Short name | NYXL |
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Founded | July 12, 2017 |
League | Overwatch League |
Region | West |
Team history | New York Excelsior (2017–present) |
Based in | New York City, U.S. |
Colors | |
Owner | Jeff Wilpon |
Head coach | Kim "KuKi" Dae-kuk |
Affiliation(s) | NYXL Academy |
Main sponsor | Astro Gaming |
Website | Official website |
Uniforms | |
The New York Excelsior (often stylized as NYXL) 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.
Hyun-sang "Pavane" Yu was appointed the team's first head coach and led New York to two conference titles, all seven midseason tournament playoff appearances, midseason tournament titles, and a two-season playoff berths in his time from 2018 to 2019. NYXL missed the season playoffs for the first time in franchise history in the 2021 season.
On July 12, 2017, Overwatch developer Activision Blizzard officially announced that Jeff Wilpon, co-founder and partner of Sterling.VC, purchased the New York-based Overwatch League franchise for an estimated $20 million. [1] With the purchase, the franchise became the first professional esports team to represent New York City. [2] "We sort of skirted around it in the periphery, looked at a couple of teams, made a couple of investments in some companies that do work within esports but never had the real opportunity to buy a team like this," Wilpon said in an interview. "Knowing how committed Activision Blizzard is in this space, it made sense to come in. With people like the Krafts involved, it just gave a good feeling to this." [3]
On October 30, the franchise revealed they would be called the New York Excelsior, as well as unveiling their team branding and inaugural season roster. The roster would entail the acquisitions of the complete LuxuryWatch Blue team, LuxuryWatch Red's Hong "Ark" Yeon-jun and coaches Yu "Pavane" Hyun-sang and Kim "WizardHyeong" Hyeong-seok, and Meta Athena's Kim "Libero" Hae-seong. [4] [5]
The Excelsior first OWL regular season match was on January 11, 2018, and resulted in a 3–1 win over the Boston Uprising. [6] They ended Stage 1 of the 2018 season with a 9–1 record, earning them the top spot and first-round bye in the Stage 1 Playoffs. [7] However, the team lost in the finals to the London Spitfire, 3–2. [8] Stage 2 played out much like Stage 1 for New York, as the team went on to post again a 9–1 record and a first-round bye into the Stage 2 Playoffs. New York defeated the Philadelphia Fusion, 3–2, on March 25 to claim their first midseason tournament title. [9] [10] In Stage 3, New York once again posted a 9–1 record, giving them the second seed for the Stage 3 Playoffs. The team won in the Stage 3 finals against Boston Uprising by a score of 3–0, giving New York back-to-back midseason tournament titles. [11] New York posted their worst record, 7–3, in Stage 4, but still claimed the third seed for the Stage 4 Playoffs. They lost in the Stage 4 finals against the Los Angeles Valiant by a score of 1–3. [12] New York ended their 2018 season with a league-best 34–6 record and qualified for a first-round bye into the season playoffs. [13] The team's first playoff opponent was the Philadelphia Fusion in the semifinals on July 18 and 21. New York lost both matchups by scores of 0–3 and 2–3, eliminating them from the playoffs. [14] Support player Bang "JJonak" Seong-hyun was won the league's regular season Most Valuable Player award. [15]
New York began their 2019 season with a perfect 7–0 record in Stage 1, giving them the top seed in the Atlantic Division for the Stage 1 playoffs; [16] however, the team lost 1–3 to the Seoul Dynasty quarterfinals. [17] NYXL posted a 5–2 record for Stage 2 and claimed the fifth seed for the Stage 2 Playoffs, but they lost in the semifinals to the Vancouver Titans by a score of 1–4. [18] Another perfect 7–0 record in Stage 3 gave New York the top seed in the Stage 3 playoffs; however, team failed to claim the stage title, as they fell 1–3 to the Shanghai Dragons in the quarterfinals. [19] Following a 3–1 victory over the Paris Eternal on August 2, the Excelsior clinched the second seed – and the top seed in the Atlantic Division – in the 2019 playoffs. [20] The team finished the regular season with a 22–6 record. NYXL opened their playoffs with a 4–1 win over the London Spitfire on September 6. [21] For their next match, they took down the Atlanta Reign, 4–2, and advanced to the winners' finals, where they faced the Vancouver Titans. [22] A 3–4 loss to the Titans dropped New York to the lower bracket of the tournament. [23] The Excelsior's playoff run ended in the lower bracket finals, as they were defeated by the San Francisco Shock, 0–4. [24]
In the offseason preceding the 2020 season, head coach Yu "Pavane" Hyun-sang left for the Philadelphia Fusion, and NYXL promoted assistant coach Jeong "IMT" Yong-cheol to head coach. [25] The Excelsior opened the 2020 season on February 8, 2020, hosting the league's first homestand, a hybrid model of the home-and-away structure seen in traditional sports, of the season at the sold-out Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. [26] After a 5–1 start to the season, the Excelsior, and the entire league, ceased play due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shifted to an online play format. With large number of outbreaks in New York State, the team decided to relocate to South Korea, where they would be competing in the league's newly formed Asia region thereafter. [27] After a 10–3 record through the regular season, NYXL signed 2019 Rookie of the Year Kim "Haksal" Hyo-jong. [28] New York finished the regular season with a 16–8, including bonus wins, and qualified for the season playoffs; however, they were eliminated after a loss to the Seoul Dynasty. [29]
Heading into the 2021 season, the Excelsior released their entire roster, aside from JJonak, and signed a team consisting of mostly rookies from Korean Overwatch Contenders teams. [30] Additionally, New York promoted Lee "WhyNot" Ju-hyeop to head coach. [31] New York stayed in South Korea, competing in the league's Eastern region, formerly known as the Asia region. [32] The team had their worst season in franchise history, finishing in sixth place in the East region with a 7–9 regular season record and missing out on the season playoffs. [33]
For the 2022 season, the Excelsior returned to New York to compete in the league's Western division. [34] New York dropped almost all of their entire roster ahead of the 2022 season, including their starting support player for the previous four seasons JJonak. [35] [36] NYXL signed several veterans players, one rookie player, and signed former RunAway coach Kim "KuKi" Dae-kuk in the offseason. [34] [37]
The franchise's name is based on the New York state motto, Excelsior, which means 'ever upward' in Latin. The motto was selected for embodying the team's commitment to "reaching the top and never letting up". It and its abbreviation XL, also represent the endless ambition of ever-growing New York City at its most powerful. [38] [5]
Unique as the only flag-based logo in the Overwatch League, the logo symbolizes the coming together of people, cultures, and ideas. The lines and shapes featured on the flag are also representative of New York specific things, such as the subway systems, skylines, and grid of the city. [38]
New York Excelsior currently has two partnerships. [39] In November 2018, New York Excelsior partnered with Raynor Gaming as its official gaming chair partner. [40] In February 2019, New York Excelsior partnered with telecommunications brand T-Mobile as a new sponsor. [41]
New York Excelsior roster | ||||||
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Players | Coaches | |||||
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Legend:
| Latest roster transaction: October 16, 2023. |
Handle | Name | Seasons | Record | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pavane | Yu Hyun-sang | 2018–2019 | 56–12 (.824) | [42] [43] | |
imt | Jeong Yong-cheol | 2020 | 13–8 (.619) | [25] [31] | |
WhyNot | Lee Juh-yeop | 2021 | 7–9 (.438) | [31] [37] | |
KuKi | Kim Dae-kuk | 2022 | 1–11 (.083) | Released after 12 games in 2022. | [37] [44] |
Changgoon | Park Chang-geun | 2023 | 7–9 (.438) | Co-head coaches | [45] |
Amir | Amir Ahmed |
Season | P | W | L | W% | Finish | Playoffs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | 40 | 34 | 6 | .850 | 1st, Atlantic | Lost in Semifinals, 0–2 (Fusion) |
2019 | 28 | 22 | 6 | .786 | 1st, Atlantic | Lost in Lower Round 4, 0–4 (Shock) |
2020 | 21 | 13 | 8 | .619 | 4th, Asia | Lost in Asia Lower Final, 0–3 (Dynasty) |
2021 | 16 | 7 | 9 | .438 | 6th, East | Did not qualify |
2022 | 24 | 4 | 20 | .167 | 12th, West | Did not qualify |
2023 | 16 | 7 | 9 | .438 | 9th, West | Did not qualify |
Season MVP
Role Stars selections
All-Star Game selections
All-Star Game head coaches
On February 20, 2018, the Excelsior formally announced their academy team would go under the name XL2 Academy for Overwatch Contenders North America, as well as revealing their initial 6-player squad. [46] [47]
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.
