Carpe

Last updated • 7 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Carpe
Carpe in 2019.jpg
Carpe in 2019
Current team
Team T1
Game Valorant
League Valorant Champions Tour
Personal information
NameLee Jae-hyeok
Born1997or1998(age 25–26) [1]
Nationality South Korean
Career information
Games
Playing career2016–present
Team history
Overwatch:
2016–2017BK Stars
2017 Selfless Gaming
2017 FaZe Clan
2018–2022 Philadelphia Fusion
Valorant:
2022–present T1
Career highlights and awards

Lee Jae-hyeok (Korean : 이재혁), better known as Carpe, is a South Korean professional Valorant player for T1. He was professional Overwatch player formerly.

Contents

He began his esports career playing Overwatch for teams such as BK Stars, Selfless Gaming, and FaZe Clan. Carpe then signed with the Philadelphia Fusion of the Overwatch League in the league's inaugural season, where he played for five years. Following the OWL's 2022 season, Carpe left competitive Overwatch and began his Valorant career.

As an Overwatch competitor, Carpe is best known for his ability to play mechanically demanding damage heroes, such as the sniper Widowmaker. Since the inception of the OWL, Carpe has been selected to play in every All-Star Game, was awarded with a Role Star commendation in 2019, and has twice been an Overwatch League Most Valuable Player finalist. In 2018, Carpe and the Fusion reached the 2018 Grand Finals, where they were defeated by the London Spitfire. Outside of the OWL, Carpe has taken home a gold and bronze medal at the Overwatch World Cup as a member of Team South Korea in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Early life

Carpe grew up in Daejeon, South Korea. His mother, a kindergarten teacher, and father, a follower of Won Buddhism, were out of the home often, and Carpe would often go to the school his mother taught at after he was done with class. In first grade, he played StarCraft after seeing the teaching assistants at his mother's school playing it. He became very competitive with every video game he played from thereafter, causing concern from his mother and father. His mother and father placed Carpe into speedskating in elementary school, in an effort to give him physical activity away from a computer screen. [2]

Carpe began playing Overwatch when the game was released in 2016. Getting ready to graduate from high school, he convinced his parents to support his gaming career after showing his mother that he was ranked number one in the Korean competitive leaderboards. [2]

Professional career

Overwatch

Early career

Carpe began his competitive Overwatch career in 2017 with team BK Stars in the second and third seasons of the OGN APEX Series, a premier Overwatch tournament series in South Korea. [3] After failing to make it past the group stages in either season, BK Stars disbanded. [4] He then moved to the United States to join Selfless Gaming on a trial basis, although Selfless Gaming later also disbanded shortly after. [5] In July 2017, Carpe joined FaZe Clan to compete in the first season of Overwatch Contenders North America. FaZe finished second place after losing the Grand Finals match to Team Envy. [3]

Philadelphia Fusion

Carpe signed with the Philadelphia Fusion ahead of the Overwatch League's inaugural season. [5] In the 2018 season, teams mainly ran a team composition of heroes with high mobility that required a high mechanical skill, a playstyle that suited Carpe, [3] as he generally played as Tracer, a high-mobility damage hero, or Widowmaker, a sniper. [6] In the Stage 2 playoff semifinals against the London Spitfire, Carpe had 24 eliminations, 14 final blows, and one death in the 3–2 victory. [7] In the Stage 2 Finals against the New York Excelsior, he outperformed his counterpart, New York damage player Park "Saebyeolbe" Jong-ryeol, in the first two maps as the Fusion took an early 2–0 lead; however, Carpe struggled in the second half, losing nearly every engagement he had against Saebyeolbe, and the Fusion lost 2–3. [8] For his performance on in the regular season, Carpe was named as a starter in the 2018 All-Star Game [9] Additionally, he finished in third place for the Overwatch League regular season MVP award, behind MVP winner Bang "Jjonak" Seong-hyun and runner-up Baek "Fissure" Chan-hyung. [10]

