In the Overwatch League, most teams have a respective team in the Contenders scene to develop prospects. The New York Excelsior have XL2 Academy, Seoul Dynasty have Gen.G Esports in Korea, and so on. But the most feared, dominant, and respected academy team has been the Philadelphia Fusion’s academy team: Fusion University. They have won every single season of NA Contenders since it started and have only gotten better. As of earlier today, they proved they were the best Atlantic team in Contenders by winning the 2019 Atlantic Showdown. Winning by a 4-0 margin in the grand finals, what they announced after the win shocked everyone: The Fusion University are going to Korean Contenders Trials to try to make it into their professional league and improve.
After proving time and again that we are the best in the West, a new challenge is calling.
We are excited to announce that we will be participating in Contenders Trials in Korea for this upcoming season! #GoFU pic.twitter.com/8IoRLXUYxx
— Fusion University (@FusionUni) June 2, 2019
What does this mean for NA Contenders?
The most dominant team in the league might not return for next season. We don’t know for sure yet, considering that Korean Contenders Trials are most likely going to finish before the next season of NA Contenders starts. However, if Fusion University makes it into Korean Contenders, they can’t play in North America. This leaves the next NA Contenders scene wide open for any team to win the championship, being the first team besides Fusion University to win it.
What does this mean for Korean Contenders?
With how dominant Fusion University has been, they need to challenge the best teams. Winning NA Contenders just isn’t enough now; it’s easy for them. This gives people around the world a chance to finally see how Fusion University compares to teams such as the new RunAway, Element Mystic, and more. But if Fusion University doesn’t even make it into Korean Contenders, losing in Trials, they will be the laughing stock of the world. The best Atlantic team right now can’t even beat the bottom-tier Korean teams.
What does this mean for Fusion University?
They have to prove themselves. If they make it into Korean Contenders, they will stay and improve. If they fail, they will be laughed at and return to North America. But they aren’t just going to Korea for fun. Many people suspected and realized that the Fusion University roster is mostly Korean anyway, and there are rules for Contenders now where your roster has to have mostly players from your region.
Fusion University was always riding that line thinly, and it seems that this trip to Korea might be due to that. Either way, this will be entertaining for all avid Contenders viewers.
