2021 Los Angeles Valiant season

Last updated
2021   Los Angeles Valiant season
Head coachZhang "JpCat" Peng
Owner Noah Whinston
RegionEast
Results
Record0–16 (.000)
Place
May MeleeDid not qualify
June JoustDid not qualify
Summer ShowdownDid not qualify
Countdown CupDid not qualify
Season PlayoffsDid not qualify
Total Earnings$0

The 2021 Los Angeles Valiant season was the fourth season of Los Angeles Valiant's existence in the Overwatch League.

Contents

Preceding offseason

Roster changes

The Valiant entered free agency with three free agents, two of which became free agents due to the Valiant not exercising the option to retain the player for another year. [1]

Acquisitions

The Valiant's first acquisition of the offseason was Adam "Adam" Soong, a rookie tank player coming from Overwatch Contenders Australia team Ground Zero Gaming who signed on November 19, 2020. [2] On December 9, they signed Brady "Agilities" Girardi, a veteran damage player who had played for the Valiant in 2018 and 2019 before signing with the Toronto Defiant in 2020. [3]

After releasing the entirety of their roster and staff in preparation for their move to China for the 2021 season, the Valiant announced their new roster on March 18, 2021. For their damage players, they signed Liao "Molanran" Yang, a "highly touted prospect" from Contenders, and Cai "Krystal" Shilong, a controversial player who had been forcibly removed from his prior two Overwatch League teams. Their tank signings consisted of Han "Sliver3" Haibo, Wen "NvM" Yelin, who had been retired for over three years, and Cheng "ShowCheng" Yu. For their support players, the Valiant signed Zhang "Highbee" Zening and Qi "Wya" Haomiao, another "highly touted prospect" at points in his career. [4]

Departures

None of the Spark's three free agents returned, two of which signed with other teams, beginning with damage player Damon "Apply" Conti, who signed with Overwatch Contenders team Revival on December 9, 2020. [5] On February 1, 2021, tank player Rick "Gig" Salazar signed with Contenders team We Want OWL. [6] The team's final free agent damage player Caleb "McGravy" McGarvey announced his retirement in the offseason. [7]

Outside of free agency, the Valiant's first departure was damage player Kyle "KSF" Frandanisa, who was transferred to the Houston Outlaws on December 7. [8] On February 2, 2021, the Valiant released all of its players and staff, citing visa issues, as they prepared compete from China instead of North America for the 2021 season. Players released included damage players Brady "Agilities" Girardi, Kai "Kai" Collins, and Johannes "Shax" Nielsen; tank players Adam "Adam" Soong and Song "Dreamer" Sang-lok; and support players Mun "Lastro" Jung-won and Park "Rain" Jae-ho. [9]

Regular season

May Melee

The Valiant began their 2021 season on April 17 with a loss to the Chengdu Hunters 1–3 in the May Melee qualifiers. [10] They were swept in their following match against the Philadelphia Fusion 0–3. [11]

Final roster

2021 Los Angeles Valiant roster
PlayersCoaches
RoleNo.HandleNameNationality
Damage 1MolanranLiao YangChina
Damage 7KrystalCai ShilongChina
Tank 3Silver3Han HaiboChina
Tank 20NvMWen YelinChina
Tank 18ShowChengCheng YuChina
Support 22HighbeeZhang ZeningChina
Support 11WyaQi HaomiaoChina
Head coach
  • Zhang "JpCat" Peng
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Emojione BW 1F503.svg Substitute
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: 18 March 2021.

Standings

PosTeam
PldWLPtsPCTMWMLMTMDQualification
1 Shanghai Dragons 16124200.75038192+19Advance to season playoffs
2 Chengdu Hunters 16115150.68838222+16
3 Seoul Dynasty 16124120.75040220+18Advance to play-ins
4 Philadelphia Fusion 16106100.62537243+13
5 Hangzhou Spark 167970.43832310+1
6 New York Excelsior 167970.43829320−3
7 Guangzhou Charge 1651150.31320384−18
8 Los Angeles Valiant 1601600.0002481−46
Source: The Overwatch League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) winning percentage (including tournaments); 3) regular season wins; 4) regular season map differential

Game log

Regular season

2021 game log
May Melee
Qualifier match 1April 17Los Angeles Valiant1–3 Chengdu Hunters Online
3:30 am PDT     Details
0 Lijiang Tower 2
3 King's Row 2
0 Havana 3
1 Volskaya Industries 2
Qualifier match 2April 18 Philadelphia Fusion 3–0Los Angeles ValiantOnline
5:00 am PDT     Details
2 Busan 1
3 Eichenwalde 2
3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 2
Qualifier match 3April 30Los Angeles Valiant0–3 Guangzhou Charge Online
2:00 am PDT     Details
1 Ilios 2
0 Hanamura 1
1 Eichenwalde 2
Qualifier match 4May 01 Seoul Dynasty 3–0Los Angeles ValiantOnline
2:00 am PDT     Details
2 Nepal 0
2 Temple of Anubis 1
3 Blizzard World 1

