Guangzhou Charge

Guangzhou Charge (simplified Chinese: 广州冲锋; traditional Chinese: 廣州衝鋒; pinyin: Guǎngzhōu Chōngfēng) is a Chinese professional Overwatch esports team based in Guangzhou, Guangdong. The Charge compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2018, Guangzhou Charge began play as one of eight expansion teams in 2019 and is one of four professional Overwatch teams based in China. The team is owned by Nenking Group and is managed by the esports brand of Nenking, Ultra Prime Esports.

Guangzhou Charge
广州冲锋
The logo features 2 stylized letters "G" and "Z",representing Guangzhou.
Founded2 August 2018
LeagueOverwatch League
RegionEast
Team historyGuangzhou Charge
(2018–present)
Based inGuangzhou, China
Colors     
OwnerZhong Naixiong
General managerZheng “Extra” Jiawen
Affiliation(s)Ultra Prime Academy
Main sponsorHerbalife Nutrition
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese广州冲锋
Traditional Chinese廣州衝鋒

Franchise history

OWL expansion

On 2 August 2018, Activision Blizzard announced that Nenking Group, owner of Guangzhou Loong Lions, purchased a seat for Guangzhou in Overwatch League.[1][2] On 15 October 2018, Nenking announced that Sonny Xiao, the vice president of Nenking and the president of basketball operations for the Guangzhou Long Lions, would be the CEO of the team, Overwatch developer Eddy Meng would be the COO, and Overwatch management veteran Ethan Liu would be the general manager.[3]

On 8 November, the Nenkeng Group announced that the Guangzhou team would be called the Guangzhou Charge.[4] Two weeks later, the Charge announced nine players of their inaugural roster – four DPS, four supports, and one tank.[5] The Charge signed Cho "J1N" Hyo-jin as the team's head coach on 3 December 2018.[6]

Early years: 2019–present
Charge on stage in 2019

On 15 February 2019, Guangzhou Charge played their first regular season OWL match against the Chengdu Hunters, in which the Charge lost 2–3.[7] The team's first victory came a week later – a 4–0 sweep against the Dallas Fuel.[8] The team had a subpar performance throughout the first three stages of the 2019 season, posting a 9–12 record through 21 matches with no stage playoff appearances. After the implementation of an enforced 2-2-2 role lock by the league, the Charge flourished, losing only one match in their final seven matches to give them a 15–13 record for the season. Finishing in ninth place in the overall standings, Guangzhou qualified for the Play-In Tournament, where they defeated the Chengdu Hunters in the first round, 4–1.[9] However, they were unable to make it season playoffs, as they fell to the Seoul Dynasty by a score of 1–4 the following day.[10]

Entering the 2020 season, the Charge parted ways with five of their 11 players,[11] signing three new players later in the offseason.[12] In the 2020 season, the Charge picked up their first midseason tournament title after defeating the Shanghai Dragons 4–2 in the Summer Showdown finals.[13] At the end of the season, Guangzhou finished as one of the top two seeds in the Asia region.[14] However, losses to the New York Excelsior and Seoul Dynasty in the Asia Bracket of 2020 Overwatch League playoffs eliminated the Charge from postseason contention.[15]

In the 2021 offseason, the Charge released their entire Korean coaching staff, including head coach Cho "J1N" Hyo-jin.[16] Several weeks later, they signed former San Francisco Shock assistant coach Lee "Arachne" Ji-won as their new head coach for the upcoming season.[17] Guangzhou also made major changes to their roster in the offseason, parting ways with seven of their players and signing three new ones.[18] After a 1–3 record to start the 2021 season, the Charge released head coach Lee "Arachne" Ji-won and assistant coach Kim "Daemin" Dae-min, on 6 May 2021.[19] The Charge signed their former assistant coach Sung-woo "Sungwoo" Hong as their new head coach on 17 June.[20] With a 5–11 regular season record, the Charge finished in second-to-last place in the Eastern region, only ahead of the winless Los Angeles Valiant.[21]

Team identity

On 9 November 2018, the Nenking Group officially announced the brand of their franchise, the Guangzhou Charge. The name was chosen because it expressed the team's "vision to lead the esports movement in China, and to be at the forefront of innovation. It also [expressed the] vision for a competitive team that plays aggressive and bold."[4]

The logo features two stylized letters "G" and "Z", representing Guangzhou. A lightning bolt symbol can be seen in-between the white space of the two letters. The colors represent the scenery of the region, while the name "Charge" represents bold playstyles and innovation in Chinese esports.[4]

"We want to build an international organization and fanbase, so the goal for our team brand was to create a symbol for Guangzhou that people from all of the world can instantly recognize," the team's Marketing and Creative Director Chris Hwang said. "We took inspiration from iconic sports logos where simple letters have grown to represent an entire city"[4]

Personnel

Roster
Guangzhou Charge roster
PlayersCoaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage 9 Jimmy Lei Yujia China
Damage JinMu Yi Hu China
Tank GA9A Qiu Jiaxin China
Support 29 Xerneas Li Xianyao China
Support 87 Farway1987 Jiale Cao China
Head coach
  • Vacant
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: 25 July 2023.

