After cutting their entire roster and most of their staff throughout October and November due to financial issues, Paris Eternal have signed six European players to make up the core of their 2021 roster. Three of the new players came from Overwatch League backgrounds, while the other three will be making their Overwatch League debut in 2021. Although Paris lost nearly all of the talent that led them to an amazing 2020 season, at least they will be fielding a team next year.
Paris released their entire roster and all of their coaches, after running into apparent financial troubles during the 2020 season. (Photo courtesy Blizzard)
They signed the following on Wednesday to their roster:
- DPS Nikolai “Naga” Dereli
- DPS Stefan “Onigod” Fiskerstrand
- Off Tank Elliot “ELLIVOTE” Vaneryd
- Main Tank Daniël “Daan” Vincentius Paulus Scheltema
- Main Support Alberto “neptuNo” González
- Flex Support Emir “Kaan” Okumus
Onigod is a Norweigan Hitscan DPS player with a storied history of Overwatch competition. He has played for a number of Tier 2 organizations since 2015, including Toronto Esports, Third Impact, Team Doge, and Team Envy. He earned a spot in the Overwatch League part way through the 2020 season, joining Dallas Fuel in June. He saw a significant amount of playtime while with the team, after Fuel had a falling out with their starting DPS player Gui-un “Decay” Jang. Although Onigod isn’t considered a top DPS prospect, he can definitely hold his own.
ELLIVOTE is a Swedish Off Tank player who played for Washington Justice during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He was released from Washington Justice in June of 2020 during Washington’s transition over to an all Korean roster. During the second half of 2020, he competed with Contenders teams like Team Doge and New Kings, before earning his way back into the Overwatch League with Paris. ELLIVOTE is a veteran tank player and a great addition to this fresh roster.
neptuNo also an Overwatch League veteran who is joining Eternal’s 2021 roster. He is a Spanish Main Support player who competed for Philadelphia Fusion during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, then played with Guangzhou Charge throughout the 2020 season. Unfortunately, he ran into some travel issues due to COVID-19 which left him inactive during various parts of the 2020 season. In addition to his Overwatch League experience, neptuNo also competed in the 2016, 2017, and 2019 Overwatch World Cups on behalf of the Spanish team. As a veteran support player, he brings a lot of important experience and skill to his new team.
Kaan is a German Flex Support player who will be an OWL rookie in 2021. He made his name playing for Contenders teams like Young and Beautiful and most recently Obey Alliance. Kaan has only been competing in Overwatch since 2019, so he is a young, up-and-comer who will have the opportunity to prove himself in the upcoming OWL season.
Daan is a Dutch Main Tank player who competed with Young and Beautiful, ATL Academy, and Skyfoxes in the past. He was most recently playing for the Contenders team Revival before joining Paris Eternal for the 2021 season. Like Kaan, he has only been competing in Tier 2 Overwatch since early 2019, so he has a lot to prove coming into 2021.
Naga is a Danish DPS player who specializes in off-meta heroes like Junkrat, Pharah, Echo, and Genji. Despite this being his first Overwatch League contract, he has been an active Overwatch pro since 2016. He has competed for a number of notable Tier 2 teams over the past several years, including GOATS, Montreal Rebellion, Team Doge, and most recently Obey Alliance. After grinding Tier 2 Overwatch for four years, Naga earned his Overwatch League contract with Paris Eternal on Wednesday.
Paris also announced that they had re-signed Kyoung Ey “AVALLA” Kim to be the General Manager of Paris Eternal for 2021. However, the team has yet to sign any coaches or staff, and they will still need to sign at least one more player before they are eligible to compete in the Overwatch League.
Heading into the 2021 season, Paris Eternal is a much weaker team than they were last year, but at least they will be able to field a team. Although these young EU players may not be well known OWL stars, they have all demonstrated high levels of skill and competency in their respective roles. So who knows, this team could very well excel next season.
