This Week in Overwatch: Seagull Signs with EnVy, Contenders Moves Towards Playoffs

The professional Overwatch scene had a huge weekend with the end of the Contenders regular season and Seagull’s big signing. Here are the biggest stories from the week:

Contenders Playoffs Set

The six-week long Contenders regular season came to an end yesterday, with four teams from NA and EU set to face off for the crown in their respective regions. North America has powerhouses EnVyUs and FaZe Clan, along with surprise finalists Envision Esports and FNRGFE. FNRGFE, led by an impressive DPS performance by Buds, squeaked into the playoffs by beating the Detroit Renegades 3 maps to 1. The former Fnatic, NRG, and Gale Force Esports players will be facing off against EnVyUs in the semi-finals, with Envision taking on FaZe Clan. The likely final will be FaZe vs. EnVyUs, as both FNRGFE and Evision have only taken 1 map from their respective opponents so far in Contenders. The biggest story out of yesterday is who didn’t make the cut, with Rogue not making the playoffs. Rogue seemingly got complacent with their spot on top of NA, and was blindsided by both FNRGFE and Envision. On the EU side of things, we’ll see Overwatch League teams square off in Misfits vs. Cloud9 EU, and Team Gigantti take on 123.

EnVy Seagull

After a short break from streaming, Seagull is back in headlines after signing a monumental deal with EnVyUs. Seagull will be playing in the Overwatch League alongside Taimou and Effect, giving EnVyUs one of the deadliest DPS rosters in the game. With Taimou on hitscan and Effect on Tracer/Genji, Seagull will most likely be playing as a Pharah specialist, along with map-based picks from his expansive hero pool. His ability to play Mei, Junkrat, Hanzo, and other situational heroes will factor in greatly to EnVyUs’ flexibility. Mike Rufail, owner of Team EnVyUs, tweeted after the announcement: “We plan to use the strengths of [Seagull]. He is going to be a factor in how competitive we are. Coach [KyKy] and team are working him in.” EnVy is already the top team in North America, and with this addition they’re a serious threat to top Korean teams Lunatic Hai and Kongdoo Panthera. This signing is good news for players like Mangachu and ZZA, both of whom would be brought onto teams as Pharah specialists. 

Overwatch League is Officially a 12 Team League

The Overwatch League is finally set, it’s inaugural season featuring 12 teams. New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami-Orlando, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Shanghai, and Seoul make up the eleven cities represented by 12 team (Los Angeles will have two). With big names like Seagull and Sinatraa getting picked up over the last few weeks, expect more big signings soon now that the League has it’s official team size.