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New York Excelsior

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New York Excelsior
The logo for the New York Excelsior features a flag that represents the coming together of people, cultures, and ideas in New York City.
Short nameNYXL
FoundedJuly 12, 2017
LeagueOverwatch League
RegionWest
Team historyNew York Excelsior
(2017-present)
Based inNew York City, U.S.
Colors     
OwnerJeff Wilpon
Head coachKim "KuKi" Dae-kuk
Affiliation(s)NYXL Academy
Main sponsorAstro Gaming
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms

The New York Excelsior (often stylized as 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 West region. 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 NYXL, which was founded under the name Andbox by venture capital fund Sterling.VC, supported by Sterling Equities. They also own NYXL Academy, an academy team for NYXL that competed in Overwatch Contenders.

Hyun-sang "Pavane" Yu was appointed the team's first head coach and led New York to two conference titles, all seven midseason tournament playoff appearances, midseason tournament titles, and a two-season playoff berths in his time from 2018 to 2019. NYXL missed the season playoffs for the first time in franchise history in the 2021 season.

Franchise history

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Beginnings

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On July 12, 2017, Overwatch developer Activision Blizzard officially announced that Jeff Wilpon, co-founder and partner of Sterling.VC, purchased the New York-based Overwatch League franchise for an estimated $20 million.[1] With the purchase, the franchise became the first professional esports team to represent New York City.[2] "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."[3]

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.[4][5]

JJonak era: 2018–2021

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Bang "JJonak" Seong-hyun was the league's first MVP award winner.

The Excelsior first OWL regular season match was on January 11, 2018, and resulted in a 3–1 win over the Boston Uprising.[6] They ended 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.[7] However, the team lost in the finals to the London Spitfire, 3–2.[8] 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. New York defeated the Philadelphia Fusion, 3–2, on March 25 to claim their first midseason tournament title.[9][10] In Stage 3, New York once again posted a 9–1 record, giving them the second seed for the Stage 3 Playoffs. The team won in the Stage 3 finals against Boston Uprising by a score of 3–0, giving New York back-to-back midseason tournament titles.[11] New York posted their worst record, 7–3, in Stage 4, but still claimed the third seed for the Stage 4 Playoffs. They lost in the Stage 4 finals against the Los Angeles Valiant by a score of 1–3.[12] New York ended their 2018 season with a league-best 34–6 record and qualified for a first-round bye into the season playoffs.[13] The team's first playoff opponent was 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.[14] Support player Bang "JJonak" Seong-hyun was won the league's regular season Most Valuable Player award.[15]

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;[16] however, the team lost 1–3 to the Seoul Dynasty quarterfinals.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20] The team finished the regular season with a 22–6 record. NYXL opened their playoffs with a 4–1 win over the London Spitfire on September 6.[21] For their next match, they took down the Atlanta Reign, 4–2, and advanced to the winners' finals, where they faced the Vancouver Titans.[22] A 3–4 loss to the Titans dropped New York to the lower bracket of the tournament.[23] The Excelsior's playoff run ended in the lower bracket finals, as they were defeated by the San Francisco Shock, 0–4.[24]

In the offseason preceding the 2020 season, head coach Yu "Pavane" Hyun-sang left for the Philadelphia Fusion, and NYXL promoted assistant coach Jeong "IMT" Yong-cheol to head coach.[25] The Excelsior opened the 2020 season on February 8, 2020, hosting the league's first homestand, a hybrid model of the home-and-away structure seen in traditional sports, of the season at the sold-out Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.[26] After a 5–1 start to the season, the Excelsior, and the entire league, ceased play due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shifted to an online play format. With large number of outbreaks in New York State, the team decided to relocate to South Korea, where they would be competing in the league's newly formed Asia region thereafter.[27] After a 10–3 record through the regular season, NYXL signed 2019 Rookie of the Year Kim "Haksal" Hyo-jong.[28] New York finished the regular season with a 16–8, including bonus wins, and qualified for the season playoffs; however, they were eliminated after a loss to the Seoul Dynasty.[29]

