Overwatch League Season 2 Countdown – New York Excelsior (#1)

#2 – London Spitfire |  #3 – Philadelphia Fusion |   #4 – LA Gladiators | #5 – Vancouver Titans |   #6 – LA Valiant |  #7 – Seoul Dynasty – |   #8 – Paris Eternal |   #9 – San Francisco Shock |  #10 – Toronto Defiant |   #11 – Dallas Fuel |   #12 – Shanghai Dragons |   #13 – Atlanta Reign |   #14 – Guangzhou Charge |   #15 – Hangzhou Spark |   #16 – Houston Outlaws |   #17 – Florida Mayhem |   #18 – Boston Uprising |   #19 – Washington Justice | #20 – Chengdu Hunters

With Season 2 of the Overwatch League drawing ever closer, we’ve reached the final team in our countdown: the #1 ranked New York Excelsior.

One of the strongest teams from Season 1, the Excelsior come into Season 2 with a very scary lineup of talented players. While they weren’t able to make it to the Grand Finals of Season 1, New York is still believed by many to be THE team to beat this season. Throughout season 1, the Excelsior proved to be the best of the best. The team did suffer a few losses at the hands of some other very talented teams, so while they were dominant, they were not invincible. This season, the NYXL is bringing back their best players and adding on a few stars from Contenders. Let’s take a closer look at the refined roster of talent on the New York Excelsior.

DPS

The DPS players for New York return in full form for Season 2. Fielding some of the best damage dealers from the inaugural season, the Excelsior bring back star players Saebyeolbe, Pine, and Libero. Saebyeolbe was widely regarded as the best Tracer player in the world last year and looks to continue that legacy this season. He also plays an excellent Widowmaker, Soldier: 76, McCree, and even Roadhog when the situation calls for it. Saebyeolbe played in a good portion of New York’s matches and will be bringing that consistency back to the stage this year. Joining him will be the “Big Boss” himself, Pine. While he was only subbed in on a few select Control point maps at the start, Pine was notable for his quiet confidence and immediate dominance on McCree. With a deep DPS hero pool, Pine has the ability to fill any role NYXL may need.

Playing many of the other projectile characters will be Libero, who showed off his own extensive hero pool and adaptability last year numerous times. Libero will be a key part of New York’s game plan this year, with his ability to swap onto a multitude of heroes such as Genji, Hanzo, Pharah, Junkrat, or even Brigitte. This last one may be relevant soon, given the popularity of goats compositions. The returning DPS players for New York are integral to the success of the team this season, and the Excelsior brought on a few new players to join these three.

RISING FROM CONTENDERS

The only new additions to the NYXL roster, Fl0w3R, and Nenne, will bring their talents to the main stage of the Overwatch League for the first time. Fl0w3R garnered fame during the World Cup in 2017 with his impressive plays and bottomless hero pool. Now that he is 18, his presence in the roster strengthens an already ludicrously strong role for NYXL. Playing on XL2 Academy alongside Nenne, Fl0w3R has shown his talent on heroes like Genji, Pharah, Soldier: 76, Junkrat, and Widowmaker. Being able to swap between hitscan and projectile characters is a niche this roster could use, so Fl0w3R very well could see a fair amount of time on stage despite the incredible talent New York already has.

Nenne has a more narrowed hero pool, focusing more on characters including Tracer, Widowmaker, and Zarya. Being able to swap between a tank like Zarya and an additional DPS slot could be extraordinarily useful for the Excelsior, especially when it’s necessary to swap between a GOATS composition and quad-DPS lineup. Both of these players have shown incredible skill on stage, and look to carve out their niche in New York’s roster for 2019.

TANK

The tank roster for New York is much the same as it was last year, with the only loss being Janus moving to the Washington Justice. These two players were a very strong tank duo in the inaugural season, playing well with each other and the rest of the team. MekO played a lot of D.Va in the first season due to the meta of the game, however, MekO may not be needed as much if New York opts for quad-DPS compositions or something similar. While MekO showed incredible amounts of skill last year, it is unsure how much we will see of the D.Va player in 2019.

Mano is now currently the only main tank signed for the NYXL, so expect to see him in that role every game. Playing primarily Winston, as well as Reinhardt and Orisa, Mano should be ready to swap to whatever tank the team needs.

SUPPORT

And finally, we come to the supports for New York. Starting with the most famous of the three, JJoNaK is the player many attribute to being the best Zenyatta in the world. With his talent for consistently landing headshots at just the right time, JJoNaK was named the League’s very first T-Mobile MVP.

JJoNaK also helped bring home the World Cup for South Korea last year, where he was able to showcase his skills on the world stage. JJoNaK also has a very strong Ana and Moira, and if the meta shifts towards needing Ana, we will be able to see his incredible sleep darts and biotic grenades once again. Joining JJoNaK are ArK and Anamo, two main healers who both specialize in heroes including Mercy and Lucio.

ArK and Anamo shared time a fair amount in Season 1, and both of them proved to be very capable of helping their team to victory. With no changes to their support lineup, the New York Excelsior looks as strong as they’ve ever been.

Final Thoughts

The New York Excelsior have proven multiple times throughout Season 1 that they are not to be underestimated by anyone. Having the best record in the League, New York comes into Season 2 looking as strong as they were last year. The new additions to the roster only add to their depth and flexibility as a team. With their strong will to succeed and dedication to developing unique and innovative strategies, the NYXL are one of the biggest challenges for many teams to overcome. New York will rise to the challenge once again, and we expect they will put on a show none of us will forget.

We have finally reached the end of our countdown of the top teams of the Overwatch League. While many of the rankings are subjective, it’s exciting to think about and debate how well each team will do in Season 2. As the matches begin soon, we will once again get to see the absolute top level of competitive Overwatch. We hope you are as excited about it as we are!

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