2018 Los Angeles Valiant season

The 2018 Los Angeles Valiant season was the first season of Los Angeles Valiant's existence in the Overwatch League. The team finished with a regular season record of 27–13 – the second best in the Overwatch League.

2018 Los Angeles Valiant season
Pacific Division champions
Head coachHenry Coxall (rel. Feb 19)
Moon Byung-chul
OwnerNoah Whinston
DivisionPacific
Results
Record27–13 (.675)
Place
Stage 1 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 2 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 3 PlayoffsSemifinals
Stage 4 PlayoffsChampions
Season PlayoffsSemifinals
Total Earnings$400,000

Los Angeles qualified for the Stage 3 and Stage 4 Playoffs. The team lost in the Stage 3 semifinals to the New York Excelsior. Los Angeles found revenge in the Stage 4 finals when the defeated the New York Excelsior. The team qualified for the Season Playoffs, but lost to the would-be champions London Spitfire in the semifinals.

Preceding offseason

Valiant revealed their inaugural season starting roster over a series of Twitter posts from October 30 to November 2, consisting of the following players:[1]

  • Brady "Agilities" Girardi
  • Terence "Soon" Tarlier
  • Ted "silkthread" Wang
  • Christopher "GrimReality" Schaefer
  • Park "Kariv" Young-seo
  • Stefano "Verbo" Disalvo
  • Benjamin "uNKOE" Chevasson
  • Indy "SPACE" Halpern
  • Koo "Fate" Pan-seung
  • Seb "Numlocked" Barton
  • Lee "Envy" Kang-jae

Review

Los Angeles Valiant's first OWL regular season game was a 4–0 victory against the San Francisco Shock on January 10, 2018.[2] The Valiant posted an impressive 7–3 record in Stage 1, but did not qualify for the Stage 1 Playoffs.[3] On February 19, two days before the beginning of Stage 2, the Los Angeles Valiant announced the departure of head coach Henry "Cuddles" Coxall. The team announced, on the same day, the hiring of Byung Chul "Moon" Moon as the team's new head coach.[4] Stage 2 ended in a disappointing 4–6 record.[5]

The Valiant had a more successful Stage 3, as the team posted a 7–3 record – good for the 3rd seed in the Stage 3 Playoffs.[6] The team faced off against the 2nd-seeded New York Excelsior in the semifinals of the Stage 3 Playoffs, but the Valiant lost in a 0–3 sweep.[7]

Los Angeles Valiant had its best stage in the 4th stage. The team was undefeated going into the final regular season game against the Dallas Fuel. The Valiant lost that matchup by a score of 3 to 1, giving them a 9–1 record and the 2nd seed for the Stage 4 Playoffs.[8] The Valiant faced their intercity-rivals and top-seeded team, the Los Angeles Gladiators, in the semifinals, and were able to pull off a 3–2 victory to move on the finals against the New York Excelsior. On June 17, the Los Angeles Valiant claimed their first-ever stage title, defeating the Excelsior 3–1 in the Stage 4 Finals.[9]

The Valiant ended the regular season with a 27–13 record and the 2nd seed and a first-round bye in the Season Playoffs.[10] The team's was set to face the London Spitfire in the season semifinals. The first matchup was on July 18, in which the Valiant fell to the Spitfire by a score of 1–3. On July 20, the Valiant was eliminated from the Season Playoffs after getting swept 0–3 in the second semifinal match against the Spitfire.[11]

Final roster
2018 Los Angeles Valiant roster
PlayersCoaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage 8 Bunny Chae Joon-hyuk South Korea
Damage 9 Agilities Giradi, Brady Canada
Damage 27 KSF Frandanisa, Kyle United States
Damage 99 SoOn Tarlier, Terrence France
Tank 1 Fate Ko Pan-seung South Korea
Tank 6 Numlocked Barton, Sebastian United Kingdom
Support 10 Custa Kennedy, Scott Australia
Support 13 Verbo Disalvo, Stefano United States
Support 99 KariV Park Young-seo South Korea
Flex 8 Finnsi Jonasson, Finnbjorn Iceland
Flex 16 SPACE Halpern, Indy United States
Flex 22 Izayaki Kim Min-chul South Korea
Head coach
  • Moon Byung-chul
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: April 13, 2018.

