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Overwatch World Cup Group Stage Preview: Bangkok

Overwatch World Cup Group Stage Preview: Bangkok

South Korea and Finland advanced out of Incheon, United States and Canada took Los Angeles, and now the Overwatch World Cup is headed to the bustling city of Bangkok, Thailand, to celebrate the 2018 Overwatch World Cup Group Stage with our passionate fans in Southeast Asia!

What you need to know

  • When: Matches begin—Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. PDT // Sept. 14 at 5 a.m. CEST // Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. ICT
  • Where: Royal Paragon Hall, 5th floor, Siam Paragon (Buy tickets)
  • Live Streams:
  • Broadcast: Check your local listings for select broadcasts on ESPN 3 and Disney XD.
  • Patch: 1.27
  • Match Schedule: Check out the official OWWC site.
  • Map Pool: All! Each match will begin on a predetermined control map: Nepal, Lijiang Tower, Ilios, or Oasis. Starting with the second map, the loser of the previous map gets to pick the next map from the following types:
    • Second map: Hybrid
    • Third map: Assault
    • Fourth map: Escort
    • Fifth map (tiebreaker): Control, but must be different than the first map

National Team Rosters

Thailand

  • Teetawat “Teetawat” Teerayosyotin (Contenders Pacific: MEGA Esports)
  • Vuthichai “Rocket” Posawad (Contenders Pacific: MEGA Esports)
  • Ubon “oPuTo” Dara (Contenders Pacific: MEGA Esports)
  • Kantapat “SaiyajinGOD” Tangteekarak (Contenders Pacific: Xavier Esports)
  • Patiphan “Patiphan” Chaiwong (Contenders Pacific: Xavier Esports)
  • Pasavit “Pannys” Svasti-Xuto
  • Sub: Pongphop “Mickie” Rattanasangchod (Dallas Fuel)

We all know by now, I hope, the amazing story of Mickie, who played for Thailand in the 2016 Overwatch World Cup as an unknown player whose team didn’t make it out of groups. However, Mickie’s individual performance was enough to gain the attention of Team EnVyUs, who took him to Korea for APEX as a stand-in, and the rest is glorious, smiling history. The Thai team also features oPuTo, a longtime teammate of Mickie’s and a member of the national team for all three years of the Overwatch World Cup. We know the kind of talent that can be born here and are excited to see if Thailand has any surprises in 2018.

China

  • Shilong “Krystal” Cai (Contenders China: T1w Esports Club)
  • Qiulin “Guxue” Xu (Contenders China: LGD Gaming)
  • Xianyao “Yveltal” Li (Contenders China: LinGan e-Sports)
  • Junjian “Sky” He (Shanghai Dragons)
  • Tianbin “LateYoung” Ma (Contenders China: Team CC)
  • Xin “Leave” Huang
  • Sub: Yangjie “Shy” Zheng (Contenders China: LGD Gaming)

With only one Overwatch League player on the roster, let’s take a look at what hidden talent China has on offer in Contenders. Guxue and Shy’s team, LDG Gaming, recently finished as runner-up in Contenders China Season 2, so that’s a good start. Yveltal’s LinGan e-Sports and LateYoung’s Team CC made it to the quarterfinals. T1w Esports club finished below LinGan in the standings, but made it to the semifinals. China is a strong region, and seeing what they’ve got outside of the Shanghai Dragons roster will be something you won’t want to miss.

Australia

  • Ashley “Trill” Powell (Contenders Pacific: Blank Esports)
  • Huseyin “Hus” Sahin (Contenders Pacific: Blank Esports)
  • Leyton “Punk” Gilchrist (Contenders Australia: Dark Sided)
  • James “Yuki” Stanton (Contenders Australia: Dark Sided)
  • Dario “Akraken” Falcao-Rassokha (Contenders Australia: Sydney Drop Bears)
  • Scott “Custa” Kennedy (Los Angeles Valiant)
  • Sub: Felix “ckm” Murray (Contenders Pacific: Blank Esports)

The only old mate from the Overwatch League, Custa, is an obviously strong anchor for this team. Dark Sided and the Sydney Drop Bears both made it to the Contenders Australia finals, which was an in-person LAN event, giving those guys a taste of the onstage life before they travel to Bangkok. Blank Esports, who compete in the Pacific region, only just avoided being sent to Contenders Trials in Season 2, but they’re very experienced—they finished as runners-up in Season 1 of Contenders Pacific—so there’s potential for Australia to advance out of this Group Stage.

