The Overwatch junior team Fusion University will switch regions in the next season of the Overwatch Contenders. After winning the Contenders in the USA four times in a row, they are now seeking new challenges – in Korea.
Who is “Fusion University”? Fusion University is the junior team of Philadelphia Fusion, one of the teams in the Overwatch League. Philadelphia Fusion participated in the finals of the league in the first season and was also doing well at the beginning of season 2.
Their junior team, Fusion University, is currently dominating the Overwatch Contenders. Since May 2018, they have won numerous major tournaments:
- The Contenders 2018 Seasons 1-3 in North America
- The Contenders 2019 Season 1 in North America East
- The Atlantic Showdown of the Contenders 2019 on June 2 in Krefeld
Only in the North American Season 3 of the minor tournament “Pit Championship” could Fusion University finish fourth instead of first.
Fusion University is moving to Korea
Why is the team moving to Korea? After Fusion University was able to win all major tournaments of the Overwatch junior league in a row, a move to South Korea is now in place. South Korea is considered a stronghold of Overwatch esports, and Koreans are regarded as the best players.
At the moment, two reasons are circulating for why the team wants to move to South Korea.
On one hand, the team already consists of many players from South Korea. However, due to a new rule, Blizzard wants to limit the proportion of “foreign players” in the Contenders, allowing a maximum of three players to be “non-regional”. Instead of changing the roster, Fusion simply switches regions.
On the other hand, the team has achieved almost everything in Western tournaments. They announced their move on Twitter with the comment that they are already “the best in the West” and are now seeking new challenges.
This is what the team can expect in Korea: After the move, Fusion University must first prove themselves. They must initially pass the “Trial” in the Korean Contenders. There, they will compete against five teams from Korea to qualify.
After qualifying in the trial, Fusion University should then compete in the second season of the Contenders in Korea and fight for a prize pool of $40,000 for first place.
What are the Contenders?
The Overwatch Contenders are a kind of esports academy for the Overwatch League. They have been providing an entry into Overwatch esports since 2017. Among other things, the teams of the Overwatch League can let their own players compete here to prepare them for esports, to “train” them, or if they are simply too young for the League.
Some players from the Contenders have already been invited by their teams – or other teams in the league – to the Overwatch League to play there.
The Contenders, however, unlike the Overwatch League, are divided into different regions. In each region, regional teams play, which is why the regulations have also been extended to a limited number of “foreigners”.
But the Overwatch League and Contenders have also felt another significant change:
