified for the Countdown Cup, but they were quickly knocked out by the Reign and the Hunters.

Joon-yeong "Profit" Park -- DPS

Profit has been one of the most consistently good DPS players in the league over his entire career and has been a huge difference to his team this season. Profit plays a huge pool of heroes, so opposing teams never know what he might play. He has been very clutch no matter what team he has played on.

Stats: