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2018 Los Angeles Gladiators season

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2018 Los Angeles Gladiators season
Head coachDavid Pei
OwnerKroenke Sports &
Entertainment
DivisionPacific
Results
Record25–15 (.625)
Place
Stage 1 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 2 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 3 PlayoffsSemifinals
Stage 4 PlayoffsSemifinals
Season PlayoffsQuarterfinals
Total Earnings$200,000

The 2018 Los Angeles Gladiators was the first season of the Los Angeles Gladiators's existence in the Overwatch League. The team finished with a regular season record of 25–15 – the fourth best in the Overwatch League.

Los Angeles qualified for the Stage 3 and Stage 4 Playoffs. The team lost in the Stage 3 semifinals to the Boston Uprising.[1] In the Stage 4 semifinals, the Gladiators lost to the Los Angeles Valiant.[2] The team also qualified for the Season Playoffs, but lost to the London Spitfire in the quarterfinals.[3]

Preceding offseason

[edit]

On November 2, Gladiators unveiled their initial 7-player inaugural season roster, consisting of the following players:[4][5]

  • Lane "Surefour" Roberts
  • João Pedro "Hydration" Goes Telles
  • Kim "Bischu" Hyung-seok
  • Jonas "Shaz" Suovaara
  • Benjamin "BigGoose" Isohanni
  • Choi "Asher" Jun-sung
  • Luis "iRemiix" Galarza Figueroa

The team revealed that the players were picked from a conglomeration of professional Overwatch esports teams to suit an "aggressive and fun" playstyle the team hoped to emulate as a reflection of their personality.[4]

Review

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]

Their debut match was a 4–0 victory over the Shanghai Dragons.[6] They finished Stage 1 with a 4–6 record in 8th place.

Heading into Stage 2, the team announced the transfer of tank player Baek "Fissure" Chan-hyung from the London Spitfire.[7] Following the acquisition of Fissure, the team finished the stage in fifth place with a 6–4 record, including a 4–0 sweep over the Valiant.[8]

Between Stages 2 and 3, the Gladiators acquired Ted "silkthread" Wang from the Valiant and Kang "Void" Jun-woo from Kongdoo Panthera.[9][10] However, visa issues would cause Void to completely miss out on Stage 3.[11] The Gladiators finished Stage 3 with a 6–4 record in fourth place, which, beginning with the third stage, was the final stage playoff spot.[12] The top-seeded Boston Uprising, undefeated in Stage 3, selected the Gladiators as their first round opponent. On May 6, the Uprising swept the Gladiators 3–0.[13]

The Gladiators, now regularly using Void in their lineup following his visa being approved,[11] finished with a league-best 9–1 record in Stage 4, including a reverse sweep over back-to-back stage champions New York Excelsior.[14] However, the team would unexpectedly choose the second-seeded Valiant as their semi-final opposition.[15] The Valiant would subsequently defeat the Gladiators in the Stage Playoffs by a score of 3–2.[16] They would end the season with a 25–15 record, good for 4th place and a spot in the postseason where they would face against the London Spitfire.

Season playoffs

[edit]

On July 11, the first day of the season's playoffs, the fourth-seeded Gladiators took a 1–0 series lead after defeating the fifth-seeded Spitfire 3–0 in their first ever playoffs match. The Gladiators made headlines by surprisingly announcing on the day of the first match that main tank Fissure would be benched in favor of Luis "iRemiix" Galarza Figueroa.[17][18] Later on the same day, Fissure was revealed by Blizzard as the runner-up in the inaugural Overwatch League season MVP vote.[19] Two days later, the Gladiators would be eliminated from the playoffs after the Spitfire shut out the Gladiators in back-to-back matches to win the series 2–1.[20]

Final roster

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2018 Los Angeles Gladiators roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage 1 Asher Choi Jun-sung South Korea
Damage 4 Surefour Roberts, Lane Canada
Damage 9 silkthread Wang, Ted United States
Damage 99 Hydration Goes Telles, João Pedro Brazil
Tank 22 Fissure Baek Chan-hyung South Korea
Tank 24 iRemiix Galarza Figueroa, Luis Puerto Rico
Support 0 BigGoose Isohanni, Benjamin Finland
Support 10 Shaz Suovaara, Jonas Finland
Flex 31 Bischu Kim Hyung-seok South Korea
Flex 57 Void Kang Jun-woo South Korea
Head coach
  • David Pei
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: April 3, 2018.

