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Washington Justice

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Washington Justice
The logo for Washington Justice displays the Washington Monument forming a W inside a striped shield.
Founded2018
LeagueOverwatch League
RegionWest
Team historyWashington Justice
(2018–present)
Based inWashington, D.C., US
Colors     
OwnerMark Ein
Main sponsorEvents DC
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms

Washington Justice is an American professional Overwatch esports team based in Washington, D.C. The Justice compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, Washington Justice began play as one of eight expansion teams in 2019. The team is owned by Mark Ein, who founded Washington Esports Ventures to manage the franchise. The team has reached the season playoffs two times.

Franchise history

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The Justice are owned by Washington Esports Ventures, founded by D.C. venture capitalist Mark Ein.

On September 7, 2018, Activision Blizzard announced that Washington Esports Ventures, a venture led by local investor and entrepreneur Mark Ein, had purchased an expansion team based in Washington, D.C. for Overwatch League's second season.[1][2][3]

On September 12, Washington announced the signing of former New York Excelsior coach Kim "WizardHyeong" Hyeong-seok as the team's head coach.[4] Eight days later, Washington signed Molly "AVALLA" Kim as an analyst; AVALLA is the first female coach to be signed in the history of the Overwatch League.[5] On November 29, the team revealed they would be called Washington Justice.[6]

Washington Justice's first OWL match was on February 16, 2019, against the New York Excelsior in which Washington lost 1–3.[7] The Justice's first victory did not come until the last match of Stage 1, when on March 17, the team defeated the Florida Mayhem by a score of 3–2, giving Washington a Stage 1 record of 1–6.[8] Despite numerous pickup throughout the season, including the acquisitions of Hong "ArK" Yeon-jun from the New York Excelsior and Nikola "sleepy" Andrews from the San Francisco Shock,[9] the Justice struggled throughout the first three stages of the season, posting a 2–19 record in the first 21 games.[10] However, they team performed much better after the league's implementation of an enforced 2-2-2 role lock for Stage 4. Behind the damage duo of Ethan "Stratus" Yankel and Corey "Corey" Nigra, the team lost only one match in their final seven games to finish the in 17th place with an 8–20 record.[10][11]

Following the 2019 season, the Justice parted ways with their entire coaching staff.[12] The team also parted ways with six of their players, leaving Stratus, Corey, and ArK, as well as the tank duo Lukas "Lullsish" Wiklund and Elliot "Ellivote" Vaneryd, who did not play in the 2019 season due to visa issues.[13] Washington signed former Los Angeles Gladiators assistant coach Seetoh "JohnGalt" Jian Qing as their new head coach and picked up several veterans to the team, such as support player Kwon "AimGod" Min-seok and tank player Gye "Roar" Chang-hoon.[14][15] After a 3–9 start to the 2020 season, both Corey and Stratus retired.[16] Shifting to an all-Korean roster, the team picked up former Vancouver Titans players Choi "JJanu" Hyeon-woo and Lee "Stitch" Chung-hee in late May to early June. Head coach JohnGalt left the team shortly after the signing of Stitch, and Washington promoted performance coach Han "Sup7eme" Seung-jun as their new head coach.[17] After finishing the 2020 regular season with a 4–17 record, the Justice swept both the Vancouver Titans and Dallas Fuel in the North America play-in tournament to qualify for the season playoffs.[18] Ahead of the North America playoffs, the Justice signed former Dallas Fuel damage player Jang "Decay" Gui-un.[19] In their first match in the North America bracket, Washington squandered an early 2–0 lead over the San Francisco Shock and lost by a score of 2–3, sending them to the lower bracket.[20] The Justice won their next two games, defeating the third-seeded Paris Eternal and fourth-seeded Florida Mayhem.[21] Needing one more win to qualify for the Grand Finals Bracket, Washington next faced the top-seeded Philadelphia Fusion.[22] However, the Justice lost the match, 0–3, ending their playoff run.[23]

Ahead of the 2021 season, the Justice parted ways with several players, including AimGod, Stitch, JJanu, and ArK.[24] The team upgraded their tank lineup with the signings of touted rookie prospect Kim "Mag" Tae-sung and former Fusion player Kim "Fury" Jun-ho, while looking to improve their support lineup with the signings of veterans Jung "Closer" Won-sik and Yoon "BeBe" Hee-chang. The team also brought in three damage players to compliment Decay, such as rookie Kim "Assassin" Sung-won.[25] In the first tournament cycle of the season, the May Melee, the Justice were one of two teams to go 4–0 in the qualifier stage. However, the team lost to the Florida Mayhem in the regional knockouts, failing to advance to the interregional tournament.[26] The team went through hot and cold streaks throughout the season, ending with a 9–7 regular season record. The finish advanced the team to the West region play-in tournament; after the Justice defeated the Houston Outlaws in the finals, they advanced to the season playoffs as the eighth, and final, seed.[27] The team was unable to secure a win in the playoffs, losing to the Dallas Fuel, 1–3,[28] and Atlanta Reign, 0–3.[29]

Team identity

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On November 29, 2018, the franchise name was revealed as the Washington Justice; the name "Justice" represents the teams core values. "Justice is a universal value and the perfect name for a franchise that we hope will inspire and unite both our Washington area community and fans around the globe", said owner Mark Ein. "There is no region in the world that attracts more people to serve the cause of justice in government, philanthropy, academia, military service, and the private sector than Washington. In fact, DC's official city motto is 'Justitia Omnibus,' which translates to 'Justice for All.' As a team representing the broader DMV region, it was important that our team identity reflects a value that unifies all of our community members, representing the full diversity of backgrounds and beliefs."[6] The team's logo is a red, white, and blue striped shield, representing the American flag, with the Washington Monument centered in a subtle W at the bottom.[6]

Personnel

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Roster

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Washington Justice roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage 12 Flora Lim Young-woo South Korea
Damage 27 AlphaYi Kim Jun South Korea
Support 15 Teru Kim Min-gi South Korea
Head coach
  • Vacant
Assistant coach(es)
  • Danny “Danny” Mychakov
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: October 18, 2023.

Head coaches

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Handle Name Seasons Record Notes Ref.
WizardHyeong Kim Hyeong-seok 2019 8–20 (.286) [4][12]
JohnGalt Seetoh Jian Qing 2020 3–10 (.231) Released after 13 games [14][17]
Sup7eme Han Seung-jun 2020–2022 21–27 (.438) [17][30]
GetAmazed Zouheir Baba 2023 6–10 (.375) [31]

Awards and records

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Seasons overview

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Season P W L W% Finish Playoffs
2019 28 8 20 .286 8th, Atlantic Did not qualify
2020 21 4 17 .190 9th, North America Lost in NA Lower Final, 0–3 (Fusion)
2021 16 9 7 .563 6th, West Lost in Lower Round 1, 0–3 (Reign)
2022 24 11 13 .458 9th, West Did not qualify
2023 16 6 10 .375 10th, West Did not qualify

Individual accomplishments

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Role Star selections

  • Corey (Corey Nigra) – 2019

All-Star Game selections

  • ArK (Hong Yeon-jun) – 2019
  • Decay (Jang Gui-un) – 2020

References

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  1. ^ Wolf, Jacob (September 4, 2018). "Sources: Overwatch League to add D.C. and Hangzhou, China, teams". ESPN. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  2. ^ "Overwatch League to open 2019 season with 20 teams". Overwatch League. Blizzard Entertainment. September 7, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  3. ^ Soong, Kelyn (September 20, 2018). "The Esports Revolution Has Arrived in D.C." Washington City Paper. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Carpenter, Nicole (September 12, 2018). "Washington, D.C. Overwatch League team signs Janus, WizardHyeong". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (September 20, 2018). "Washington, DC signs Overwatch League's first female coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Washington Esports Ventures (November 29, 2018). "Washington, D.C. Overwatch League Team Unveils Name and Logo Ahead of 2019 Season" (PDF). Overwatch League. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  7. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (February 17, 2019). "Washington Justice shows spark of hope in tough opening loss to NYXL". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  8. ^ Fossett, Wyatt (March 17, 2019). "Washington Justice Earn First Win in the Overwatch League". Twin Galaxies. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  9. ^ Richardson, Liz (April 19, 2019). "Washington Justice acquire sleepy from San Francisco Shock". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Rand, Emily (August 10, 2019). "Justice unbeaten in 2-2-2 meta". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  11. ^ Howard, Brandon (October 10, 2019). "Washington Justice Find New Head Coach". The Gamer. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Washington Justice part ways with coaching staff". ESPN. September 30, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  13. ^ Gschwind, Soe (January 17, 2020). "2020 Team Preview: Washington Justice". Overwatch League. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Richardson, Liz (October 8, 2019). "Washington Justice add JohnGalt as head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  15. ^ "Justice round out Overwatch League roster with AimGod". ESPN. November 7, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  16. ^ "Justice's Stratus retires from OWL, hints at Valorant move". Reuters. May 11, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Richardson, Liz (June 17, 2020). "Washington Justice promotes Sup7eme to head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  18. ^ Weyrich, Matt (September 11, 2020). "Washington Justice Pull Off Series of Upsets in Overwatch Playoffs". NBC Washington. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  19. ^ Wolf, Jacob (August 12, 2020). "Decay signs with Washington Justice". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  20. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 5, 2020). "Hangzhou Spark, Chengdu Hunters eliminated in Overwatch League playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  21. ^ Field Level Media (September 6, 2020). "Fusion, Shock hold form at OWL NA playoffs". Reuters. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  22. ^ Weyrich, Matt (September 12, 2020). "Washington Justice Pull to Within One Win of Grand Finals in South Korea". NBC Washington. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  23. ^ Jansen, Eric; Boykin, Nick (September 14, 2020). "Digital Cinderella story | Washington Justice make Overwatch playoffs amid pandemic, team shakeup". WUSA9. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  24. ^ Richardson, Liz (November 18, 2020). "Washington Justice parts ways with JJanu, AimGod, and Stitch". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  25. ^ Richardson, Liz (April 28, 2021). "Decay and beyond: Washington Justice 2021 team preview". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  26. ^ Richardson, Liz (May 3, 2021). "Here are the Overwatch League May Melee teams". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  27. ^ Qu, Bonnie (September 13, 2021). "How far can the Washington Justice go?". Upcomer. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  28. ^ Collins, Sean (September 21, 2021). "'It was absolutely necessary': Dallas Fuel defeat Justice, earn 1st playoff win in franchise history". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  29. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 23, 2021). "Philadelphia Fusion, Washington Justice eliminated from Overwatch League 2021 playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  30. ^ Richardson, Liz (November 19, 2022). "No one's in the house: Washington Justice releases entire roster, coaching staff". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  31. ^ Washington Justice [@washjustice] (December 8, 2022). "Please give a warm welcome to @GetAmazed_ow, who will be leading the Washington Justice as our general manager and head coach for 2023!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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