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Vancouver Titans

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This article is about the Overwatch League team. For the professional basketball team which was named the Vancouver Titans from 2008 to 2009, see BC Titans.
Vancouver Titans
The logo for the Vancouver Titans features a Sasquatch with a 'V' in the nose and a mountain range on the top of its head.
FoundedSeptember 7, 2018
LeagueOverwatch League
RegionWest
Team historyVancouver Titans
(2018–2023)
Based inVancouver, Canada
Colours     
OwnerCanucks Sports & Entertainment
Uniforms

The Vancouver Titans were a professional Overwatch esports team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Titans competed in the now defunct Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, the Vancouver Titans began play as one of eight expansion teams in 2019 and is one of two professional Overwatch teams in Canada (the other, Toronto Defiant). The team is owned by Canucks Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Vancouver Warriors of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

For their inaugural season, the Titans signed a roster consisting of mostly members from Korean Overwatch Contenders team RunAway. In their first year, they reached all three of the stage playoffs, made two stage final appearances, won one stage title, finished at the top of the regular season standings, and reached the 2019 Grand Finals, where they ultimately lost to the San Francisco Shock. However, conflicts between players and management resulted in the Titans organization parting ways with their entire roster at the beginning of the 2020 season. Since then, the Titans have failed to reach any playoffs and had their worst season in 2021, ending it with a 1–15 regular season record.

History

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On September 7, 2018, Activision Blizzard announced that NHL's Vancouver Canucks ownership Aquilini Group had purchased a slot for the Vancouver-based franchise for a reported $30 million to $60 million.[1][2] "Esports has seen extraordinary success and continues to be one of the fastest growing industries in the world," said Aquilini Group managing director Francesco Aquilini in a statement. "We can't wait to launch the team in Vancouver."[3] On October 18, the team announced they had partnered with Canadian esports organization Luminosity Gaming to add esports expertise to the organization.[4]

On December 1, a video revealed the Vancouver Titans' brand during the second intermission of a Vancouver Canucks game, concluding with "Today, we release the Titans." The team also announced that it had signed all eight members of the Korean Overwatch Contenders champions RunAway and Hwang "Pajion" Ji-sub as the team's head coach.[5]

2019: Grand Finals appearance

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Titans during the 2019 Grand Finals.

Vancouver's first OWL match was a 4–0 sweep over the Shanghai Dragons.[6] Behind a core starting lineup of Park "Bumper" Sang-beom, Choi "JJANU" Hyun-woo, Kim "Haksal" Hyo-jong, Seo "SeoMinSoo" Min-soo, Kim "SLIME" Seong-jun, and Lee "Twilight" Ju-seok, the Titans posted a 7–0 record in the first stage of the season. The team capped off the stage running through the Stage 1 playoffs, going on to defeat the San Francisco Shock, 4–3, in the Stage 1 finals.[7] The Titans reached the Stage 2 finals, going undefeated in the process, where they again faced the Shock. However, their undefeated streak came to an end, as they lost the match, 2–4.[8] The Titans recorded an OWL record 19-game regular season winning streak, which was snapped Stage 3, as they lost their first regular season match on June 23, against the Los Angeles Valiant.[9] While they qualified for the Stage 3 playoffs, Vancouver was defeated by the Shanghai Dragons in the semifinals round.[10] The league introduced a 2-2-2 role lock for Stage 4; on August 16, the Titans signed tank player Hwang "TiZi" Jang-hyeon, who was a former player for RunAway.[11] Vancouver ended the regular season with a league-best 25–3 record and the top seed in the season playoffs.[12] Haksal and Twilight were awarded Role Star commendations on the season;[13] Haksal was also named the OWL Rookie of the Year.[14] In the season playoffs, Bumper and TiZi split playing time, with TiZi taking more time as the playoffs went on.[15] Vancouver ran through the upper bracket of the season playoffs, ultimately defeating the New York Excelsior, 4–3, in the upper bracket finals to advance to the Grand Finals.[16] In a rematch of the Stage 1 and Stage 2 finals, the Titans faced the Shock in the Grand Finals on September 29. However, the Titans were held without winning a single map in the series, losing 0–4, and finished as the league's runners-up.[17]

2020–present: Roster collapse and years of rebuilding

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Following the 2019 season, the Vancouver Titans parted ways with four of their players, including Bumper and TiZi.[18] The team signed two former Seoul Dynasty players in tank Baek "Fissure" Chan-hyung and support Ryu "ryujehong" Je-hong.[15] The team began their season living in Vancouver and practicing at a gaming facility at Adamas Esports Training and Performance at Fortius Sport & Health. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Overwatch League shifted all matches to an online format. The Titans players requested to move back to South Korea amid the pandemic, which was approved by Aquilini management. However, Aquilini would not fund the team a team house, nor would they provide a training facility for them to practice at. In South Korea, the Titans players encountered technical difficulties playing from their homes and eventually boycotted practice.[19] According to Tim Holloway, esports director of Aquilini Group, the Titans originally planned to compete in the league's newly formed Asia region, but the time difference "made it difficult for management and the home fanbase to connect with the team and technical challenges for the players playing from home further exacerbated the situation."[20] Unable to resolve differences between players and management, the Titans organization parted ways with tank JJANU and head coach Pajion on April 30 and released the rest of their roster on May 6.[20][21] Days later, the Titans announced the hiring of Steven "Flubby" Coronel as their new head coach and signed a roster consisting entirely of the players from North American Overwatch Contenders team Second Wind.[22][23] The team struggled throughout the season, finishing with a 6–15 regular season record. A 0–3 loss to the Washington Justice in the North America play-in tournament on September 3 ended the team's season.[24]

Prior to the start of the 2021 season, the Titans retained half of their roster from the previous season and picked up underperforming players who were dropped or traded from other OWL teams to fill their holes.[25] The team did not outperform expectations, going on a 12-game losing streak to start the season. Vancouver picked up its first win of the season on August 6, 2021, with a 3–0 win over the Boston Uprising — their first win in nearly a year.[26] The Titans ended the season with a 1–15 record, marking their worst finish in franchise history.[27]

After an abysmal 2021 season, the Titans again dropped their entire roster.[27] The team picked up seven players, forming a mixed nationality roster, in the offseason, including former Toronto Defiant hitscan player Luka "Aspire" Rolovic and former Atlanta Reign support player Petja "Masaa" Kantanen.[28][29]

Team identity

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On December 1, 2018, the Aquilini Group officially unveiled the Vancouver Titans brand. The name Titans is "indicative of the traits associated with the Sasquatch – a powerful, imposing, and mythical being." The logo features the Pacific Northwest folklore figure with a 'V' in the nose and a mountain range on the top of its head in the team's colours of blue, green, and white. The colours represent the greenery that surrounds the Pacific Ocean in the Vancouver area and are similar of that of the Vancouver Canucks' official colours. "In choosing our identity we wanted to introduce a team that would resonate with fans in the Pacific Northwest," Aquilini Group managing editor Francesco Aquilini said in a statement. "With a local feel and an experienced, skilled team, we are ready and can't wait to have the Titans compete at the highest level in esports."[5][30]

Partnerships

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In August 2019, the Vancouver Titans announced a partnership with Circle K on limited edition souvenir cups that featured images of Titans players Twilight, Haksal, Bumper, and SeoMinSoo.[31][32]

Personnel

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Current roster

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Vancouver Titans roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage Sugarfree Hijada, Kamden United States
Damage HeeSang Chae Hee-sang South Korea
Tank Punk Gilchrist, Leyton Australia
Support Faith Kim Hong-gyu South Korea
Support Crimzo Hernandez, William Canada
Head coach
  • Valentin "Ascoft" Wulfman
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: July 11, 2023.

Head coaches

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Handle Name Seasons Record Notes Ref.
Pajion Hwang Ji-sub 2019–2020 27–5 (.844) Released after four games in 2020. [5][21]
Flubby Steven Coronel 2020–2022 5–34 (.128) Released after six games in 2022. [23][33]
dpei David Pei 2022 5–13 (.278) [34][35]
Ascoft Valentin Wulfman 2023–present 8–8 (.500) [36]

Awards and records

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Seasons overview

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Season P W L W% Finish Playoffs
2019 28 25 3 .893 1st, Pacific Lost in Grand Finals, 0–4 (Shock)
2020 21 6 15 .286 10th, North America Did not qualify
2021 16 1 15 .063 12th, West Did not qualify
2022 24 5 19 .208 11th, West Did not qualify
2023 16 8 8 .500 5th, West Did not qualify

