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Seoul Dynasty

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Seoul Dynasty
The logo for the Seoul Dynasty features a tiger in the team's colors and a stylized version of the Korean character '王' ('wáng'), meaning king, on its forehead.
FoundedJuly 12, 2017
LeagueOverwatch League
RegionEast
Team historySeoul Dynasty
(2017–present)
Based inSeoul, South Korea
Colors     
OwnerKevin Chou
Head coachYang "tobi" Jin-mo
Main sponsorBithumb
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms

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 one of two professional Overwatch teams 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 team that would be the Seoul Dynasty competed under the moniker Lunatic-Hai and were considered to be one the best Overwatch teams heading into the OWL's inaugural season. However, the team failed to reach the playoffs in 2018. Seoul qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 2019, and in 2020, the team reached the Grand Finals, where they lost to the San Francisco Shock.

Franchise history

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Team creation

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On July 12, 2017, Blizzard officially announced KSV Esports International, an esports organization created by Kevin Chou and Kent Wakeford who previously ran Kabam together, would be the team owner of a Seoul-based Overwatch League franchise.[1][2] On August 21, the team announced the acquisition of the players and coaching staff of Korean Overwatch esports team Lunatic-Hai.[3][4] In September, the team signed an additional coach in veteran Kim "nuGget" Yo-han.[5] In late October, they revealed 3 additional players to their Seoul-based roster, Kim "Fleta" Byung-sun, Byeon "Munchkin" Sang-beom, and Koo "xepheR" Jae-mo.[6][7] Shortly afterwards, on October 26, 2017, the franchise name was revealed as the Seoul Dynasty.[8] A day later, the addition of Choi "Wekeed" Seok-woo was broadcast in the Dynasty's roster preview video.[9] The final two members for the inaugural season, Chae "Bunny" Jun-hyeok and Kim "KuKi" Dae-kuk, were revealed by Blizzard in November.[10]

2018–2021: Early years

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Fleta was with the Dynasty through the 2019 season.

Heading into the preseason of their 2018 season, the Dynasty were widely regarded as the team to beat.[11] In the league's preseason the team further cemented their status as early favorites to win the inaugural season, after convincingly scoring victories over the Dragons, Outlaws, and Excelsior.[12] The Dynasty began the first stage of the 2018 regular season well, winning their first five games. However, after key losses to the New York Excelsior, London Spitfire, and Los Angeles Valiant they fell out of playoff contention and finished the stage in fifth place, sparking discussions about a disappointing start to the season for a team favored to win it.[13] They went on to finish fourth in the second stage as well, once again missing the stage playoffs.[14] After the stage playoffs were expanded to include the team in fourth place, the Dynasty were predicted to be able to clinch a playoff spot thanks to their consistent fourth-place finishes in the prior stages, though their inability to defeat the top placing teams in the league brought up concerns over team management. With a rocky start to the third stage, coverage for the Dynasty shifted towards continued failure, with an article by ESPN's Emily Rand stating "Seoul's dynasty is already starting to crumble."[15] They once again failed to reach the playoffs in both the third and fourth stages of the regular season, going 5–5 in Stage 3 and 3–7 in Stage 4. Falling further behind the top teams in map score.[16] After finishing all four stages with worsening map scores, starting the first stage with a map differential of +9 and ending the last stage with a map differential of -6, the Dynasty fell out of season playoffs contention and finished the season in eighth place overall with a record of 22–18, a far cry from the expected and predicted success.[17]

Prior to their 2019 season, the Dynasty announced Kim "KDG" Dong-gun as the team's new head coach.[18] A 3–0 victory over the London Spitfire in the final match of Stage 1 gave the team a 4–3 record and qualified them Stage 1 Playoffs.[19] Seoul took down the New York Excelsior 3–1 in the quarterfinals,[20] but they were eliminated after losing to the Vancouver Titans, 0–4, in the semifinals.[21] The Dynasty struggled in Stage 2, as they were only able to amass a 3–4 record.[22] After the All-Star break, Seoul hit their stride. The team opened Stage 3 with three straight 4–0 sweeps over their opponents, leading to a 5–2 Stage 3 record. Qualified as the fifth seed in the Stage 3 Playoffs, the team fell to the San Francisco Shock, 1–3, in the quarterfinals.[23] The Dynasty finished the regular season in eighth place, with a 15–13 record.[24] After defeating the Guangzhou Charge, 3–1, in the play-in tournament, the Dynasty claimed the final spot in the season playoffs.[25] Their playoff run opened with a 2–4 loss to the Vancouver Titans on September 5, sending the Dynasty to the lower bracket of the tournament.[26] Seoul's season ended in the first round of the lower bracket, after they lost against the Hangzhou Spark, 1–4.[27]

