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Game | Overwatch |
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Founded | 2016 |
League | Overwatch Contenders |
Division | Atlantic |
Region | North America West |
Team history | Team EnVyUs 2016–2017 Team Envy 2018–2020 |
Based in | Dallas, Texas |
Colors | Dark blue, blue, black |
Owner | Envy Gaming |
Affiliation(s) | Dallas Fuel |
Interregional titles |
|
Website | Official website |
The Team Envy Overwatch team represented Team Envy, an American esports franchise, in the video game Overwatch . Originally competing under the name Team EnVyUs, the team won multiple regional and international competitions before being transferred to the Dallas Fuel franchise of the Overwatch League (OWL) by their parent organization, Envy Gaming. The franchise reestablished its Overwatch division in 2018 and currently competes in the North America West region of Overwatch Contenders (OWC) as an academy team for the Dallas Fuel. The division disbanded in April 2020.
Formed during the Overwatch closed beta in February 2016, Team EnVyUs acquired the players of Team Hubris, a North American squad that finished first in six of the seven tournaments played during the beta, to officially create their Overwatch esports division. [1] Even though their original roster showed some early promise in online tournaments, just prior to the official launch of Overwatch, the team disbanded. [2] A week later, EnVyUs formed a roster by looking abroad, eventually bringing players from across Europe to their Charlotte headquarters and securing the core of what would become the Dallas Fuel in Sebastian "chipshajen" Widlund, Christian "cocco" Jonsson, Jonathan "HarryHook" Tejedor Rua, and Timo "Taimou" Kettunen. [3]
Amassing a 57-game winning streak, the new roster showed why they were widely considered the best team in the world. However, their early dominance resulted in disappointing results, when, as heavy favorites, the team failed to win either of their first two LAN tournaments. [4] [5] It was not until the arrival of Pongphop "Mickie" Rattanasangchod as a stand-in that saw Team EnVyUs have their first taste of success, winning Season 1 of OGN's Overwatch APEX in Seoul, Korea, [6] [7] marking the first time that a Western-owned team had taken home an esports title on Korean soil. [8] They soon followed it up with a victory on home soil, winning the Overwatch North American Invitational at MLG Vegas. [9] With their back-to-back tournament wins, Team EnVyUs ended 2016 once again making their case for the title of best team in the world.
In January 2017, just prior to Season 2 of OGN's Overwatch APEX, it was announced that Kyle "KyKy" Sounder would try-out as coach for the team. [10] However, even with the addition, Season 2 was met with disappointment after being eliminated in the second round of group stages. Hoping to improve in Season 3 and re-find their 2016 form, the team recruited Hwang "EFFECT" Hyeon; however, the tournament would also prove to be a let-down, after the team placed 4th. [11] Returning home from Korea, Team EnVyUs ended their pre-Overwatch League journey on a high, going undefeated and winning Season 1 of North America's Overwatch Contenders. [12] The tournament's playoffs marked both the debut of Brandon "Seagull" Larned, as well as the final event played under the "Team EnVyUs" moniker. [13]
On September 20, 2017, Blizzard officially announced that Envy Gaming had acquired the Dallas-based Overwatch League franchise spot, making them one of twelve teams competing in the inaugural season. [14] The team was branded as the Dallas Fuel, and all of the existing members of Team EnVyUs were transferred to the Fuel roster – ending Team Envy's Overwatch division. [15]
On July 2, 2018, the Envy Gaming formally announced Team Envy's return to Overwatch Contenders as an academy team for the Dallas Fuel, as the team acquired EnVision Esports' Contenders slot and roster and signed former Team EnVyUs member Ronnie "Talespin" DuPree. [16] [17] The team rejoined Contenders in season two of 2018, where they finished the North American group stages with a 4–1 and qualified for the playoffs. [18] After a close victory against Last Night's Leftovers in the quarterfinals, [19] Envy was swept by Philadelphia Fusion's academy team Fusion University in the semifinals. [20] The following season, Envy again qualified for the North American playoffs but fell to Fusion University in the quarterfinals. [21] [22]
In 2019 Season 1 of Contenders, Team Envy posted a perfect 7–0 record in the group stages to claim the top seed in the North American West region. The team cruised through the regional playoffs, defeating NRG Esports in the semifinals and ATL Academy in the finals by a combined map record of 7–1 to claim their second Overwatch Contenders regional title. [23] [24] Following their regional title, Envy was one of three North American teams that qualified for the Atlantic Showdown, an interregional double-elimination tournament. [24] In the tournament, Envy took down London Spitfire's academy team British Hurricane in the first round, but fell to Fusion University in their next match. Following, the team defeated Angry Titans to again face Fusion University in the finals. [23] Fusion had been the only team to ever defeat Envy in a post-season matchup, and that title would not be taken away from them, as Envy lost the finals by a score of 0–4. [25] Envy continued their dominance in 2019 Season 2 of Contenders, posting another perfect 7–0 record in the group stages. The team took out Second Wind in the NA West semifinals and defeated the New York Excelsior's academy team XL2 Academy in the finals to secure their third Contenders regional title. [26] Due to their regional title, the team qualified as for The Gauntlet, an interregional, Contenders tournament. [27] After advancing past the group stages, Envy was eliminated from the tournament after losing to XL2 Academy, 0–3, in their first match. [28]
On April 27, 2020, Team Envy disbanded their Overwatch Contenders division. [29]
Year | Season | Region | OWC regular season | Regional playoffs | Interregional events | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish [lower-alpha 1] | Wins | Losses | Win % | ||||||
Team EnVyUs | |||||||||
2017 | 1 | North America | 1st | 7 | 0 | 1.000 | Winners | None held | |
Team Envy | |||||||||
2018 | 1 | Did not compete | |||||||
2 | North America | 2nd | 4 | 1 | .800 | Semifinals | None held | ||
3 | North America | 4th | 2 | 3 | .400 | Quarterfinals | |||
2019 | 1 | North America West | 1st | 7 | 0 | 1.000 | Winners | Atlantic Showdown – Runners-up | |
2 | North America West | 1st | 7 | 0 | 1.000 | Winners | The Gauntlet – Lower Round 1 | ||
2020 | 1 | North America | DNF [lower-alpha 2] | 2 | 1 | .667 | |||
Regular season record | 29 | 5 | .853 | ||||||
Playoff record | 7 | 2 | .778 |
All Overwatch Contenders players are eligible to be promoted by their affiliated Overwatch League team or signed to any other Overwatch League during specified non-blackout periods. [30]
Team Envy
Team Envy was an American esports franchise based in Dallas, Texas, owned by Envy Gaming. Founded in 2007 as a professional Call of Duty team under the moniker Team EnVyUs, they fielded rosters in Counter-Strike, FIFA, Fortnite, Gears of War, Halo, League of Legends, Chess, Magic: the Gathering, Overwatch, Paladins, PUBG, Rocket League, SMITE, StarCraft, Super Smash Bros., Street Fighter and Valorant. Following the merger between Envy Gaming and OpTic Gaming, Envy Gaming retired the Team Envy brand in June 2022, shifting all of them to the OpTic Gaming moniker.
Noh Yeong-Jin, better known as Gamsu, is a South Korean professional League of Legends player. He began his professional esports career with League of Legends, playing as a top laner for several teams, such as Fnatic, Team Dignitas, and Samsung Galaxy Blue. Noh transitioned to professional Overwatch in 2016, competing for CONBOX in the OGN APEX Series. With the inception of the Overwatch League in 2017, Noh signed with the Boston Uprising before being traded to the Shanghai Dragons a season later. After one season with the Dragons, Noh signed with the Dallas Fuel. In late 2020, Noh retired from competitive Overwatch to pursue a career in League of Legends again. He played on 100 Thieves' academy teams until he was signed with Dignitas in mid-2022.
Dallas Fuel is an American professional Overwatch team based in Dallas, Texas. The Fuel compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region.
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.
The San Francisco Shock are an American professional Overwatch esports team based in San Francisco, California. The Shock compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, the San Francisco Shock is one of the twelve founding members of the OWL and is one of three professional Overwatch teams in California. The team is owned by Andy Miller, co-owner of the Sacramento Kings and NRG Esports. The Shock have won three midseason tournament titles, qualified for three season playoffs, won two back-to-back OWL Grand Finals, making them one of the most accomplished franchises in OWL history.
Overwatch Contenders (OWC) is an international esports league for the video game Overwatch that is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in 2017, Contenders was created in part to consolidate existing regional tournaments into a structure to support the Overwatch League, including the Overwatch Apex tournament, Overwatch Premier Series, and Overwatch Pacific Championship.
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 the only professional Overwatch team 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.
The Houston Outlaws are an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Houston, Texas. The Outlaws compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region.
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 one of two professional Overwatch teams 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).
Florida Mayhem is an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Miami and Orlando, Florida. The team competes in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West Division. Founded in 2017, Florida Mayhem is one of the league's twelve founding members and is 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.
