Volamel
2017-12-20 07:11:09
Dear fan of the future,
I am unsure who is dominating the Overwatch esports ecosystem when you read this, or who is quickly climbing the rungs of the competitive ladder, but I write to you today about a team that is long past your time. A team that is timeless in their story and their purpose. A team that unrelentingly dared you to challenge your perception of the current landscape of Overwatch and had the courage to chase their dreams. These are my letters from the past to help educate people on where the community has come from and to act as a Rolodex of info on just who these teams were, so that their legacy might continue to live on through you; the reader. Now, sit back and prepare for a brief history lesson or a trip down memory lane.
This is the swan song of Rogue.
Not many earn the title of “legend”, but when you have the history and lineage that Rogue did in the early days in Overwatch - before the Overwatch League, it is undeniable that they were legends in their own right. A team that was almost too good to be true across their many iterations, Rogue always seemed to have some of, if not the, best talent. With mechanical masterminds such as TviQ, aKm, and SoOn all calling Rogue home at one point or another. Rogue’s style was heavily predicated on their rosters rich history in the FPS genre and they looked to take control of the tempo of each match with controlled aggression. Rogue was the first team to take down team EnVyUs, back-to-back TaKeOver champions, and the winners of APAC 2016, are just a few of their many claims to fame. Rogue was on another level from most teams, but all of the ruckus and excitement originated from a team called “MyDong” in 2016.
MyDong was a team that was rising team through the ranks early in 2016 at a breakneck pace and quickly caught the eye of newly founded esports organization, team Rogue. After strong performances in BaseTradeTV’s ONLYWATCH, King of the Watch Europe #8 , and winning the GamersOrigin Overwatch Cup, MyDong was approached with a contract to play under the Rogue banner. The roster which was signed would consists of TviQ, iddqd, Reinforce, winz, aKm and uNKOE. Rogue did not take long before they started to show signs of great success, within mere months of signing the team, Rogue had won their first two events, The Plays Launch Event and the first Overwatch TaKeOver. Shortly a month after their win at the Overwatch TaKeOver, iddqd departed the team and was replaced with KnOxXx.
It would be this roster which would cement the first phase of Rogue’s legacy as one of the most fearsome champions in the early days of Overwatch esports. With a series of strong, but middling performances, Rogue set a course for success. They wanted a trophy and there was no better time to win a trophy than to dethrone the reigning “kings of Overwatch” at the time, team EnVyUs at the Overwatch Atlantic Showdown. Not only did they dethrone the kings, but to put that in context team EnVyUs had not lost a series since June 11. They had gone 57-0 in series score and came into the event undefeated and heavy favorites, but they fell in the semi-final to Rogue in a nail-biting, 3-2. Some still regard this to be one of the best matches of Overwatch to be played. This match had it all; drama, narratives, a memorable casting moment courtesy of Uber, if you’re reading this in the future please treat yourself to this spectacle of a match.
After taking down EnVyUs at the Atlantic Showdown, this put Rogue on the map as a serious threat wherever they went—some could have even argued Rogue as the best team in the world at the time—but nonetheless, they fought onwards. Their next conquest would be in China for the APAC Premier 2016 where they would go on to defeat South Korean powerhouse, Lunatic-Hai for the title after losing to them in the group stage. It was at this point Rogue became known globally. aKm mentions in an interview with Esports Heaven what it was like after performing so well and traveling to Korea; “Korea was great; it's the first country ever where I get recognized in the streets.” This was a serious international competition that a European team was taking the gold in. This set the narrative of Rogue’s legacy on sturdy limbs as they towered over a majority of their competition. From their recent conquests, they would be invited to South Korea for the inaugural season of OGN’s Overwatch APEX.
Not but weeks later, Rogue would join Luminosity Gaming and Misfits in a major trade deal. Former Rogue coach roflgator explained the inner workings of the transfer in an interview with over.gg. “Well Rogue was a really complex issue. When it started it was 3 French players and 3 Swedish players and they were separated, one group would blame the other group and there was a group of incredible players who couldn't communicate together. By the time I was gone, they all knew their roles and became a real team, instead of 2 teams of 3.” This would see the first phase of Rogue come to an end with the departure of TviQ and Reinforce. Rogue would fill its ranks with the likes of SoOn and Skipjack. Their first testing ground for this new roster would be a large one indeed.
With the mounds of accolades that Rogue had accumulated, they were invited to IEM Gyeonggi in South Korea. The timing for the tournament was off and the team never really got to settle in with each other as they bowed out of the tournament at 3-4th place. Rogue still didn’t feel right; it was only one event, but there was something missing. At the start of the new year Rogue began to restructure again, this time Skipjack stepped down and NiCo would fill out the full French super team. This began another string of success for Rogue as they swept through the Alienware Monthly Melee for all of February, March, and April. Not only did Rogue take control of North America for three some odd months, but they even managed to win the Overwatch Rumble over their longtime rivals, Team EnVyUs. This led them into another invitation to South Korea to compete in the APEX Season 3.
This would be their season to show the world the Rogue still had what it took internationally, APEX Season 3 was their stage and they were the performance artists. Sadly they were placed within the hardest group and one of the most stacked groups I’ve ever seen in esports. Rogue faced off against APEX Season 2 champions,Lunatic-Hai, KongDoo Panthera, and a rising amateur team that went by the name of Mighty AOD. Rogue’s only victory in the group stage of APEX Season 3 came during their match against Mighty AOD, in which they still even managed to drop a map to the amateur Korean team.
The time of Rogue had seemingly come to an end. Their last tournament of note came with a disappointing note as Rogue placed 5th at the Overwatch Contenders Season 1. This was unexpected seeing the legacy of the French superteam, but alas the time of the Frenchmen had come. Shortly after, the October to be exact, Rogue had released its storied Overwatch roster after failing to secure a spot within the long-awaited Overwatch League.
This was the chronicle of a Napoleonic effort of Rogue, the French super team that nearly achieved their dreams. However, all is not completely lost. SoOn and uNKOE would join the Los Angeles Valiant and KnOxXx and NiCo would create their own French team called Eagles Gaming. (Now, please forgive me if I butcher this. It’s been years since French class.)
Allons enfants de la Patrie! Vive la France! Vive Rogue!
(Arise, children of our Nation! Long live France! Long live Rogue!)
- Volamel
Joseph “Volamel” Franco has followed esports since the MLGs of 2006. He started out primarily following Starcraft 2, Halo 3, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. He has transitioned from viewer to journalist and writes freelance primarily about Overwatch and League of Legends. If you would like to know more or follow his thoughts on esports you can follow him at @Volamel.
Images courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment, Turner Sports/ELEAGUE, and OGN.