Transactions

Transactions of/for players on the roster during the 2018 regular season:

  • On March 31, Valiant acquired Chae "Bunny" Jun-hyeok from Seoul Dynasty.[12]
  • On April 2, Valiant released Lee "Envy" Kang-jae and Christopher "GrimReality" Schaefer.[13]
  • On April 2, Valiant traded Benjamin "uNKOE" Chevasson to Dallas Fuel in exchange for Scott "Custa" Kennedy.[14]
  • On April 3, Valiant transferred Ted "silkthread" Wang to Los Angeles Gladiators.[15]
  • On April 4, Valiant signed Kyle "KSF" Frandanisa and Finnbjörn "Finnsi" Jónasson.[16]
  • On April 13, Valiant signed Kim "Izayaki" Min-chul.[17]

Standings

Record by stage
StagePldWLPctMWMLMTMDPos
11073.70026133+134
21046.40018231-58
31073.70028151+133
41091.90028132+152
Overall402713.675100647+362
  Qualified for playoffs

League
Pos Div Team Pld W L PCT MW ML MT MD Qualification
1 ATL New York Excelsior 40 34 6 0.850 126 43 4 +83 Advance to season playoffs semifinals
2 PAC Los Angeles Valiant 40 27 13 0.675 100 64 7 +36
3 ATL Boston Uprising 40 26 14 0.650 99 71 3 +28 Advance to season playoffs quarterfinals
4 PAC Los Angeles Gladiators 40 25 15 0.625 96 72 3 +24
5 ATL London Spitfire 40 24 16 0.600 102 69 3 +33
6 ATL Philadelphia Fusion 40 24 16 0.600 93 80 2 +13
7 ATL Houston Outlaws 40 22 18 0.550 94 77 2 +17
8 PAC Seoul Dynasty 40 22 18 0.550 91 78 3 +13
9 PAC San Francisco Shock 40 17 23 0.425 77 84 5 −7
10 PAC Dallas Fuel 40 12 28 0.300 58 100 7 −42
11 ATL Florida Mayhem 40 7 33 0.175 42 120 5 −78
12 PAC Shanghai Dragons 40 0 40 0.000 21 141 2 −120
Source: The Overwatch League
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) map differential; 3) head-to-head map differential; 4) head-to-head record

Game log

Preseason
2018 preseason game log
Preseason (2–0)
1 December 06 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 2 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA


2 December 09 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 1 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA



Regular season
2018 game log (Regular season record: 27–13)
Stage 1 (7–3)
1 January 10 San Francisco Shock 0 – 4 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


2 January 12 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 0 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


3 January 18 New York Excelsior 3 – 0 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


4 January 20 Los Angeles Valiant 2 – 3 London Spitfire Burbank, CA


5 January 24 Los Angeles Gladiators 2 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


6 January 27 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 1 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA


7 January 31 Los Angeles Valiant 4 – 0 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA


8 February 03 Boston Uprising 4 – 0 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


9 February 07 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 0 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA


10 February 09 Los Angeles Valiant 4 – 0 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA



Stage 2 (4–6)
11 February 21 Seoul Dynasty 4 – 0 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


12 February 24 Shanghai Dragons 0 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


13 February 28 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 1 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA


14 March 02 Dallas Fuel 1 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


15 March 07 Los Angeles Valiant 0 – 4 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


16 March 08 Houston Outlaws 0 – 4 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


17 March 15 Florida Mayhem 3 – 1 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


18 March 16 Los Angeles Valiant 2 – 3 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA


19 March 23 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 2 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