June Joust
Qualifier match 1May 29 Shanghai Dragons 3–0Los Angeles ValiantOnline
2:00 am PDT     Details
2 Busan 0
3 Rialto 1
1 Volskaya Industries 1
1 Numbani 0
Qualifier match 2May 30 New York Excelsior 3–0Los Angeles ValiantOnline
2:00 am PDT     Details
2 Ilios 0
1 Dorado 0
1 Temple of Anubis 0
Qualifier match 3June 04Los Angeles Valiant0–3 Hangzhou Spark Hangzhou, CN
5:00 am PDT     Details Future Sci-Tech City
Hosted by the Hangzhou Spark
0 Oasis 2
0 Hanamura 2
1 Hollywood 2
Qualifier match 4June 05Los Angeles Valiant1–3 Philadelphia Fusion Hangzhou, CN
2:00 am PDT     Details Future Sci-Tech City
Hosted by the Hangzhou Spark
0 Nepal 2
1 Volskaya Industries 2
1 Numbani 0
1 Rialto 2

Summer Showdown
Qualifier match 1June 26 Hangzhou Spark 3–0Los Angeles ValiantOnline
2:00 am PDT     Details
2 Lijiang Tower 1
2 Eichenwalde 1
1 Route 66 0
Qualifier match 2June 27 New York Excelsior 3–0Los Angeles ValiantOnline
5:00 am PDT     Details
2 Ilios 0
3 Hollywood 0
3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 1
Qualifier match 3July 09Los Angeles Valiant0–3 Shanghai Dragons Shanghai, CN
5:00 am PDT     Details Jing'An Sports Center
Hosted by the Shanghai Dragons
1 Nepal 2
0 Volskaya Industries 1
2 King's Row 3
Qualifier match 4July 10Los Angeles Valiant0–3 Chengdu Hunters Shanghai, CN
3:30 am PDT     Details Jing'An Sports Center
Hosted by the Shanghai Dragons
0 Oasis 2
1 Temple of Anubis 2
0 Eichenwalde 1

Countdown Cup
Qualifier match 1July 31 New York Excelsior 3–0Los Angeles ValiantOnline
3:30 am PDT     Details
2 Oasis 1
3 Blizzard World 2
3 Rialto 1
Qualifier match 2August 01 Seoul Dynasty 3–0Los Angeles ValiantOnline
2:00 am PDT     Details
2 Ilios 0
1 Numbani 0
3 Havana 2
Qualifier match 3August 13Los Angeles Valiant0–3 Guangzhou Charge Online
3:30 am PDT     Details
1 Nepal 2
1 Hanamura 2
1 King's Row 2
Qualifier match 4August 14Los Angeles Valiant0–3 Chengdu Hunters Online
3:30 am PDT     Details
0 Lijiang Tower 2
1 Volskaya Industries 2
0 Numbani 3

2021 season schedule

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">Los Angeles Valiant</span> American professional esports team

Los Angeles Valiant is an American professional Overwatch esports team representing the city of Los Angeles, California. Valiant compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, Los Angeles Valiant is one of twelve founding members of the OWL and one of two professional Overwatch teams based in Los Angeles.

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

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.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Defiant</span> Canadian professional esports team

Toronto Defiant is a Canadian professional Overwatch esports team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Defiant compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) and are a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, Toronto began play as one of eight expansion teams in 2019 and is one of two professional Overwatch teams based in Canada. The team is owned by OverActive Media, who also owned the Montreal Rebellion, a former academy team for the Defiant that competed in Overwatch Contenders (OWC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Titans</span> Canadian professional esports team

The Vancouver Titans are a professional Overwatch esports team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Titans compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, the Vancouver Titans began play as one of eight expansion teams in 2019 and is one of two professional Overwatch teams in Canada. The team is owned by Canucks Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Vancouver Warriors of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

The 2018 Los Angeles Valiant season was the first season of Los Angeles Valiant's existence in the Overwatch League. The team finished with a regular season record of 27–13 – the second best in the Overwatch League.