Boston Uprising is an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The team competes in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, Boston is one of the league's twelve founding teams. The team is owned by Robert Kraft of the Kraft Group, who also owns the National Football League's New England Patriots and Uprising Academy, an academy team for the Uprising that compete in Overwatch Contenders.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Atlanta Reign was an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018 by Atlanta Esports Ventures, a joint venture between Cox Enterprises and Province, Inc., Atlanta Reign was established as one of the expansion teams for the OWL's 2019 season. They became the first esports team to officially represent the city of Atlanta. The team's ownership also extended to ATL Academy, a former academy team that competed in Overwatch Contenders, the developmental league for the Overwatch League.
Washington Justice is an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Washington, D.C. The Justice compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, Washington Justice began play as one of eight expansion teams in 2019. The team is owned by Mark Ein, who founded Washington Esports Ventures to manage the franchise. The team has reached the season playoffs two times.
The 2018 New York Excelsior season was the first season of New York Excelsior's existence in the Overwatch League. The team finished the league-leading regular season record of 34–6.
The 2018 Los Angeles Gladiators was the first season of the Los Angeles Gladiators's existence in the Overwatch League. The team finished with a regular season record of 25–15 – the fourth best in the Overwatch League.
The 2018 London Spitfire season was the first season of the London Spitfire'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.
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 London Spitfire season was the second season of the London Spitfire's existence in the Overwatch League. The Spitfire entered the season as the defending Overwatch League champions after winning the 2018 Grand Finals.
The 2019 New York Excelsior season was the second season of New York Excelsior's (NYXL) existence in the Overwatch League. The season saw NYXL looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Fusion in the semifinals of the 2018 playoffs after the team finished with the best regular season record, 34–6, of the 2018 season.
The 2020 London Spitfire season was the third season of the London Spitfire's existence in the Overwatch League. The Spitfire planned to host two homestand events in the 2020 season; the first was to be held at The SSE Arena Wembley, while the second was to be at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. However, all homestand events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 New York Excelsior season was the third season of New York Excelsior's (NYXL) existence in the Overwatch League and their first under head coach Jeong "imt" Yong-cheol. New York planned to host two homestand weekends in the 2020 season at the Hammerstein Ballroom in the Manhattan Center. While the first homestand took place, all other homestand events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kim Do-hyeon, better known as his online alias Pine, is a South Korean professional Overwatch player of the Overwatch League (OWL). Kim began his professional career with LW Blue in the Overwatch APEX series. In 2018, Kim signed with the New York Excelsior for the Overwatch League inaugural season. After playing for two seasons with New York, he announced his decision to retire from professional Overwatch, becoming an active streamer affiliated with Andbox, NY Excelsior's parent company. He returned to active competition with the Dallas Fuel for the 2021 season. Kim is currently a free agent.
Lee Jae-hyeok, better known as Carpe, is a South Korean former professional Overwatch player, and current professional Valorant player for T1. He began his esports career playing Overwatch for teams such as BK Stars, Selfless Gaming, and FaZe Clan. Lee 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, Lee left competitive Overwatch and began his Valorant career.
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.