Individual accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ Rand, Emily (September 7, 2018). "Overwatch League reveals Toronto, Paris, and four other new franchises". ESPN. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  2. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (September 7, 2018). "It's official: All 8 new teams coming to Overwatch League have been revealed". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  3. ^ Black, Matthew; Haberstroh, Max (September 7, 2018). "Canucks owners bring pro esports team to Vancouver". CBC News. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  4. ^ "Vancouver Overwatch team partners with Luminosity Gaming". ESPN.com. 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  5. ^ a b c "Overwatch: Vancouver Titans reveal branding, roster". ESPN. Reuters. December 1, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  6. ^ Fossett, Wyatt (February 17, 2019). "Vancouver Titans win their Overwatch League debut". Daily Hive. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  7. ^ Erzberger, Tyler (March 24, 2019). "Vancouver Titans crush Overwatch League in Stage 1". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Samples, Rachel (May 12, 2019). "San Francisco Shock are the Overwatch League's stage 2 champions". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  9. ^ Fossett, Wyatt (June 23, 2019). "LA Valiant End Vancouver Titans' 19-Game OWL Winning Streak". Twin Galaxies. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  10. ^ Heinisch, Sascha (July 14, 2019). "Shanghai Dragons unexpectedly make Stage 3 playoff finals". Upcomer. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  11. ^ Richardson, Liz (August 16, 2019). "Vancouver Titans signs main tank TiZi". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  12. ^ Franco, Joseph (September 27, 2019). "Breaking down Overwatch League's season two finale". Polygon. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  13. ^ Richardson, Liz (August 31, 2019). "Overwatch League reveals Role Stars awards". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  14. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 5, 2019). "Haksal is Overwatch League's Rookie of the Year". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  15. ^ a b "Overwatch League's Vancouver Titans sign ryujehong, release Bumper". ESPN. November 27, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  16. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 13, 2019). "Vancouver Titans defeat NYXL, advance to Overwatch League Grand Finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  17. ^ Amenabar, Teddy (September 30, 2019). "Shock and Awe: San Francisco's versatility sweeps aside Vancouver Titans for Overwatch League title". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  18. ^ "Vancouver Titans officially part with remaining roster". Reuters. May 6, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Wolf, Jacob; Rand, Emily (May 6, 2020). "Vancouver Titans release majority of roster, will sign Second Wind players". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Webster, Andrew (May 6, 2020). "The Overwatch League's troubles continue as top team drops entire roster". The Verge. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Richardson, Liz (April 30, 2020). "JJANU, head coach Pajion part ways with Vancouver Titans". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  22. ^ Richardson, Liz (May 8, 2020). "Vancouver Titans signs new roster of Second Wind, global Overwatch Contenders players". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Plana, Vincent (May 8, 2020). "Vancouver Titans unveil brand new team after parting with entire roster". Daily Hive. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  24. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 3, 2020). "Houston Outlaws, Vancouver Titans eliminated from Overwatch League playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  25. ^ Richardson, Liz (April 14, 2021). "Perfecting a monster: Vancouver Titans 2021 team preview". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  26. ^ Richardson, Liz (August 6, 2021). "Vancouver Titans win first 2021 Overwatch League season match". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Richardson, Liz (October 10, 2021). "Vancouver Titans drops entire roster heading into 2022". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  28. ^ "Vancouver Titans sign Skairipa, Seicoe". Reuters. January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  29. ^ Richardson, Liz (November 23, 2021). "Vancouver Titans reveals 2022 Overwatch League roster". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  30. ^ "Introducing the Vancouver Titans: The New Overwatch League Team Competing in the 2019 Season". Gamasutra. December 3, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  31. ^ Murray, Trent (August 9, 2019). "Circle K Stocking Vancouver Titans-Branded Souvenir Cups". The Esports Observer. Sports Business Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  32. ^ Strickland, Will (August 8, 2019). "Vancouver Titans collectible cups available at Circle K". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  33. ^ Spies, Julian (June 3, 2022). "OWL: Titans ziehen Konsequenzen" [OWL: Titans are taking action]. Sport1 (in German). Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  34. ^ Vancouver Titans [@VancouverTitans] (June 6, 2022). "Welcome to the team @dpei_ow" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  35. ^ Lyons, Ben (November 8, 2022). "Vancouver Titans part ways with head coach Dpei". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  36. ^ Vancouver Titans [@VancouverTitans] (November 25, 2022). "Please give a warm welcome to @Ascoft_OW!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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