Dallas Fuel

Dallas Fuel is an American professional Overwatch team based in Dallas, Texas. The Fuel compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's Pacific West Division.

Dallas Fuel
FoundedFebruary 3, 2016
LeagueOverwatch League
ConferencePacific
DivisionWest
Team historyTeam EnVyUs
(2016–2017)
Dallas Fuel
(2017–present)
Based inDallas, United States
Arena
Colors                   
OwnerMike Rufail
Kenneth Hersh
Head coachAaron "Aero" Atkins
General managerMathew Taylor
Affiliation(s)Team Envy
Main sponsorJack in the Box
Parent groupEnvy Gaming
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms

Founded in 2017, Dallas Fuel is one of the league's twelve founding members and is one of two professional Overwatch teams based in Texas (the other, Houston Outlaws). The Fuel became the first team to play a home match, as they hosted the "Dallas Fuel Homestand Weekend" at the Allen Event Center in 2019; Dallas will host five homestands in 2020 at various locations. The team is owned by esports organization Envy Gaming, who also own Team Envy. Team Envy runs their own Overwatch division that competes in Overwatch Contenders as an academy team for the Fuel.

Kyle "KyKy" Souder was appointed the team's first head coach, but after a disappointing first-half of the 2018 season, he was replaced by Aaron "Aero" Atkins. Aero led the team to a Stage 4 playoff berth in 2018 but has yet to bring the Fuel to the season playoffs.

Franchise history

Team origins: 2016–2017
Main article: Team Envy (Overwatch team) § 2016–2017: Pre-Overwatch League

Formed during the Overwatch closed beta in February 2016, the Dallas Fuel originally started out as an all-American roster playing under the Overwatch division for esports franchise Team Envy.[1] Even though their original roster showed some early promise in online tournaments, just prior to the official launch of Overwatch they disbanded.[2] Their next turn in forming a roster saw them look abroad, eventually bringing players from across Europe to their Charlotte headquarters and securing the core of what would become the Dallas Fuel in Sebastian "chipshajen" Widlund, Christian "cocco" Jonsson, Jonathan "HarryHook" Tejedor Rua, and Timo "Taimou" Kettunen.[3] The team found much success, going on to win Season 1 of OGN's Overwatch APEX in Seoul, Korea,[4][5] winning the Overwatch NA Invitational at MLG Vegas,[6] and going undefeated and winning 2018 Season 1 of North America Overwatch Contenders.[7] The Contenders playoffs marked both the debut of Brandon "Seagull" Larned, as well as the final event played under the "Team EnVyUs" moniker.[8]

After weeks of speculation, on September 20, 2017, Blizzard officially announced that Envy Gaming had acquired the Dallas-based Overwatch League franchise spot, making them one of twelve teams competing in the inaugural season.[9] Envy Gaming filled the Fuel roster by transferring all of the members and staff from the Overwatch team of Team EnVyUs, which officially ended EnVyUs' Overwatch division.[10] On October 5, 2017, the Dallas-based franchise name was revealed as the Dallas Fuel.[11] In late October, the Fuel announced that Scott "Custa" Kennedy and Félix "xQc" Lengyel would be rounding out their 9-player roster, joining existing members chipshajen, cocco, EFFECT, HarryHook, Mickie, Seagull, and Taimou.[12]

Early years: 2018–present
Aaron "Aero" Atkins took over as head coach in 2018 Stage 4.

In December 2017, the Fuel went undefeated in the first ever Overwatch League preseason.[13] Shortly afterwards on January 10, 2018, the Fuel began their inaugural regular season campaign. Their debut match resulted in a 1–2 loss to early season favorites the Seoul Dynasty.[14] They would struggle for the remainder of Stage 1, and end up finishing with a 3–7 record in 10th place, which did not reflect how the team did previously as Team Envy.[15] The Fuel finished Stage 2 in 11th place with a 2–8 record. Early in Stage 3, head coach KyKy and DPS player Rascal were released after some in fighting between the two.[16] The team's only victory in the stage was over the winless Shanghai Dragons, making their stage record 1–9.[17] The team signed Fusion University head coach Aaron “Aero” Atkins before the fourth stage began.[18] The Fuel would go on to achieve a season-high 6 wins, including victories against top-6 opponents the Valiant, Uprising, Spitfire, and Fusion. The record would be good enough for a 4th place finish and the team's first ever stage playoffs berth.[19][17] In the stage semi-finals, the team would lose 2–3 against back-to-back stage champions New York Excelsior, the match marking the end of their season, as they would finish in 10th place with a record of 12–28.[20]

