NYXL Ivy Retires from Overwatch League

Lee “Ivy” Seung-hyun, DPS player for the New York Excelsior (NYXL), revealed today that he will not only leave his esports team but that he will also retire from Overwatch League (OWL).

Today, we say goodbye to @owivy2 as he retires from the @overwatchleague. He has been a great teammate and we're grateful for his contributions in this new era for NYXL. We wish him all the best on his next adventure. #EverUpward pic.twitter.com/x2zvXVtowG

— NYXL (@NYXL) July 16, 2021

NYXL Ivy Retires from Overwatch

This move comes as one of many roster changes in the league this year. Park “Ria” Seong-Wook retired from the Washington Justice recently and Ivy’s departure now may worry fans. As one of the league’s best Mei players, his loss creates a unique opening. His dedicated retirement post from the NYXL social media did not state his next move. But given that he brought up health concerns elsewhere on Twitter, he may switch to casual streaming.

In an announcement, separate from that of the NYXL team, Ivy said he is retiring from Overwatch esports due to health and personal problems. He didn’t specify the issues at hand but mentioned his enjoyment of the time spent with previous teams. Ivy competed professionally under the Toronto Defiant and Philadelphia Fusion before joining New York Excelsior in December 2020.

@overwatchleague Thank you for giving me the best opportunity in my life. I'm retiring because of health and personal problems. It was sad but really was fun. Thank you for your support and be happy everyone.?
Thank you Defiant, Fusion and Nyxl! https://t.co/gNRnBxxiaK

— IVY (@owivy2) July 16, 2021

Overwatch League 2021

Unfortunately for NYXL, the team performed poorly so far in the 2021 OWL season. In fact, the New York Excelsior is currently ranked sixth on the Overwatch League’s 2021 standings for the East. Out of all 20 teams, they’re sitting in the bottom half and may not see much success in the championships later.

Although things did pick up in the current OWL Summer Showdown tournament and previous June Joust, NYXL has struggled in 2021 and with Ivy retiring from Overwatch esports, fans hope a replacement can come in soon. For now, the community must wait to see what New York does in preparation for the upcoming Countdown Cup.

Written by Justin Amin

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