20 March 24 Los Angeles Valiant 0 – 4 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA



Stage 3 (7–3)
21 April 04 Los Angeles Valiant 4 – 0 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA


22 April 06 Los Angeles Valiant 4 – 0 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA


23 April 11 San Francisco Shock 0 – 4 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


24 April 13 Los Angeles Valiant 2 – 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


25 April 18 Los Angeles Gladiators 2 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


26 April 21 London Spitfire 3 – 2 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


27 April 25 Los Angeles Valiant 1 – 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


28 April 27 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 1 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA


29 May 03 Boston Uprising 3 – 2 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


30 May 05 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 2 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA



Stage 4 (9–1)
31 May 16 Seoul Dynasty 2 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


32 May 19 Shanghai Dragons 1 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


33 May 23 Florida Mayhem 1 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


34 May 25 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 2 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA


35 May 30 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


36 June 02 New York Excelsior 2 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


37 June 07 Los Angeles Valiant 2 – 1 London Spitfire Burbank, CA


38 June 09 Houston Outlaws 0 – 4 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


39 June 13 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 1 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA


40 June 15 Dallas Fuel 3 – 1 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA



Playoffs
2018 playoff game log
Stage 3 Playoffs (0–1)
Semifinals May 06 Los Angeles Valiant 0 – 3 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA



Stage 4 Playoffs (2–0)
Semifinals June 17 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 2 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


Finals June 17 New York Excelsior 1 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA



Season Playoffs (0–2)
Quarterfinals   First-round bye  


Semifinals Match 1 July 18 London Spitfire 3 – 1 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA


Semifinals Match 2 July 20 London Spitfire 3 – 0 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA



References
  1. "Los Angeles Valiant unveil roster". over.gg. November 2, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  2. Carpenter, Nicole (January 10, 2018). "Hometown favorites Los Angeles Valiant win Overwatch League's first match". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  3. Mejia, Ozzie (February 10, 2019). "The London Spitfire Win the Overwatch League Stage 1 Finals". Shack News. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  4. Tahan, Chelsey (19 February 2018). "Los Angeles Valiant announces a change in their coaching staff". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  5. Thomas, Jeremy (March 26, 2018). "Breaking Down Overwatch League Stage Two – The Good, the Bad, The Ugly". 411 Mania. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  6. Lingle, Samuel (May 5, 2018). "Boston Uprising select Los Angeles Gladiators as their stage 3 playoff foe". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  7. "New York Excelsior earns back-to-back stage titles". ESPN. May 6, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  8. Lingle, Samuel (June 16, 2018). "Dallas Fuel will play in OWL stage 4 title matches after Philadelphia Fusion fail to sweep London Spitfire". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  9. "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. June 17, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  10. Mejia, Ozzie (June 16, 2018). "Here are the Final Standings for the First Overwatch League Regular Season". Shack News. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  11. Craffey, Liam (July 25, 2018). "London Spitfire punches ticket to Overwatch League finals". ESPN.
  12. Brathwaite, Brandon (March 31, 2019). "LA Valiant Acquire Bunny From Seoul Dynasty". DBLTAP. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  13. Choi, Soobin; Paek, Ji-Eun (April 2, 2018). "LA Valiant releases Envy and recruits Custa - Major Roster Changes". Inven Global. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  14. Carpenter, Nicole (April 2, 2018). "Dallas Fuel and Los Angeles Valiant swap support players". Dot Esports.
  15. Carpenter, Nicole (April 3, 2018). "Silkthread switches from Los Angeles' Valiant Overwatch League team to Gladiators". Dot Esports.
  16. "LA Valiant Acquires Free Agents KSF and Finnsi". The Overwatch League. April 4, 2018.
  17. "LA Valiant Acquires 12th Player Izayaki from NC Foxes". The Overwatch League. April 13, 2018.
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