In their first full season under head coach Aaron "Aero" Atkins, the team looked to improve on their disappointing 12–28 record from 2018. Dallas began the 2019 season posting an impressive 4–2 record through six games, but a 2–3 loss in the final match of the stage to the Boston Uprising eliminated the team from Stage 1 Playoff contention.[21] The team hit their stride in Stage 2, amassing a 5–2 record, and qualified for the Stage 2 Playoffs. However, they were knocked out in the quarterfinals round by the Vancouver Titans in a 0–3 loss.[22] The Fuel fell apart in the final half of the season, finding only one win in their final fourteen matches. With a 10–18 record for the season, the Fuel again did not qualify for the season playoffs.[23]

Team identity

On October 5, 2017, the Dallas Fuel brand was officially unveiled.[11] The creation stemmed from the Overwatch League requirement for participating franchises to create new geolocated brands, as well as business entities, specific to the league.[24]

Due to the energy's sector's influence on Dallas culture and economy, plus the rich energy sector legacy of new investment partners Hersh Interactive Group led by Dallas-based Kenneth Hersh, the name "Fuel" was eventually selected. In addition, the team revealed they hoped the selection would appeal to fans from all walks of life.[25][26]

With the franchise looking to breathe new life into esports fans in Dallas and hoping to transcend current industry standards, the iconic blue flame was selected to symbolize the spark that would ignite the change.[27] The logo also pays homage to the heritage and strength of the energy sector in Texas, the industry in which team investor Kenneth Hersh made his riches.[11]

The official team colors are blue, grey, and black. Blue serves as the primary team color in recognition of the endearment "Boys in Blue" that the team had acquired under parent organization EnVyUs.[28][11] The Fuel’s jerseys are white on away games and blue on home games; they also have the Jack in the Box logo, the first OWL jersey sponsor, prominently placed on the front.

Ownership and finances

On September 18, 2017, Envy Gaming owner Mike "Hastr0" Rufail, a Texas native, confirmed that the organization had secured a multimillion-dollar investment from Hersh Interactive Group. The deal entailed Hersh serving as strategic partners to the organization, whilst Hastr0 would remain as the principal owner and operator of the team.[29][30][31] Soon after, on September 20, it was officially announced that the Dallas-based Overwatch League franchise had been acquired by Team Envy for a reported $20 million.[9][32]

In November 2017, Team Envy signed a multimillion-dollar, multiyear deal with the restaurant chain Jack in the Box. As part of the deal, Jack in the Box became the official quick-service restaurant and exclusive jersey rights partner of the Fuel, as well as having their logo featured on official team merchandise available for purchase by the public. The team partnership marked the first of its kind in the Overwatch League.[33][34]

Home arenas

The Fuel in 2019 became the first team in the Overwatch League to host a home game. The two-day event, the Dallas Fuel Homestand Weekend, took place at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas and sold out 4,500 seats each day.[35] Held in part to test the viability of the league's plan to hold matches locally, Dallas Fuel was responsible for every aspect of the weekend aside from the broadcast, which was aired on ESPN2.[36] Marking the highest viewership of 2019 Stage 2, the homestand showed that the local-match model has promise.[37][38]

The Fuel was slated to host a league-high five homestand weekends in the 2020 season. The matches would have taken place at Esports Stadium Arlington, Toyota Music Factory, Allen Event Center, and two more undetermined locations.[39] These homestand weekends were later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[40]