In the offseason preceding the 2020 season, the Dynasty released head coach KDG, with assistant coach Park "Changgoon" Chang-geun taking over as the team's head coach.[24] The team made major roster changes, such as the departures of Kim "Fleta" Byung-sun and Ryu "Ryujehong" Je-hong and acquisitions of Park "Profit" Joon-yeong and Hong "Gesture" Jae-hui.[28] In the first tournament cycle of the season, the May Melee, the Dynasty finished in last place in the Asia region qualifiers.[29] However, the team turned things around in the knockouts, advancing the Asia region finals, where they faced the Shanghai Dragons. The Dynasty won the first three maps of the series; however, they lost the following four, losing the finals match 3–4.[30] The team found middling results throughout the rest of the regular season, finishing with a 12–12 record, which included bonus wins from knockout matches.[31] Seoul defeated the Hangzhou Spark on September 5 in the Asia region play-in tournament to advance to the Asia region bracket of the season playoffs.[32] In the Asia bracket, a double-elimination tournament, the Dynasty defeated the Guangzhou Charge in the first round but lost to the Shanghai Dragons in the following round.[33][34] The team defeated the New York Excelsior in the lower bracket finals, advancing them to the Grand Finals bracket.[35] The Dynasty's first match in the Grand Finals bracket, a four-team double elimination tournament, was against the San Francisco Shock on October 8; Seoul lost the match 2–3, dropping to the lower bracket.[36] The team defeated the Philadelphia Fusion, 3–0, in the first round of the lower bracket. In the lower finals, they upset the Shanghai Dragons, 3–2, to advance to the Grand Finals match against the Shock.[37] The Dynasty fell short of an OWL title, however, losing the Grand Finals match, 2–4, on October 10.[38]

The Dynasty parted ways with several players after the 2020 season, including support player Yang "tobi" Jin-mo, who was the last remaining member from Seoul's inaugural season team.[39] The team picked up two veterans in former New York Excelsior players Jeong "ANAMO" Tae-seong and Park "Saebyeolbe" Jong-ryeol.[40] However, Saebeyeolbe did not play the entire season, after Chinese teams boycotted him due to statements he made about Taiwan prior to the team's first game.[41] In the 2021 season, the Dynasty was the only Eastern team to advance past the qualifying rounds in all four midseason tournament cycles; however, they were only able to advance past the regional knockouts once, in the Countdown Cup.[42] The Dynasty finished the regular season in third place in the Eastern region standings with a 12–4 record.[43][44] As the third seed, Seoul advanced to the Eastern play-in tournament, for a chance to make it to the season playoffs. However, on September 5, they lost their play-in match to the Fusion, 1–3, ending their season.[45]

2022–present

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The Dynasty parted ways with five of their players, including Saebyeolbe and Gesture, as well as head coach Changgoon following the 2021 season;[46][47] shortly after, the team brought in former player Yang "tobi" Jin-mo as their new head coach.[48] Seoul also signed several new players to their team, including former Shock tank player Yoo "smurf" Myeong-hwan and former Excelsior support player Bang "JJonak" Sung-hyeon, although JJonak left the team for health reasons prior to the start of the 2022 season.[49] The Dynasty won the Eastern region Kickoff Clash, the first tournament of the season, after they defeated the Philadelphia Fusion in the finals by a score of 4–0.[50]

Team identity

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On October 26, 2017, the organization's branding was unveiled.[8]

After comprehensive feedback from the team's fans, staff, and players, the name "Dynasty" was chosen. The name was selected for its universal appeal, its representation of the team's aspirations of continual long-term success, and to pay homage to the Lunatic-Hai core of its inaugural season roster who had won back-to-back championships in OGN's Overwatch APEX.[51][52]

Designed as a modernized royal seal, the logo for the Seoul Dynasty features a tiger in the team's colors, with the tiger's forehead featuring a stylized version of the Korean Hanja character for king (王 wang).[51] The tiger was selected due to its symbolism in Korean culture where it represents "strength, courage, and good fortune".[8]

The official team colors are black, gold, and white. Gold was chosen for its historical association with royal dynasties, whilst Black was chosen to convey power and elegance.[51][8]

Personnel

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Current roster

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Seoul Dynasty roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Head coach
  • Vacant
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: October 16, 2023.

