The Guangzhou Charge had a roller coaster season where they didn't truly find their footing until later in the second-half of the season. When they did, though, they looked like one of the best teams in the league. Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalize on their newfound confidence when they lost to the Seoul Dynasty in the end of season play-ins.
The Charge had a strong core group of players heading into the off season, a few new additions and drops could make a huge impact. Guangzhou has been steadily rolling out roster moves as of late and the most recent includes a slew of players no longer with the team, including beloved fan favorite - Joona "Fragi" Laine.
Hong-joon "HOTBA" Choi, Hyung-seok "Bischu" Kim and Chen "OnlyWish" Lizhen are the three other players to be released from the Guangzhou Charge. Rise also recently retired from the league.
Bischu came on at the same time as Fragi, a fan favorite that found little play time for the Los Angeles Gladiators in 2019. When the Charge announced the two of them to be joining the team, fans were excited at the opportunity to see some of the most likable players in the league have a chance to compete on stage. It didn't necessarily work out as hoped (both of them played on just one map for the remainder of the season). Still, people love Fragi and Bischu and many will be sad to see them go.
Hotba is the biggest surprise from the release announcements. He had been a cornerstone for the Charge throughout the entire 2019 season. The off-tank showed a diverse range of heroes, including DPS characters where he was able to catch teams off guard. It's unclear why the Charge decided to part ways with Hotba but they will need to be looking for a solid off-tank heading into 2020.
The Guangzhou Charge have a lot of potential for 2020. They have kept a great core group of players that helped them succeed towards the end of the 2019 season and if they are able to secure a couple of solid picks, they will be in a prime position to be one of the best teams in the league. Unfortunately, success can sometimes come at a cost, in this case losing fan favorites (not only for the Charge but the league overall) like Fragi and Bischu.