2018 Philadelphia Fusion season

The 2018 Philadelphia Fusion season was the first season of the Philadelphia Fusion's existence in the Overwatch League. The team finished with a regular season record of 24–16, which was the fifth best in the Overwatch League. Philadelphia had the same record as the London Spitfire, but London held the tiebreaker by map differential. Philadelphia qualified for the Stage 2 playoffs, in which they lost in the finals against the New York Excelsior.[1] The team also qualified for the Season Playoffs, in which they lost in the Grand Finals against the London Spitfire.[2]

2018 Philadelphia Fusion season
Head coach	Yann Luu
Owner	Comcast Spectacor
Results
Record	24–16 (.600)
Place	Atlantic: 4th League: 6th
Stage 1 Playoffs	Did not qualify
Stage 2 Playoffs	Finals
Stage 3 Playoffs	Did not qualify
Stage 4 Playoffs	Did not qualify
Season Playoffs	Grand Finals
OWL All-Stars	2 Carpe (Lee Jae-hyeok) Poko (Gael Gouzarch)
Total Earnings	$525,000

Preceding offseason

On November 3, 2017, Fusion announced their inaugural season roster, consisting of the following players:[3]

• Lee "Carpe" Jae-hyeok
• Simon "Snillo" Ekström
• Georgii "ShaDowBurn" Gushcha
• Josue "Eqo" Corona
• Kim "SADO" Su-min
• Joona "fragi" Laine
• Alberto "Neptuno" González Molinillo
• Park "DayFly" Jeong-hwan
• Joseph "Joemeister" Gramano
• Isaac "Boombox" Charles
• Choi "Hotba" Hong-jun
• Gael "Poko" Gouzerch

Due to "player logistics issues," the Philadelphia Fusion did not participate in preseason play.[4]

Review

Regular season

Philadelphia's first regular season OWL match was a 3–2 victory against the Houston Outlaws on January 11.[5] On January 25, Philadelphia upset the undefeated New York Excelsior, which marked New York's only loss in Stage 1.[6][7] With a lack of preparation time heading into the regular season, the team struggled for form in Stage 1 and would only manage to notch 6 victories, missing the Stage 1 Playoffs.[8]

Using the stage-break to catch up on lost practice time and welcoming the arrival of Israeli DPS player Josue "Eqo" Corana, Stage 2 would prove to be a turning point for the team. After opening up the stage with back-to-back sweeps over the Boston Uprising and Florida Mayhem, the team would continue to impress and go on to achieve a much improved 3rd-place finish – good enough for a stage playoffs berth.[9] During the Stage 2 Playoffs, the team surprised many after defeating heavily favored Stage 1 champions London Spitfire in the semi-finals, however a finals match-up with the New York Excelsior would prove a juggernaut too much as the Fusion would fall short in a hard-fought 5-map match.[10]

Heading into the final match of Stage 3 on May 5, the Fusion needed a win over the Los Angeles Valiant for a shot to claim the 4th seed in the Stage 3 playoff bracket. However, the Valiant proved too much to handle, as they defeated the Fusion by a score of 3–2 and claimed the 4th seed for their own.[11]

After Dallas Fuel's upset 3–1 win over the Los Angeles Valiant on June 15, Philadelphia needed a 4–0 sweep over the London Spitfire in order to make the Stage 4 Playoffs. While the Fusion were victorious in that matchup, they were only able to win by a score of 3–1 and subsequently, missed the Stage 4 Playoffs.[12]

Season playoffs

Philadelphia Fusion claimed the 6th seed in the Season Playoffs on June 15, after Seoul Dynasty lost to the Los Angeles Gladiators.[13] During the Post-Season Playoffs, Philadelphia Fusion first faced the Boston Uprising. After a dominant first game they lost the second one, forcing a tie-breaker game which Fusion managed to win. After that they faced the New York Excelsior, who were heavy favorites to win the Post-Season playoffs. Fusion upset them in the first game, winning 3–0 and then narrowly winning the second game 3–2, which sent them to the grand finals. In the Grand Finals they faced another underdog; the London Spitifire. The Spitfire however showed the potential their team had and beat the Fusion in a best of 3 game series, winning 2–0.[14][15]

Final roster

2018 Philadelphia Fusion roster
Players	Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality Previous team Damage 3 snillo  Ekström, Simon   Sweden  123  Damage 13 ShaDowBurn  Gushcha, Georgii   Russia  FaZe Clan  Damage 15 Eqo  Corona, Josue   Israel  Zengaming eSports  Damage 18 Carpe  Lee Jae-hyeok  South Korea  FaZe Clan  Tank 9 SADO  Kim Su-min  South Korea  N/A  Tank 54 Fragi  Laine, Joona   Finland  Team Gigantti  Support 8 neptuNo  González, Alberto   Spain  Cloud9 EU  Support 10 DayFly  Park Jeong-hwan  South Korea  Ardeont  Support 23 Joemeister  Gramano, Joseph   Canada  FaZe Clan  Support 42 Boombox  Charles, Isaac   England  eUnited  Flex 7 HOTBA  Choi Hong-jun  South Korea  LW Red  Flex 21 Poko  Gouzerch, Gael   France  GamersOrigin	Head coach Yann Luu Legend (C) Team captain (2W) Two-way player (I) Inactive (S) Suspended Injury/Illness Latest roster transaction: November 3, 2017.

Standings

Record by stage

Stage	Pld	W	L	Pct	MW	ML	MT	MD	Pos
1	10	6	4	.600	20	24	1	-4	7
2	10	7	3	.700	27	15	0	+12	3
3	10	5	5	.500	24	23	0	+1	7
4	10	6	4	.600	22	18	1	+4	6
Overall	40	24	16	.600	93	80	2	+13	6
Qualified for playoffs

League

2018 Overwatch League standings
#	Team	Division	W	L	PCT	P	MR	MD	STK
Division leaders
1	New York Excelsior	ATL	34	6	.850	40	126–43–4	+83	W1
2	Los Angeles Valiant	PAC	27	13	.675	40	100–64–7	+36	L1
Wild cards
3	Boston Uprising	ATL	26	14	.650	40	99–71–3	+28	W4
4	Los Angeles Gladiators	PAC	25	15	.625	40	96–72–3	+24	W5
5[lower-alpha 1]	London Spitfire	ATL	24	16	.600	40	102–69–3	+33	L1
6[lower-alpha 1]	Philadelphia Fusion	ATL	24	16	.600	40	93–80–2	+13	W1
Did not qualify for playoffs
7[lower-alpha 2]	Houston Outlaws	ATL	22	18	.550	40	94–77–2	+17	L1
8[lower-alpha 2]	Seoul Dynasty	PAC	22	18	.550	40	91–78–3	+13	L1
9	San Francisco Shock	PAC	17	23	.425	40	77–84–5	-7	W1
10	Dallas Fuel	PAC	12	28	.300	40	58–100–7	-42	W1
11	Florida Mayhem	ATL	7	33	.175	40	42–120–5	-78	L3
12	Shanghai Dragons	PAC	0	40	.000	40	21–141–2	-120	L40
Tiebreakers
London placed ahead of Philadelphia based on map differential. Houston placed ahead of Seoul based on map differential.

