The 2019 Philadelphia Fusion season was the second season of the
Philadelphia Fusion's existence in the
Overwatch League and their first under co-head coaches Go Se-hwi and Elliot Hayes. They entered the season looking to bounce back after their
2018 Grand Finals loss to the
London Spitfire.
The Fusion had a solid Stage 1 performance, finishing the stage with a 5–2 record and making it to the Stage 1 Playoffs, but they lost in the semifinals to the
San Francisco Shock. After posting 3–4 and 4–3 records for Stage 2 and Stage 3, respectively, Philadelphia failed to qualify any other stage playoffs. A 3–1 victory over the
Seoul Dynasty in their final regular season match gave the Fusion a 15–13 season record and qualified them for the
Play-In Tournament. Philadelphia fell 2–4 to the
Shanghai Dragons in the first round of the tournament, ending their hope of qualifying for the
season playoffs.
Preceding offseason
Player re-signings and free agency
From August 1 to September 9, 2018, all Overwatch League teams that competed in the
2018 season could choose to extend their team's players' contracts. Fusion elected to release Georgii "ShaDowBurn" Gushcha, Park "DayFly" Jeong-hwan, and Joseph "Joemeister" Gramano.[1]
All non-expansion teams could not enter the free agency period until October 8, 2018; they were able to sign members from their respective academy team and make trades until then. On September 25, Fusion promoted support player Elijah "Elk" Gallagher from
Fusion University on a
two-way contract.[2] On October 17, Fusion transferred Choi "Hotba" Hong-jun to the new expansion team
Guangzhou Charge.[3]
Head coach change
In January, the Fusion announced that head coach Yann Luu would be acting as the organization's Director of Overwatch Operations. In his replacement, assistant coaches Elliot Hayes and Se-Hwi Go were promoted to co-head coaches.[4]
Regular season
Philadelphia opened their season on February 14 against the
London Spitfire – a rematch of the
2018 Overwatch League Grand Finals. Philadelphia went on to win the match by a score of 3–1.[5] The team finished with a 5–2 Stage 1 record and a
Stage 1 Playoff berth.[6] At the end of Stage 1, the Fusion was tied with the
Toronto Defiant for the third seed of the playoffs. By rule, the teams would have to compete in an
offline match to determine seeding; however, both teams agreed on a
coin-flip, instead. Philadelphia received the fourth seed and would take on the Atlanta Reign in the quarterfinals.[7] The Fusion's quarterfinal match took place on March 22 against the
Atlanta Reign; the Fusion won the match, 3–1, advancing them to the Stage 1 semifinals.[8] In the semifinals, Philadelphia was swept, 0–4, by the
San Francisco Shock.[9]
In Stage 2, on April 19, the Fusion defeated the
Houston Outlaws, 4–0, marking their first 4–0 sweep of the 2019 season.[10] The team finished the stage with a 3–4 record and did not qualify for the
Stage 2 Playoffs.
In the last week of Stage 3, the Fusion headed to the
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in
Atlanta to play at the "
Atlanta Reign Homestand Weekend"; Philadelphia's final match of the stage was against the
Shanghai Dragons. With both teams holding a 4–2 record in Stage 3, the winner of the match would qualify for the final spot in the
Stage 3 Playoffs. The Fusion were unable to pull out the win, however, and fell in the match by a score of 1–3.[11]
Prior to the start of Stage 4, which would include the implementation of an enforced
2-2-2 role lock by the League, the Fusion traded main tank Joona "Fragi" Laine to the
Guangzhou Charge in exchange for DPS Finley "Kyb" Adisi.[12] Philadelphia finished the regular season in 10th place in the season standings with a 15–13 record and qualified for the
Play-In Tournament.[13]
Postseason
Finishing in tenth place in the regular season standings, the Dragons qualified for the
Play-In Tournament for the chance to qualify for the
season playoffs. The team took on the eleventh-seeded
Shanghai Dragons in the first round on August 30. The Dragon jumped out to an early 2–0 lead after winning on Busan and King's Row, but after the match break, Philadelphia forced a tie on Temple of Anubis and won on Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Shanghai recovered and took a win on Lijiang Tower, but the Fusion struck back with a win on King's Row. The Fusion selected Dorado for what would be the final map of the series; both teams completed the map on their respective attacks, but the Dragons managed to grab the map win in overtime rounds. The 2–4 loss eliminated the Fusion from playoff contention.[14]
The 2019 Philadelphia Fusion season was the second season of the
Philadelphia Fusion's existence in the
Overwatch League and their first under co-head coaches Go Se-hwi and Elliot Hayes. They entered the season looking to bounce back after their
2018 Grand Finals loss to the
London Spitfire.
