Sources: Overwatch star Xzi set to make OWL return with LA Valiant

Arran Spake

Overwatch League giants Los Angeles Valiant are set to announce the signing of fan-favorite DPS player Ki-Hyo ‘Xzi’ Jung, multiple sources have told Dexerto.

LA Valiant and Xzi have come to terms on an agreement that will see the South Korean player return to the Overwatch League after he missed the 2021 season with the Dallas Fuel to receive medical attention.

In an emotional video posted by the Dallas Fuel in April 2021, Xzi explained that he had been suffering from a back condition for over 18 months. The problem was so severe that he became unable to “handle the routine”, forcing him to retire from professional Overwatch.

Xzi initially made a name for himself with Element Mystic before joining the Overwatch League in 2019, signing with Paris Eternal alongside teammates Yeong-han ‘SP9RK1E’ Kim and Han-been ‘Hanbin’ Choi, and head coach Hee-won ‘RUSH’ Yun. Together, the quartet won the 2020 Summer Showdown before agreeing to a deal that saw them transferred to the Dallas Fuel at the end of 2020.

But because of his medical condition, Xzi was unable to play in the Overwatch League for the Envy-owned team, who agreed to release him from his contract in October 2021 after he expressed his wish to compete in South Korea.

A new chance

Xzi has been working hard on his recovery in a bid to return to the Overwatch League. On December 8, he rejected the possibility of switching to another game, saying that he still wanted to prove his worth in Overwatch’s showpiece competition. “I need a chance,” he wrote on Twitter.

The signing of Xzi is likely to complete the Los Angeles Valiant’s roster for 2022 after a complete rebuild orchestrated by new head coach, Wang ‘NoHill’ Fuxing, due to the previous roster going 0-16 in Season 4.

NoHill has brought in some of the players that he coached in Team CC, a Chinese Contenders side. On December 27, LA Valiant unveiled support player Xiaodong ‘ColdesT’ Tong and Xzi shortly.

The new Overwatch League is scheduled to begin in April on an early build of Overwatch 2, but details are still not fully clear.

On January 31, Dexerto revealed that the Overwatch League teams were unaware of Activision Blizzard’s reported plans to hand over league operations to a third party. The teams have not yet been granted access to the new game’s beta version, forcing them to use a custom training program to prepare as best as possible for the league’s new 5v5 set-up.

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About The Author

Arran Spake is esports reporter who has covered multiple games, from Apex Legends to Rainbow Six Siege, in his four years in the industry. An Overwatch League expert, he has covered the EMEA and APAC Valorant scenes for Dexerto.