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2018 Dallas Fuel season

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2018 Dallas Fuel season
Head coach
  • Kyle "KyKy" Souder
    (Released April 16)
  • Aaron "Aero" Atkins
OwnerMike Rufail
Kenneth Hersh
DivisionPacific
Results
Record12–28 (.300)
Place
Stage 1 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 2 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 3 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 4 PlayoffsSemifinals
Season PlayoffsDid not qualify
Total Earnings$50,000

The 2018 Dallas Fuel season was the first season of the Dallas Fuel's existence in the Overwatch League (OWL). After Envy Gaming acquired the Dallas franchise slot for the OWL on October 5, 2017, the roster and staff of Team EnVyUs was transferred to the Dallas Fuel. The Fuel struggled throughout the first three quarters of the season, winning only six games, largely due to the instability of their roster. The team also went through a head coaching change, releasing Kyle "KyKy" Souder and signing Aaron "Aero" Atkins. Dallas had their most successful stage in Stage 4 and qualified for the Stage 4 playoffs. However, they lost in the semifinals to the New York Excelsior. The team finished with a regular season record of 12–28 placing them tenth overall and did not qualify for the season playoffs.

Preceding offseason

[edit]

On September 20, 2017, Blizzard officially announced that Envy Gaming had acquired the Dallas-based Overwatch League franchise spot.[1] All of the existing members of Team EnVyUs were transferred to the new team, the Dallas Fuel, which consisted of:[2]

  • Timo "Taimou" Kettunen
  • Jonathan "HarryHook" Tejedor Rua
  • Sebastian "Chipshajen" Widlund
  • Christian "cocco" Jonsson
  • Hyeon "EFFECT" Hwang
  • Pongphop "Mickie" Rattanasangchod

The team announced the signing of popular player and streamer Brandon "Seagull" Larned three days later.[3] Dallas rounded out their roster in late October, signing support player Scott "Custa" Kennedy on October 27 and tank player Félix "xQc" Lengyel on October 28.[4][5]

Regular season

[edit]
Aaron "Aero" Atkins took over as head coach in 2018 Stage 4.

Fuel's first-ever OWL regular season match was on January 10, 2018, and resulted in a 1–2 loss to the Seoul Dynasty.[6] The first three quarters of the Fuel's season was plagued with player discipline issues and an inconsistent roster. On January 19, the Overwatch League suspended xQc for four games after he made anti-gay remarks towards a Houston Outlaws player the day before. The Fuel extended the suspension to the entirety of Stage 1 shortly after.[7] Between Stages 1 and 2, the Fuel acquired damage players Dylan "aKm" Bignet and Kim "Rascal" Dong-jun from free agency and the London Spitfire, respectively.[8][9] On March 8, in the middle of Stage 2, the Fuel signed tank player Son "OGE" Min-seok, maxing out their roster at 12 players.[10] Two days later, xQc was suspended for another four matches, after he "used an emote in a racially disparaging manner on the league’s stream and on social media, and used disparaging language against Overwatch League casters and fellow players on social media and on his personal stream."[11] The following day, on March 11, the Fuel released xQc.[12] The Fuel's player discipline issues continued later on in the stage, as OGE received a four-game suspension on March 23 for account boosting, a process in which a player is paid to increase another player's skill rating, back in Summer 2017.[13] On April 2, prior to the start of Stage 3, Dallas traded Custa to the Los Angeles Valiant in exchange for support player Benjamin "uNKOE" Chevasson.[14] On April 15, the Fuel released head coach Kyle "KyKy" Souder and assistant coach Emanuel "Peak" Uzoni was named the interim head coach. Additionally, Rascal was released due to commitment issues and his unwillingness to communicate.[15] Along with periodical absences, including missing most of Stage 3, during the season from Hwang "EFFECT" Hyeon,[16] the Fuel amassed 24 losses in the first three stages; the six matches they won included three over the winless Shanghai Dragons.[17]

On May 15, a day before the start of Stage 4, Dallas announced the signing of former Fusion University head coach Aaron "Aero" Atkins as their new head coach.[18] The stage also saw the support hero Brigitte become a strong character to play; Fuel's Pongphop "Mickie" Rattanasangchod performed particularly well with the hero throughout the stage.[19][20] The Fuel doubled their number of wins Stage 4, going 6–4, which included victories over top teams such as the Valiant, Uprising, Spitfire, and Fusion. The record would be good enough to claim the fourth seed in the Stage 4 playoffs.[17] In the stage semifinals on June 16, the team lost to the New York Excelsior, 2–3.[21] Dallas ended the season 10th place with a record of 12–28.[22]

On August 23, Mickie, OGE, and Seagull were announced to represent the Fuel in the 2018 All-Star Game; however, Seagull announced his retirement before the game and was subsequently replaced by Los Angeles Gladiators tank player Bischu.[23]

Final roster

[edit]
2018 Dallas Fuel roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage 10 aKm Bignet, Dylan France
Damage 13 Taimou Kettunen, Timo Finland
Damage 39 EFFECT Hwang Hyeon South Korea
Tank 2 OGE Son Min-seok South Korea
Tank 55 cocco Jonsson, Christian Sweden
Support 4 Chipshajen Widlund, Sebastian Sweden
Support 9 HarryHook Tejedor, Jonathan Spain
Support 24 Unkoe Chevasson, Benjamin France
Flex 7 Mickie Rattanasangchod, Pongphop Thailand
Flex 7 Seagull Larned, Brandon United States
Head coach
  • Aaron Atkins

Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: April 16, 2018.

Transactions

[edit]

Transactions of/for players on the roster during the 2018 regular season:

  • On February 13, Fuel signed Dylan "aKm" Bignet.[24]
  • On February 13, Fuel acquired Kim "Rascal" Dong-jun from London Spitfire.[24]
  • On March 8, Fuel signed Son "OGE" Min-seok.[10]
  • On March 11, Fuel released Félix "xQc" Lengyel.[12]
  • On April 2, Fuel traded Scott "Custa" Kennedy to Los Angeles Valiant in exchange for Benjamin "Unkoe" Chevasson.[14]
  • On April 15, Fuel released Kim "Rascal" Dong-jun.[15]

Standings

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Record by stage

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Stage Pld W L Pct MW ML MT MD Pos
1 10 3 7 .300 14 25 3 -11 10
2 10 2 8 .200 13 28 1 -15 11
3 10 1 9 .100 9 30 2 -21 11
4 10 6 4 .600 22 17 1 +5 4
Overall 40 12 28 .300 58 100 7 -42 10
  Qualified for playoffs

League

[edit]
Pos Div Team Pld W L PCT MW ML MT MD Qualification
1 ATL New York Excelsior 40 34 6 0.850 126 43 4 +83 Advance to season playoffs semifinals
2 PAC Los Angeles Valiant 40 27 13 0.675 100 64 7 +36
3 ATL Boston Uprising 40 26 14 0.650 99 71 3 +28 Advance to season playoffs quarterfinals
4 PAC Los Angeles Gladiators 40 25 15 0.625 96 72 3 +24
5 ATL London Spitfire 40 24 16 0.600 102 69 3 +33
6 ATL Philadelphia Fusion 40 24 16 0.600 93 80 2 +13
7 ATL Houston Outlaws 40 22 18 0.550 94 77 2 +17
8 PAC Seoul Dynasty 40 22 18 0.550 91 78 3 +13
9 PAC San Francisco Shock 40 17 23 0.425 77 84 5 −7
10 PAC Dallas Fuel 40 12 28 0.300 58 100 7 −42
11 ATL Florida Mayhem 40 7 33 0.175 42 120 5 −78
12 PAC Shanghai Dragons 40 0 40 0.000 21 141 2 −120
Source: The Overwatch League
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) map differential; 3) head-to-head map differential; 4) head-to-head record

Game log

[edit]

Preseason

[edit]
2018 preseason game log
Preseason (2–0)
1 December 7 Dallas Fuel 3 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


2 December 9 Florida Mayhem 1 3 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA



Regular season

[edit]
2018 game log (Regular season record: 12–28)
Stage 1 (3–7)
1 January 10 Dallas Fuel 1 2 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA


2 January 12 Los Angeles Valiant 3 0 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


3 January 18 Dallas Fuel 0 4 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


4 January 19 London Spitfire 3 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


5 January 26 Dallas Fuel 3 0 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA


6 January 27 Dallas Fuel 2 3 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA


7 February 01 Philadelphia Fusion 4 0 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


8 February 03 Dallas Fuel 1 3 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA


9 February 07 Shanghai Dragons 2 3 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


10 February 09 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 3 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA



Stage 2 (2–8)
11 February 21 Dallas Fuel 3 1 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA


12 February 23 Dallas Fuel 3 1 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


13 February 28 Seoul Dynasty 3 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


14 March 02 Dallas Fuel 1 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


15 March 07 San Francisco Shock 3 0 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


16 March 10 Florida Mayhem 3 2 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


17 March 14 Boston Uprising 4 0 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


18 March 17 Dallas Fuel 0 4 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA


19 March 22 New York Excelsior 3 2 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


20 March 24 Dallas Fuel 1 3 London Spitfire Burbank, CA



Stage 3 (1–9)
21 April 04 Shanghai Dragons 1 3 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