The Fusion had a solid Stage 1 performance, finishing the stage with a 5–2 record and making it to the Stage 1 Playoffs, but they lost in the semifinals to the
San Francisco Shock. After posting 3–4 and 4–3 records for Stage 2 and Stage 3, respectively, Philadelphia failed to qualify any other stage playoffs. A 3–1 victory over the
Seoul Dynasty in their final regular season match gave the Fusion a 15–13 season record and qualified them for the
Play-In Tournament. Philadelphia fell 2–4 to the
Shanghai Dragons in the first round of the tournament, ending their hope of qualifying for the
season playoffs.
Preceding offseason
Player re-signings and free agency
From August 1 to September 9, 2018, all Overwatch League teams that competed in the
2018 season could choose to extend their team's players' contracts. Fusion elected to release Georgii "ShaDowBurn" Gushcha, Park "DayFly" Jeong-hwan, and Joseph "Joemeister" Gramano.[1]
All non-expansion teams could not enter the free agency period until October 8, 2018; they were able to sign members from their respective academy team and make trades until then. On September 25, Fusion promoted support player Elijah "Elk" Gallagher from
Fusion University on a
two-way contract.[2] On October 17, Fusion transferred Choi "Hotba" Hong-jun to the new expansion team
Guangzhou Charge.[3]
Head coach change
In January, the Fusion announced that head coach Yann Luu would be acting as the organization's Director of Overwatch Operations. In his replacement, assistant coaches Elliot Hayes and Se-Hwi Go were promoted to co-head coaches.[4]
Regular season
Philadelphia opened their season on February 14 against the
London Spitfire – a rematch of the
2018 Overwatch League Grand Finals. Philadelphia went on to win the match by a score of 3–1.[5] The team finished with a 5–2 Stage 1 record and a
Stage 1 Playoff berth.[6] At the end of Stage 1, the Fusion was tied with the
Toronto Defiant for the third seed of the playoffs. By rule, the teams would have to compete in an
offline match to determine seeding; however, both teams agreed on a
coin-flip, instead. Philadelphia received the fourth seed and would take on the Atlanta Reign in the quarterfinals.[7] The Fusion's quarterfinal match took place on March 22 against the
Atlanta Reign; the Fusion won the match, 3–1, advancing them to the Stage 1 semifinals.[8] In the semifinals, Philadelphia was swept, 0–4, by the
San Francisco Shock.[9]
In Stage 2, on April 19, the Fusion defeated the
Houston Outlaws, 4–0, marking their first 4–0 sweep of the 2019 season.[10] The team finished the stage with a 3–4 record and did not qualify for the
Stage 2 Playoffs.
In the last week of Stage 3, the Fusion headed to the
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in
Atlanta to play at the "
Atlanta Reign Homestand Weekend"; Philadelphia's final match of the stage was against the
Shanghai Dragons. With both teams holding a 4–2 record in Stage 3, the winner of the match would qualify for the final spot in the
Stage 3 Playoffs. The Fusion were unable to pull out the win, however, and fell in the match by a score of 1–3.[11]
Prior to the start of Stage 4, which would include the implementation of an enforced
2-2-2 role lock by the League, the Fusion traded main tank Joona "Fragi" Laine to the
Guangzhou Charge in exchange for DPS Finley "Kyb" Adisi.[12] Philadelphia finished the regular season in 10th place in the season standings with a 15–13 record and qualified for the
Play-In Tournament.[13]
Postseason
Finishing in tenth place in the regular season standings, the Dragons qualified for the
Play-In Tournament for the chance to qualify for the
season playoffs. The team took on the eleventh-seeded
Shanghai Dragons in the first round on August 30. The Dragon jumped out to an early 2–0 lead after winning on Busan and King's Row, but after the match break, Philadelphia forced a tie on Temple of Anubis and won on Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Shanghai recovered and took a win on Lijiang Tower, but the Fusion struck back with a win on King's Row. The Fusion selected Dorado for what would be the final map of the series; both teams completed the map on their respective attacks, but the Dragons managed to grab the map win in overtime rounds. The 2–4 loss eliminated the Fusion from playoff contention.[14]