Paris Eternal

Paris Eternal is a French professional Overwatch esports team based in Paris, France. The Eternal compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's Atlantic North Division.

Paris Eternal
Founded7 September 2018
LeagueOverwatch League
ConferenceAtlantic
DivisionNorth
Team historyParis Eternal
(2018–present)
Based inParis, France
ArenaZénith Paris[1]
Colors       
OwnerDrew McCourt
Head coachZouheir "GetAmazed" Baba
General managerKim "AVALLA" Kyoung-ey
Affiliation(s)Eternal Academy
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms

Founded in 2018, Paris Eternal began play as an OWL expansion team in 2019 and is one of two professional Overwatch teams based in Europe. The team is owned by Drew McCourt, owner of DM Esports, who also owns Eternal Academy, an academy team for the Eternal that competes in Overwatch Contenders.

Franchise history

OWL expansion

On 7 September 2018, Activision Blizzard announced that DM Esports owner Drew McCourt (son of Frank McCourt owner of Olympique de Marseille) had purchased an expansion team based in Paris for Overwatch League's second season for more than $20 million.[2][3] On the investment of the franchise, McCourt noted, "Du point de vue d'investisseur à l'échelle mondiale dans le domaine du sport traditionnel, le développement de l'e-sport, et de l'Overwatch League notamment, est remarquable (translated: From a global investor's point of view in traditional sports, the development of e-sport, and the Overwatch League in particular, is remarkable)."[4]

On 8 November, the team held a launch party in which they revealed their team name as Paris Eternal, as well as their entirely European roster and coaches.[5][6]

Early years: 2019–present

On 16 February, Paris Eternal had its first regular season match against the defending 2018 OWL champions London Spitfire, in which Paris claimed a convincing 3–1 victory.[7] Paris ended Stage 1 with a 3–4 record and did not qualify for the Stage 1 Playoffs.[8] After Stage 1, head coach Julien "Daemon" Ducros left the team and was replaced by Félix "Féfé" Münch.[9][10] Paris ended the season with a disappointing 11–17 record, did not manage to yield a winning record in any stage, and did not qualify for any of the stage playoffs nor the season playoffs.[11]

On 24 October 2019, the Eternal signed former Element Mystic head coach Yun "Rush" Hee-won as their new head coach.[12] Paris found more success in their 2020 season, winning their first ever tournament championship on 6 July after taking down the San Francisco Shock in the Summer Showdown finals.[13] Paris finished the regular season with 15 wins, 4 bonus wins from midseason tournaments, and 6 losses to claim the third seed in the North America season playoffs; however, a 0–3 loss to the Washington Justice on 6 September in the North America playoffs ended their season.[14] After the end of the 2020 season, due to financial difficulties, all players and staff other than General Manager Kim "AVALLA" Kyoung-ey were let go from the Paris Eternal. The Eternal fully rebuilt their roster which now consists of four OWL players and three former Contenders players, all from Europe.[15][16]

Team identity

On 8 November 2018, the Eternal brand was officially unveiled. The team name alludes to the eternal flame that has burned under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris since 1921.[17] The logo depicts an infinity symbol inscribed within the Gallic rooster, France's national symbol. The team's colors are blue, burgundy, white, and gold, with the former three colors reflecting that of the French flag.[6]

Personnel

Current roster
Paris Eternal roster
PlayersCoaches
RoleNo.HandleNameNationality
Damage Onigod  Fiskerstrand, Stefan   Norway 
Damage Tsuna  Ikram, Samir   France 
Damage Naga  Dereli, Nikolai   Denmark 
Tank Daan  Vincentius Paulus Scheltema, Daniël   Netherlands 
Tank ELLIVOTE  Vaneryd, Elliot   Sweden 
Support neptuNo  González, Alberto   Spain 
Support Kaan  Kaan Okumus, Emir   Germany 
Head coach
  • Zouheir "GetAmazed" Baba
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injury/Illness

Latest roster transaction: December 18, 2020.