Transactions

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Transactions of/for players on the roster during the 2018 regular season:

Standings

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Record by stage

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Stage Pld W L Pct MW ML MT MD Pos
1 10 4 6 .400 16 26 0 -10 8
2 10 6 4 .600 25 16 1 +9 5
3 10 6 4 .600 25 19 1 +6 4
4 10 9 1 .900 30 11 1 +19 1
Overall 40 25 15 .625 96 72 3 +24 4
  Qualified for playoffs

League

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Pos Div Team
 Pld W L PCT MW ML MT MD Qualification
1 ATL New York Excelsior 40 34 6 0.850 126 43 4 +83 Advance to season playoffs semifinals
2 PAC Los Angeles Valiant 40 27 13 0.675 100 64 7 +36
3 ATL Boston Uprising 40 26 14 0.650 99 71 3 +28 Advance to season playoffs quarterfinals
4 PAC Los Angeles Gladiators 40 25 15 0.625 96 72 3 +24
5 ATL London Spitfire 40 24 16 0.600 102 69 3 +33
6 ATL Philadelphia Fusion 40 24 16 0.600 93 80 2 +13
7 ATL Houston Outlaws 40 22 18 0.550 94 77 2 +17
8 PAC Seoul Dynasty 40 22 18 0.550 91 78 3 +13
9 PAC San Francisco Shock 40 17 23 0.425 77 84 5 −7
10 PAC Dallas Fuel 40 12 28 0.300 58 100 7 −42
11 ATL Florida Mayhem 40 7 33 0.175 42 120 5 −78
12 PAC Shanghai Dragons 40 0 40 0.000 21 141 2 −120
Source: The Overwatch League
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) map differential; 3) head-to-head map differential; 4) head-to-head record

Game log

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Preseason

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2018 preseason game log
Preseason (1–1)
1 December 7 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 2 London Spitfire Burbank, CA


2 December 9 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 1 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA



Regular season

[edit]
2018 game log (Regular season record: 25–15)
Stage 1 (4–6)
1 January 10 Shanghai Dragons 0 – 4 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


2 January 13 Seoul Dynasty 4 – 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


3 January 18 Philadelphia Fusion 2 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


4 January 20 Los Angeles Gladiators 0 – 4 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA


5 January 24 Los Angeles Gladiators 2 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


6 January 27 Los Angeles Gladiators 0 – 4 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


7 January 31 Florida Mayhem 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


8 February 02 Los Angeles Gladiators 0 – 4 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA


9 February 07 San Francisco Shock 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


10 February 09 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 – 3 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA



Stage 2 (6–4)
11 February 21 Los Angeles Gladiators 4 – 0 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA


12 February 23 Dallas Fuel 3 – 1 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


13 February 28 Los Angeles Gladiators 4 – 0 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA


14 March 02 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 – 3 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA


15 March 07 Los Angeles Valiant 0 – 4 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


16 March 10 London Spitfire 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


17 March 15 Houston Outlaws 2 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


18 March 16 Los Angeles Gladiators 2 – 1 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA


19 March 21 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA


20 March 24 Boston Uprising 3 – 2 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA



Stage 3 (6–4)
21 April 04 San Francisco Shock 3 – 1 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


22 April 06 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


23 April 11 Shanghai Dragons 0 – 4 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


24 April 13 Seoul Dynasty 2 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


25 April 18 Los Angeles Gladiators 2 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


26 April 21 New York Excelsior 3 – 2 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


27 April 26 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 2 London Spitfire Burbank, CA


28 April 27 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


29 May 02 Florida Mayhem 0 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


30 May 04 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 – 3 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA



Stage 4 (9–1)
31 May 16 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 1 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA


32 May 18 Dallas Fuel 0 – 4 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


33 May 23 Houston Outlaws 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


34 May 24 Los Angeles Gladiators 4 – 0 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA


35 May 30 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


36 May 31 Philadelphia Fusion 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


37 June 07 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 2 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA


38 June 09 London Spitfire 2 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


39 June 13 Los Angeles Gladiators 4 – 0 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA


40 June 15 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 1 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA



Playoffs

[edit]
2018 playoff game log
Stage 3 Playoffs (0–1)
Semifinals May 06 Los Angeles Gladiators 0 – 3 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA



Stage 4 Playoffs (0–1)
Semifinals June 17 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 2 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA



Season Playoffs (1–2)
Quarterfinals Match 1 July 11 London Spitfire 0 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


Quarterfinals Match 2 July 14 London Spitfire 3 – 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


Quarterfinals Match 3 July 14 London Spitfire 3 – 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA



References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lingle, Samuel (March 24, 2018). "Boston Uprising crush Los Angeles Gladiators to end their OWL stage 2 playoff hopes". Dot Esports.
  2. ^ "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. June 17, 2018.
  3. ^ "Spitfire shuts down LA Gladiators, advances to OWL semis". ESPN. July 14, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Newman, Heather (2 November 2017). "L.A. Gladiators To Feature 'Aggressive, Fun' Playstyle In Overwatch League". Forbes. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  5. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (2 November 2017). "Players from Cloud9, Kungarna, and Team Gigantti make up the LA Gladiators roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  6. ^ Donigan, Wyatt (15 January 2018). "Dynasty survives Fuel, Valiant tops Shock, Gladiators squashes Dragons as OWL regular season begins". ESPN. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  7. ^ D'Orazio, Nick (20 February 2018). "Fissure transfers from London Spitfire to LA Gladiators". Inven Global. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  8. ^ Waltzer, Noah (8 March 2018). "Seoul Dynasty keeps unbeaten Stage 2 going with win over Shanghai Dragons". ESPN. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  9. ^ Lingle, Samuel (26 March 2018). "Los Angeles Gladiators add Void, reuniting KongDoo tank pair". Dot Esports. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  10. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (3 April 2018). "Silkthread switches from Los Angeles' Valiant Overwatch League team to Gladiators". Dot Esports. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  11. ^ a b Tahan, Chelsey (23 May 2018). "Void is ready to play for the Los Angeles Gladiators". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  12. ^ Tahan, Chelsey (6 May 2018). "Here is everything you need to know about the Stage Three playoffs". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  13. ^ Waltzer, Noah (7 May 2018). "New York Excelsior earns back-to-back stage titles". ESPN. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  14. ^ Nash, Anthony (8 June 2018). "Good, bad, and ugly from the Gladiators' reverse sweep of New York". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  15. ^ Baker, Harry (16 June 2018). "The Gladiators have picked the Valiant as their Stage Playoff opponent". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  16. ^ Donigan, Wyatt (18 June 2018). "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  17. ^ Baker, Harry (12 July 2018). "L.A. Gladiators dominate London Spitfire in their first quarterfinals series". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  18. ^ Nguyen, Steven (12 July 2018). "Gladiators dominant in opening playoff match vs. Spitfire". ESPN. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  19. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (11 July 2018). "New York Excelsior's JJoNak Named First Overwatch League Regular Season MVP". Shacknews. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  20. ^ Baker, Harry (14 July 2018). "London reverse sweep two back-to-back series against Gladiators, head to semifinals". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  21. ^ Wolf, Jacob (February 13, 2018). "Sources: LA Gladiators to acquire Fissure". ESPN.
  22. ^ Lingle, Samuel (March 26, 2018). "Los Angeles Gladiators add Void, reuniting KongDoo tank pair". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  23. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (April 3, 2018). "Silkthread switches from Los Angeles' Valiant Overwatch League team to Gladiators". Dot Esports.
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