2018 Los Angeles Gladiators season

The 2018 Los Angeles Gladiators was the first season of the Los Angeles Gladiators's existence in the Overwatch League. The team finished with a regular season record of 25–15 – the fourth best in the Overwatch League.

2018 Los Angeles Gladiators season
Head coach	David Pei
Owner	Kroenke Sports & Entertainment
Division	Pacific
Results
Record	25–15 (.625)
Place	Pacific: 2nd League: 4th
Stage 1 Playoffs	Did not qualify
Stage 2 Playoffs	Did not qualify
Stage 3 Playoffs	Semifinals
Stage 4 Playoffs	Semifinals
Season Playoffs	Quarterfinals
Total Earnings	$200,000

Los Angeles qualified for the Stage 3 and Stage 4 Playoffs. The team lost in the Stage 3 semifinals to the Boston Uprising.[1] In the Stage 4 semifinals, the Gladiators lost to the Los Angeles Valiant.[2] The team also qualified for the Season Playoffs, but lost to the London Spitfire in the quarterfinals.[3]

Preceding offseason

On November 2, Gladiators unveiled their initial 7-player inaugural season roster, consisting of the following players:[4][5]

• Lane "Surefour" Roberts
• João Pedro "Hydration" Goes Telles
• Kim "Bischu" Hyung-seok
• Jonas "Shaz" Suovaara
• Benjamin "BigGoose" Isohanni
• Choi "Asher" Jun-sung
• Luis "iRemiix" Galarza Figueroa

The team revealed that the players were picked from a conglomeration of professional Overwatch esports teams to suit an "aggressive and fun" playstyle the team hoped to emulate as a reflection of their personality.[4]

Review

Regular season

Their debut match was a 4–0 victory over the Shanghai Dragons.[6] They finished Stage 1 with a 4–6 record in 8th place.

Heading into Stage 2, the team announced the transfer of tank player Baek "Fissure" Chan-hyung from the London Spitfire.[7] Following the acquisition of Fissure, the team finished the stage in fifth place with a 6–4 record, including a 4–0 sweep over the Valiant.[8]

Between Stages 2 and 3, the Gladiators acquired Ted "silkthread" Wang from the Valiant and Kang "Void" Jun-woo from Kongdoo Panthera.[9][10] However, visa issues would cause Void to completely miss out on Stage 3.[11] The Gladiators finished Stage 3 with a 6–4 record in fourth place, which, beginning with the third stage, was the final stage playoff spot.[12] The top-seeded Boston Uprising, undefeated in Stage 3, selected the Gladiators as their first round opponent. On May 6, the Uprising swept the Gladiators 3–0.[13]

The Gladiators, now regularly using Void in their lineup following his visa being approved,[11] finished with a league-best 9–1 record in Stage 4, including a reverse sweep over back-to-back stage champions New York Excelsior.[14] However, the team would unexpectedly choose the second-seeded Valiant as their semi-final opposition.[15] The Valiant would subsequently defeat the Gladiators in the Stage Playoffs by a score of 3–2.[16] They would end the season with a 25–15 record, good for 4th place and a spot in the postseason where they would face against the London Spitfire.

Season playoffs

On July 11, the first day of the season's playoffs, the fourth-seeded Gladiators took a 1–0 series lead after defeating the fifth-seeded Spitfire 3–0 in their first ever playoffs match. The Gladiators made headlines by surprisingly announcing on the day of the first match that main tank Fissure would be benched in favor of Luis "iRemiix" Galarza Figueroa.[17][18] Later on the same day, Fissure was revealed by Blizzard as the runner-up in the inaugural Overwatch League season MVP vote.[19] Two days later, the Gladiators would be eliminated from the playoffs after the Spitfire shut out the Gladiators in back-to-back matches to win the series 2–1.[20]

Final roster

2018 Los Angeles Gladiators roster
Players	Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality Damage 1 Asher  Choi Jun-sung  South Korea  Damage 4 Surefour  Roberts, Lane   Canada  Damage 9 silkthread  Wang, Ted   United States  Damage 99 Hydration  Goes Telles, João Pedro   Brazil  Tank 22 Fissure  Baek Chan-hyung  South Korea  Tank 24 iRemiix  Galarza Figueroa, Luis   Puerto Rico  Support 0 BigGoose  Ville, Benjamin   Finland  Support 10 Shaz  Suovaara, Jonas   Finland  Flex 31 Bischu  Kim Hyung-seok  South Korea  Flex 57 Void  Kang Jun-woo  South Korea	Head coach David Pei Legend (C) Team captain (2W) Two-way player (I) Inactive (S) Suspended Injury/Illness Latest roster transaction: April 3, 2018.