22 April 06 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


23 April 11 Dallas Fuel 2 3 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA


24 April 13 Los Angeles Valiant 2 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


25 April 18 Dallas Fuel 0 4 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA


26 April 21 Houston Outlaws 3 0 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


27 April 25 Dallas Fuel 1 3 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA


28 April 27 Dallas Fuel 0 4 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA


29 May 02 Philadelphia Fusion 3 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


30 May 03 Dallas Fuel 0 4 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA



Stage 4 (6–4)
31 May 16 Dallas Fuel 3 1 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA


32 May 18 Dallas Fuel 0 4 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


33 May 23 Boston Uprising 0 3 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


34 May 26 Dallas Fuel 3 1 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA


35 May 31 San Francisco Shock 3 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


36 June 02 London Spitfire 1 3 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


37 June 06 Dallas Fuel 1 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


38 June 08 Florida Mayhem 0 4 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


39 June 13 Seoul Dynasty 3 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


40 June 15 Dallas Fuel 3 1 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


Semifinals June 16 Dallas Fuel 2 3 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA



References

[edit]
  1. ^ Marshall, Cass (September 20, 2017). "Meet the final founding members of the Overwatch League". Heroes Never Die. Polygon. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  2. ^ Marshall, Cass (November 7, 2017). "The Dallas Fuel are eager to debut in the Overwatch League". Heroes Never Die. Polygon. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  3. ^ Goslin, Austen (September 27, 2017). "North American streamer and pro player Seagull joins Team Envy". Heroes Never Die. Polygon. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  4. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (October 27, 2017). "Dallas Fuel signs new support player to Overwatch League roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  5. ^ Duwe, Scott (October 28, 2017). "Dallas Fuel signs eccentric tank main xQc to Overwatch League roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  6. ^ Donigan, Wyatt (15 January 2018). "Dynasty survives Fuel, Valiant tops Shock, Gladiators squashes Dragons as OWL regular season begins". ESPN. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  7. ^ Wolf, Jacob (January 19, 2018). "Dallas Fuel suspend xQc for anti-gay slurs; Overwatch League fines player". ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  8. ^ Duwe, Scott (13 February 2018). "Dallas Fuel officially announce the signing of DPS star aKm". Dot Esports. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  9. ^ Katsuragi, Chris (13 February 2018). "London Spitfire's Rascal is headed to the Dallas Fuel". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  10. ^ a b Katsuragi, Chris (March 8, 2018). "Dallas Fuel adds new tank Son "OGE" Min-Seok to roster". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018.
  11. ^ Mastin, Sabriel (March 10, 2018). "xQc receives a new fine and suspension". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Wolf, Jacob (March 11, 2018). "xQc released from Dallas Fuel after receiving second Overwatch League suspension". ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  13. ^ Goslin, Austen (March 23, 2018). "Dallas Fuel's OGE suspended for 4 games". Heroes Never Die. Polygon. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Carpenter, Nicole (April 2, 2018). "Dallas Fuel and Los Angeles Valiant swap support players". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Goslin, Austen (April 16, 2018). "Dallas Fuel release coach Kyky and DPS player Rascal". Heroes Never Die. Polygon. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  16. ^ Baker, Harry (May 12, 2018). "Dallas Fuel DPS player EFFECT states he will not play in Stage Four". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018.
  17. ^ a b Nash, Anthony (June 29, 2018). "Good, bad, and ugly from the Dallas Fuel regular season". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018.
  18. ^ Tahan, Chelsey (May 15, 2018). "Aaron "Aero" Atkins to be the head coach for the Dallas Fuel". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018.
  19. ^ Alonzo, Damian (June 4, 2018). "After months in the toilet, Overwatch League's Dallas Fuel is suddenly good". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  20. ^ Van Allen, Eric (May 27, 2018). "Dallas Fuel Is Playing Its Best Overwatch Yet, Despite No Hope For Playoffs". Kotaku. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  21. ^ Donigan, Wyatt (June 17, 2018). "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  22. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (July 3, 2018). "See you next season: Overwatch League send-offs". ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  23. ^ "Full All-Star Rosters Revealed". Overwatch League. August 23, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Wolf, Jacob (February 13, 2018). "Sources: Rascal to join Dallas Fuel". ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2022.