Head coaches

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Handle Name Seasons Record Notes Ref.
beast Baek Kwang-jin 2018 22–18 (.550) [4][53]
KDG Kim Dong-gun 2019 15–13 (.519) [18][24]
Changgoon Park Chang-geun 2020–2021 21–16 (.568) [24][47]
tobi Yang Jin-mo 2021–2023 19–5 (.792) [48]

Awards and records

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Seasons overview

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Season P W L W% Finish Playoffs
2018 40 22 18 .550 3rd, Pacific Did not qualify
2019 28 15 13 .536 5th, Pacific Lost in Lower Round 1, 1–4 (Spark)
2020 21 9 12 .429 7th, Asia Lost in Grand Finals, 2–4 (Shock)
2021 16 12 4 .750 3rd, East Did not qualify
2022 24 19 5 .792 1st, East Lost in Lower Round 3, 0–3 (Shock)

Individual accomplishments

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All-Star Game selections

  • Zunba (Kim Joon-hyeok) – 2018
  • Fleta (Kim Byung-sun) – 2018, 2019
  • ryujehong (Ryu Je-hong) – 2018, 2019
  • Profit (Park Joon-yeong) – 2020
  • Tobi (Yang Jin-mo) – 2020

Academy team

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Main article: Gen.G § Overwatch

Seoul Dynasty's official Overwatch Contenders academy team plays under the name of their parent company, Gen.G esports. The team revealed their Korean Contenders roster on November 4, 2018.[54]