Transactions

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

• On February 13, Gladiators acquired Baek "Fissure" Chan-hyung from London Spitfire.[21]
• On March 25, Gladiators signed Kang "Void" Jun-woo.[22]
• On April 3, Gladiators acquired Ted "silkthread" Wang from Los Angeles Valiant.[23]

Standings

Record by stage

Stage	Pld	W	L	Pct	MW	ML	MT	MD	Pos
1	10	4	6	.400	16	26	0	-10	8
2	10	6	4	.600	25	16	1	+9	5
3	10	6	4	.600	25	19	1	+6	4
4	10	9	1	.900	30	11	1	+19	1
Overall	40	25	15	.625	96	72	3	+24	4
Qualified for playoffs

League

2018 Overwatch League standings
#	Team	Division	W	L	PCT	P	MR	MD	STK
Division leaders
1	New York Excelsior	ATL	34	6	.850	40	126–43–4	+83	W1
2	Los Angeles Valiant	PAC	27	13	.675	40	100–64–7	+36	L1
Wild cards
3	Boston Uprising	ATL	26	14	.650	40	99–71–3	+28	W4
4	Los Angeles Gladiators	PAC	25	15	.625	40	96–72–3	+24	W5
5[lower-alpha 1]	London Spitfire	ATL	24	16	.600	40	102–69–3	+33	L1
6[lower-alpha 1]	Philadelphia Fusion	ATL	24	16	.600	40	93–80–2	+13	W1
Did not qualify for playoffs
7[lower-alpha 2]	Houston Outlaws	ATL	22	18	.550	40	94–77–2	+17	L1
8[lower-alpha 2]	Seoul Dynasty	PAC	22	18	.550	40	91–78–3	+13	L1
9	San Francisco Shock	PAC	17	23	.425	40	77–84–5	-7	W1
10	Dallas Fuel	PAC	12	28	.300	40	58–100–7	-42	W1
11	Florida Mayhem	ATL	7	33	.175	40	42–120–5	-78	L3
12	Shanghai Dragons	PAC	0	40	.000	40	21–141–2	-120	L40
Tiebreakers
London placed ahead of Philadelphia based on map differential. Houston placed ahead of Seoul based on map differential.

Game log

Preseason

2018 preseason game log
Preseason (1–1) 1 December 7 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 2 London Spitfire Burbank, CA 2 December 9 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 1 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA

Regular season

2018 game log (Regular season record: 25–15)
Stage 1 (4–6) 1 January 10 Shanghai Dragons 0 – 4 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 2 January 13 Seoul Dynasty 4 – 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 3 January 18 Philadelphia Fusion 2 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 4 January 20 Los Angeles Gladiators 0 – 4 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA 5 January 24 Los Angeles Gladiators 2 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA 6 January 27 Los Angeles Gladiators 0 – 4 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA 7 January 31 Florida Mayhem 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 8 February 02 Los Angeles Gladiators 0 – 4 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA 9 February 07 San Francisco Shock 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 10 February 09 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 – 3 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA
Stage 2 (6–4) 11 February 21 Los Angeles Gladiators 4 – 0 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA 12 February 23 Dallas Fuel 3 – 1 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 13 February 28 Los Angeles Gladiators 4 – 0 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA 14 March 02 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 – 3 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA 15 March 07 Los Angeles Valiant 0 – 4 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 16 March 10 London Spitfire 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 17 March 15 Houston Outlaws 2 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 18 March 16 Los Angeles Gladiators 2 – 1 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA 19 March 21 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 20 March 24 Boston Uprising 3 – 2 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA
Stage 3 (6–4) 21 April 04 San Francisco Shock 3 – 1 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 22 April 06 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 1 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA 23 April 11 Shanghai Dragons 0 – 4 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 24 April 13 Seoul Dynasty 2 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 25 April 18 Los Angeles Gladiators 2 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant Burbank, CA 26 April 21 New York Excelsior 3 – 2 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 27 April 26 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 2 London Spitfire Burbank, CA 28 April 27 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA 29 May 02 Florida Mayhem 0 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 30 May 04 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 – 3 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA
Stage 4 (9–1) 31 May 16 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 1 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA 32 May 18 Dallas Fuel 0 – 4 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 33 May 23 Houston Outlaws 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 34 May 24 Los Angeles Gladiators 4 – 0 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA 35 May 30 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 36 May 31 Philadelphia Fusion 1 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 37 June 07 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 2 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA 38 June 09 London Spitfire 2 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA 39 June 13 Los Angeles Gladiators 4 – 0 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA 40 June 15 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 1 Seoul Dynasty Burbank, CA

