[NA] Zhar retires

After six incredible years, Mexican player Olmer “Zhar” Garcia has retired from competition. 

The First of LATAM North

During the founding years of the Brawl Stars Championship, NA was a region heavy with players only from North America, despite the region officially including LATAM North. His first full year of competition was in 2020 on team IX Circles, where he qualified to two Monthly Finals, but he ultimately fell short of impressive results as a rookie. The 2021 season was a different story for this upcoming player, though. Joined by veteran NA talent, Aphelion eSports (AE) debuted hot in North America, but they quickly lost steam. 

With STMN and AE both losing hope during the season, drastic changes were made. Players Alec26 and Tuni departed from STMN, resulting in Zhar joining players bobby and OG. This was the start of one of North America’s most iconic legacies. STMN found their form throughout the second half of 2021, going blow for blow with Tribe Gaming, taking home two Monthly Finals to qualify for Worlds as the second seed from NA. They won their debut international match against the reigning World Champions, Team Flash, but were knocked out by Reply Totem in the semifinals. From a failing team that was dropped by their organization to the World Finals, Zhar proved to be the missing puzzle piece that STMN needed to reach new heights. 

STMN Zhar

In 2022, STMN and Tribe continued as the favorites in the region, creating the first BSC rivalry: “El Classico.” While they did enough to qualify for the first Mid-Season Invitational, Zhar was unable to attend the event due to passport issues. Former STMN player Tuni acted as a substitute player. Zhar had to watch from home, unable to help his team on the stage, and the second half of the year wasn’t much better. With rising teams from LATAM N like Vanguard Gaming and Vatra Gaming, Zhar’s status as the region’s star was called into question. 

Despite the odds, the team rallied together with the addition of sans to the player roster, another instant success for the STMN core with their win at the ESL SPS Season 1: NA Challenge LAN finals at PAX West in Seattle. Their rocky season ended well as they took home the October Monthly Final, qualifying to the World Finals as the second seed from NA, along with Tribe and Vatra. STMN steamrolled through AC Milan QLASH and created one of the BSC’s most iconic moments with the legendary reverse sweep of Team Queso to reach the quarterfinals, where they fell to MSI Champions and Worlds runner ups ZETA DIVISION ONE. 

The LAN Demons

In 2023, North America split into sub-regions with players lining up to play on both the east and west coast. STMN chose to play away from their rivals Tribe Gaming in the east, and instead they joined sans’ former teammates in Luminosity on the west coast. STMN were dubbed the LAN demons, as their performances online paled to their showing on stage, proven by another ESL SPS Season win in San Diego over Tribe Gaming. STMN and LG went blow for blow throughout the season, but they were ultimately outclassed by Patchy and his band of talented youngsters looking to prove themselves. SPS Masters came as a surprise to many, as they faltered against Tribe Gaming and Crazy Raccoon, earning themselves a respectable but unexpectedly low 4th place finish. 

STMN came back from Tokyo hungry and proved themselves by taking the June Monthly Final. However, they failed to defeat Luminosity in both July and August, missing out on the first seed and a direct qualification to Worlds. Although this was not the performance expected of STMN nor the result they wanted, they still qualified to LCQ in Cologne. Placed in the group of death, they battled past SA veterans QLASH, fellow NA representatives Chasmac Gaming NA, and EMEA surprise team VN Esporting to make day 2. They then dismantled former World Champion Achapi on REJECT to qualify for the 2023 World Finals. 

At the 2023 World Finals, STMN were once again placed in a group of death against Nouns and ZETA DIVISION, the first seeds from South America East and EMEA. Against all odds, they pulled out two incredible five-set wins to top their group 2-0, advancing to the playoffs as a first seed. Wins against Revenant XSpark and SK Gaming built momentum for Zhar and STMN to reach the grand finals from incredible Carl gameplay. The rematch against ZETA proved a task too hard for this dynamite team, though, as STMN placed second with a 1-3 loss in the Grand Finals. Although heartbreaking, it remains in history as North America’s best international performance to date and is a legend of the region. 

The Final Dance

The 2024 season was difficult for Zhar. Off the back of their grand finals finish, expectations were through the roof as many fans pointed out STMN’s trend of placing one tier higher each year. Luck proved to be their greatest enemy throughout the year, as difficult qualifier brackets resulted in STMN facing both Tribe Gaming and Luminosity in the opening rounds of the year. Their rematch loss to LG in the final round of qualifiers left STMN out of the first Monthly Final and behind on points for the rest of the year. They failed to find their footing against new teams like ELEVATE and Pioneers, reaching two Grand Finals but failing to win either. Their final month was a tragic twist of fate, losing a devastating reverse sweep in El Classico to Tribe Gaming as a result of wifi issues, ending their season in fifth place and without LCQ to further prove themselves. 

After the end of the season, bobby and sans parted ways with Zhar, who was then forced to find a fresh start. With Juan Carlos off a hot season on KCP and Ezlivi looking to redeem himself being left behind by Tribe Gaming, the unlikely trio joined together as ELEVATE’s 2025 roster. They showed signs of promise in the off-season, but role issues plagued the roster, resulting in an embarrassing reverse sweep loss to Havoc in February. Zhar received a fair play ban in March as a result of  family device usage, and without him, the team fell apart. April was the team’s breaking point, having another five-set loss; however, this time it was to Ezlivi’s former teammates on Pioneers. After a disappointing split, the team disbanded without an organization, and Zhar was left finding his next steps. 

One of the most unexpected opportunities arose: an import situation. With Marco rejecting their offer, Heretics were in search of a new third player, resulting in a crazy idea coming to mind. Zhar was imported to EMEA, the most competitive region in the world, and he was determined to prove himself. In June, his first month of joining, Team Heretics won the Monthly Final in dominating fashion and proved that the Mexican legend still had what it took to compete at a high level. Heretics ended the season in third place on the regional leaderboard, and despite a disappointing showing at the World Finals as a result of rumored infighting, Zhar showcased that he’s one of the greatest players to ever grace the stage. 

We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors, whether in content creation or beyond the Brawl.