However…

Sweden

  • Jonathan “Reinforce” Larsson
  • Tim “Manneten” Bylund
  • Kevin “TviQ” Lindström (Florida Mayhem)
  • Sebastian “chipshajen” Widlund
  • Hugo “SharP” Sahlberg (Contenders NA: GGEA)
  • Ludvig “Luddee” Håkansson (Contenders Europe: Angry Titans)
  • Sub: Simon “Snillo” Ekström (Philadelphia Fusion)

Look at this recipe for Sweden—some very talented OWL players, a sprinkling of Contenders, with a dash of commentator. Those new to the Overwatch scene may not understand the addition of Reinforce, but this man has a deep history in professional Overwatch. In 2BOWL (2016, two years before OWL), he was a tank player for Rogue, a team that has produced several high-profile Overwatch League players. From there he joined Misfits, the team that would become the Florida Mayhem, but was released in August 2017. We all love him as a commentator, but it’s clear his desire to play among the best has lingered in his soul. Follow Team Sweden in Bangkok to see what path his journey will take.

Spain

  • Ivo “Linepro” Kolev
  • Jonathan “HarryHook” Tejedor Rua (Dallas Fuel)
  • Alejandro “Networkz” Martín Pérez
  • Mario “PopiFresh” González
  • Joshua “Toxiken” Campos Buiza
  • Jose Antonio “Bromas” Ramos González
  • Sub: Daniel “dhak” Martínez Paz

Although on paper this team may look middle-of-the-pack, don’t doubt the experience of the unsigned players on this Spanish squad. PopiFresh played for the Copenhagen Flames in Contenders Europe Season 1, and Toxiken was a member of the old Dignitas squad alongside Houston Outlaws’ Jiri “LiNkzr” Masalin from 2016-17. These guys have been fighting the good fight to earn recognition alongside their Overwatch League counterparts, and this moment in Bangkok will be extremely important to them.

Denmark

  • Kristian “Kellex” Keller (Boston Uprising)
  • Johannes “Shax” Alsing Nielsen
  • Gustav “Nerfdd” Guldager
  • Danni “Ding” Hylbæk Rasmussen
  • Mads “fischer” Josef Jehg (Contenders NA: GGEA)
  • Daniel “Danii” Lindblad Sørensen (Contenders Europe: Young and Beautiful)
  • Sub: Nikolai “Nagga” Dereli

These great Danes are also not a team to be sneezed at. Fan-favorite Kellex from the Boston Uprising has a full squad of Contenders-level players behind him as they fight for their country. One player in particular to keep an eye on is Fischer, who rose to international fame in 2017 as a part of Hammers Esports during the TakeTV Overwatch TaKeOver 2 tournament series. A tournament in the style of StarCraft 2’s HomeStory Cup, Fischer became popular with fans with his excellent play against better-known teams like Cloud9. Now playing for the Houston Outlaws’ academy team, the future is bright for this guy.

Talent Team

Soe
Soe Gschwind-Penski
talent-mica-th.jpg
Mica Burton
Wolf
Wolf Schröder
Achilios
Seth “Achilios” King
Bren
Brennon “Bren” Hook
Sideshow
Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson
ZP
Andrew “ZP” Rush
Jake
Jake Lyon

We’re at the halfway point in the 2018 Overwatch World Cup, with so much action still to come in the lead-up to BlizzCon. Set your alarms, follow @owpathtopro and @PlayOverwatch, and don’t miss out on this Southeast Asian celebration of Overwatch!

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