It’s no secret by now that European Overwatch Contenders playoff team 123 won’t have their full six-man squad attending the playoff weekend at the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles, California. Denis “Tonic” Rulyov ran into some visa issues when making the trek to the states, denying him of entry.

In his stead, it will be David “Nomy” Ramirez stepping in to fill the big shoes. Nomy was recently announced as a starter for the San Francisco Overwatch League team, but his journey in the competitive Overwatch scene goes far beyond that. Once the main tank for Sodipop, later signed by Immortals, Nomy was a force to be reckoned with in Overwatch, helping Immortals secure a spot at the Overwatch Winter Premiere playoffs hosted in San Antonio, Texas, this past January.

Unfortunately, Nomy was denied entry to the states and couldn’t play in the event he helped qualify for. Immortals ended up winning the event without him and eventually parted ways as they rebuilt their roster this past summer.

Even after things falling through with Immortals, Nomy persevered in his esports aspirations. He briefly tagged along with Virtue, a team that has been playing in community tournaments for the better half of this year. Now on his way to LA to join with the rest of his team, we spoke briefly on how this unexpected good news has affected his life:

How do you feel about stepping in for Tonic on such a short notice?

"I am really happy for this opportunity that has been given to me, it was on a short notice but I made sure everything is good on my end to make sure I can perform as Tonic and 123 want me to."

Overall, Feelsgoodman."

What does it mean to you being selected to step in for 123? Furthermore, you're already on the OWL SF team, what does this opportunity mean for you?

“During my Overwatch career I qualified for two LAN events and I was not able to play due to visa limitations. Now that I have the opportunity I didn’t think twice about it. I really want as much experience as I can before the Overwatch League starts.”

Having limited time to prepare with team, how do you feel you match up against Team Gigantti? What are your expectations?

“Team Gigantti looks really strong right now. I want to make sure that, once I’m there for practice, I can be as efficient as possible to have a better chance against them.”


How does it feel to finally have the opportunity to perform at a LAN event–more specifically the first event ever at the Blizzard Arena?"

“It’s a dream come true my man, I have always wanted to play on a stage with people watching me, it’s a dream come true. There are no words that can explain how I feel right now. … I’m really happy for this opportunity that has been given to me, it was on a short notice but I made sure everything is good on my end to make sure I can perform as Tonic and 123 want me to.”

Nomy and the rest of the 123 squad will take on Team Gigantti in the first round of the playoffs as the second match of the day. Tune in for the Overwatch Contenders this weekend starting October 7th at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern at Twitch.tv/OverwatchContenders.