Kaycee Staton
Staff Writer
Florida Southern College’s e-sports program is entering a new era with the addition of a Marvel Rivals team. The game features various objectives, including pushing a convoy, capturing points, and holding an area for the longest time to win.
The team will compete in the Peach Belt Conference, with games scheduled to take place every Sunday at 2 pm this semester.
Volunteer coach Saud Perez, an FSC alumnus with a diverse background in both professional gaming and traditional sports coaching, leads the team. Perez’s experience includes ranking among the top 215 players in the U.S. for Overwatch and professional and collegiate soccer, having played for the Tampa Bay Strikers and in Brazil.
Perez was drawn to Marvel Rivals due to its similarities to Overwatch, but with a more relatable roster of characters.
“I saw Marvel Rivals come out, decided to give it a chance, especially because a lot of the characters that we grew up watching in movies and stuff are part of it,” Perez said.
The new team’s roster comprises six players, including seasoned veterans from FSC’s Overwatch team and fresh talent. Gabriel DeSavito, a junior transfer from Polk State, plays on both the League of Legends and Marvel Rivals teams. Having played the game since its alpha, DeSavito is a tank main who specializes in characters like Groot.
Fellow players Jacob Powell and Shane Geverdy are also making the crossover from the Overwatch team. Powell is optimistic about the new season, noting the high skill level of the players.
“We’ve got a pretty good team, and we have a lot of high-ranking players,” Powellhe said, adding that he hopes the team can “all mesh well together and put up a good performance” in the Peach Belt tournament.
Geverdy expects the season to be a trial-and-error learning experience, especially since the game is new to the college esports scene and has frequent updates. This will test the team’s ability to adapt to “a lot of meta changes.”
Fans can follow the team on their twitch channel every Sunday at FloridaSouthernCollege on twitch.tv.