Playoffs

2018 playoff game log
Stage 3 Playoffs (0–1) Semifinals May 06 Los Angeles Gladiators 0 – 3 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA
Stage 4 Playoffs (0–1) Semifinals June 17 Los Angeles Valiant 3 – 2 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA
Season Playoffs (1–2) Quarterfinals Match 1 July 11 London Spitfire 0 – 3 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA Quarterfinals Match 2 July 14 London Spitfire 3 – 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA Quarterfinals Match 3 July 14 London Spitfire 3 – 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Burbank, CA

References

1. Lingle, Samuel (March 24, 2018). "Boston Uprising crush Los Angeles Gladiators to end their OWL stage 2 playoff hopes". Dot Esports.
2. "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. June 17, 2018.
3. "Spitfire shuts down LA Gladiators, advances to OWL semis". ESPN. July 14, 2018.
4. Newman, Heather (2 November 2017). "L.A. Gladiators To Feature 'Aggressive, Fun' Playstyle In Overwatch League". Forbes. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
5. Carpenter, Nicole (2 November 2017). "Players from Cloud9, Kungarna, and Team Gigantti make up the LA Gladiators roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
6. Donigan, Wyatt (15 January 2018). "Dynasty survives Fuel, Valiant tops Shock, Gladiators squashes Dragons as OWL regular season begins". ESPN. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
7. D'Orazio, Nick (20 February 2018). "Fissure transfers from London Spitfire to LA Gladiators". Inven Global. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
8. Waltzer, Noah (8 March 2018). "Seoul Dynasty keeps unbeaten Stage 2 going with win over Shanghai Dragons". ESPN. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
9. Lingle, Samuel (26 March 2018). "Los Angeles Gladiators add Void, reuniting KongDoo tank pair". Dot Esports. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
10. Carpenter, Nicole (3 April 2018). "Silkthread switches from Los Angeles' Valiant Overwatch League team to Gladiators". Dot Esports. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
11. Tahan, Chelsey (23 May 2018). "Void is ready to play for the Los Angeles Gladiators". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
12. Tahan, Chelsey (6 May 2018). "Here is everything you need to know about the Stage Three playoffs". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
13. Waltzer, Noah (7 May 2018). "New York Excelsior earns back-to-back stage titles". ESPN. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
14. Nash, Anthony (8 June 2018). "Good, bad, and ugly from the Gladiators' reverse sweep of New York". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
15. Baker, Harry (16 June 2018). "The Gladiators have picked the Valiant as their Stage Playoff opponent". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
16. Donigan, Wyatt (18 June 2018). "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
17. Baker, Harry (12 July 2018). "L.A. Gladiators dominate London Spitfire in their first quarterfinals series". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
18. Nguyen, Steven (12 July 2018). "Gladiators dominant in opening playoff match vs. Spitfire". ESPN. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
19. Mejia, Ozzie (11 July 2018). "New York Excelsior's JJoNak Named First Overwatch League Regular Season MVP". Shacknews. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
20. Baker, Harry (14 July 2018). "London reverse sweep two back-to-back series against Gladiators, head to semifinals". Overwatch Wire. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
21. Wolf, Jacob (February 13, 2018). "Sources: LA Gladiators to acquire Fissure". ESPN.
22. Lingle, Samuel (March 26, 2018). "Los Angeles Gladiators add Void, reuniting KongDoo tank pair". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
23. Carpenter, Nicole (April 3, 2018). "Silkthread switches from Los Angeles' Valiant Overwatch League team to Gladiators". Dot Esports.