Personnel

Current roster
Dallas Fuel roster
PlayersCoaches
RoleNo.HandleNameNationalityPrevious team
Damage 10 aKm  Bignet, Dylan   France  Rogue 
Damage 20 Doha  Kim Dong-ha  South Korea  Element Mystic 
Damage 27 Onigod  Fiskerstrand, Stefan   Norway  Team Doge 
Tank 3 NotE  Meissner, Lucas   Canada  Boston Uprising 
Tank 30 Trill  Powell, Ashley   Australia  Team Envy 
Tank 1 Gamsu  Noh Young-jin  South Korea  Shanghai Dragons 
Support 17 Closer  Jung Won-sik  South Korea  London Spitfire 
Support 12 Paintbrush  Edwards, Nolan   United States  Los Angeles Gladiators 
Support 24 Unkoe  Chevasson, Benjamin   France  Los Angeles Valiant 
Support 28 Crimzo  Hernandez, William   Canada  Team Envy 
Head coach
  • Aaron "Aero" Atkins
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injury/Illness

Latest roster transaction: August 5, 2020.

Head coaches
Dallas Fuel head coaches
Handle Name From To Span Ref.
KyKy Kyle Souder October 5, 2017 April 15, 2018 192 days [16]
Peak[lower-alpha 1] Emanuel Uzoni April 15, 2018 May 15, 2018 30 days [16][18][41]
Aero Aaron Atkins May 15, 2018 August 4th, 2020 2 years, 81 days [18]
  1. Interim head coach

Awards and records
Pongphop "Mickie" Rattanasangchod was awarded the Dennis Hawelka Award in 2018
Min-seok "OGE" Son was selected for the All-Star team in 2018 and 2019

Seasons overview
Season P W L W% MW ML MT MD Pos. (league) Pos. (conf.) Playoffs Earnings
2018 401228.300581007-4210th5thNot eligible$50,000
2019 281018.35743703-2715th10thNot eligible$25,000
2020 17710.4122837-913th8thTBD$0

Individual accomplishments

Dennis Hawelka Award

  • Mickie (Pongphop Rattanasangchod) – 2018

All-Star Game selections

Academy team
Main article: Team Envy (Overwatch team)

On July 2, 2018, the Envy Gaming formally announced that their esports franchise Team Envy would compete as an academy team for the Dallas Fuel in Overwatch Contenders North America, as Envy had acquired EnVision Esports' Contenders slot and roster and signed former Team EnVyUs member Ronnie "Talespin" DuPree.[42][43]

