Seoul Dynasty is a South Korean professional
''Overwatch'' esports team based in
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
. The Dynasty compete 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 lea ...
(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 the only professional ''Overwatch'' team based in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. 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
Overwatch Contenders (OWC) is an international esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'' that is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in 2 ...
(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
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
, where they lost to the
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 ...
.
Franchise history
Team creation
On July 12, 2017,
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling b ...
officially announced
KSV Esports International, an
esports
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...
organization created by
Kevin Chou
Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ).
The variant '' Kevan'' is anglicized from , a ...
and Kent Wakeford who previously ran
Kabam
Kabam (formerly Watercooler, Inc.) is an interactive entertainment company founded in 2006 and headquartered in Vancouver, BC. with offices in Montréal, QC, San Francisco, CA and Austin, Texas.
The company creates, develops and publishes massive ...
together, would be the team owner of a Seoul-based
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 lea ...
franchise.
On August 21, the team announced the acquisition of the players and coaching staff of Korean
Overwatch esports team Lunatic-Hai.
In September, the team signed an additional coach in veteran Kim "nuGget" Yo-han.
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.
Shortly afterwards, on October 26, 2017, the franchise name was revealed as the Seoul Dynasty.
A day later, the addition of Choi "Wekeed" Seok-woo was broadcast in the Dynasty's roster preview video.
The final two members for the
inaugural season, Chae "Bunny" Jun-hyeok and Kim "KuKi" Dae-kuk, were revealed by Blizzard in November.
2018–2021: Early years
Heading into the preseason of their
2018 season, the Dynasty were widely regarded as the team to beat. 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
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
,
Outlaws, and
Excelsior
Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry
* "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...
. 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
The New York Excelsior (often stylized as NYXL) is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in New York City, New York. The Excelsior compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017 ...
,
London Spitfire
London Spitfire is a professional ''Overwatch'' team representing the city of London, United Kingdom. The Spitfire compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, London Spitfire is one of the le ...
, and
Los Angeles Valiant
Los Angeles Valiant (stylized as VΛLIΛNT) is an American professional Overwatch (video game)#Esports, ''Overwatch'' esports team representing the city of Los Angeles, California, although the team is operated in China. Valiant compete in the O ...
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. They went on to finish fourth in the second stage as well, once again missing the stage playoffs. 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
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
's Emily Rand stating "Seoul's dynasty is already starting to crumble." 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. 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.
Prior to their
2019 season, the Dynasty announced Kim "KDG" Dong-gun as the team's new head coach.
A 3–0 victory over the
London Spitfire
London Spitfire is a professional ''Overwatch'' team representing the city of London, United Kingdom. The Spitfire compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, London Spitfire is one of the le ...
in the final match of Stage 1 gave the team a 4–3 record and qualified them Stage 1 Playoffs. Seoul took down the
New York Excelsior
The New York Excelsior (often stylized as NYXL) is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in New York City, New York. The Excelsior compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017 ...
3–1 in the quarterfinals, but they were eliminated after losing to the
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 ...
, 0–4, in the semifinals. The Dynasty struggled in Stage 2, as they were only able to amass a 3–4 record. 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
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 ...
, 1–3, in the quarterfinals. The Dynasty finished the regular season in eighth place, with a 15–13 record.
After defeating the
Guangzhou Charge
Guangzhou Charge () is a Chinese professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Guangzhou, Guangdong. The Charge compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2018, Guangzhou Charge began play as on ...
, 3–1, in the
play-in tournament, the Dynasty claimed the final spot in the
season playoffs. Their playoff run opened with a 2–4 loss to the
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 September 5, sending the Dynasty to the lower bracket of the tournament. Seoul's season ended in the first round of the lower bracket, after they lost against the
Hangzhou Spark
Hangzhou Spark () is a Chinese professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The Spark compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2018, Hangzhou Spark began play as one of e ...
, 1–4.
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.
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
Park Joon-yeong (, born November 19, 1999), better known by his online alias Profit, is a professional South Korean ''Overwatch'' player for the Seoul Dynasty of the Overwatch League (OWL). Prior to the OWL's inception, he played for GC Busan, w ...
and Hong "Gesture" Jae-hui. In the first tournament cycle of the season, the
May Melee, the Dynasty finished in last place in the Asia region qualifiers. However, the team turned things around in the knockouts, advancing the Asia region finals, where they faced 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 ...
