As the Overwatch League is about to begin its third run, we’re looking back at the champions from the Inagurural and 2019 Seasons to get back up to speed.
Lifting the big OWL trophy is a massive achievement. An occasion so rare, that just a few dozen people have done it. The Overwatch League is a huge esports event spanning many months, stages and playoffs, and 20 pro teams made out of the absolute best players in the world all compete for the great honor.
Making it to the Grand Finals doesn’t only mean that your team has beat all the others, but also now they get to fly to a new extra special location and compete for $1 million in prize money.
Two squads have had the pleasure so far - 2018’s London Spitfire and 2019’s San Francisco Shock. Let’s take a quick look at those two squads.
London Spitfire
London were an oddball since the very beginning of the League. They were initially the only team to represent Europe in the League, though this was in name only, as they were one of the three Korean-only squads. Some fans found it ironic that the English team was one of the few to use an English translator, but that’s neither here nor there. What’s important is that this team absolutely bursts with star power. They had some of the most talented DPS and Tank players in the Seasons, but most importantly, they had crazy synergy and team play.
The squad started the season with a dozen players (the maximum allowed), but by the end opted to stick to just the core six and that’s what contributed to their triumph in New York over Philadelphia Fusion.
San Francisco Shock
The Shock are also a story of fall and sudden rise. In the Inaugural season, they struggled at first, but the inclusion of fresh 18-year-olds Grant "moth" Espe and Minho "Architect" Park lead by Tracer star Jay "sinatraa" Won tipped them over the top and they really built up steam. This forward motion followed in Season 2 when they deputed 6th is Stage 1, made it to the top in Stage 2 and remained between the 1st and 4th position consistently until they met newcomers Vancouver Titans in the grand finale of the season.
This evening was remembered for three things: 1) Grammy-winning producer ZEDD washing away the embarrassment of 2018’s opening act by DJ Khalid, 2) the amazing $1.7m purse, and 3) the one-sided 0-4 victory of SF Shock who had their own reputation to keep, as well as the other 11 founding teams’.