Head coaches
Handle Name Seasons Record Notes Ref.
J1N Cho Hyo-jin 2019–2020 29–20 (.592) [6][16]
Arachne Lee Ji-won 2021 1–3 (.250) Released after four games in 2021. [17][19]
Sungwoo Hong Sung-woo 2021–2023 17–24 (.415) Released after nine games in 2023. [20][22]

Awards and records

Seasons overview
Season P W L W% Finish Playoffs
2019 28 15 13 .536 6th, Pacific Did not qualify
2020 21 14 7 .667 3rd, Asia Lost in Asia Lower Round 1, 0–3 (Excelsior)
2021 16 5 11 .313 7th, East Did not qualify
2022 24 9 15 .375 5th, East Did not qualify

Individual accomplishments

Role Star selections

  • Cr0ng (Nam Ki-cheol) – 2020

All-Star Game selections

  • Shu (Kim Jin-Seo) – 2019, 2020
  • Cr0ng (Nam Ki-cheol) – 2020

All-Star Game head coaches

  • J1n (Cho Hyo-Jin) – 2020

Academy team
See also: Ultra Prime (eSports)

On 13 March 2019, GZ Academy, also known as GZA, was founded as the academy team of Guangzhou Charge.[23] After a 1–4 finish in their first season of Overwatch Contenders, team shut down on 30 May, citing a focus on preparations for the Charge's 2020 home arena and teamhouse.[24] On 2 July, in the middle of the second season of 2019 Contenders, it was announced that the roster of Chinese Contenders team The One Winner (T1w) had been signed as the new academy team of Guangzhou Charge, rebranding themselves to T1w.GZA.[25] In 2020, the Charge ended their partnership with T1w. Another OWC team Ignition One (IO) was rebranded to Ultra Prime Academy as the academy team of the Charge.[26]

References
  1. Hume, Mike (2 August 2018). "Overwatch League expansion wave begins in Atlanta, Guangzhou". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  2. "Atlanta and Guangzhou take the stage". Blizzard Entertainment. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  3. "Guangzhou Overwatch League Team Announces Executive Leadership". The Esports Observer. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  4. Nenking Group (8 November 2018). "Feel The Charge! Nenking Group Unveils Its Guangzhou Overwatch League Team Branding". Business Wire. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  5. Viana, Bhernardo (23 November 2018). "Guangzhou Charge signs an international roster for its debut in the Overwatch League". Dot Esports. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  6. Rodriguez, Veronika (4 December 2018). "Guangzhou Charge Signs J1N, TyDolla, and Sungwoo to Overwatch League Coaching Staff". DBLTAP. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  7. August, Charlotte (16 February 2019). "Overwatch Esports: Overwatch League Day 2 Recap". ESTNN. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  8. August, Charlotte (22 February 2019). "Overwatch League Stage 1 Week 2 Day 1 Recap". ESTNN. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  9. "Charge, Dragons advance in OWL play-in tourney". ESPN. Reuters. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  10. Richardson, Liz (31 August 2019). "London Spitfire and Seoul Dynasty advance to Overwatch League 2019 season playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  11. Samples, Rachel (11 November 2019). "Guangzhou Charge release 5 players heading into 2020 Overwatch League season". Dot Esports. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  12. O'Dwyer, Samuel (14 November 2019). "Guangzhou Charge sign 3 new players for 2020". Dot Esports. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  13. "Guangzhou Charge win Summer Showdown-Asia". Reuters. 5 July 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  14. Bumbaca, Chris (3 September 2020). "Overwatch League playoffs preview: MVP candidates lead contenders, with $4 million in prize money at stake". USA Today. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  15. Richardson, Liz (12 September 2020). "Shanghai Dragons, San Francisco Shock lock in Overwatch League Grand Finals spots". Dot Esports. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  16. O'Dwyer, Samuel (6 October 2020). "Guangzhou Charge parts ways with entire Korean coaching staff". Dot Esports. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  17. Heinisch, Sascha (29 October 2020). "Arachne Signed As Head Coach For The Guangzhou Charge". GGRecon. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  18. Alford, Aaron (13 November 2020). "Guangzhou Charge Make Big Changes for 2021". Hotspawn. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  19. "Guangzhou Charge dismisses coaches 'Arachne,' 'Daemin'". Reuters. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  20. Guangzhou Charge [@GZCharge] (17 June 2021). "Welcome Sung-woo "Sungwoo" Hong returns to Guangzhou Charge as our new Head Coach!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. Datuin, Sage (21 January 2022). "Guangzhou Charge welcomes former Shanghai Dragons flex support Molly". Dot Esports. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  22. Guangzhou Charge [@GZCharge] (25 July 2023). "Thank you for your guidance over the years, coach Sungwoo" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. "Guangzhou Academy (GZA) was founded as the academy team of Guangzhou Charge and will take part in the Overwatch Contenders". GZA Esports Club. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  24. GZA Esports Club (30 May 2019). "Guangzhou Academy will be temporarily shutting down" (in Chinese). Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  25. Richardson, Liz (3 July 2019). "Guangzhou Charge pick up T1w for Contenders China team". Dot Esports. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  26. "Nenking announced that a new eSports brand called Ultra Prime was founded". 8 August 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
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