The Fusion finished the regular season with a 24–16 record and claimed the sixth seed in the 2018 Overwatch League playoffs. [6] After wins over the Boston Uprising and New York Excelsior, the Fusion advanced to the 2018 Grand Finals, where they faced the London Spitfire. [11] Prior to the Grand Finals, Carpe had the highest player rating among all damage players, was the second-best Widowmaker among all players with at least two hours of play, and had the second-highest elimination participation percentage at 28% throughout the entire season. Throughout the playoffs, he had the 13th-highest average damage per 10 minutes at 6,706 and his participation in 28% of his team's eliminations was the highest among all playoff players. [6] In the best-of-three-match series, Carpe was held down a majority of the time, as the Fusion lost both matches, 1–3 and 0–3. [12] [13]

Through the first three stages of the 2019 season, the most prominent team composition, known as the meta, in the OWL consisted of running three tank heroes and three support heroes in which keeping tanks alive and sustaining over long periods of time were the highest priority. [3] [14] As a damage player, Carpe made the transition to primarily playing the tank hero Zarya, [15] a change that he would have rather not have had to make. "If I could play [damage], it would be very happy for me," Carpe said in an interview with the Overwatch League, "but this is meta and we are pro players. We have to adapt to the meta." [4] Throughout the season, Carpe struggled with the new playstyle and hero. [5] In the final quarter of the season, the league implemented an enforced 2-2-2 role lock, where teams must use a team composition of two damage, two tank, and two support heroes, allowing Carpe to consistently play as a damage hero. [14] He was selected as a starter for the 2019 All-Star Game, marking his second consecutive year receiving the honor. [16]

After a 15–13 win–loss record in the regular season, the Fusion finished in 10th place and advanced to the play-in tournament for a chance to reach the 2019 playoffs. [17] The Fusion's lost their first match, against the Shanghai Dragons, ending their 2019 season. [18]

Prior to the 2020 season, the Fusion signed Carpe to a three-year contract extension through the 2022 season. [1] In Week 10 of the regular season, Carpe reached two career milestones: he became the first player in Overwatch League history to reach 600 career solo kills in a 3–2 victory over the Paris Eternal, [19] and the following day, he became the first player in Overwatch League history to reach 4,000 final blows in a 3–2 win over the Atlanta Reign. [20] At the end of the 2020 regular season, Carpe led the league in final blows to death ratio at 2.3, was third in final blows at 1,059, and sixth in damage dealt at 942,383. [21] He received several accolades in the 2020 season: he was named a 2020 All-Star, [22] was awarded a Damage Role Star commendation, [23] and was a 2020 regular season MVP finalist. [24]

Carpe and the Fusion finished the 2020 regular season with the top seed in the North America playoffs. [25] The Fusion advanced to the Grand Finals bracket of the playoffs before being swept by both the Shanghai Dragons and Seoul Dynasty. [26] [27]

In the second week of the 2021 season, Carpe reached a career milestone, claiming the 10,000th kill of his OWL career in a win over the Hangzhou Spark. [28]

Carpe's number 18 jersey was retired by the Fusion on February 27, 2023. [29]

Valorant

On November 11, 2022, the Fusion announced that Carpe had retired from professional Overwatch to join T1 's Valorant team. [30]

National team career

Carpe was selected to play in the 2018 Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) as a member of Team South Korea. [31] After going 5–0 in the group stage in Incheon, South Korea, the team advanced to the knockout stage in Anaheim, California. [32] Carpe primarily played as Widowmaker throughout the knockout stage, as Team South Korea swept Australia, United Kingdom, and China to win the World Cup title. [33] The following year, Carpe was again selected to play for Team South Korea in the 2019 Overwatch World Cup as only one of two players to have played for the team before. [34] The team lost the OWWC for the first time, after losing to Team USA 1–3 in the semifinals; they defeated Team France in the third place match to take home the bronze medal. [35]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanghai Dragons</span> Chinese professional esports team

The Shanghai Dragons are a professional Overwatch esports team based in Shanghai, China. The Dragons compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017, Shanghai Dragons are one of the league's twelve founding members and are one of four professional Overwatch teams based in China. The team is owned by Chinese internet technology company NetEase, who also own Team CC, an academy team for the Dragons that compete in Overwatch Contenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Gladiators</span> American professional esports team

The Los Angeles Gladiators are an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Los Angeles, California. The Gladiators compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, the Los Angeles Gladiators are one of twelve founding members of the OWL and are one of two professional Overwatch teams based in Los Angeles. The team is owned by Stan Kroenke and Josh Kroenke of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, who also owns Gladiators Legion, an academy team for Los Angeles that competed in Overwatch Contenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Excelsior</span> American professional esports team