Heading into the 2021 season, the Excelsior released their entire roster, aside from JJonak, and signed a team consisting of mostly rookies from Korean Overwatch Contenders teams.[30] Additionally, New York promoted Lee "WhyNot" Ju-hyeop to head coach.[31] New York stayed in South Korea, competing in the league's Eastern region, formerly known as the Asia region.[32] The team had their worst season in franchise history, finishing in sixth place in the East region with a 7–9 regular season record and missing out on the season playoffs.[33]

2022–present

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For the 2022 season, the Excelsior returned to New York to compete in the league's Western division.[34] New York dropped almost all of their entire roster ahead of the 2022 season, including their starting support player for the previous four seasons JJonak.[35][36] NYXL signed several veterans players, one rookie player, and signed former RunAway coach Kim "KuKi" Dae-kuk in the offseason.[34][37]

Team identity

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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.[38][5]

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.[38]

Sponsors

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New York Excelsior currently has two partnerships.[39] In November 2018, New York Excelsior partnered with Raynor Gaming as its official gaming chair partner.[40] In February 2019, New York Excelsior partnered with telecommunications brand T-Mobile as a new sponsor.[41]

Personnel

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Current roster

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New York Excelsior roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Head coach
  • Vacant
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: October 16, 2023.

Head coaches

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Handle Name Seasons Record Notes Ref.
Pavane Yu Hyun-sang 2018–2019 56–12 (.824) [42][43]
imt Jeong Yong-cheol 2020 13–8 (.619) [25][31]
WhyNot Lee Juh-yeop 2021 7–9 (.438) [31][37]
KuKi Kim Dae-kuk 2022 1–11 (.083) Released after 12 games in 2022. [37] [44]
Changgoon Park Chang-geun 2023 7–9 (.438) Co-head coaches [45]
Amir Amir Ahmed

Awards and records

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Seasons overview

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Season P W L W% Finish Playoffs
2018 40 34 6 .850 1st, Atlantic Lost in Semifinals, 0–2 (Fusion)
2019 28 22 6 .786 1st, Atlantic Lost in Lower Round 4, 0–4 (Shock)
2020 21 13 8 .619 4th, Asia Lost in Asia Lower Final, 0–3 (Dynasty)
2021 16 7 9 .438 6th, East Did not qualify
2022 24 4 20 .167 12th, West Did not qualify
2023 16 7 9 .438 9th, West Did not qualify


Individual accomplishments

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Season MVP

Role Stars selections

  • Mano (Kim Dong-gyu) – 2019

All-Star Game selections

All-Star Game head coaches

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

Academy team

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Main article: NYXL 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.[46][47]