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References
  1. Lingle, Samuel (February 3, 2016). "Team EnVyUs picks up Overwatch's best team". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  2. Leslie, Callum (April 18, 2016). "Team EnVyUs disband Overwatch roster after disappointing results". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  3. Mueller, Saira (April 24, 2016). "EnVyUs reworks Overwatch team, picks up European roster IDDQD". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  4. Ellis, Anne (December 2, 2016). "The EnVyUs Miracle at OGN Overwatch APEX". Red Bull. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
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  7. Carpenter, Nicole (October 9, 2017). "Team Envy make undefeated run at Overwatch Contenders". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
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  9. Marshall, Cass (September 20, 2017). "Meet the final founding members of the Overwatch League". Heroes Never Die. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  10. Marshall, Cass (November 7, 2017). "The Dallas Fuel are eager to debut in the Overwatch League". Heroes Never Die. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  11. Carpenter, Nicole (October 5, 2017). "Team Envy's Overwatch League team will be called the Dallas Fuel". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  12. Duwe, Scott (October 29, 2017). "Dallas Fuel confirms highly flexible 9-man roster for Overwatch League". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  13. Erzberger, Tyler (January 9, 2018). "Overwatch League Week 0 Power Rankings". ESPN. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  14. Donigan, Wyatt (January 15, 2018). "Dynasty survives Fuel, Valiant tops Shock, Gladiators squashes Dragons as OWL regular season begins". ESPN. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  15. Mary Justice, Amelia (February 8, 2018). "Dallas' Growing Pains -- Down But Not Out". Inven Global. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  16. Jeong, Seong-mo; Park, Kyung-yun (April 15, 2018). "Head Coach KyKy and DPS player Rascal released from Dallas Fuel". Inven Global. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  17. Alonzo, Damian (June 4, 2018). "After months in the toilet, Overwatch League's Dallas Fuel is suddenly good". PC Gamer. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  18. Tahan, Chelsey (May 15, 2018). "Aaron "Aero" Atkins to be the head coach for the Dallas Fuel". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  19. Nash, Anthony (June 29, 2018). "Good, bad, and ugly from the Dallas Fuel regular season". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  20. Donigan, Wyatt (June 18, 2018). "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  21. Fossett, Wyatt (March 18, 2019). "Overwatch League Week 5 Recap: Vancouver Claims King of the Hill". Twin Galaxies. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  22. Amos, Andrew (May 10, 2019). "New York Excelsior and Vancouver Titans set to meet in Overwatch League stage 2 semifinals". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  23. Magelssen, Tommy (August 24, 2019). "Five thoughts: Dallas Fuel lose to Atlanta Reign, finished Stage 4 winless; important offseason awaits". Dallas News. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  24. Wolf, Jacob (August 25, 2017). "Overwatch League teams required to create new geolocated brands, confirms Blizzard". ESPN. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  25. "Insights On The Dallas Fuel #BurnBlue". Dallas Fuel. October 12, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017 – via YouTube.
  26. Marshall, Cass (October 5, 2017). "Team Envy unveils the Dallas Fuel brand for the Overwatch League". Heroes Never Die. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  27. Peele, Britton (October 5, 2017). "Dallas' 'Overwatch' esports team has a name: Dallas Fuel". GuideLive. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  28. Clark, Jewels (October 10, 2017). "Team EnVyUs has Chosen Name for Dallas Overwatch League". Dallas Innovates. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  29. Garrett, Arnessa (September 18, 2017). "E-sports pioneer Team Envy announces relocation to Dallas after big investment from oil baron". Dallas News. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  30. Carpenter, Nicole (September 18, 2017). "Team EnVyUs confirms eight-figure investment deal from oil magnate". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  31. Ring, Oliver (September 19, 2017). "Team EnVyUs confirm "multi eight figure investment" from Hersh Interactive Group". Esports Insider. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  32. Wolf, Jacob (August 6, 2017). "Blizzard to add Team EnVyUs as Austin-Dallas Overwatch League rep". ESPN. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  33. Heitner, Darren (November 8, 2017). "Jack In The Box Becomes 1st Overwatch League Jersey Sponsor". Forbes. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  34. Goslin, Austen (November 8, 2017). "Overwatch League has its first partnership as Dallas Fuel join forces with Jack in the Box". Heroes Never Die. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  35. Newman, Heather (April 28, 2019). "Zeroes To Heroes: Dallas Fuel Hosts First Overwatch League Home Rivalry Today". Forbes. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  36. Van Allen, Eric (April 29, 2019). "Overwatch League clears another hurdle with sold-out 'Homestand Weekend' near Dallas". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  37. Miceli, Max (May 1, 2019). "Overwatch League Homestand Provides Most-Watched Days of Stage Two on Twitch". The Esports Observer. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  38. Erzberger, Tyler (May 1, 2019). "Overwatch League's first homestand shows the model can work". ESPN. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  39. Magelssen, Tommy (August 20, 2019). "2020 Dallas Fuel schedule released: Esports Stadium Arlington gets opening-weekend fixtures". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  40. Entertainment, Blizzard (March 3, 2020). "Schedule for Weeks 9-10 and an Update on Homestands". Overwatch League. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  41. Boatman, Brandon (May 16, 2018). "Dallas Fuel Introduce New Head Coach". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  42. Carpenter, Nicole (July 3, 2018). "Team Envy's got an Overwatch Contenders team now". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  43. Baker, Harry (July 3, 2018). "Dallas Fuel announce Contenders academy team, Talespin to join". Overwatch Wire. Retrieved July 16, 2018.

Further reading
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