The New York Excelsior is an American professional Overwatch esports team based in New York City, New York. The Excelsior compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, the team is one of twelve founding members of the Overwatch League and is the first professional esports team to represent the city of New York. The franchise is owned by NYXL, which was founded under the name Andbox by venture capital fund Sterling.VC, supported by Sterling Equities. They also own NYXL Academy, an academy team for NYXL that competed in Overwatch Contenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Shock</span> American professional esports team

The San Francisco Shock are an American professional Overwatch esports team based in San Francisco, California. The Shock competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, the San Francisco Shock was one of the twelve founding members of the OWL and was one of three professional Overwatch teams in California. The team is owned by Andy Miller, co-owner of the Sacramento Kings and NRG Esports. In their time with the OWL, the Shock won three midseason tournament titles, qualified for four season playoffs, reached the Grand Finals three times, and won back-to-back Grand Finals, making them one of the most accomplished franchise in Overwatch League history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seoul Dynasty</span> South Korean professional esports team

Seoul Dynasty is a South Korean professional Overwatch esports team based in Seoul, South Korea. The Dynasty compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017, Seoul Dynasty is one of the league's twelve founding members and one of two professional Overwatch teams based in South Korea. The team is owned by Kevin Chou of Generation Gaming, who also own and operate an academy team for the Dynasty that compete in Overwatch Contenders (OWC) under the moniker Gen.G Esports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Spitfire</span> British professional esports team

London Spitfire is a professional Overwatch team representing the city of London, United Kingdom. The Spitfire compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, London Spitfire is one of the league's twelve founding members and is the only professional Overwatch team representing a European city. The team is owned by Jack Etienne and the esports organization Cloud9, who also own British Hurricane, an academy team for the Spitfire that competed in Overwatch Contenders (OWC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seoul Infernal</span> American professional esports team

Seoul Infernal is a professional Overwatch esports team based in Seoul, South Korea. The Infernal compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017 as the Philadelphia Fusion, it is one of the league's twelve founding members and was the first professional esports team based in Pennsylvania. The team is owned by Comcast Spectacor, who also own the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). It also manages Fusion University and T1, academy teams for the Infernal that compete in Overwatch Contenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Mayhem</span> American professional esports team

Florida Mayhem was an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Miami and Orlando, Florida. The team competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West Division. Founded in 2017, Florida Mayhem was one of the league's twelve founding members and was owned and operated by Florida-based esports organization Misfits Gaming and CEO Ben Spoont. The organization also ran Mayhem Academy, an academy team for the Mayhem that competed in Overwatch Contenders. The Mayhem made their first season playoffs appearance in franchise history in the 2020 season. Florida won their first OWL championship in the 2023 season after defeating the Houston Outlaws, 4–0, in the 2023 Grand Finals. The Mayhem was disbanded in October of 2023 following the end of the Overwatch League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JJonak</span> South Korean professional esports player

Bang Sung-hyeon (Korean: 방성현), better known by his online alias JJonak, is a South Korean professional esports player, best known as a competitive Overwatch player. Bang signed with the New York Excelsior (NYXL) for the inaugural season of the Overwatch League. In his time with NYXL, Bang won two stage titles and was named the league's regular season most valuable player in 2018. Following the 2021 season, Bang left the NYXL and signed with the Seoul Dynasty. Prior to the beginning of the 2022 season, he left the Dynasty due to health issues. Bang's skill in Overwatch led to the developers to make a special and unique skin for him.

The 2018 Philadelphia Fusion season was the first season of the Philadelphia Fusion's existence in the Overwatch League. The team finished with a regular season record of 24–16, which was the fifth best in the Overwatch League. Philadelphia had the same record as the London Spitfire, but London held the tiebreaker by map differential. Philadelphia qualified for the Stage 2 playoffs, in which they lost in the finals against the New York Excelsior. The team also qualified for the Season Playoffs, in which they lost in the Grand Finals against the London Spitfire.

