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Veteran Overwatch League player João Pedro “Hydration” Goes Telles has left Houston Outlaws on Monday, June 28. The Texan esports organization unveiled the news on their social media, thanking the 23-year-old for his service.
Hydration Ends His Two-Year Stint with Houston Outlaws
Hydration has announced his departure from Houston Outlaws on Monday, ending his two-year stint with the team. The 23-year-old joined the Texan Overwatch squad in October 2019 and has since established himself as a key member of the team.
The Outlaws picked Hydration at the end of 2019 to introduce a bit more flexibility to the roster that was going through an overhaul. Hydration joined the team as a flex DPS player but soon transitioned to a tank position.
During his stay at the Outlaws, Hydrytion continued to build his name as one of the best and most versatile players in the scene. Despite his contributions, however, Outlaws struggled to make much noise in the Overwatch League.
Houston Outlaws ended the 2020 season in 16th place, with a poor 6-15 record. Things didn’t improve in the OWL North America Playoffs, where Outlaws lost their opening match against Boston Uprising and ended the year in 12th-13th place.
While his team struggled to achieve much, Hydration did not fail to make his presence known. He averaged some of the highest marks on the team with his signature picks in Doomfist, Mei, Pharah, Genji, and Junkrat.
While the 23-year-old was mostly recognized for his five signature heroes, he didn’t shy away from displaying his deep champion pool. That quickly earned him the name of one of the most flexible and versatile players in the world.
Houston Outlaws Yet To Find The Needed Stability
Houston Outlaws will now continue without Hydration; however, that shouldn’t harm the team too much. While they have lost a flexible player that could fit in any OWL esports meta, Outlaws still have plenty of talent on the roster to fill in the gaps.
As a team that struggled to find its footing in the OWL, Houston Outlaws hold a 7-1 record on the season with a 22-10 map differential. They finished top-two in 2021 OWL May Melee regular season and fourth in the OWL 2021 June Joust.
Despite their success in the qualifiers, the Outlaws have yet to win a single title. They entered OWL May Melee tournament as the top-seeded team but suffered an early elimination in the regional knockout stage.
There they lost to Dallas Fuel (0-3) and finished the season-opening tournament in fifth-eighth. Outlaws failed to improve upon that showing in the OWL June Joust tournament, where they were once again outclassed by Dallas Fuel (0-3) in the regional quarter-finals.
Third Time’s A Charm
After two early tournament eliminations, Houston Outlaws will give it another go at the OWL Summer Showdown. As the season’s penultimate tournament, the Outlaws need to finish at least inside the top-three to earn their first OWL points of the season.
However, the Texan squad still have a long road ahead of them. The OWL Summer Showdown qualifiers began on Friday, June 25 and the Outlaws have yet to play a single match.
Their OWL Summer Showdown opener is slated for Saturday, July 3, when the Outlaws will face off against the reigning OWL champions, San Francisco Shock. It will mark their second meeting of the season and their first since the May Melee qualifiers.
Odds for San Francisco Shock vs. Houston Outlaws Match
Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:
- San Francisco Shock -145
- Houston Outlaws +108
- San Francisco Shock -1.5 Maps +162
- Houston Outlaws +1.5 Maps -227
- Over 4.5 Maps +147
- Under 4.5 Maps -204
Houston Outlaws won that match 2-3; however, they are expected to struggle this time out. The esports bookmakers have Houston Outlaws priced as +108 underdogs, which seems fair considering they lost a key member on Monday.
However, with the form Outlaws have been showing this split, it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that they might upset the 2020 OWL champions once again.