The 2018 London Spitfire season was the first season of the
London Spitfire's existence in the
Overwatch League. The team finished with a regular season record of 24–16, which was the fifth best in the
Overwatch League.
London qualified for the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Playoffs. In the stage 1 playoffs, London defeated the
Houston Outlaws in the semifinals and
New York Excelsior in the finals. The team lost in the Stage 2 semifinals to the
Philadelphia Fusion. The team also qualified for the
Season Playoffs, in which they won in the
Grand Finals against the Philadelphia Fusion.
Preceding offseason
Cloud9 was awarded the London slot for an OWL franchise on 10 August 2017 and was later named the London Spitfire.[1][2] Shortly afterwards, they disclosed their 12-player inaugural season roster, the maximum permitted, which would be entirely composed of the following
South Korean players:[3]
The roster would mainly be an amalgamation of their current Cloud9 KONGDOO core and
OGN'sOverwatch APEX Season 4 champions GC Busan.[4]
Review
The Spitfire won the 2018 Grand Finals.
Regular season
On 11 January, the Spitfire played their first regular season Overwatch League match in a 3–1 victory over the
Florida Mayhem.[5][6] They would end
Stage 1 of the 2018 Season with a
7–3 record, earning them the third and final spot in the
Stage 1 Playoffs. The team then became the first-ever stage playoffs champions, after achieving victories over the
Houston Outlaws (3–1) and the
New York Excelsior (3–2) in a reverse sweep.[7]
On 7 March 2018, midway through Stage 2, the Spitfire parted ways with head coach Lee "Bishop" Beom-joon for undisclosed reasons.[8] The team finished
Stage 2 with an improved
8–2 record and attained another stage playoffs berth. However, they fell short to the
Philadelphia Fusion in a thrilling 2–3 semi-finals series.[9]
However, after stage 2, the Spitfire failed to make another stage playoffs, going 5–5 in stage 3 and 4–6 in stage 4. They had to bank on their earlier results to edge them over the finish line. They would end the season with a
24–16 record, good for 5th place and a spot in
the postseason where they would face the
Los Angeles Gladiators.
Playoffs
London lost their first postseason matchup against the Gladiators on 11 July by a score of 0–3 in the
quarterfinals. The Spitfire turned it around the next two games against the Gladiators, winning in 3–0 sweeps in matches two and three and advancing the team to the
semifinals.[10] London won both games against the
Los Angeles Valiant in the semifinals, winning 3–0 in match one and 3–1 in match two.[11] London claimed the
2018 Overwatch League championship after defeating the
Philadelphia Fusion on 27 and 28 July by scores of 3–1 and 3–0, respectively.[12][13]
Source:
The Overwatch League Rules for classification: 1)
winning percentage; 2) map differential; 3) head-to-head map differential; 4) head-to-head record
The 2018 London Spitfire season was the first season of the
London Spitfire's existence in the
Overwatch League. The team finished with a regular season record of 24–16, which was the fifth best in the
Overwatch League.
London qualified for the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Playoffs. In the stage 1 playoffs, London defeated the
Houston Outlaws in the semifinals and
New York Excelsior in the finals. The team lost in the Stage 2 semifinals to the
Philadelphia Fusion. The team also qualified for the
Season Playoffs, in which they won in the
Grand Finals against the Philadelphia Fusion.
Preceding offseason
Cloud9 was awarded the London slot for an OWL franchise on 10 August 2017 and was later named the London Spitfire.[1][2] Shortly afterwards, they disclosed their 12-player inaugural season roster, the maximum permitted, which would be entirely composed of the following
South Korean players:[3]
The roster would mainly be an amalgamation of their current Cloud9 KONGDOO core and
OGN'sOverwatch APEX Season 4 champions GC Busan.[4]
Review
The Spitfire won the 2018 Grand Finals.
Regular season
On 11 January, the Spitfire played their first regular season Overwatch League match in a 3–1 victory over the
Florida Mayhem.[5][6] They would end
Stage 1 of the 2018 Season with a
7–3 record, earning them the third and final spot in the
Stage 1 Playoffs. The team then became the first-ever stage playoffs champions, after achieving victories over the
Houston Outlaws (3–1) and the
New York Excelsior (3–2) in a reverse sweep.[7]
On 7 March 2018, midway through Stage 2, the Spitfire parted ways with head coach Lee "Bishop" Beom-joon for undisclosed reasons.[8] The team finished
Stage 2 with an improved
8–2 record and attained another stage playoffs berth. However, they fell short to the
Philadelphia Fusion in a thrilling 2–3 semi-finals series.[9]
However, after stage 2, the Spitfire failed to make another stage playoffs, going 5–5 in stage 3 and 4–6 in stage 4. They had to bank on their earlier results to edge them over the finish line. They would end the season with a
24–16 record, good for 5th place and a spot in
the postseason where they would face the
Los Angeles Gladiators.
Playoffs
London lost their first postseason matchup against the Gladiators on 11 July by a score of 0–3 in the
quarterfinals. The Spitfire turned it around the next two games against the Gladiators, winning in 3–0 sweeps in matches two and three and advancing the team to the
semifinals.[10] London won both games against the
Los Angeles Valiant in the semifinals, winning 3–0 in match one and 3–1 in match two.[11] London claimed the
2018 Overwatch League championship after defeating the
Philadelphia Fusion on 27 and 28 July by scores of 3–1 and 3–0, respectively.[12][13]
Source:
The Overwatch League Rules for classification: 1)
winning percentage; 2) map differential; 3) head-to-head map differential; 4) head-to-head record