References

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  1. ^ "Overwatch: Bigger than the Premier League?". BBC News. BBC. July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  2. ^ Takahashi, Dean (February 5, 2019). "Overwatch League esports team New York Excelsior scores T-Mobile as a sponsor". Venture Beat. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Pantorno, Joe (October 30, 2017). "ESports: New York Excelsior revealed as new Overwatch League team". Metro. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Carpenter, Nicole (October 30, 2017). "Overwatch League franchise New York Excelsior has the most hype announcement yet". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Luongo, Cody (February 9, 2018). "ESI Gambling Report: Overwatch League Stage 1 Playoffs". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  8. ^ Waltzer, Noah (11 February 2018). "London Spitfire beats Houston, New York to win Overwatch League Stage 1 playoffs". ESPN. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  9. ^ Alonzo, Damian (March 26, 2018). "The New York Excelsior won Overwatch League stage two in a stunning reverse-sweep". PC Gamer.
  10. ^ "New York Excelsior reverse-sweeps Philadelphia Fusion to win Stage 2". ESPN. March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  11. ^ "New York Excelsior earns back-to-back stage titles". ESPN. May 6, 2018.
  12. ^ "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. June 17, 2018.
  13. ^ Webb, Kevin (December 29, 2018). "Overwatch League – Everything you need to know about season 2". Business Insider. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  14. ^ Kutlik, Christiaan (July 25, 2018). "Fusion upsets NYXL to join Spitfire in Overwatch League finals". ESPN.
  15. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (July 11, 2018). "New York Excelsior's JJoNak Named First Overwatch League Regular Season MVP". Shacknews. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  16. ^ August, Charlotte (March 9, 2019). "Overwatch League Stage 1 Week 4 Day 2 Recap". ESTNN. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  17. ^ Rand, Emily (March 22, 2019). "Seoul Dynasty put it all together against NYXL". ESPN. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  18. ^ Long, Bradley (May 11, 2019). "Overwatch League Recap: Vancouver Titans vs New York Excelsior". The Game Haus. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  19. ^ Rand, Emily (July 12, 2019). "Shanghai Dragons exorcise ghosts of Season 1 against NYXL". ESPN. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  20. ^ "Excelsior wrap up Atlantic; Gladiators knock off Hunters". Gwinett Prep Sports. Field Level Media. August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  21. ^ "Reign upset Shock to advance in Overwatch League playoffs". ESPN. Reuters. September 7, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  22. ^ "Vancouver, New York reach OWL winners final". ESPN. Reuters. September 8, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  23. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 13, 2019). "Vancouver Titans defeat NYXL, advance to Overwatch League Grand Finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  24. ^ Hoskins, Ryan (September 15, 2019). "San Francisco Shock Are Headed to the OWL Finals". Hotspawn. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  25. ^ a b Peres, Pedro (November 19, 2019). "New York Excelsior promote IMT to head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  26. ^ Amenabar, Teddy (February 8, 2020). "As Overwatch League opens 2020 season, New York Excelsior shows home team advantage is real". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  27. ^ Howard, Brandon (April 21, 2020). "NYXL, Seoul Dynasty Make Debuts In Overwatch League's Asia Region". The Gamer. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  28. ^ Duwe, Scott (June 5, 2020). "Haksal returns to the Overwatch League with the New York Excelsior". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  29. ^ Duwe, Scott (November 18, 2020). "New York Excelsior re-signs JJoNaK for 2021 Overwatch League season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  30. ^ Richardson, Liz (March 29, 2021). "JJoNak and the new kids: New York Excelsior 2021 team preview". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  31. ^ a b c Michael, Cale (December 23, 2020). "NYXL completes 2021 coaching staff, promotes WhyNot to head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  32. ^ Spector, Jon (January 4, 2021). "Overwatch League Community Update: 2021 Season Structure". Overwatch League. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  33. ^ Richardson, Liz (October 5, 2021). "NYXL releases 6 players before 2022 Overwatch League season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  34. ^ a b Scharnagle, Jessica (January 7, 2022). "NYXL returns to New York, unveils roster for 2022 Overwatch League season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  35. ^ Richardson, Liz (October 5, 2021). "NYXL releases 6 players before 2022 Overwatch League season". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  36. ^ "Former OWL MVP JJoNak leaving NYXL". Reuters. October 8, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  37. ^ a b c Downey, Joseph (January 19, 2022). "OWL: New York Excelsior Announce 2022 Coaching Staff". ESTNN. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  38. ^ a b Goslin, Austen (October 30, 2017). "New York Excelsior revealed as newest Overwatch League team". Heroes Never Die. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  39. ^ "Partners". New York Excelsior. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  40. ^ Fitch, Adam (November 16, 2018). "New York Excelsior finds gaming chair partner in Raynor Gaming". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  41. ^ Edmonds, Nathan (February 6, 2019). "New York Excelsior announce T-Mobile as new sponsor". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  42. ^ Milani, Jerry (October 30, 2017). "New York Excelsior Added To eSports Overwatch League". NY Sports Day. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  43. ^ Field Level Media (October 21, 2019). "Pavane parts with NYXL, joins Spitfire as assistant". Gwinett Prep Sports. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  44. ^ New York Excelsior [@NYExcelsior] (July 27, 2022). "As of today, we have parted with Head Coach Kuki" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  45. ^ New York Excelsior [@NYExcelsior] (April 26, 2023). "We are excited to announce our incredible coaching staff for the 2023 OWL Season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  46. ^ Xu, Wilson (February 21, 2018). "NYXL announce Contenders Team, XL2". Cybersport. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  47. ^ Tahan, Chelsey (February 20, 2018). "NYXL introduces "XL2 Academy," their Contenders team". Overwatch Wire. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
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