Atlanta Reign

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Atlanta Reign
The logo for Atlanta Reign displays a rising phoenix in a crest.
FoundedAugust 2, 2018
LeagueOverwatch League
RegionWest
Team historyAtlanta Reign
2018–present
Location1290 Collier Rd.
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.[1]
Colors     
OwnerAtlanta Esports Ventures
Head coachBrad "Sephy" Rajani
General managerPaul Hamilton
Affiliation(s)ATL Academy
Main sponsorCox Communications
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms
Atlanta Reign Jersey.svg

Atlanta Reign is an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Reign compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, Atlanta Reign began play as one of eight OWL expansion teams in 2019 and became the first esports team to officially represent the city of Atlanta. The team is owned by Atlanta Esports Ventures, a joint venture between Cox Enterprises and Province, Inc., who also own ATL Academy, a former academy team for the Reign that competed in Overwatch Contenders.

The Reign have been coached by Brad "Sephy" Rajani since their inaugural season. Atlanta have reached the season playoffs in every season and reached the Grand Finals in 2021, where they lost to the Shanghai Dragons.

Franchise history[edit]

On August 2, 2018, it was announced that Atlanta Esports Ventures, a partnership between Cox Enterprises and Province, Inc, purchased one of Activision Blizzard's expansion slots in the Overwatch League at an estimated $30 million to $60 million.[2][3] Activision Blizzard was expecting to sell Atlanta one of the expansion slots, as president and CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues Pete Vlastlica noted, "We always had our eye on [Atlanta], from the beginning. It [was] just a matter of when."[2] With the purchase, the franchise became the first esports team to officially represent the city of Atlanta.[4]

Atlanta hired of former San Francisco Shock head coach Brad "Sephy" Rajani as their head coach.[5] In late October 2018, the Reign announced their full roster, consisting of eight players. It did not include any player that had previously competed in the Overwatch League; instead, the team signed players from various Overwatch Contenders scenes, including damage player Jeong "Erster" Jun, tank players Blake "Gator" Scott and Park "Pokpo" Hyeon-jun, and support player and Petja "Masaa" Kantanen. The team later signed support Dusttin "Dogman" Bowerman,[6] as well as controversial streamer Daniel "Dafran" Francesca.[7][8]

Early years: 2019–present[edit]

The Reign's first ever regular season OWL match resulted in a 4–0 victory over Florida Mayhem on February 15, 2019.[9] Atlanta finished Stage 1 with a 4–3 record and secured a spot in the Stage 1 playoffs.[10] However, the team lost to the Philadelphia Fusion in the quarterfinals.[11] On March 28, prior to the beginning of Stage 2, Dafran retired.[12] The Reign picked up multiple players afterwards, including damage player Andrej "Babybay" Francisty, who was acquired from the San Francisco Shock.[13] The Reign struggled throughout Stages 2 and 3, posting a combined 5–9 record and no stage playoff appearances. The team hit their stride in Stage 4, when the league implemented a 2-2-2 role lock, winning all seven of their matches in the stage. With a 16–12 record for the season, the Reign claimed the sixth seed in the season playoffs, a double-elimination tournament.[14] Atlanta's first playoff match resulted with a 4–3 upset over the Shock on September 6.[15] However, the team fell 2–4 to the New York Excelsior the following match, sending them to the lower bracket.[16] A 0–4 loss to the Hangzhou Spark in the following match ended the Reign's playoff run.[17]

Oh "Pelican" Se-hyun was named the 2021 OWL Rookie of the Year.

Prior to the start of the 2020 season, the Reign parted ways with three of their players. The team signed fived players, including tank Xander "Hawk" Domecq and damage player Kim "Edison" Tae-Hoon, maxing out their roster for a total of twelve.[18] The Reign found middling results throughout the season; in all three midseason tournament cycles, Atlanta advanced past the knockouts, only to fall in the quarterfinals each time.[19] Additionally, in July, the team saw the retirement of Babybay, as well as the signing of support player Kim "Ir1s" Seung-Hyun.[20][21] Atlanta finished the regular season in 12th place, with a 10–11 record.[19] The Reign advanced to the North America play-in tournament, where they defeated the Boston Uprising, 3–1, to advance to the season playoffs.[22] Atlanta's first match in the North America bracket was a 3–2 win over the Paris Eternal on September 6.[23] However, the team fell to the Shock, 1–3, in the following round, dropping Atlanta to the lower bracket.[24] The Reign were eliminated from the playoff on September 11, following a 0–3 loss to the Florida Mayhem.[25]

After a season filled with players being substituted in and out, the Reign elected to drop a majority of their roster, keeping only Edison, Gator, Hawk, Masaa, and Ir1s. The team picked up two damage players: touted rookie prospect Oh "Pelican" Se-hyun and hitscan veteran Kai "Kai" Collins.[26] The Reign failed to advance the regional knockouts in the first tournament cycle of the 2021 season, the May Melee, after going 1–3 in the qualifiers.[27] The team found success in the following tournament cycle, the June Joust, advancing past the regional qualifiers to the interregional tournament.[28] However, the team lost in the in the lower bracket finals to the Shanghai Dragons by a score of 0–3.[29] Atlanta found similar results in the Summer Showdown, as they once again reached the interregional tournament but ultimately fell in the first round of the lower bracket after a 2–3 loss to the Dallas Fuel.[30] In the final tournament cycle, the Countdown Cup, the Reign qualified for their third consecutive tournament appearance. However, Reign Pelican suffered a collapsed lung prior to the tournament,[31] and Atlanta were eventually eliminated by the Hunters.[32] The team finished the regular season with a 11–5 record and the fifth seed in the season playoffs.[33] Pelican won the league's Rookie of the Year award.[34] In the first round of the playoffs, the Reign fell to the third-seeded Hunters, 2–3, sending them to the lower bracket of the tournament.[35] Atlanta ran through the lower bracket, defeating the eighth-seeded Washington Justice, 3–0,[36] the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Gladiators, 3–2,[37] the sixth-seeded San Francisco Shock, 3–1,[38] and the second-seeded Dallas Fuel, 3–1.[38] The Reign advanced to the 2021 Overwatch League Grand Finals, where they faced the top-seeded Shanghai Dragons. The Grand Finals match was a blowout, as Atlanta was swept, 0–4.[39]

In the offseason preceding the 2022 season, the Reign parted ways with four of their players, including Pelican, who was transferred to the Houston Outlaws.[40] The team retained Gator, Hawk, and Kai, picked rookies Lee "Venom" Dong-keun, Christian "Ojee" Han, and Benjamin "UltraViolet" David, and signed damage veteran Charlie "nero" Zwarg.[41]

Team identity[edit]

On October 23, 2018, Atlanta Esports Ventures announced that the team Atlanta-based team would be called the Atlanta Reign. "We are excited to finally unveil the Atlanta Reign," said President and chief executive officer of Atlanta Esports Ventures Paul Hamilton, "We said from the beginning that we are building to compete. We chose a name that reflects that intention. We want to engage directly with Atlanta's passionate esports community and the city as a whole."[5][42]

The logo depicts a red phoenix inside a crest, with the rising phoenix representing Atlanta's city seal and new beginnings, as well as the team's name, representing "work ethic, reinvention, and excellence," especially that of the city of Atlanta. The official colors of the team are red, light gray, and charcoal gray.[42]

Personnel[edit]

Current roster[edit]

Atlanta Reign roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage 23 Kai Collins, Kai United Kingdom
Damage 6 nero Zwarg, Charlie United States
Damage 22 Venom Lee Dong-keun South Korea
Damage Speedily (I) Zou, Nicholas United States
Tank 1 Gator Scott, Blake United States
Tank 8 Hawk Domecq, Xander United States
Support 14 Ojee Han, Christian United States
Support 17 UltraViolet David, Benjamin United States
Head coach
  • Brad "Sephy" Rajani
Assistant coach(es)
  • Danny "Danny" Mychakov
  • Dimitri "Silence" Couturet
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: June 17, 2022.

Head coaches[edit]

Handle Name Seasons Record Notes Ref.
Sephy Brad Rajani 2019–present 40–31 (.563) [43]

Awards and records[edit]

Seasons overview[edit]

Season P W L W% Finish Playoffs
2019 28 16 12 .571 2nd, Atlantic Lost in Lower Round 2, 0–4 (Spark)
2020 21 10 11 .476 5th, North America Lost in NA Lower Round 2, 0–3 (Mayhem)
2021 16 11 5 .688 3rd, West Lost in Grand Finals, 0–4 (Dragons)
2022 6 3 3 .500

Individual accomplishments[edit]

Rookie of the Year

  • Pelican (Oh Se-hyun) – 2021

All-Star Game selections

  • Dogman (Dusttin Bowerman) – 2019, 2020

Academy team[edit]

