The Hangzhou Spark have always been a team just one step away from greatness. Last year the Spark lost their first match in the season playoffs before defeating the Seoul Dynasty and Atlanta Reign (who themselves had just beaten the San Francisco Shock) in the loser꧟'s bracket, only to lose to the future finals-winning Shock team in their next match. Their breakout player has been main tank Guxue, who first made waves during the 2018 Overwatch World Cup.
Team China overperformed relative to most viewers' expectations that year and made it all the way to the tournament's final round. Alongside Guxue was DPS player Krystal, who likewise shined as one of that team's star players. Though they were both signed to the Hangzhou Spark prior to the start of the Overwatch League's 2019 season, Guxue remains a bright spot for the team, while Krystal has just offꦓicially been from its roster.
Problems wi💟th Krystal seemed to be in the cards from the start. Many Overwatch League fans expected Krystal to secure a startin൲g spot on the team's roster due to his high level of play during the World Cup. He didn't play during the Spark's debut, however, and continued to show up only in sporadic appearances, never remaining on stage for the entirety of a match.
Later on in the season, Krystal was suspended from play entirely. Though the official story was never shared by the Spark, fans this was due to an unexplained absence from the team. Reports claim that Krystal had requested a leave of absence to visit his family in China, but ultimately stayed longer than the amount of time he requested off while fꦺailing to communicate a return date.
Delving ev💟en further into the realm of rumors, the story commonly circulated among fans is that the extended absence from the team to spend time with his girlfriend, at least later on, rather than solely spend time with his family.
Reasons and whether or not they're justifiable aside, Krystal ultimately wasn't in communication with the team during a period of time he was expected to play. Reactions to Krystal'sꦅ removal were predominately of that he was still on 𒆙the roster whatsoever prior to his recent removal. With the addition of ex-Shock DPS star Architect and off-tank QOQ, the Spark looks to be trying at a genuine playoff run in the highly competitive Asia region of Overwatch League competition moving forward.
Source: