New York Excelsior

The New York Excelsior (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 Atlantic North Division.[3]

New York Excelsior
Short nameNYXL
FoundedJuly 12, 2017
LeagueOverwatch League
ConferenceAtlantic
DivisionNorth
Team historyNew York Excelsior
(2017–present)
Based inNew York City,
United States
ArenaHammerstein Ballroom[1]
Colors     
OwnerJeff Wilpon
Head coachJuhyeop "WhyNot" Lee[2]
General managerKim Yo-han
Affiliation(s)XL2 Academy
Main sponsorT-Mobile
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms

Founded in 2017, the team is one of twelve founding members of the Overwatch League and is the first professional esports team to represent the city of New York. The franchise is owned by the venture capital fund Sterling.VC, who is supported by New York Mets principal owner Sterling Equities, and operated by Andbox, an esports organization founded by Sterling.VC.[4] They also own XL2 Academy, an academy team for NYXL competing in Overwatch Contenders.

Hyun-sang "Pavane" Yu was appointed the team's first head coach and has led New York to two conference titles, all seven stage playoff appearances, two stage titles, and a two season playoff berths. On October 21, 2019, after the end of OWL Season 2, Yu announced his decision to step down as head coach on Twitter.[5]

Franchise history

Beginnings

On July 12, 2017, Overwatch developer Activision Blizzard officially announced that Jeff Wilpon, co-founder and partner of Sterling.VC and chief operating officer of the New York Mets, purchased the New York-based Overwatch League franchise for an estimated $20 million.[6][7] With the purchase, the franchise became the first professional esports team to represent New York City.[8] "We sort of skirted around it in the periphery, looked at a couple of teams, made a couple of investments in some companies that do work within esports but never had the real opportunity to buy a team like this," Wilpon said in an interview. "Knowing how committed Activision Blizzard is in this space, it made sense to come in. With people like the Krafts involved, it just gave a good feeling to this."[9]

On October 30, the franchise revealed they would be called the New York Excelsior, as well as unveiling their team branding and inaugural season roster. The roster would entail the acquisitions of the complete LuxuryWatch Blue team, LuxuryWatch Red's Hong "Ark" Yeon-jun and coaches Yu "Pavane" Hyun-sang and Kim "WizardHyeong" Hyeong-seok, and Meta Athena's Kim "Libero" Hae-seong.[10][11]

Early years (2018–present)

On January 11, the Excelsior opened their inaugural season with a 3–1 victory over the Boston Uprising.[12] They would end Stage 1 of the 2018 Season with a 9–1 record, earning them the top spot and first-round bye in the Stage 1 Playoffs.[13] However, the team lost in the finals to the London Spitfire (3–2) in a reverse sweep.[14] Stage 2 played out much like Stage 1 for New York, as the team went on to post again a 9–1 record and a first-round bye into the Stage 2 Playoffs. Also like Stage 1, the playoff finals ended in a 3–2 reverse sweep, but this time New York was on the winning side, defeating the Philadelphia Fusion on March 25 to claim the Stage 2.[15][16] In Stage 3, New York once again posted a 9–1 record, giving them the second seed for the Stage 3 Playoffs. In the semifinals, the Excelsior swept the Los Angeles Valiant 3–0. The team won in the Stage 3 finals against Boston Uprising in another 3–0 sweep, giving New York back-to-back stage titles.[17] New York posted their worst record, 7–3, in Stage 4, but still claimed the third seed for the Stage 4 Playoffs. Their first matchup was in the semifinals against the Dallas Fuel, in which the Excelsior won 3–2. However, they lost in the Stage 4 finals against the Los Angeles Valiant by a score of 1–3.[18] New York ended their 2018 season with a league-leading 34–6 record and qualified for the Season Playoffs prior to the beginning of Stage 4.[19] The team had a first-round bye and faced the Philadelphia Fusion in the semifinals on July 18 and 21. New York lost both matchups by scores of 0–3 and 2–3, eliminating them from the playoffs.[20] Support player Bang "JJonak" Seong-hyun was named the inaugural Overwatch League season MVP.[21]