In November 2018, the Atlanta Reign announced that unsponsored Overwatch Contenders team Last Night's Leftovers would be competing as Atlanta's academy team in Overwatch Contenders. The team rebranded to ATL Academy and began play as an affiliate team in the North America region of Contenders in Season 3 of 2018.[44] In March 2020, after just over a year of play, ATL Academy withdrew from Contenders and went on an indefinite hiatus.[45]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jackson, Eric (October 22, 2019). "Cox Enterprises buys esports facility for $2.27M". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Soderstrom, Alex (August 2, 2018). "Cox Enterprises backing new Atlanta esports team". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  3. ^ Wolf, Jacob (July 28, 2018). "Overwatch League sells Atlanta spot to group funded by Cox". ESPN. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  4. ^ Reisigl, Joe (November 15, 2018). "Atlanta bought an Overwatch eSports team. Here's why you should care". Atlanta. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Mandel, Eric (October 23, 2018). "Cox Enterprises cites 'reinvention' in branding for Atlanta's new Overwatch League franchise". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  6. ^ Richardson, Liz (October 16, 2020). "Atlanta Reign flex support Dogman announces free agency". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  7. ^ "dafran rounds out Atlanta Reign's OWL roster". ESPN. October 29, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  8. ^ Carpenter, Nicole. "Controversial streamer Dafran signed to Atlanta Reign Overwatch League roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  9. ^ August, Charlotte (February 16, 2019). "Overwatch Esports: Overwatch League Day 2 Recap". ESTNN. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  10. ^ Niederhoffer, Noah (March 29, 2019). "The top things to know as Overwatch League Stage 2 approaches". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  11. ^ Richardson, Liz (March 28, 2019). "Atlanta Reign's Daniel "Dafran" Francesca retires from Overwatch". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  12. ^ "Dafran retires from Overwatch, joins Reign stream team". ESPN. Reuters. March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  13. ^ Franco, Joseph (April 5, 2019). "What changed before stage two of the Overwatch League?". Heroes Never Die. Polygon. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  14. ^ "Reign cap perfect Stage 4, clinch top-six playoff spot". ESPN. Reuters. August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  15. ^ "Reign upset Shock to advance in Overwatch League playoffs". ESPN. September 7, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  16. ^ "Vancouver, New York reach OWL winners final". ESPN. Reuters. September 8, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  17. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 12, 2019). "Atlanta Reign, Los Angeles Gladiators eliminated from Overwatch League playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  18. ^ Gschwind, Soe (January 13, 2020). "2020 Team Preview: Atlanta Reign". Overwatch League. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Alford, Aaron (October 22, 2020). "Atlanta Reign releases 6 players". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  20. ^ Howard, Brandon (July 18, 2020). "Atlanta Reign's Babybay Retires From The Overwatch League". The Gamer. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  21. ^ Richardson, Liz (July 31, 2020). "Atlanta Reign signs flex support LR1S". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  22. ^ "Changes already underway with Uprising staff". Reuters. September 24, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 5, 2020). "Hangzhou Spark, Chengdu Hunters eliminated in Overwatch League playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  24. ^ "Fusion, Shock hold form at OWL NA playoffs". Reuters. September 6, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  25. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 11, 2020). "Atlanta Reign, Los Angeles Valiant eliminated in latest Overwatch League playoff matches". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  26. ^ Richardson, Liz (April 28, 2021). "Rushing in: Atlanta Reign 2021 team preview". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  27. ^ "Fuel, Dragons advance to OWL's May Melee final". Reuters. Field Level Media. May 8, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  28. ^ Richardson, Liz (June 7, 2021). "Here are the Overwatch League June Joust teams". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  29. ^ Alford, Aaron (September 24, 2021). "ATL Reign kills the king of NA Dallas Fuel to advance to OWL 2021 Grand Finals". Inven Global. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  30. ^ "Chengdu Hunters upset Dallas Fuel in Summer Showdown". Reuters. Field Level Media. July 16, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  31. ^ Richardson, Liz (August 19, 2021). "Everything you need to know about the 2021 Overwatch League Countdown Cup tournament". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  32. ^ Qu, Bonnie (September 19, 2021). "Chengdu Hunters 'the most underrated team' in Overwatch League playoffs". Upcomer. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  33. ^ "Overwatch League 2021 Standings". Overwatch League. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  34. ^ Scharnagle, Jessica (September 21, 2021). "Pelican named 2021 Overwatch League Rookie of the Year". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  35. ^ "Overwatch League playoffs recap: Day 1". Upcomer. September 22, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  36. ^ "Overwatch League 2021 playoffs recap: Day 2". Upcomer. September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  37. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 24, 2021). "Chengdu Hunters, Los Angeles Gladiators eliminated from Overwatch League 2021 playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  38. ^ a b "Overwatch League 2021 playoffs recap: Day 4". Upcomer. September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  39. ^ Parrish, Ash (September 27, 2021). "The Overwatch League grand finals were a storybook sendoff ahead of Overwatch 2". The Verge. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  40. ^ Czar, Michael (October 18, 2021). "Atlanta Reign trade Rookie of the Year Pelican to Houston Outlaws". Upcomer. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  41. ^ Czar, Michael (October 29, 2021). "Atlanta Reign reveal entire 2022 Overwatch League roster". Upcomer. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  42. ^ a b Atlanta Esports Ventures (October 23, 2018). "Introducing the Atlanta Reign: Identity Unveiled for New Esports Franchise" (PDF). Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  43. ^ "Atlanta Esports Ventures Welcomes Coaches for Overwatch League Team". Atlanta Esports Ventures. September 10, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  44. ^ Mary-Justice, Amelia (November 23, 2018). "Atlanta Reign Sign Remaining "Last Night's Leftovers" Players to Academy Team". Inven Global. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  45. ^ Alford, Aaron (March 22, 2020). "ATL Academy opts out of current 2020 Overwatch Contenders season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 21, 2022.

External links[edit]

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