The 2020 Los Angeles Valiant season was the third season of Los Angeles Valiant's existence in the Overwatch League and their first full season under head coach Mike "Packing10" Szklanny. The Valiant planned host two homestand events in the 2020 season at The Novo, but all homestand matches were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 Toronto Defiant season was the second season of Toronto Defiant's existence in the Overwatch League. The Defiant were scheduled to host two homestand weekends in the 2020 season at Roy Thomson Hall in the Toronto Entertainment District, but both were cancelled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic as the league transitioned to online play. The team ended the season with a 7 wins, 1 bonus win, and 14 losses. The Defiant and were knocked out of postseason contention by the Los Angeles Gladiators in the North American Play-ins bracket.

The 2021 Atlanta Reign season was the Atlanta Reign's third season in the Overwatch League and the team's third under head coach Brad "Sephy" Rajani. The team qualified for three of the four midseason tournaments but fell short of reaching the finals each time. For the third consecutive season, the team qualified for the season playoffs. The Reign appeared in the 2021 Grand Finals, the franchise's first Grand Finals appearance, but lost to the Shanghai Dragons, 0–4. Rookie damage player Oh "Pelican" Se-hyun was named the league's Rookie of the Year.

The 2021 Chengdu Hunters season was the third season of Chengdu Hunters's existence in the Overwatch League and the team's second season under head coach Wang "RUI" Xingrui, after he was the head coach of the team in 2019. The team qualified for three of the four midseason tournaments, reaching the finals twice, but failed to secure a title in any of them. For the first time in franchise history, the team qualified for the season playoffs. However, a loss to the San Francisco Shock in the lower bracket ended their playoff run. Damage player Huang "Leave" Xin won the season's Most Valuable Player award.

The 2021 Guangzhou Charge season was the third season of Guangzhou Charge's existence in the Overwatch League and was their first season under head coach Lee "Arachne" Ji-won. After a poor start to the season, the Charge released head coach Lee "Arachne" Ji-won on May 6 and signed Sung-woo "Sungwoo" Hong as their new head coach on June 17. They finished the season with a 5–11 record and did not qualify any postseason matches for the first time in franchise history.

The 2021 Houston Outlaws season was the Houston Outlaws's fourth season in the Overwatch League (OWL). Harsha Bandi, who served as the team's head coach in the 2020 season, and Choi "Junkbuck" Jaewon served as the team's co-head coaches. The Outlaws underwent major roster changes in the offseason, with six of their eight players from 2020 leaving the team. The Outlaws failed to qualify for any of the four midseason tournaments. Houston finished the regular season with an 11–5 record and a fifth-place finish in the Western region. The Outlaws qualified for the West play-in tournament; however, they lost to the Washington Justice in the play-ins and did not qualify for the season playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

The 2021 London Spitfire season will be the fourth season of the London Spitfire's existence in the Overwatch League and the team's first under head coach Justin "reprize" Hand.

The 2021 Los Angeles Gladiators season will be the fourth season of Los Angeles Gladiators's existence in the Overwatch League and their fourth season under head coach David "dpei" Pei.

The 2021 Philadelphia Fusion season will be the fourth season of the Philadelphia Fusion's existence in the Overwatch League and their first under head coach Kim "NineK" Bum-hoon.

The 2021 Toronto Defiant season will be the third season of Toronto Defiant's existence in the Overwatch League and the team's first under head coach Kim "KDG" Dong-gun.

<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.

References

  1. ↑ "2021 Player Contract Status". Overwatch League. October 21, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  2. ↑ Richardson, Liz (November 19, 2020). "Los Angeles Valiant signs off-tank Adam". Dot Esports. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  3. ↑ Richardson, Liz (December 9, 2020). "Agilities returns to the Los Angeles Valiant". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ O'Dwyer, Samuel (March 18, 2021). "Los Angeles Valiant announces its roster for the 2021 season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  5. ↑ Revival [@TheRevivalGG] (December 9, 2020). "Revival Gauntlet 2020" (Tweet). Retrieved January 20, 2021– via Twitter.
  6. ↑ We Want OWL [@owl_want] (February 1, 2021). "Na Open division team roster!" (Tweet). Retrieved February 2, 2021– via Twitter.
  7. ↑ Michael, Cale (February 3, 2021). "McGravy retires from competitive Overwatch". Dot Esports. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  8. ↑ Czar, Michael (December 7, 2020). "KSF traded, signs to the Houston Outlaws". Daily Esports. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  9. ↑ Amenabar, Teddy (January 29, 2021). "OWL's L.A. Valiant releases entire roster, citing visa issues in relocation to China". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  10. ↑ Field Level Media (April 17, 2021). "Philadelphia Fusion open strong in Week 1 of Overwatch League". Gwinnett Prep Sports. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  11. ↑ O'Dwyer, Jack (April 19, 2021). "Overwatch League Week 1 Round-Up". MSN. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.