The 2019 Toronto Defiant season was the first season of
Toronto Defiant
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 eigh ...
's existence in the
Overwatch League
The Overwatch League (OWL) is a professional esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'', produced by its developer, Blizzard Entertainment. The Overwatch League follows the model of other traditional North American professional sporting le ...
as one of eight expansion franchises added for the 2019 season. After posting a 5–2 record in Stage 1, the Defiant qualified for the
Stage 1 Playoffs, but a 0–3 loss against the
Shock
Shock may refer to:
Common uses Collective noun
*Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names
* Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves
Healthcare
* Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emergen ...
eliminated the team in the quarterfinals. The team failed to recreate the success they found in Stage 1 in the following stages, going 2–5, 0–7, and 1–6 in Stages 2, 3, and 4, respectively. A 2–3 loss to the
Fusion
Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole.
Fusion may also refer to:
Science and technology Physics
*Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...
on August 4 officially eliminated Toronto from postseason contention, and three days later, the team released head coach Lee "Bishop" Beom-joon. Despite numerous roster changes throughout the season, the Defiant finished the season in 17th place overall with an 8–20 record.
Preceding offseason
![Toronto Defiant inaugural season roster](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Toronto_Defiant_inaugural_season_roster.jpg)
Toronto announced their initial inaugural season roster over a span from October 27 to November 27; the team's roster consisted of the following players:
*Lee "envy" Kang-Jae,
*Park "Neko" Se-hyeon,
*Lee "ivy" Seung-hyun,
*Lee "Stellar" Do-hyung,
*Jo "Yakpung" Gyeong-mu,
*Ko "Aid" Jae-yoon,
*Choi "Asher" Jun-sung, and
*Park "RoKy" Joo-seong.
Regular season
The Defiant opened their 2019 season with a match against the
Houston Outlaws
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.
Founded in 2017, Houston Outlaws is one of the leag ...
on February 15; Toronto won the match 3–2. Toronto finished Stage 1 with a 5–2 record and secured a
Stage 1 Playoff berth. At the end of Stage 1, the Defiant were tied with the
Philadelphia Fusion
Philadelphia Fusion is an American-based professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Fusion compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017, Philadelphia is one ...
for the third seed of the Stage 1 Playoffs. By rule, the teams would have to compete in an
offline
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...
match to determine seeding; however, both teams agreed on a
coin-flip
Coin flipping, coin tossing, or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air and checking which side is showing when it lands, in order to choose between two alternatives, heads or tails, sometimes used to resolve a dispute betwe ...
, instead. The Defiant received the third seed and faced sixth-seeded
San Francisco Shock
The San Francisco Shock are an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in San Francisco, California. The Shock compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, the San Francisco Shock ...
in the quarterfinals on March 22. The Defiant lost the series 0–3.
A few days prior to the beginning of Stage 2, Toronto Defiant parted ways with their strategic coach Kim "Don" Dong-wook. A day later, DPS player Lee "Stellar" Do-hyung retired from professional Overwatch for personal reasons. To take his place, Defiant signed Jin "im37" Hong, who had been playing Overwatch professionally for only just over a month, hours before the beginning of Stage 2. In Stage 2, Toronto faced the undefeated
Vancouver Titans
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 beg ...
on May 3. The Defiant lost the series 1–3, putting the team on a five-game
losing streak
''Losing Streak'' is the second studio album by ska punk band Less Than Jake, released on November 12, 1996 on Capitol Records. The album was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida and Mirror Image Studios in Gainesville, Florida, bo ...
. The loss also officially eliminated them from
Stage 2 Playoff contention. The team's final match of Stage 2 was against the
Paris Eternal
The Vegas Eternal, formerly the Paris Eternal, is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Eternal compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, Paris ...
. Toronto went on to win, 4–0, marking their first sweep of the season.
There were more roster changes for Toronto heading into Stage 3. Both tank Daniel "Gods" Graeser and tank Normunds "sharyk" Faterins were moved up from the Defiant's academy team
Montreal Rebellion in mid-May.
The Defiant also had another roster member leave, as Choi "Asher" Joon-seong retired from competitive Overwatch on May 29.
In the middle of Stage 3, Toronto transferred off-tank Lee "envy" Kang-jae, who had not played in a match since Stage 2, to the
Shanghai Dragons
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 ...
on June 18. More roster transactions took place the following week, as the team promoted veteran DPS Andreas "Logix" Berghmans from the
Montreal Rebellion and signed DPS Liam "Mangachu" Campbell, who had played for Team Canada in the
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
and
2018 Overwatch World Cup
The 2018 Overwatch World Cup was an ''Overwatch'' esports tournament, organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the game's developer. It was the third Overwatch World Cup. It featured 24 represented nations from around the world, with the final tourna ...
. Toronto performed poorly throughout the stage, losing all seven of their matches.
Toronto snapped their nine-game
losing streak
''Losing Streak'' is the second studio album by ska punk band Less Than Jake, released on November 12, 1996 on Capitol Records. The album was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida and Mirror Image Studios in Gainesville, Florida, bo ...
on August 1, after defeating the Stage 3 Champions
Shanghai Dragons
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 ...
, 2–1. The Defiant faced the
Philadelphia Fusion
Philadelphia Fusion is an American-based professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Fusion compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017, Philadelphia is one ...
three days later, but the team was unable to
scrim prior to the match due to an upper-management decision to send Daniel "Gods" Graeser and Go "Aid" Jae-yoon to a media event in Toronto. Toronto lost the match against Philadelphia by a score of 2–3; the loss officially eliminated the Defiant from postseason contention. Following the loss, on August 7, the Defiant released head coach Lee "Bishop" Beom-joon and announced that assistant coach Matthew "Optidox" Sims, assistant coach Shim "Mobydik" Seung-bo, and analyst Dennis "Barroi" Matz would be taking on the role of head coaches by committee for the remainder of the season. Toronto finished the season in 17th place with a 8–20 record.
Final roster
Transactions
Transactions of/for players on the roster during the 2019 regular season:
*On April 3, Lee "Stellar" Do-hyung retired.
*On April 4, Defiant signed Jin "im37" Hong.
*On May 21, Defiant promoted Daniel "Gods" Graeser and Normunds "sharyk" Faterins from
Montreal Rebellion.
*On May 29, Choi "Asher" Jun-sung retired.
*On June 18, Defiant transferred Lee "envy" Kang-jae to
Shanghai Dragons
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 ...
.
*On June 28, Defiant promoted Andreas "Logix" Berghmans from
Montreal Rebellion.
*On June 28, Defiant signed Liam "Mangachu" Campbell.
*On July 15, Defiant transferred Lee "Stellar" Do-hyung to
Boston Uprising
Boston Uprising is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The team competes in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, Boston is one of the league's twelv ...
.
Standings
Record by stage
League
Game log
Regular season
References
{{Toronto Defiant
2019 Overwatch League seasons by team
Toronto Defiant
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 eigh ...
Toronto Defiant seasons