BURBANK, Calif. -- The rafters of the Blizzard Arena have been shaken by cheers for the Shanghai Dragons before.
Last year, audiences fiercely screamed as if they could buoy Shanghai to victory themselves. On this Friday night, the air was thick with emotion, but not the cloying desperation of 2018. It was more subdued.
Murmurs from the crowd followed every flank from Yang "DDing" Jin-kyeok's Sombra, erupting into cheers at every hack and every EMP. They followed the Dragons' main tank Noh "Gamsu" Young-jin through every shield and every Earthshatter. There was no desperation, only anticipation -- a rising roar that reached a fever pitch when Shanghai capped Point A on Horizon Lunar Colony for the last time on the day.
The end result on Friday was a 5-4 map victory and a Shanghai's third map won -- the first-ever match win in the Overwatch League.
One win and 42 losses. That's the Shanghai Dragons' record now. They still hold the record for the longest loss streak in sports history, but with the help of the majority of last year's Kongdoo Panthera lineup -- and a former Boston Uprising main tank in Gamsu -- the Dragons have that elusive first win.
"First of all, every time when I went to practice, everyone is kind of sad because of pressure from the losing streak. I really wanted to break the mood, so today I was so happy to break that mood. I want to bring this energy to the next match." Noh "Gamsu" Young-jin, Shanghai Dragons main tank
Despite the fact that Shanghai only retained two players from its losing 2018 lineup, hitscan specialist Lu "Diya" Weida and flex tank Kim "Geguri" Se-yeon, Gamsu said that when he arrived on Shanghai, the pressure was still with the team by extension and name alone.
"The staff is the same staff, but we have a new coach and new players, and they can still feel the pressure from the losing streak," Gamsu said. "Also, we lost the first two games, so they were getting more pressure and more nervous.
"First of all, every time when I went to practice, everyone is kind of sad because of pressure from the losing streak. I really wanted to break the mood, so today I was so happy to break that mood. I want to bring this energy to the next match."
He laughed and mentioned that he had brought his new puppy, Uni, to the team house to lighten the mood and help his team. Gamsu knows better than anyone how important it is to step away when the pressure of a victory becomes too much to handle.
"In Season 1, I struggled because I burned out towards the end," he said. "During the offseason, what I focused on was rather than burning myself out again with intense practice, I focused on getting a lot of rest so I could get prepared for Season 2."
Through activities away from gaming entirely, like hiking, Gamsu has developed a calm demeanor that helps others around him remain collected. He is the type of person who adjusts and tries to see the best in all situations.
But when he was suddenly traded from his original Overwatch League team, Boston, to the winless Shanghai, he was shocked. He admitted publicly that he initially struggled with the decision. Boston had been home for the former League of Legends pro who almost gave up competitive gaming before starting a career in Overwatch.
"It was unexpected and very sudden and not entirely due to my own decision," Gamsu said after Shanghai's first match of the Overwatch League, a loss to the Hangzhou Spark that he did not play in. "So, I did struggle a bit for a day or two. I was trying to cope with it, but now I'm trying hard to adapt to the team."
With only a day of practice before Shanghai's Week 1 matchup against the Vancouver Titans, Gamsu admitted that he found the transition difficult, resulting in a lack of coordination between him and his new teammates.
"I don't think I was a leader at first," he said. "Slowly, I tried to be a leader and a better player. When I became a better player, I think I could start leading the team."
We made a first win today @ShanghaiDragons. We were getting too much pressure from the losing streak. But, we will overcome and be a great team now.
— Gamsu (@GamsuOW) February 23, 2019
Gamsu was certainly a leader on Friday. He tallied 108 eliminations in the victory against his former team, along with 39 final blows along with 8,300 damage per 10 minutes. It was a far cry from his performance against the Titans, when the main tank posted only 58 eliminations, 21 final blows and 5,900 damage per 10 minutes.
Despite the stellar performance and victory, Gamsu didn't jump up from his seat when Shanghai's first win was assured. He didn't bounce down the hallway with an energetic spring in his step like flex DPS player Jin "YOUNGJIN" Young-jin or smile shyly like support player Son "CoMa" Kyeong-woo.
A grin spread across Gamsu's face and it never left it as he high-fived his closest teammates, DDing and Bae "Diem" Min-seong. This had been a staple of his former team, a series of high-fives that followed down the line of players, cheering each other forward.
Even if he didn't set out to be a leader, Gamsu led by example, and Shanghai earned its first Overwatch League win.
"Today was really important message to them and me, against Boston," Gamsu said. "The first day, we had only pressure. Now, we can bring positive energy to our games instead of pressure."