The 2019 Philadelphia Fusion season was the second season of the Philadelphia Fusion's existence in the Overwatch League and their first under co-head coaches Go Se-hwi and Elliot Hayes. They entered the season looking to bounce back after their 2018 Grand Finals loss to the London Spitfire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Overwatch League playoffs</span>

The 2018 Overwatch League playoffs began on July 11, after the 2018 Overwatch League regular season ended, and concluded on July 28 with the 2018 Grand Finals, the first championship match of the Overwatch League (OWL). Six teams competed in the OWL Playoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Overwatch League Grand Finals</span>

The 2018 Overwatch League Grand Finals was the first championship series of the Overwatch League (OWL), which took place July 27–28, 2018. The series was the conclusion of the 2018 Overwatch League playoffs and was played between the London Spitfire and the Philadelphia Fusion at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Profit (gamer)</span> South Korean professional Overwatch player

Park Joon-yeong, better known by his online alias Profit, is a South Korean former professional Overwatch player. Profit began professional play with GC Busan, won OGN APEX Season 4, and was named the APEX Finals most valuable player. Park signed with the London Spitfire of the Overwatch League (OWL) for its inaugural season in 2018. He won the league's first Grand Finals with the Spitfire, after they defeated the Philadelphia Fusion, and was named the Grand Finals most valuable player. Profit was then signed by the Seoul Dynasty for the 2020 season, where he played for three seasons. In February 2024, Profit announced his retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ChoiHyoBin</span> South Korean professional Overwatch player

Choi Hyo-bin (Korean: 최효빈), better known as ChoiHyoBin, is a South Korean former professional Overwatch player. He began his career playing with team X6-Gaming, where he won the first Overwatch Contenders Korea championship. Choi signed with the San Francisco Shock for the inaugural season of the Overwatch League (OWL). He won two OWL championships with the Shock, in 2019 and 2020, and was named the 2019 Grand Finals most valuable player.

super (gamer) American professional Overwatch player

Matthew DeLisi, better known as super or supertf, is a former professional Overwatch player from the United States. He competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the San Francisco Shock. Prior to his time in OWL, DeLisi played for teams such as Bird Noises, Hammer Esports, and Luminosity Gaming Evil (LGE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birdring</span> South Korean esports player

Kim Ji-hyeok (Korean: 김지혁), better known by his online alias Birdring, is a South Korean professional Overwatch player who played for several teams in the Overwatch League (OWL). He is best known for playing hitscan damage heroes, such as the sniper Widowmaker and highly-mobile Tracer. Prior to the OWL's inception, he played for KongDoo Uncia, KongDoo Panthera, and Cloud9 KongDoo. Birdring signed with the London Spitfire of the OWL in the league's inaugural season wherein he was selected to play in the All-Star Game and won the league's first Grand Finals, after the Spitfire defeated the Philadelphia Fusion. After two seasons with the Spitfire, Birdring signed with the Los Angeles Gladiators. After two seasons with the Gladiators, Birdring retired from professional Overwatch. He came out of retirement a year later and joined the Boston Uprising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space (gamer)</span> American professional Overwatch player

Indy Halpern, better known by his online alias SPACE, is an American professional Overwatch player in the Overwatch League (OWL). He began his career in 2017, playing with teams such as Arc 6 and Cloud9 in late 2017. Halpern signed with the Los Angeles Valiant of the OWL ahead of the league's inaugural season. After two seasons with the Valiant, he signed with the Los Angeles Gladiators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saebyeolbe</span> South Korean professional Overwatch player (born 1995/1996)

Park Jong-ryeol (Korean: 박종렬), better known by his online alias Saebyeolbe, is a South Korean former professional Overwatch player. In his prime, he was considered one of the world's best Tracer players. During his career, he played in the Overwatch League (OWL) for the New York Excelsior and Seoul Dynasty and in Overwatch Apex for AIM Arrow and LuxuryWatch (LW) Blue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fissure (gamer)</span> South Korean professional Overwatch player

Baek Chan-hyung (Korean: 백찬형), better known by Fissure, is a South Korean former professional Overwatch player. During his career, he played in the Overwatch League (OWL) for the London Spitfire, Los Angeles Gladiators, Seoul Dynasty, and Vancouver Titans and in Overwatch Apex for KongDoo Panthera and Cloud9 KongDoo.

