Overwatch League franchise Washington Justice has let go of its entire coaching staff following a disappointing finish in Season 2. While the San Francisco Shock defeated the Vancouver Titans to take first during the Overwatch League Grand Finals, the Washington Justice placed almost dead last during the Regular Season.
Today we announce the departure of our coaching staff: @WizardHyeong, @avalla_ow, @mkL_OW, and @Shruggerung.
We are truly thankful for their enthusiasm during our inaugural season. We wish them all the best for the future. pic.twitter.com/ck1HdoFuX4
— Washington Justice (@washjustice) September 30, 2019
Washington Justice
The Washington Justice was founded in September of 2018 by Washington Esports Ventures. The franchise was announced to be joining 6 other new teams for the 2019 season. However, the team did not meet the expectations of Washington fans. The Overwatch League team placed 2nd to dead last in Stage 1, with 1 win and 6 losses.
These results did not improve in Stage 2, as the team proceeded to duplicate the results with 1 win and 6 losses, but at 18th place instead. The team made headlines in Stage 3 of the Overwatch League when it failed to achieve any wins and tied for last place. While the Washington Justice improved a lot, with a 4th place finish during Stage 4, many credit this performance to the individual skill of the players and not the coaching staff.
The Washington Justice ended the Regular Season in 17th place – a rather poor ranking, given the league has 20 teams. The Justice tied with the Toronto Defiant, with both having 8 wins and 20 losses. Given such lackluster results, it isn’t a surprise that the coaching staff was cleaned out. The departing staff members include Head Coach Kim “WizardHyeong” Hyeong-seok and assistant coach Kim “AVALLA” Kyoungey, as well as assistant coaches Canaan “Shrugger” Carman and Mikael “mkL” Skjønhaug.
2020 Overwatch League
The next season of the Overwatch League will have teams starting to host games in their home city. Each team will be required to have a certain amount of home and away games. The Washington Justice will have five events in the Washington, D.C. area. With the recent addition of Analynn “Bawlynn” Dang as General Manager, the Justice will likely make roster changes during the offseason.
