eSports

Rogue Are The Champions Of ESL Overwatch Atlantic Showdown

By Amirul Ashraf

“The King Is Dead.. Long Live The King”

The shoutcasters were ecstatic and uttered those words after EU team Rogue managed to reach the finals in what is the biggest upset and the moment in Overwatch e-sports history: the end of Team EnVyUs winning streak that lasted for 57 games.

But that is not the only upset that was in store for the ESL Atlantic Showdown happened at Gamescom as 8 of the top teams that made it through four weeks of qualifiers, then a regional playoffs to make it to the LAN event in Cologne, Germany. Being in a LAN event is a whole different environment of play: no high pings, the presence of a huge crowd and to those skeptics out there: a controlled environment that discourages cheating.

It is also the first big tournament to pit the NA and EU regions head-to-head on equal footing and see which region is the strongest and which team deserves the biggest portion of the $100,000 prize pool. And this trophy.

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The 4 teams from Europe: Misfits, Rogue, REUNITED and newly-branded Team Dignitas (formerly Creation e-Sports) are considered the top 4 in the region by the slightest of margins: in any given day, each team can take a game or two against each other, leaving not so clear of a hierarchy.

That is not the case over in North America, where Team EnVyUs dominates entirely- holding a winning streak that was almost as long as IDDQD- a team most of the current lineup of EnVyUs were part of. Then there’s Cloud 9, who were considered the top team as Overwatch launched (the pro scene has been playing since beta), but dropped as EnVyUs arrived into the scene, bringing 5 EU players to the NA region. Fnatic and CompLexity are newer names that rounded up the top 4, with Fnatic on a meteoric rise after being signed with the organistaion, and CompLexity, despite a rough history haunting them, has grown stronger as they bounced from one team to another.

By the end of the tournament, we can clearly see how NA has a lot of catching up to do.

The group stages used double elimination, best of three with two teams moving to the playoffs, played in a single elimination, best of five format. Here’s a detailed explanation of the format.

Here’s a short breakdown of all the matches played and its respective VOD links (if available).

GROUP A MATCH 1 Misfits VS Fnatic

Ever since the Nubris team got signed to Fnatic, they keep on snowballing and now considered in the top 4 of NA. Facing with arguably the best team in Europe, Misfits is known for their strong plays.. if it was their day. And it looked like Misfits was not having their day as Fnatic managed to scoop up the win, despite a close match.

Result: Fnatic 2, Misfits 1.

GROUP A MATCH 2 EnVyUs VS Dignitas

A rough and lopsided match on paper, as the top team in NA and also the world are up against the biggest underdog of the tournament. The former Creation e-Sports team managed to muster a fight against EnVyUs, but not that much.

Result: EnVyUs 2, Dignitas 0

GROUP A MATCH 3 EnVyUs VS Fnatic (Winner gets to playoffs as Group A winner)

If there’s a team that can take down EnVyUs currently, that’s got to be Fnatic. That’s what speculators are saying up until the event today, and Fnatic certainly shows some spark of brilliance to try and give the kings a run for their money. But Fnatic did not managed to get a single map from them, lagging just a few seconds behind in Dorado specifically, which grants EnVyUs the winner of group A. However, Fnatic managed to make the current king look mortal.

Result: EnVyUs 2, Fnatic 0

GROUP A MATCH 4 Misfits VS Dignitas (Loser is eliminated)

Dignitas will need to get back to the drawing board after this match. Too many strategy changes and failing to commit to any of them had got them outclassed in the tournament. But being the most apparent underdog and having to face two top teams in both region is already a bad hand for them. Misfts gains another lifeline with the win.

Result: Misfits 2, Dignitas 0

GROUP B MATCH 1 REUNITED VS CompLexity

REUNITED showed their class by holding the first point at King’s Row and holding the second point at Watchpoint Gibraltar. CompLexity do not have much experience in a LAN setting, and their cold feet certainly was showing as REUNITED not only managed to do a great defence, but also set blazing fast times for both maps.

Result: REUNITED 2, CompLexity 0

GROUP B MATCH 2 Cloud 9 VS Rogue

What happened here? Cloud 9 look strong on the first map at Kings Row, beating Rogue’s time. But they falter afterwards as Rogue held Dorado’s payload from reaching the second checkpoint and winning the game by distance. The next round in Lijiang Tower was not in favour of the US favourites, handing them a loss.

Result: Rogue 2, Cloud 9 1

GROUP B MATCH 3 REUNITED VS Rogue (Winner gets to playoffs as Group B Winner)

A marathon of a match. Rogue got the other end of the second checkpoint hold in Dorado, but held REUNITED on the first. REUNITED then bounced back with a win at Numbani. The next map? Hanamura. 2 capture point maps are rare in pro Overwatch matches, and this one was close. TVIQ brought out Mei, a rare hero pick, that kept Rogue in the game.

With both teams out of time with the same score, the game had to be decided in a tie breaker: a three round bout at Ilios. REUNITED came on top in the end, winning 2 rounds and secured the playoffs slot.