Brandon Larned, better known as Seagull, is an American video game streamer and retired professional Overwatch player. Early in the game's history, Larned established himself as one of the most popular Overwatch streamers on Twitch. As an esports competitor, Larned represented Luminosity Gaming and then NRG Esports, before leaving the active roster of the latter to resume streaming full-time. He returned to competitive play with Team EnVyUs shortly before its roster became the Dallas Fuel, one of the teams in the newly launched Overwatch League. At the end of the League's inaugural season, Larned once again announced that he would be stepping away from competitive play in favor of being a full-time streamer.
Atlanta Reign is an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Reign compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, Atlanta Reign began play as one of eight OWL expansion teams in 2019 and became the first esports team to officially represent the city of Atlanta. The team is owned by Atlanta Esports Ventures, a joint venture between Cox Enterprises and Province, Inc., who also own ATL Academy, a former academy team for the Reign that competed in Overwatch Contenders.
The 2018 Dallas Fuel season was the first season of the Dallas Fuel's existence in the Overwatch League (OWL). After Envy Gaming acquired the Dallas franchise slot for the OWL on October 5, 2017, the roster and staff of Team EnVyUs was transferred to the Dallas Fuel. The Fuel struggled throughout the first three quarters of the season, winning only six games, largely due to the instability of their roster. The team also went through a head coaching change, releasing Kyle "KyKy" Souder and signing Aaron "Aero" Atkins. Dallas had their most successful stage in Stage 4 and qualified for the Stage 4 playoffs. However, they lost in the semifinals to the New York Excelsior. The team finished with a regular season record of 12–28 placing them tenth overall and did not qualify for the season playoffs.
Fusion University (FU) was an American esports team for the video game Overwatch competing in Overwatch Contenders (OWC) and an academy team for the Philadelphia Fusion of the Overwatch League (OWL). The team is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and plays in the Europe region of OWC. Fusion has won four consecutive North America Contenders titles and most recently won the 2019 Atlantic Showdown. The team began competition in the North America region of OWC and moved to the Korea division in 2019. Prior to the 2020 season, Fusion University disbanded. They returned to competition for the Europe 2021 season.
XL2 Academy is an American esports team for the video game Overwatch that competed in Overwatch Contenders (OWC) as an academy team for the New York Excelsior of the Overwatch League (OWL). The team is based in New York City, New York and plays in the North America West region of OWC. Since inception, XL2 has qualified for the playoffs in every season of play. The team has taken a hiatus from OWC play as of November 2019.
Envy Gaming, Inc was a collective esports and gaming company. It was originally founded in 2007 by Tosh "Stainville" Mcgruder and Skyler "Foreplayy" Johnson as a Call of Duty esports team known as Team EnVyUs. Envy Gaming, LLC was formed in October 2012 and incorporated as Envy Gaming, Inc in May 2016. The company owned and operated several esports teams, including Team Envy, the Dallas Fuel of the Overwatch League, and the OpTic Texas of the Call of Duty League with OpTic Gaming. In June 2022, it was announced Envy Gaming would retire the Envy brand, and fully become OpTic Gaming.
RunAway was a South Korean esports team, best known for their Overwatch division that competed in Overwatch Apex and Overwatch Contenders (OWC). The team was founded in 2016 by Yoon "Runner" Dae-hoon and is co-owned with his wife Lee "Flowervin" Hyun-ah. RunAway has competed in numerous major tournaments and fielded the team that would become the Vancouver Titans of the Overwatch League (OWL). The team's Overwatch division competed in the Korea region of OWC, and since inception, they won three OWC regional titles and four NetEase Esports X Tournament (NeXT) titles. They expanded into League of Legends in late 2019 before shutting down the division shortly afterwards. In June 2021, RunAway disbanded its Overwatch division.
Park Joon-yeong, better known by his online alias Profit, is a professional South Korean Overwatch player for the Seoul Dynasty of the Overwatch League (OWL). Prior to the OWL's inception, he played for GC Busan, winning OGN APEX Season 4 was named the APEX Finals most valuable player. In the Overwatch League, Park signed with the London Spitfire of the OWL in its inaugural season. 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.
Kim Ji-hyeok, 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. Kim 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, Kim signed with the Los Angeles Gladiators. After two seasons with the Gladiators, Kim retired from professional Overwatch. He came out of retirement a year later and joined the Boston Uprising.
Overwatch Apex, or simply Apex, was a competitive esports tournament series in South Korea for the video game Overwatch run by South Korean cable television channel OnGameNet (OGN) from 2016 to 2017. The tournament was contested mostly by South Korean teams, although several Western teams were invited to compete throughout most of its seasons. After four seasons, Apex was expected to continue operations as Overwatch Contenders Korea, but after Blizzard Entertainment, the owners of the Contenders, opted to use a different broadcaster for the Korean Contenders league, OGN shut down the Apex series.