Tanizhq reveals Team Gigantti will exit Overwatch Contenders
Team Gigantti, a Finnish Overwatch Contenders team revealed earlier this Monday, they will no longer compete in the Overwatch Contenders Series due to the league's low viewership and financial instability.
Team Gigantti's coach Tanishq “Tanizhq” Sabharwal took on Twitter today, to reveal Team Gigantti will release the entirety of their roster as they will no longer participate in the Overwatch Contenders Series.
"This might come as a surprise to many people, but given the state of finances in Tier 2, the near 6-month gap between the seasons and the low viewership, its shouldn’t be too shocking," read Tanizhq's announcement.
Tanizhq went on to explain that the only way a European Contenders team makes any money with is by selling players to NA Academy teams or to teams competing in the Overwatch League. While that on its own was not a massive issue, Team Gigantti have found themselves in false rumours after they won 2018 Contenders Season 3, which prevented them from selling any player in a bid to make some return.
The rumours suggested both the Team Gigantti's players and coaches had massive buyouts after their spectacular run in Season 3, which prompted teams to not enquire nor offer trials to their players. Tanizhq stated the rumours went so far that even professional casters quoted them and that he was not aware of the lies that were spread around until the next season.
While those rumours did not play a major role in Team Gigantti's decision to exit the scene, Tanizhq stated they had a negative effect on the players, coaches and the organization as a whole.
After explaining why the team opted to leave the Contenders League, Tanizhq went on to praise the organization, the team and individual players, who have left a very positive impression on him.
By his words, Tuomo "Davin" Leppänen and David "Lilbow" Moschetto were two of the smartest players he has ever coached and that he is very happy with Lilbow's decision to become a coach.
((https://twitter.com/LilbowSC/status/1188879996313591808))
While talking about his experience as a coach and impressions of his now-former players, Tanizhq made sure to point out Aleksi "Zuppeh" Kuntsi and Joonas "zappis" Alakurtti for their hard work and positive attitude to the game, while stating Jeffrey "Vizility" de Vries and Lucas "Leaf" Loison both have the quality to compete OWL due to their sheer skill ceiling. While the future of Leaf is still uncertain, Vizility has already made his debut appearance at Montreal Rebellion in Overwatch Contenders Season 2 and could move into OWL soon.
Last but not least, Tanizhq praised the 18-year-old tank Otto "Milkyman" Saren for his incredible "clutching" ability, which won Team Gigantti numerous matches and series. The future of this talented youngster is still shrouded in mist, however, he stated on his Twitter account earlier on Monday, he has been looking for a new team for a while and that he will make an announcement where he will continue his career in the near future.
((https://twitter.com/Milkyman_ow/status/1209099233409880065))
The Finnish squad has a rich and successful history competing in Contenders where they consistently fought for the top spots in the league. Besides winning 2017 and 2018 European Contenders series, Team Gigantti also ranked second in 2019 Season 2 and 2018 Season 1. Some of the most notable achievements of Team Gigantii are:
2017
ASUS ROG Tournament 2017 – Summer (first place)
Overwatch Contenders 2017 Season 1: Europe (first place)
ASUS ROG Tournament 2017 – GameXpo (first place)
2018
Assembly Winter 2018 (first place)
Overwatch Contenders 2018 Season 1: Europe (second place)
Assembly Summer 2018 (first place)
Overwatch Contenders 2018 Season 2: Europe (third-fourth place)
2019
Overwatch Contenders 2018 Season 3: Europe (first place)
Overwatch OMEN by HP Assembly Winter 2019 (second place)
Overwatch Contenders 2019 Season 1: Europe (third-fourth place)
FEL Overwatch Cup (first place)
Overwatch Contenders 2019 Season 2: Europe (second place)
Adding to their incredible achievement as a team, Team Gigantti also helped a handful of players reach the Overwatch League. In 2017 alone, Gigantti sent four members to OWL, including Jiri “LinkzR” Masalin, who opted to leave for Houston Outlaws, Jonas “Shaz” Suovaara and Benjamin “BigGoose” Isohanni who left for Los Angeles Gladiators and Joona "Fragi" Laine who left for Philadelphia Fusion.
In 2018, Gigantti sent Joonas "zappis" Alakurtti to Florida Mayhem, Petja “Masaa” Kantanen to Atlanta Reign, Richard "rCk" Kanerva to Dallas Fuel, Riku "Ripa" Toivanenand to Los Angeles Gladiators and Roni “LhCloudy” Tiihonen to Mayhem Academy. He later joined up with Paris Eternal and Los Angeles Gladiators, where he now competes alongside Shaz and BigGoose.
Team Gigantti has been sponsored by the Finnish electronics company Gigantti, who have announced they will remain involved in esports and “will continue supporting and developing Finnish esports in new ways.”
This might be the end of the road for Team Gigantti, however, they will not be forgotten easily, especially seeing how the team played a pivotal role in the expansion of Overwatch in Finland and globally by producing some of the biggest talents who are now competing at the top level of Overwatch competitive scene.
