Playing in front of a sold-out crowd in New York’s Barclays Center, London Spitfire won their second set of matches against The Philadelphia Fusion Saturday to become the first-ever Overwatch League champions.
London Spitfire put in a dominating performance in the second and final round of the three-set series against Fusion, winning the set 3-0 and the championship 2-0. During Friday night’s set, Spitfire lost their first match, but came back to win 3-1.
London Spitfire now can lay claim to the title of first-ever Overwatch League champions, plus the $1 million purse. They’ll also head home with the Overwatch League’s championship trophy, a handsome, custom-made silver gauntlet sculpture from Blizzard.
The championship set did not disappoint – it was full of spectacular moments that drew cheers from the 19,000-strong crowd at Barclays. In one match-defining play, Spitfire’s Jun-Young ‘Profit’ Park, playing as Hanzo, managed to pull off a Dragon Strike ultimate that wiped out Fusion’s entire team. Profit was later named the finals MVP.
It was an impressive and emotional win for London’s Overwatch squad. Spitfire coach Cheol-yong ‘Agape’ Hong wept as his team stood to receive their championship trophy.
Here’s Profit’s five-kill play as Hanzo, courtesy of ESPN:
Not one, not two, not three, but FIVE for @PROFIT_OWL and the @Spitfire in the @overwatchleague finals. pic.twitter.com/BpaP6DwyUy
— ESPN (@espn) July 28, 2018
And the final moment, when Spitfire sealed their status as League champions:
THAT'S IT. @Spitfire WIN! #OWL2018 #TheFirstFinals
LIVE: https://t.co/U6dIioZfOU pic.twitter.com/tdb2yNBcxp
— Overwatch League #TheFirstFinals (@overwatchleague) July 28, 2018
It was a big night for Blizzard, too. The first season of the Overwatch League wrapped up as a resounding success, and members of the Overwatch development team were on hand to soak in some of the evening’s glory.
I have worked with Jeff for almost 10 years on #Team4 and @marisa522 (who took this picture) for almost 5 years. This is how we all feel. Thanks everybody. #Overwatch #TheFirstFinals @PlayOverwatch @overwatchleague pic.twitter.com/iV1UhKUsiz
— Matthew Hawley (@MatthewRHawley) July 28, 2018
Season Two will get underway next year, and it’s set to be even bigger. The Overwatch League is adding six expansion teams, including squads in Paris, Guangzhou, and Atlanta, according to ESPN.
Top image credit: Blizzard Esports