East Region clubs appear to be prepared to enter the fight after all the Western Overwatch League teams made significant roster changes today.

Tonight, the Philadelphia Fusion announced the dismissal of five players, including some of the most seasoned veterans in the league.

As of Nov. 11, the Fusion has lost its tanks Hwang “Belosrea” Gyu-tae and Kim “Fury,” supports Kwon “AimGod” Minseok and Kwon “FiXa,” and DPS Lee “Carpe” Jaehyeok.

Carpe was the only player to play for the same Overwatch League squad throughout the whole league’s five years until he announced his retirement from professional Overwatch tonight. He played a significant role in the Philadelphia Fusion’s early success in the league and contributed to the team’s second-place finish in the first Grand Finals.

With his departure from the Overwatch League today, Carpe is embarking on a new journey. He’ll be joining other former Overwatch League stars like Ha “Sayaplayer” Jung-woo on T1’s VALORANT squad.

On the other side, the remaining Fusion send-offs will probably have greater chances in the Overwatch League environment.

AimGod has faced off against Carpe, Fury, and other seasoned players as a former member of the Boston Uprising during the game’s first season. He joined the Washington Justice after leaving Boston, but first he spent some time honing his skills in Overwatch Contenders.

Coming back to the Philadelphia Fusion this year was a sign of his perseverance; he provided the club with a reliable backline option throughout the whole season. FiXa, a new recruit from Uprising Academy who immediately won him over with his abilities to help the rest of his squad, followed him the entire way.

Belosrea, a rookie talent, worked alongside veteran legend Fury as a tank. Belosrea succeeded in being the hero for many of Fusion’s matches, allowing star rookie DPS players Kim “ZEST” Hyun-woo and Yoon “MN3” Jae-hee space to work their magic, despite the difficulty of following anything Fury does. Fury, who had previously played for both the London Spitfire team that won the championship and an earlier iteration of the Fusion, did what he does best:destroy dreams in the backline.

The Philadelphia Fusion finished the regular season with a solid 11-13 record, but the Los Angeles Gladiators eliminated the club from the 2022 playoffs.

After all the drops were released, the Fusion team declared that rookies MN3 and Zest will be back for the 2023 season, giving fans something to look forward to next year.