. The Dynasty won the first three maps of the series; however, they lost the following four, losing the finals match 3–4. 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. Seoul defeated the
Hangzhou Spark
Hangzhou Spark () is a Chinese professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The Spark compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2018, Hangzhou Spark began play as one of e ...
on September 5 in the Asia region
play-in tournament to advance to the Asia region bracket of the
season playoffs. In the Asia bracket, a
double-elimination tournament
A double-elimination tournament is a type of elimination tournament competition in which a participant ceases to be eligible to win the tournament's championship upon having lost ''two'' games or matches. It stands in contrast to a single-elimina ...
, the Dynasty defeated the
Guangzhou Charge
Guangzhou Charge () is a Chinese professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Guangzhou, Guangdong. The Charge compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2018, Guangzhou Charge began play as on ...
in the first round but lost to the Shanghai Dragons in the following round. The team defeated the
New York Excelsior
The New York Excelsior (often stylized as NYXL) is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in New York City, New York. The Excelsior compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017 ...
in the lower bracket finals, advancing them to the Grand Finals bracket. The Dynasty's first match in the Grand Finals bracket, a four-team double elimination tournament, was against the
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 ...
on October 8; Seoul lost the match 2–3, dropping to the lower bracket. The team defeated the
Philadelphia Fusion
Philadelphia Fusion is an American-based professional Overwatch (video game)#Professional competition, ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Fusion compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's E ...
, 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. The Dynasty fell short of an OWL title, however, losing the Grand Finals match, 2–4, on October 10.
The Dynasty parted ways with several players after the 2020 season, including
support
Support may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Supporting character
Business and finance
* Support (technical analysis)
* Child support
* Customer support
* Income Support
Construction
* Support (structure), or lateral support, a ...
player Yang "tobi" Jin-mo, who was the last remaining member from Seoul's inaugural season team. The team picked up two veterans in former New York Excelsior players Jeong "ANAMO" Tae-seong and
Park "Saebyeolbe" Jong-ryeol
Park Jong-ryeol (), better known by his online alias Saebyeolbe, is a South Korean former professional ''Overwatch'' player. In his prime, he was considered one of the world's best Tracer players. During his career, he played in the Overwatch ...
. 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. In the 2021 season, the Dyansty 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. The Dynasty finished the regular season in third place in the Eastern region standings with a 12–4 record. 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.
2022–present
The Dynasty parted ways with five of their players, including Saebyeolbe and Gesture, as well as head coach Changgoon following the 2021 season;
shortly after, the team brought in former player Yang "tobi" Jin-mo as their new head coach.
Seoul also signed several new players to their team, including former Shock
tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
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. 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.
Team identity
On October 26, 2017, the organization's branding was unveiled.
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
''Overwatch'' Apex, or simply Apex, was a competitive esports tournament series in South Korea for the video game ''Overwatch'' run by South Korean cable television channel OnGameNet (OGN) from 2016 to 2017. The tournament was contested mostly b ...
.
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
Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom.
(, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...
character for king ( ''wang'').
The tiger was selected due to its
symbolism in Korean culture where it represents "strength, courage, and good fortune".
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.
Personnel
Current roster
Head coaches
Awards and records
Seasons overview
Individual accomplishments
All-Star Game selections
*Zunba (Kim Joon-hyeok) – 2018
*
Fleta
''Fleta'' is a treatise on the common law of England. It was written in Latin with the sub-title ''seu Commentarius juris Anglicani''. The anonymous author of the book is sometimes referred to as "Fleta", although this is not in fact a person's na ...
(Kim Byung-sun) – 2018, 2019
*
ryujehong
Ryu Je-hong (Hangul: 류제홍, born September 5, 1991), better known mononymously as ryujehong, is a South Korean former professional esports player, best known for his career as an ''Overwatch (video game), Overwatch'' player. During his ''O ...
(Ryu Je-hong) – 2018, 2019
*
Profit (Park Joon-yeong) – 2020
*Tobi (Yang Jin-mo) – 2020
Academy team
Seoul Dynasty's official
Overwatch Contenders
Overwatch Contenders (OWC) is an international esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'' that is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in 2 ...
academy team plays under the name of their parent company,
Gen.G esports. The team revealed their Korean Contenders roster on November 4, 2018.
References
External links
*
{{Overwatch League
Esports teams based in South Korea
Overwatch League teams
2017 establishments in South Korea
Esports teams established in 2017