Looking to bounce back from their disappointing playoff loss to the Fusion, New York began their 2019 season with a perfect 7–0 record in Stage 1, giving them the top seed in the Atlantic Division for the Stage 1 playoffs.[22] However, the team lost 1–3 to the Seoul Dynasty quarterfinals.[23] NYXL posted a 5–2 record for Stage 2 and claimed the fifth seed for the Stage 2 Playoffs, but they lost in the semifinals to the Vancouver Titans by a score of 1–4.[24] Another perfect 7–0 record in Stage 3 gave New York the top seed in the Stage 3 playoffs; however, team failed to claim the stage title, as they fell 1–3 to the Shanghai Dragons in the quarterfinals.[25] Following a 3–1 victory over the Paris Eternal on August 2, the Excelsior clinched the second seed – and the top seed in the Atlantic Division – in the 2019 playoffs.[26] The team finished the regular season with a 22–6 record. NYXL opened their playoffs with a decisive 4–1 victory over the London Spitfire on September 6.[27] For their next match, they took down the Atlanta Reign, 4–2, and advanced to the winners' finals, where they faced the Vancouver Titans.[28] A 2–4 loss to the Titans dropped New York to the lower bracket of the tournament.[29] The Excelsior's playoff run ended in the lower bracket finals, as they were defeated by the San Francisco Shock, 0–4.[30]

Team identity

The franchise's name is based on the New York state motto, Excelsior, which means 'ever upward' in Latin. The motto was selected for embodying the team's commitment to "reaching the top and never letting up". It and its abbreviation XL, also represent the endless ambition of ever-growing New York City at its most powerful.[31][11]

Unique as the only flag-based logo in the Overwatch League, the logo symbolizes the coming together of people, cultures, and ideas. The lines and shapes featured on the flag are also representative of New York specific things, such as the subway systems, skylines, and grid of the city.[31]

Sponsors

New York Excelsior currently has two partnerships.[32] In November 2018, New York Excelsior partnered with Raynor Gaming as its official gaming chair partner.[33] In February 2019, New York Excelsior partnered with telecommunications brand T-Mobile as a new sponsor.[34]

Personnel

Current roster
New York Excelsior roster
PlayersCoaches
RoleNo.HandleNameNationality
Damage FEATH5R  Jo Min-jae  South Korea 
Damage Flora  Lim Young-woo  South Korea 
Damage Gwangboong  Kim Gwang-won  South Korea 
Damage Ivy  Lee Seung-hyun  South Korea 
Tank 29 Yakpung  Jo Gyeong-mu  South Korea 
Tank 13 BiaNcA  Kim Dong-wook  South Korea 
Support Friday  Jo Min-jae  South Korea 
Support 44 JJoNak  Bang Seong-hyun  South Korea 
Head coach
  • Lee "WhyNot" Ju-hyeop
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injury/Illness

Latest roster transaction: December 23, 2020.

Head coaches
Handle Name From To Span Ref.
Pavane Yu Hyun-sang October 30, 2017 October 21, 2019 1 year, 356 days [35][36]
imt Jeong Yong-cheol November 19, 2019 December 23, 2020 1 year, 80 days [37]
WhyNot Juhyeop Lee December 23, 2020 [38]

Awards and records

Seasons overview
Season P W L W% MW ML MT MD Pos. (league) Pos. (conf.) Playoffs Earnings
2018 40346.850126434+831st1stSemifinals$650,000
2019 28226.78678383+402nd1stLower Round 4$55,000
2020 21138.61950302+207th4thAsia Lower Final$290,000

Individual accomplishments

Season MVP

Role Stars selections

  • Mano (Kim Dong-gyu) – 2019

All-Star Game selections

  • Ark (Hong Yeon-jun) – 2018
  • Libero (Kim Hae-seong) – 2018
  • Saebyeolbe (Park Jong-ryeol) – 2018
  • JJonak (Bang Seong-hyun) – 2018, 2019, 2020
  • Mano (Kim Dong-gyu) – 2018, 2019, 2020
  • Meko (Kim Tae-hong) – 2018, 2019
  • Pine (Kim Do-hyeon) – 2018, 2019
  • Anamo (Jung Tae-Sung) – 2019
  • Nenne (Jeong Yeon-Gwan) – 2019
  • Haksal (Kim Hyo-jung) – 2020

All-Star Game head coaches

  • Pavane (Yu Hyun-sang) – 2018, 2019

Academy team
Main article: XL2 Academy

On February 20, 2018, the Excelsior formally announced their academy team would go under the name XL2 Academy for Overwatch Contenders North America, as well as revealing their initial 6-player squad.[39][40]

