Over the weekend, XL2 Academy shocked North American Contenders fans by releasing three members of their roster. Liam “Mangachu” Campbell, James “Cloneman16” D’Arcangelo and Anthony “Goliath” Pietro all announced on Twitter that they are looking for new opportunities. Each of them cited XL2’s search for New York local talent in their departure.
https://twitter.com/Mangachu_/status/1084233286296039424
The news was received negatively by the community, with reactions ranging from confusion to cynicism. Here, we’ll piece together what we know so far, and get into what we haven’t found out yet.
The news breaks on the heels of a successful third season for XL2 Academy. The squad went 4-1 in the regular season, only losing to fellow Contenders powerhouse Second Wind. They fell to Atlanta Academy in the semifinals, but as a whole, they finished the season out with a strong showing.
With their loss in semifinals, XL2’s season officially ended on Friday, January 11. Mangachu, Cloneman16 and Goliath announced their departures the next day. Besides retweeting their individual announcements, XL2 Academy has not released an official statement regarding the news.
Four members of the season three roster remain on the team – Seung-hyun “WooHyaL” Seong, Jang-hyeon “TiZi” Hwang, Jeremy “Jer” Santacruz and Andreas “Logix” Berghmans. Of the four, Jer is the only North American player still on the roster.
The announcement follows XL2 Academy’s public call for Overwatch talent based out of New York. The team plans to hold public tryouts to fill their roster for next season. According to the application form, candidates must be from the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), and must have reached a Top 500 ranking during any of the past three competitive seasons.
Both XL2’s fans and the professional Overwatch community initially reacted with surprise to the announcements. In particular, Mangachu’s departure was met with scrutiny. Mangachu’s flexibility and experience have made him a long-standing Overwatch League prospect. Seeing him lose his Contenders spot in favor of recruiting local talent didn’t sit well, and the general response reflected as much.
Liam “Mangachu” Campbell. Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment.
Some professionals in the scene also offered their thoughts on the changes. Former Boston Uprising player Connor “Avast” Prince, who made his Contenders casting debut this season, expressed his disdain for the decision in a series of tweets on Saturday. Avast remarked that the decision was likely XL2 Academy’s attempt to cut costs in the face of region restrictions put in place for Contenders 2019. “I don’t care if NYXL is represented by all Koreans if they’re a great team, this is a PR move trying to mask cutting cost using ‘local’ talent,” Avast wrote. This tweet in particular calls back to the Overwatch scene’s current discussion about regional representation, which likely influenced the Contenders region lock in the first place.
The San Francisco Shock’s Matthew “super” DeLisi shared similar sentiments. In his tweets, he doubted that local representation mattered to XL2 Academy. Instead, the team could simply pay local players less than experienced players who won’t move up to the New York Excelsior anyway. Both Avast and super reflect the community’s general agreement that whatever the reasons, the three players deserved better.
James “Cloneman16” D’Arcangelo. Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment.
Hopefully, it isn’t too optimistic to think that free agency could be kind to the three released players. XL2 Academy’s lineup proved powerful this season, and the combination of individual skill and the lack of a buyout could attract some attention. Mangachu, Cloneman16 and Goliath all have the potential to resurface as mid-season pickups, and they could easily find new homes on other Contenders teams. Even after such a disappointing end to their time on XL2, we likely haven’t seen the last of them.
As for XL2 Academy, we’re left with a lot of questions. Historically, the Contenders off-season has been about two months long, which doesn’t give the team a lot of time to find and integrate new players through open tryouts. Combined with the critical response to their decision, they’ve got an uphill climb from here, and hopefully they have a solid plan to deal with it.
Stay Connected
Follow me on Twitter: @soundchecck! I’m happy to talk about anything I’ve written! You can also get in touch with me on Discord (soundchecck#7242)
Featured image courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment.
Follow The Game Haus for the latest on all things sports and esports:
Twitter: TGH Esports
Facebook: The Game Haus Esports
Want to show off how much you like TGH? Check out our merch shop here!
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