Head coaches
Paris Eternal head coaches
Handle Name From To Span Ref.
Daemon Julian Ducros 23 October 2018 2 April 2019 161 days [9][18]
Féfé Félix Münch 3 April 2019 16 October 2019 196 days [10][19]
Rush Yun Hee-won 24 October 2019 23 October 2020 365 days [20][21]
GetAmazed Zouheir Baba 22 December 2020 41 days [22]

Awards and records

Seasons overview
Season P W L W% MW ML MT MD Pos. (league) Pos. (conf.) Playoffs Earnings
2019 281117.39346673-2114th5thNot eligible$0
2020 21156.71450310+174th2ndNA Lower Round 1$165,000

Individual accomplishments

Role Star selections

  • SP9RK1E (Kim Yeong-han) – 2020
  • FDGoD (Brice Monsçavoir) – 2020

All-Star Game selections

  • Kruise (Harrison Pond) – 2019
  • BenBest (Benjamin Dieulafait) – 2020
  • SoOn (Terence Tarlier) – 2020
  • NiCOgdh (Nicolas Moret) – 2020
  • FDGoD (Brice Monsçavoir) – 2020

Academy team
Main article: Eternal Academy

On 27 February 2019, the Paris Eternal announced their Overwatch Contenders academy team as Eternal Academy.[23] After finishing with a 2–5 record in their first season, Eternal Academy became the first OWL academy team to fail to qualify for the next Contenders season; they finished Season 2 Trials in fourth place with a record of 2–3.[24][25] Six months later, on 13 December 2019, Eternal Academy announced that they would be competing in Contenders 2020 Season 1.[26]

References
  1. Hayward, Andrew (21 August 2019). "Update: Five More OWL Teams Confirm Homestand Venues". The Esports Observer. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  2. Carpenter, Nicole (7 September 2018). "It's official: All 8 new teams coming to Overwatch League have been revealed". Dot Esports. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  3. "Esport - Overwatch League : Un McCourt à Paris" [Esport - Overwatch League: A McCourt in Paris]. L'Equipe (in French). 7 September 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  4. "Overwatch League: six nouvelles franchises, dont une à Paris" [Overwatch League: six new franchises, including one in Paris]. La Croix (in French). AFP. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  5. Abbas, Malcolm (8 November 2018). "Paris Eternal storm their way into the OWL". Dot Esports. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  6. "Introducing the Paris Eternal" (PDF). Overwatch League. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  7. https://tv5.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/27966997/fusion-fuel-defiant-more-make-overwatch-league-roster-moves
  8. August, Charlotte (17 March 2019). "Overwatch League Recap: Stage 1 | Week 5 | Day 1". ESTNN. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  9. Richardson, Liz (2 April 2019). "Paris Eternal head coach daemoN steps down". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  10. Richardson, Liz (3 April 2019). "Paris Eternal promote Féfé to head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  11. R., Olivia (15 September 2019). "Overwatch League standings at the end of the regular season". win.gg. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  12. Richardson, Liz (24 October 2019). "Paris Eternal sign SP9RK1E, add coaching staff". Dot Esports. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  13. Richardson, Liz (5 July 2020). "Guangzhou Charge, Paris Eternal win Overwatch League Summer Showdown". Dot Esports. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  14. Holt, Kris (9 September 2020). "One Of The Overwatch League's Worst Teams Is Suddenly Good Enough To Win It All". Forbes. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  15. "Paris Eternal Sign Six EU Players to 2021 Roster". Hotspawn.com. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  16. "French DPS Tsuna joins the Paris Eternal". Daily Esports. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  17. Marshall, Cass (8 November 2018). "Paris Eternal unveils their Overwatch League branding". Heroes Never Die. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  18. Mary-Justice, Amelia (23 October 2018). "New Paris OWL roster includes SoOn, ShaDowBurn, more fan favorites". Inven Global. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  19. Lyons, Ben (16 October 2019). "Paris Eternal part ways with head coach Féfé". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  20. Kennedy, Mandii (24 October 2019). "The Paris Eternal Welcome Element Mystic Damage Star Sp9rk1e, Head Coach Rush, and Assistant Coaches Levi and Aid". The Game Haus. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  21. Paris Eternal. "Official Statement: Today we say good bye to @NineK_OW , @rush_coach , and @Aid_OW as they move on to other opportunities and @OW_Levi as he retires for military service". Twitter. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  22. Paris Eternal. "We are delighted to announce the new signing of @GetAmazed_ow as our new Head Coach for the 2021 season". Twitter. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  23. "Overwatch Contenders Paris Eternal Academy : composition, roster, logo". Millenium (in French). 27 February 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  24. Chen, Ethan (21 May 2019). "Paris Eternal releases Overwatch Contenders roster Eternal Academy". Daily Esports. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  25. Richardson, Liz (20 May 2019). "Eternal Academy drop roster after Contenders Trials". Dot Esports. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  26. Eternal Academy [@EternalAcademy] (13 December 2019). "We're pleased to announce that the Eternal Academy will be competing in the upcoming Contenders season!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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