References
  1. Newman, Heather (August 20, 2019). "The Overwatch League Travels In 2020, Starting In A Historic New York Ballroom". Forbes. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  2. Twitter. NYXL https://twitter.com/NYXL/status/1341806023808454657. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "New York Excelsior - Home". excelsior.overwatchleague.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  4. Webb, Kevin (June 11, 2019). "New York City's vibrant esports scene convinced this multimillion dollar team to launch a new organization dedicated to its local gaming culture". Business Insider. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  5. Pavane (2019-10-21). "After wonderful past 2 seasons with @Andbox and @NYXL, I have decided to part ways with the organization. I have experienced so many amazing things with the team and it was truly an honor to work". @pavane_90. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  6. "Overwatch: Bigger than the Premier League?". BBC News. BBC. July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  7. "Robert Kraft, Jeff Wilpon Explain Overwatch League Investment". Dexerto. July 18, 2017. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  8. Takahashi, Dean (February 5, 2019). "Overwatch League esports team New York Excelsior scores T-Mobile as a sponsor". Venture Beat. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  9. Song, Kelly (July 16, 2017). "With the rise of a new esports league, the next Tom Brady could be more couch potato than chiseled athlete". CNBC. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  10. Pantorno, Joe (October 30, 2017). "ESports: New York Excelsior revealed as new Overwatch League team". Metro. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  11. Carpenter, Nicole (October 30, 2017). "Overwatch League franchise New York Excelsior has the most hype announcement yet". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  12. Carpenter, Nicole (January 11, 2018). "New York Excelsior, London Spitfire, Philadelphia Fusion impressed fans at Overwatch League day two". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  13. Luongo, Cody (February 9, 2018). "ESI Gambling Report: Overwatch League Stage 1 Playoffs". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  14. Waltzer, Noah (11 February 2018). "London Spitfire beats Houston, New York to win Overwatch League Stage 1 playoffs". ESPN. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  15. Alonzo, Damian (March 26, 2018). "The New York Excelsior won Overwatch League stage two in a stunning reverse-sweep". PC Gamer.
  16. "New York Excelsior reverse-sweeps Philadelphia Fusion to win Stage 2". ESPN. March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  17. "New York Excelsior earns back-to-back stage titles". ESPN. May 6, 2018.
  18. "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. June 17, 2018.
  19. O'Brien, Joe (June 16, 2018). "All Six Overwatch League Season One Playoff Teams Have Been Confirmed". Dexerto. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  20. Kutlik, Christiaan (July 25, 2018). "Fusion upsets NYXL to join Spitfire in Overwatch League finals". ESPN.
  21. Mejia, Ozzie (July 11, 2018). "New York Excelsior's JJoNak Named First Overwatch League Regular Season MVP". Shacknews. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  22. August, Charlotte (March 9, 2019). "Overwatch League Stage 1 Week 4 Day 2 Recap". ESTNN. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  23. Rand, Emily (March 22, 2019). "Seoul Dynasty put it all together against NYXL". ESPN. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  24. Long, Bradley (May 11, 2019). "Overwatch League Recap: Vancouver Titans vs New York Excelsior". The Game Haus. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  25. Rand, Emily (July 12, 2019). "Shanghai Dragons exorcise ghosts of Season 1 against NYXL". ESPN. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  26. "Excelsior wrap up Atlantic; Gladiators knock off Hunters". Gwinett Prep Sports. Field Level Media. August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  27. "Reign upset Shock to advance in Overwatch League playoffs". ESPN. Reuters. September 7, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  28. "Vancouver, New York reach OWL winners final". ESPN. Reuters. September 8, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  29. Richardson, Liz (September 13, 2019). "Vancouver Titans defeat NYXL, advance to Overwatch League Grand Finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  30. Hoskins, Ryan (September 15, 2019). "San Francisco Shock Are Headed to the OWL Finals". Hotspawn. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  31. Goslin, Austen (October 30, 2017). "New York Excelsior revealed as newest Overwatch League team". Heroes Never Die. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  32. "Partners". New York Excelsior. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  33. Fitch, Adam (November 16, 2018). "New York Excelsior finds gaming chair partner in Raynor Gaming". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  34. Edmonds, Nathan (February 6, 2019). "New York Excelsior announce T-Mobile as new sponsor". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  35. Milani, Jerry (October 30, 2017). "New York Excelsior Added To eSports Overwatch League". NY Sports Day. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  36. Field Level Media (October 21, 2019). "Pavane parts with NYXL, joins Spitfire as assistant". Gwinett Prep Sports. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  37. Peres, Pedro (November 19, 2019). "New York Excelsior promote IMT to head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  38. "NYXL announces 2021 coach line". twitter. NYXL.
  39. Xu, Wilson (February 21, 2018). "NYXL announce Contenders Team, XL2". Cybersport. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  40. Tahan, Chelsey (February 20, 2018). "NYXL introduces "XL2 Academy," their Contenders team". Overwatch Wire. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
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