References

  1. 1 2 "Overwatch League moves: Valiant shake up team, Fusion extend Carpe". ESPN. Reuters. October 23, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Jae-hyeok (Carpe) Lee (October 6, 2020). "Philly, We Are on a Mission". The Player's Lobby. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Alford, Aaron (June 30, 2020). "Player Spotlight: Carpe - King of the Clutch". Hotspawn. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Torres, Xander (June 21, 2019). "The Magic of Carpe". Overwatch League. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Howard, Brandon (June 1, 2020). "Carpe - An Overwatch League Player Profile". TheGamer. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Woolums, Kenneth (July 24, 2018). "London, Philly on even footing ahead of Overwatch League final". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  7. Lingle, Samuel (March 25, 2018). "Philadelphia Fusion shock London Spitfire to reach the OWL stage 2 finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  8. Craffey, Liam (March 25, 2018). "New York Excelsior reverse-sweeps Philadelphia Fusion to win Stage 2". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  9. Golsin, Austen (June 22, 2018). "Overwatch League All Star game starting rosters announced". Heroes Never Die. Polygon. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  10. D'Orazio, Nick (July 11, 2018). "Jjonak wins Overwatch League MVP. Fissure placed 2nd place, Carpe placed 3rd". Inven Global. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  11. "Fusion advance to Overwatch League finals, will face London". NBC Sports Philadelphia. July 23, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  12. Lingle, Samuel (July 27, 2018). "London Spitfire strike first in OWL finals, beat Philadelphia Fusion". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  13. Waltzer, Noah (July 28, 2018). "London Spitfire wins inaugural Overwatch League title". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  14. 1 2 Rand, Emily (August 27, 2019). "Expansion teams, last year's finalists vie for final Overwatch League playoff spots". ESPN. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  15. Jang, Minyoung; Paek, Ji-Eun (February 21, 2019). "Latest Meta Sparks Role Changes & Huge Shift in Power in Overwatch League Season 2". Inven Global. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  16. Geracie, Nick (May 2, 2019). "Overwatch League 2019 All-Star Game Starters Announced". Inven Global. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  17. Mejia, Ozzie (August 26, 2019). "Overwatch League - All Season 2 playoff teams". Shack News. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  18. Esguerra, Tyler (October 23, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion re-sign Carpe to 3-year contract extension". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  19. Field Level Media. "Fusion reverse-sweep Eternal to reach 7-1 at OWL". Reuters. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  20. Field Level Media. "Fusion win again, 'Carpe' hits milestone at OWL". Reuters. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  21. ESPN Esports Staff (September 3, 2020). "Overwatch League playoff roundtable -- picks and predictions". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  22. Richardson, Liz (September 25, 2020). "Everything you need to know about the 2020 Overwatch League Asia All-Stars event". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  23. Richardson, Liz (September 26, 2020). "Overwatch League announces 2020 Role Stars". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  24. Richardson, Liz (August 7, 2020). "Overwatch League announces 2020 MVP candidates". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  25. Bumbaca, Chris (September 3, 2020). "Overwatch League playoffs preview: MVP candidates lead contenders, with $4 million in prize money at stake". USA Today. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  26. Parrish, Ash (October 8, 2020). "I Am Two Shanghai Dragons Wins Away From My First Tattoo". Kotaku. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  27. Richardson, Liz (October 9, 2020). "San Francisco Shock and Seoul Dynasty will face off in 2020 Overwatch League Grand Finals championship". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  28. Field Level Media (April 24, 2021). "Chengdu Hunters dominate in extending unbeaten start". Reuters. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  29. @Infernal (February 28, 2023). "Today we honor three legends by retiring jerseys # 17, # 18, # 21" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  30. Robertson, Scott (November 12, 2022). "T1 VALORANT seizes veteran Overwatch League star to join stacked 2023 VCT roster". Dot Esports . Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  31. Barth, Nicholas (July 3, 2018). "South Korea Announces Overwatch World Cup 2018 Team Roster". Twin Galaxies. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  32. Mary-Justice, Amelia (November 3, 2018). "South Korea are your 3-time, back-to-back Overwatch World Cup champions". Inven Global. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  33. Garst, Aron (November 5, 2018). "South Korea's JJoNak: 'Without cheating, no one can beat us'". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  34. Richardson, Liz (October 30, 2019). "Overwatch World Cup profile: Team South Korea". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  35. Garst, Aron (November 3, 2019). "South Korea fail to win Overwatch World Cup for first time". ESPN. Retrieved May 16, 2021.