Overwatch Contenders Trials: Teams to Watch Around the World

Contenders Trials are kicking off in almost every region, and there are dozens of teams fighting for a T2 spot. While there’s a long list of teams that deserve a bit of spotlight, it might be nice to go over some early front-runners. These teams will all be worth watching for some reason or another – maybe their impressive rosters, consistent performance, or a mix thereof.

GEEKSTAR (Korea)

GEEKSTAR are off to a great start in their Contenders Trials run, after a quarterfinal finish (landing them 7th overall) knocked them out of the now eight-team bracket in Korea. A rules change may have relegated GEEKSTAR this season, but they’re determined to show that that’s the only reason why, with convincing victories over BM Hawk, Talon Esports and Griffin.

With four games left (WGSA, BlossoM, Meta Athena and White Whale,) it’s hard to envision a world where GEEKSTAR doesn’t make it out of Trials. They’ll need to keep working to secure their spot, though – only the top two teams will escape Trials this season…

SFDD (China, 7-0, +28)

Speaking of escaping Trials, meet our earliest inductees to the 2019 Contenders season, SFDD. That +28 up there means that every single team in their bracket – former Contenders squads like Lab, ReStart and Alter-Ego, as well as fellow Contenders inductees Team For Victory – fell before their blades at some point in China’s Trials. Without even a single map to show for it! That doesn’t happen very often.

Of course, Contenders Trials and Contenders proper are very different beasts, especially in China. After all, there were two 5-0 teams last season in China – Flag and T1w – and the latter only dropped a single map. In the Grand Finals. That’s it. Let’s see if SFDD can start heading in that direction, or if they’ll fall (as so many do) before the might of The One Winner.

Cyclone Coupling (Pacific, 6-1, +16)

Cyclone Coupling had a fairly average group stage last season, with one major asterisk – their upset of Talon Esports. While Talon were hoping to keep their perfect streak moving into the post season, Cyclone Coupling gave them a little taste of reality in the quarterfinals before being 3-2’s in turn by Nova Esports in semis. Despite their high-ranking finish, the Contenders restructuring cast CyC back into Trials – if only for a moment. Seven games later, they’re right back where they started – and now Talon are nowhere to be found. Let’s see if they can hold their own against GE Pantheon, Xavier Esports, and their new rivals, Nova Esports…

Honorable Mention: JUPITER (Pacific, 5-2, +11)

You’ll notice that JUPITER are out of Contenders contention, thanks to the two-team limit in place this season. Despite their dour circumstance, though, JUPITER have perhaps the best shot of making it in next season assuming they hold their roster together through OD. With a grizzled array of Japanese talent (a rarity in Overwatch, for some reason,) their odds against teams like FortuNa and GIANT LYNX look good. Keep a particular eye on star hitscan player Sean Taiyo “ta1yo” Henderson, who’s been turning heads since his first World Cup appearance in 2017. If a Contenders teams finds themselves in need, he could end up in a new, higher-ranking home.

SKYFOXES (North America)

It’s certainly too early to say that Skyfoxes are “back”, or even potential front-runners in an American Contenders Trials run stacked with talented squads. Nevertheless, they’ve definitely cemented themselves as the most intriguing team so far, with a new roster held close to the chest right until the starting bell. (They couldn’t even go in our NA preview article right away!)

@iRemiix_OW
@OW_F4zE
@OwMacki @budsOW
V3NTURE (renamed to Attitude, formerly of Future Group)
Lastro (from @Team_StormQuake!) https://t.co/gGbFgOP72a

— Contenders Community (@Contenders_OW) February 2, 2019

As mentioned in the tweet above, Skyfoxes have formed a mixed NA/KR roster, only keeping iRemiix in the starting line-up in the ashes of their disastrous Contenders Season 3. Joining him in the frontline (and not included in this tweet) is veteran main tank James “Cloneman16” D’Arcangelo, who is restarting his journey up the Path to Pro after his abrupt exeunt from XL2. While his play time was limited today, expect to see more of him as the season progresses – either with Skyfoxes, or in another academy team.

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