A short stint and a championship
Rak-hoon “Develop” Chae joined the Shanghai Dragons straight out of Contenders during the June Joust stage of the regular season. Playing a grand total of just over 10 minutes on Tracer in the Countdown Cup, he was just barely able to be ranked on a statistics leaderboard for the stage and season. Those who follow Develop or even Contenders as a whole know that this is a player with a lot of talent and star potential. However, he’s just officially left the Shangai Dragons.
So why did Develop only play 10 minutes in the three stages he was in, as well as not play at all in playoffs? The answer is simple. Byung-sun “Fleta” Kim and Jae-won “LIP” Lee. Develop’s competition for a starting position on the team was between the 2020 MVP and DPS Role Star Fleta, and the 2020 and 2021 DPS Role Star and 2021 Playoffs MVP LIP. If we’re being honest, he never had a chance. The Dragons likely had a use for him, whether it be his hero pool or to be a duel practice partner for the starting DPS. But the bench is not the role this player deserves. He’s ready for the big leagues and is ready to compete. There is no reason to not see him playing almost every week in the Overwatch League.
Honestly, his departure from the team was much expected. If he’s able to find a place on another team, we’ll likely get to see him be much more fulfilled. As well as maybe grab some awards of his own. Regardless of playtime, Develop is still an Overwatch League Champion. And you can’t be a Championship-winning team if your entire roster and staff aren’t up to Championship standard. Where this champion will end up is anyone’s guess.
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