Game log

Regular season

2018 game log (Overall record: 24–16)
Stage 1 (6–4) 1 January 11 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA 2 January 13 London Spitfire 4 – 0 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 3 January 17 San Francisco Shock 1 – 2 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 4 January 18 Philadelphia Fusion 2 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 5 January 25 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 2 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA 6 January 26 Shanghai Dragons 2 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 7 January 31 Los Angeles Valiant 4 – 0 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 8 February 01 Philadelphia Fusion 4 – 0 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA 9 February 08 Philadelphia Fusion 0 – 4 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA 10 February 10 Florida Mayhem 2 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA
Stage 2 (7–3) 11 February 22 Boston Uprising 0 – 4 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 12 February 24 Philadelphia Fusion 4 – 0 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA 13 March 01 Houston Outlaws 2 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 14 March 03 Philadelphia Fusion 0 – 4 London Spitfire Burbank, CA 15 March 08 Philadelphia Fusion 1 – 3 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA 16 March 09 New York Excelsior 3 – 1 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 17 March 15 Philadelphia Fusion 4 – 0 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA 18 March 17 Dallas Fuel 0 – 4 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 19 March 21 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 20 March 23 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 2 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA
Stage 3 (5–5) 21 April 05 Philadelphia Fusion 2 – 3 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA 22 April 07 Florida Mayhem 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 23 April 12 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA 24 April 14 London Spitfire 2 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 25 April 19 Philadelphia Fusion 2 – 3 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA 26 April 20 Philadelphia Fusion 1 – 3 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA 27 April 26 Seoul Dynasty 3 – 2 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 28 April 28 Shanghai Dragons 2 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 29 May 02 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA 30 May 05 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 2 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA
Stage 4 (6–4) 31 May 17 Boston Uprising 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 32 May 19 Philadelphia Fusion 4 – 0 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA 33 May 24 Philadelphia Fusion 4 – 0 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA 34 May 26 Dallas Fuel 3 – 1 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 35 May 30 New York Excelsior 4 – 0 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 36 May 31 Philadelphia Fusion 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 37 June 07 San Francisco Shock 1 – 2 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 38 June 08 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 2 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA 39 June 14 Houston Outlaws 3 – 1 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 40 June 16 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 1 London Spitfire Burbank, CA

Playoffs

2018 playoff game log
Stage 2 Playoffs (1–1) Semifinals March 25 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 2 London Spitfire Burbank, CA Finals March 25 Philadelphia Fusion 2 – 3 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA
Season Playoffs (4–3) Quarterfinals Match 1 July 11 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 1 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA Quarterfinals Match 2 July 13 Philadelphia Fusion 1 – 3 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA Quarterfinals Match 3 July 13 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 1 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA Semifinals Match 1 July 18 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 1 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA Semifinals Match 2 July 21 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 2 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA Grand Finals Match 1 July 27 Philadelphia Fusion 1 – 3 London Spitfire Brooklyn, NY Grand Finals Match 2 July 28 Philadelphia Fusion 0 – 3 London Spitfire Brooklyn, NY

References

1. Akshon Esports (July 26, 2018). "Philadelphia Fusion: From underdogs to heroes — the story so far". NBC Sports.
2. Waltzer, Noah (July 28, 2018). "London Spitfire wins inaugural Overwatch League title". ESPN.
3. "Philadelphia Fusion Players and Coaches Unveiled". Business Wire. November 3, 2017.
4. Bailey, Dustin (December 5, 2017). "Philadelphia Fusion will miss the Overwatch League preseason". PC Games.
5. Carpenter, Nicole (January 11, 2019). "New York Excelsior, London Spitfire, Philadelphia Fusion impressed fans at Overwatch League day two". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
6. Luongo, Cody (February 9, 2018). "ESI Gambling Report: Overwatch League Stage 1 Playoffs". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
7. Carpenter, Nicole (January 25, 2018). "Philly Fusion's win over NYXL proves no one is unbeatable in the Overwatch League". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
8. "The Final Standings in Stage One of the Overwatch League". Dexerto. February 11, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
9. Van Allen, Eric (25 February 2018). "Philly's Secret Weapon Shines In Overwatch League Debut". Compete (Kotaku). Retrieved 12 July 2018.
10. Nguyen, Steven; Craffey, Liam (26 March 2018). "New York Excelsior reverse-sweeps Philadelphia Fusion to win Stage 2". ESPN. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
11. O'Brien, Joe (May 6, 2018). "The Overwatch League Stage 3 Playoff Teams and Bracket are Set". Dexerto. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
12. Lingle, Samuel (June 16, 2018). "Dallas Fuel will play in OWL stage 4 title matches after Philadelphia Fusion fail to sweep London Spitfire". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
13. Lingle, Samuel (June 15, 2018). "Seoul Dynasty's loss cedes an OWL playoff spot to Philadelphia Fusion". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
14. Waltzer, Noah (28 July 2018). "London Spitfire wins inaugural Overwatch League title". ESPN. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
15. Bright, Ryan (28 July 2018). "London Spitfire duo master Philadelphia Fusion to claim first Overwatch League title". NBC Sports. Retrieved 18 March 2019.