Result: REUNITED 2, Rogue 1

GROUP B MATCH 4 Cloud 9 VS CompLexity

What an upset! But if you follow their track record, CompLexity had won over the beasts that are Cloud 9, at least once. And they did exactly that. Bouncing back from their mediocre performance last match, CompLexity made a sign of intention by holding off Dorado’s first point. Cloud 9 strikes back with a speedy time on King’s Row, but failed to defend Watchpoint Gibraltar as CompLexity blazes through the map, and sending home the favourites to reach the finals.

Result: CompLexity 2, Cloud 9 1

GROUP B MATCH 5 Rogue VS CompLexity (Winner gets to playoffs as Group B runner-up. Loser is eliminated)

A rough match between the two sides. Whoever wins gets the prize to face off EnVyUs. But with CompLexity already bounced back after sending Cloud 9 home, the have a lot to prove in the match.

But unfortunately for them, Rogue outclassed them in every single way. They cannot hold Watchpoint Gibraltar and keeping AKM in check- he managed to score 4 headshot kills that pushed the payload enough fot the win. CompLexity trying to get the better of Rogue’s previous run in Hanamura was a bad decision, as Rogue played nothing like they did against REUNITED, shaking up team comps that caught CompLexity off-guard completely.

Results: Rogue 2, CompLexity 0

GROUP A MATCH 5 Fnatic VS Misfits (Winner gets to playoffs as Group A runner-up. Loser is eliminated)

A rematch from the first match of the tournament. While Misfits looks poised to get a runback, Fnatic benefited from facing with EnVy and improved their game further.

Misfits takes the first map, Watchpoint Gibraltar. Fnatic’s Buds did a questionable Mei Ice Wall that blocked the whole team from going out of the spawn room. Apparently the wall was to counter a Reinhardt’s Earthshatter, which Misfits’ tanker Skipjack would have delivered in a timely manner should there be no wall.

Fnatic won in a more convincing way, showing they mean business with strong performances by Buds.

Result: Fnatic 2, Misfits 1

SEMI FINALS 1 EnVyUs (Group A winner) VS Rogue (Group B runner-up)

How the mighty has fallen.

While casters are pointing out apparent flaws in Rogue, especially their tanker Reinforce overextending too much, the rest of the team are performing even better than expected.

The game went on to all 5 maps, including Temple Of Anubis and Hanamura being played. The game would have ended at map 4 at Dorado, but Rogue pushed the payload a second or two too late to secure the win. The last map, Lijiang Tower, went to the whole 5 rounds before Rogue emerged as the team to end EnVyUs’ 57-win streak.

Result: Rogue 3, EnVyUs 2

SEMI FINALS 2 REUNITED (Group B Winner) VS Fnatic (Group A runner-up)

The bulk of REUNITED’s roster used to play for Fnatic, dominating the Battlefield 4 scene where they usually play LAN tournaments at Gamescom. The whole team then switched to Overwatch. Now that the team moved on from Fnatic to create a player-owned organisation and Fnatic finding a new signing, now they are reunited on stage as the two clash in the semis.

Fnatic managed to make REUNITED look bad at payload maps, scoring a rough time at King’s Row and barely finished at Hollywood, but REUNITED having an advantage at King Of The Hill and their defensive plays stops the final being an NA VS EU affair.

Result: REUNITED 3, Fnatic 1

FINALS Rogue VS REUNITED

As mentioned, REUNITED players have a strong record with LAN tourneys, but their Overwatch records have always haunted them at one thing: failing to seal the deal at the finals. With Rogue having a great morale boost, they certainly pumped to take the win.

REUNITED looked really rough on payload maps throughout the tournament, and Rogue exactly exploited that- taking a win in Hollywood. REUNITED shined in Ilios, as expected, but Rogue’s aggressive pushes beat the times REUNITED set for Dorado and then King’s Row, crowning them the champions of the ESL Overwatch Atlantic Showdown.. and REUNITED still cursed with losing at the finals.

Result: Rogue 3, REUNITED 1

Thus, ends an exciting run by the boys in blue. The team of two Swedes: star DPS player TVIQ, the brash tanker Reinforce, and 4 French: real-life brothers AKM (and his deadly aim) and Winz (the flex with smart plays), and the two support Unkoe and Knoxx will take home $40,000, the biggest share of the $100,000 prize pool. Rogue can walk home proudly after this:  they have defeated the two mighty NA teams including a win that breaks the gigantic 57-win streak of EnVyUs, and got a runback against REUNITED after losing against them earlier in their first match.

The secret to their win? According to AKM in an interview with Gosugamers, they have been bootcamping for two weeks. Most pro players practice online, but having everyone in the same building helps immensely in team building. In a game like Overwatch where teamwork and communication as a team is important, that’s a huge advantage. It’s why EnVyUs managed to have a 57 game win-streak: they are the first Overwatch team to have a team house- a more permanent solution than bootcamping.

Congratulations to Rogue for on their win. With the top 8 of the Overwatch pro-teams may not have stacked like we would all were thinking, the next matches and tournaments in Overwatch e-sports would be an even more interesting watch. Can Rogue do a repeat performance at the Overwatch Open? Will EnVyUs and Cloud 9 bounce back? Or will they be more teams that can take up the top spots in the rankings?

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ESL Overwatch Atlantic Showdown Standings:

1st: Rogue

2nd: REUNITED

3rd-4th: EnVyUs, Fnatic

5th-6th: CompLexity, Misfits

7th-8th: Dignitas, Cloud 9

(all image source: ESL)

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