References

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  1. ^ "Overwatch: Bigger than the Premier League?". BBC News. BBC. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  2. ^ Takahashi, Dean (12 July 2017). "Why Kabam cofounder Kevin Chou is diving into esports with Overwatch League's Seoul franchise". VentureBeat. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  3. ^ Kim, Kyeong-beom; Lee, Jaeic (22 August 2017). "Lunatic-Hai to represent Seoul in OWL: "We'll lift up the trophy for OWL just as we did for APEX."". Inven Global. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  4. ^ a b Entertainment, Blizzard (22 August 2017). "Overwatch League roster announcements, 08/01-08/22". Overwatch League. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  5. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (13 September 2017). "Seoul-based Overwatch League franchise signs seasoned coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  6. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (16 October 2017). "Team Seoul adds three players to its Overwatch League roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  7. ^ 박, 상진 (15 October 2017). "오버워치 리그 서울팀, '플레타-제퍼-먼치킨' 추가 영입". 포모스 (fomos) (in Korean). Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d D'Orazio, Nick (26 October 2017). "The Seoul Dynasty enters the OWL with a regal gold and black team color". Inven Global. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  9. ^ "A Preview of Our Full Roster Reveal". Seoul Dynasty. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2018 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ Entertainment, Blizzard (4 November 2017). "These are your Overwatch League team rosters". Overwatch League. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  11. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (5 December 2017). "Overwatch League preseason power rankings". ESPN. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  12. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (9 January 2018). "Overwatch League Week 0 Power Rankings". ESPN. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Seoul Dynasty Fall from Overwatch League Stage 1 Playoff Contention". 10 February 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  14. ^ "Overwatch League: Day 2 of Stage 2 Playoff Weekend Seoul Gets Upset". 2018-03-23.
  15. ^ "Seoul's dynasty is already starting to crumble". ESPN. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  16. ^ "New York Excelsior crush Seoul Dynasty, clinch stage 3 playoff berth". 2018-04-28.
  17. ^ "Overwatch: The Fall of the Dynasty: Will Seoul end OWL Season 1 like this?". 30 May 2018.
  18. ^ a b Carpenter, Nicole (August 28, 2018). "Former London Spitfire coach joins Seoul Dynasty". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  19. ^ Richardson, Liz (March 19, 2019). "SF Shock defeat Seoul Dynasty, Toronto Defiant win coin toss to finalize Overwatch League playoff bracket". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  20. ^ Rand, Emily (March 22, 2019). "Seoul Dynasty put it all together against NYXL". ESPN. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  21. ^ Richardson, Liz (March 23, 2019). "Vancouver Titans and San Francisco Shock advance to Overwatch League stage one finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  22. ^ Richman, Olivia (May 15, 2019). "Fleta and ryujehong chase redemption: "The goal is to make playoffs"". Upcomer. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  23. ^ Linscott, Gillian (July 13, 2019). "LA Valiant Continue Meteoric Rise, Head To Semifinals". Hotspawn. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  24. ^ a b c d "Fusion, Fuel, Defiant and more make Overwatch League roster moves". ESPN. October 30, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  25. ^ Richardson, Liz (31 August 2019). "London Spitfire and Seoul Dynasty advance to Overwatch League 2019 season playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Gladiators, Titans win on Day 1 of Overwatch League playoffs". ESPN. Reuters. September 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  27. ^ "Shock, Spark stay alive in OWL playoffs". ESPN. Reuters. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  28. ^ Hook, Brennon (January 24, 2020). "2020 Team Preview: Seoul Dynasty". Overwatch League. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  29. ^ Searl, Nate (May 25, 2020). "San Francisco Shock, Shanghai Dragons win Overwatch May Melee". Upcomer. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  30. ^ Ocal, Arda (June 5, 2020). "Overwatch League announces the Summer Showdown". ESPN. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  31. ^ Richardson, Liz (October 7, 2020). "How to watch the 2020 Overwatch League Grand Finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  32. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 5, 2020). "Hangzhou Spark, Chengdu Hunters eliminated in Overwatch League playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  33. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 6, 2020). "Paris Eternal, Los Angeles Gladiators eliminated from Overwatch League playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  34. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 12, 2020). "Shanghai Dragons, San Francisco Shock lock in Overwatch League Grand Finals spots". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  35. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 13, 2020). "Seoul Dynasty, Philadelphia Fusion round out Overwatch League Grand Finals bracket". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  36. ^ Dela Cruz, Migg (October 9, 2020). "Dynasty get Shocked, Dragons burn Fusion in OWL Winners' Semis". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  37. ^ Richardson, Liz (October 9, 2020). "San Francisco Shock and Seoul Dynasty will face off in 2020 Overwatch League Grand Finals championship". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  38. ^ Amenabar, Teddy (October 10, 2020). "San Francisco Shock beat Seoul Dynasty to become back-to-back Overwatch League champions". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  39. ^ "Founding member tobi leaves Dynasty". Reuters. November 27, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  40. ^ Richardson, Liz (March 21, 2021). "New and old, hot and cold: Seoul Dynasty 2021 team preview". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  41. ^ Parrish, Ash (August 18, 2021). "The Overwatch League's 2021 regular season was full of drama amid an uncertain future". The Verge. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  42. ^ "Hunters, Dynasty punch tickets to Countdown Cup". Reuters. August 15, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  43. ^ Czar, Michael (August 22, 2021). "How to watch the Overwatch League 2021 playoff play-ins". Upcomer. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  44. ^ O'Dwyer, Samuel (October 10, 2021). "Seoul Dynasty parts ways with four players, head coach ahead of 2022 season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  45. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 5, 2021). "San Francisco Shock, Washington Justice advance to Overwatch League playoffs bracket". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  46. ^ "Seoul Dynasty's Gesture announces retirement". Reuters. October 12, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  47. ^ a b O'Dwyer, Samuel (October 10, 2021). "Seoul Dynasty parts ways with four players, head coach ahead of 2022 season". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  48. ^ a b Richardson, Liz (November 4, 2021). "Seoul Dynasty adds tobi, WizardHyeong to 2022 coaching staff". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  49. ^ Biazzi, Leonardo (February 15, 2022). "Seoul Dynasty parts ways with JJoNak". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  50. ^ "Dynasty win twice, top Fusion in OWL Kickoff Clash". Reuters. June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  51. ^ a b c Young, Jae-jeon (27 October 2017). "Dynasty revealed as Seoul's Overwatch League team name". ESPN. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  52. ^ "The Seoul Team of the Overwatch League™ Announces Its Official Name, "Seoul Dynasty"" (PDF). Seoul Dynasty. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2018 – via Overwatch League.
  53. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (July 16, 2018). "Seoul Dynasty face a coaching overhaul". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  54. ^ Esguerra, Lawerence (November 4, 2018). "Seoul Dynasty Reveals Korean Contenders Roster". Daily Esports. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
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