2018 Houston Outlaws season

The 2018 Houston Outlaws season was the first season of the Houston Outlaws's existence in the Overwatch League. Outlaws qualified for the Stage 1 playoffs but fell to the London Spitfire in the semifinals. The team did not qualify finished with a regular season record of 22–18, missing the season playoffs.

2018 Houston Outlaws season
Head coachKim Tae-yeong
General managerMatt Rodriguez
OwnerHector Rodriguez
DivisionAtlantic
Results
Record22–18 (.550)
Place
Stage 1 PlayoffsSemifinals
Stage 2 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 3 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Stage 4 PlayoffsDid not qualify
Season PlayoffsDid not qualify
Total Earnings$75,000

Preceding offseason

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On October 31, 2017, Houston Outlaws announced their inaugural season roster, consisting of the following players:[1]

  • Matthew "Clockwork" Dias
  • Lucas "Mendokusaii" Håkansson
  • Jiri "LiNkzr" Masalin
  • Jake "Jake" Lyon
  • Austin "Muma" Wilmot
  • Matt "Coolmatt" Iorio
  • Shane "Rawkus" Flaherty
  • Christopher "Bani" Benell
  • Daniel "Boink" Pence
  • Alexandre "SPREE" Vanhomwegen

Regular season

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Review

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On January 11, the Outlaws played their first regular season Overwatch League match, a 3–2 loss to the Philadelphia Fusion.[2] One week later, on January 17, Houston claimed their first victory after sweeping the Shanghai Dragons 4–0.[3] Houston went on to qualify for the Stage 1 playoffs but fell to the London Spitfire in the semifinals.[4]

Houston entered their last regular season match against the New York Excelsior needing a win to keep their season playoff hopes alive. The Outlaws had a 2–1 lead after three matches, but New York won the next three straight to take the win 3–2.[5] The team finished with a regular season record of 22–18.

Final roster

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2018 Houston Outlaws roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage 11 Clockwork Dias, Matthew United States
Damage 12 Mendokusaii Håkansson, Lucas Sweden
Damage 49 LiNkzr Masalin, Jiri Finland
Damage 76 JAKE Lyon, Jacob United States
Tank 2 FCTFCTN Campbell, Russell United States
Tank 17 Muma Wilmot, Austin United States
Tank 69 Coolmatt Iorio, Matt United States
Support 1 Rawkus Flaherty, Shane United States
Support 3 Bani Benell, Christopher Canada
Support 13 Boink Pence, Daniel United States
Flex 7 SPREE Vanhomwegen, Alexandre Belgium
Flex 57 ArHaN Jung Won-hyeop South Korea
Head coach
  • Kim Tae-yeong

Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  •   Substitute
  •   Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: March 30, 2018.

Transactions

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

  • On February 16, Outlaws signed Russell "FCTFCTN" Campbell.[6]
  • On March 30, Outlaws signed Jung "ArHaN" Won-hyeop.[7]

Standings

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Record by stage

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Stage Pld W L Pct MW ML MT MD Pos
1 10 7 3 .700 30 13 0 +17 2
2 10 5 5 .500 22 22 0 ±0 7
3 10 4 6 .400 20 24 1 -4 9
4 10 6 4 .600 22 18 1 +4 8
Overall 40 22 18 .550 94 77 2 +17 7
  Qualified for playoffs

League

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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

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Preseason

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2018 preseason game log
Preseason (0–2)
1 December 7 Dallas Fuel 3 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


2 December 8 Seoul Dynasty 2 1 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA



Regular season

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2018 game log (Regular season record: 22–18)
Stage 1 (7–3)
1 January 11 Philadelphia Fusion 3 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


2 January 13 New York Excelsior 3 1 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


3 January 17 Houston Outlaws 4 0 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA


4 January 18 Dallas Fuel 0 4 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


5 January 25 Houston Outlaws 4 0 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA


6 January 27 Los Angeles Gladiators 0 4 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


7 January 31 Houston Outlaws 3 1 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA


8 February 02 Seoul Dynasty 3 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


9 February 08 London Spitfire 1 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


10 February 10 Houston Outlaws 3 2 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA



Stage 2 (5–5)
11 February 22 Houston Outlaws 3 2 London Spitfire Burbank, CA


12 February 24 Boston Uprising 0 4 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


13 March 01 Houston Outlaws 2 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA


14 March 03 Houston Outlaws 0 4 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA


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


16 March 09 Florida Mayhem 2 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


17 March 15 Houston Outlaws 2 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


18 March 17 San Francisco Shock 3 1 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


19 March 22 Shanghai Dragons 0 4 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


20 March 22 Houston Outlaws 3 1 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA



Stage 3 (4–6)
21 April 05 London Spitfire 2 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


22 April 07 Houston Outlaws 0 4 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA


23 April 12 Philadelphia Fusion 3 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


24 April 14 New York Excelsior 3 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


25 April 19 Houston Outlaws 3 1 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA


26 April 21 Houston Outlaws 3 0 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA


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


28 April 27 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


29 May 02 Houston Outlaws 2 3 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA


30 May 05 Seoul Dynasty 4 0 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA



Stage 4 (6–4)
31 May 17 Houston Outlaws 4 0 London Spitfire Burbank, CA


32 May 18 Boston Uprising 1 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


33 May 23 Houston Outlaws 1 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA


34 May 25 San Francisco Shock 4 0 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


35 June 01 Houston Outlaws 3 0 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA


36 June 02 Florida Mayhem 1 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


37 June 06 Dallas Fuel 1 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA


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


39 June 14 Houston Outlaws 3 1 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA


40 June 15 Houston Outlaws 2 3 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA



Playoffs

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2018 playoff game log
Stage 1 Playoffs (0–1)
Semifinals February 10 London Spitfire 3 1 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA



References

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  1. ^ "Introducing the Houston Outlaws, the Official Overwatch League Team from OpTic Gaming". Business Wire. October 31, 2017.
  2. ^ Rosen, Rick (January 11, 2018). "Overwatch League: Philadelphia Fusion vs Houston Outlaws Recap". Heavy. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  3. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (January 17, 2018). "Massive skill divides plague Overwatch League's last two Jan. 17 matches". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "London Spitfire beats Houston, New York to win Overwatch League Stage 1 playoffs". ESPN. February 11, 2018.
  5. ^ Lingle, Samuel (June 15, 2018). "Houston Outlaws eliminated from OWL playoff race by New York Excelsior". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  6. ^ Lingle, Samuel (February 17, 2018). "Houston Outlaws sign FCTFCTN". Dot Esports.
  7. ^ "Houston Outlaws Confirms the Final Addition to Its Overwatch League Roster". Dexerto. March 30, 2018.