Determination. Perseverance. Defiance.

These are the traits that have assisted numerous professional gamers from the murky waters of obscurity to upsetting teams that were thought to be world class. As Blizzard Entertainment’s newest intellectual property in 17 years, Overwatch has not only taken the world by storm with its colorful and diverse cast, but it is poised to make a monumental feat with the launch of its flagship esports league, the “Overwatch League.” As the Overwatch League lingers on the horizon, there is a sole avenue where teams can compete to test their mettle against one another; the Overwatch Contenders. Serving as a developmental system for the upcoming Overwatch League, teams compete in a six-week long competition. This allows for the perfect environment and testing ground for potential Overwatch League scouts to observe and recruit. Season 1 of Overwatch Contenders has proven many things, but one sentiment stands out very clear; nothing is ever as it seems — and no team exemplifies this more than EnVision Esports.

Ever since their genesis around the first of the year, EnVision has been a fringe team, floating around the minor leagues and tournaments. Most notably placing 3-4th during the Haste Overwatch tournament and floundering around the weekly tournament scene at around the middle of the pack. Their consistency and sheer power of will quickly made a name for themselves as they approached the qualifiers for the Overwatch Contenders Season 0, where they managed to secure one of the spots as one of, if not, the weakest team in the league.

EnVision managed to come out of Group B as the second seed over team You Guys Get Paid? and Toronto Esports. Going into playoffs, they faced off against a team that would play a huge part in their future, Team Liquid, but their lackluster performance netted them a 3-0 loss. EnVision then narrowly missed qualifying for their spot in Season 1 with a loss to the Detroit Renegades 3-1 in the regular season. Late into July, rumors swirled around Overwatch Contenders Season 1. Team Liquid, an esports staple in many games, was dropping out of Contenders, pulling out of Overwatch completely, and put their Contenders spot on the free market. EnVision Esports took up the offer and received their redemption as they rounded out the North American division. They’ve taken this second chance as a blessing and completely knocked all expectation out of the park...

...taking wins over rising talents, taking wins over teams that have dominated domestically, and taking wins over teams that have won tournaments all across the world.

Going into Overwatch Contenders Season 1, no one would have thought this was even remotely possible. EnVision Esports has completely flipped the script and has convincing wins over Rogue, Immortals, Renegades, and Kungarna. This newfound success that EnVision has achieved has only magnified their competitive fire, so much so that during Overwatch Contenders regular season they flew out to Montreal to compete in the Overwatch tournament at Dreamhack Montreal 2017.

They arrived as the heavy favorite to take the title and they postured confidently to do just that. Breaking out of Group B at an astounding 5-0 (10-0) they were postured to have a similar run through the playoff bracket. The team that could not manage a simple weekly tournament win had just swept through the playoffs going 3-0 (7-0) and found themselves in their first major grand final against Mirage Sport Electronique. And in dominating fashion, EnVision’s first major tournament victory came at Dreamhack Montreal 2017, where they came out triumphant, going undefeated, and took home a prize purse of over $6,000.

Dreamhack Montreal Champions, EnVision Esports.

Week after week EnVision Esports has impressed. At the very least, they’ve all made a serious name for themselves when it comes to the Overwatch League. They’ve shown that they deserved their second chance in Overwatch Contenders and if they continue on this trajectory EnVision Esports would be in contention for one of the best teams in the West and it should not surprise anyone once you get a chance to know some of the players.

When I spoke to EnVision’s star Tracer player Caleb "McGravy" McGarvey on the weight of the second chance, he mentioned that “...getting [our] second chance means everything and it has been fueling our motivation. We’ve worked so hard and we just barely missed qualifying the first time and that bad taste is still in our mouths so we feel like we are out here to prove something.”

McGravy is not only here to win, but he understands what it takes to win, stating “We’ve been scrimming for about a month since our break and we haven’t had a single day of full practice because of cancels or just not enough teams to practice with. There is tons of individual skill out there; players just need the right system in place for them to thrive.”

He spoke openly about the western ecosystem in comparison to the east, “That's sort of the reason the Koreans are always so great at esports; they live and breath it out there.” With that kind of attitude, is it really that surprising that this team is doing as well as they are? EnVision not only respects the everyday grind of the pursuit of mastery, but they enjoy it. They are the first ones to arrive and the last to leave.

McGarvy is not the only one who thinks this way. The newest addition to the team was on July 12th where Toronto Esport’s Jason "Jaru" White was acquired and added directly to the starting roster. Jaru was making waves on his former team and was a huge pickup by EnVision Esports. When I spoke to Jaru a few weeks back he remained thoughtful with each answer. He spoke candidly about what it meant to him to find success, “[We’re] still a little overwhelmed” he said “... but it has been a crazy two weeks. Beating Rogue and Immortals was not only great in itself because they are both great teams, but it was proving everyone wrong that made it feel monumental. Couldn't have done it without my team.”

Being the plucky underdogs, I asked Jaru what it felt like to shake up the hierarchy of the overall Overwatch environment. “It feels incredible to show everyone what we can do. We have a lot of individual talent masked from poor team play in the past. I haven't been on Envision long enough to comment on what the players were like months ago,, but I know for sure I can say my teammates are gods. The feeling of yelling targets in the overtime push on Watch Point: Gibraltar was sensational. You can just feel the grasp of victory by seeing my teammates come together to finish off the map. For us to deliver two upsets by beating Immortals and Rogue finally puts us on the map in the eyes of the community.”

Someone who had a small stint with EnVision during the beginning of Contenders Season 1 was well renowned European tank player and leader of Team Singularity, Christopher "ChrisTFer" Graham. I spoke with him and question him about his short time with the team. “I think the DPS duo of Gravy and Jaru is actually super talented and could be on par with the elite duos in NA and EU.” He spoke confidently and elaborated “I still get surprised at how well they seem to be bodying everyone in Contenders even still and I really hope I can qualify for LAN so I can meet them.” Even with his small stay within the team as the vocal leader, ChrisTFer saw something in EnVisions DPS duo that stood out to him against the ocean of Overwatch talent.

Hearing the trials and tribulations of players is one thing, but hearing from someone who is going to give us the unabashed truth? That is truly eye-opening. I sat and had a brief chat with EnVision Head Coach Mike “Packing10” Szklanny on the team’s work ethic and how they managed to succeed where others had failed.

“We rarely win scrimmages,” Szklanny spoke open and honestly about his time with the team, “but everyone knows what their goal is on improvement for that week, or day and that’s how we got to be where we are today. These guys are good, like real good. Be prepared for them to not only continue to be successful in the regular season but make a splash in playoffs.” From just his words alone, you can tell that not only are the players passionate, but the support staff is doubly so.

* * *

“I’ve never met a group of guys that I love this much and would do anything for. I even delayed my honeymoon to go out to our boot camp before Contenders Season 0, Round of 16. Every second was worth it.”

* * *

He continued on, “EnVision was extremely new when I left Method Esports to coach them. To be honest, I was skeptical, but I knew a lot of the players and staff. I had coached with a few of them before meeting them again at EnVision. When I decided to sign with EnVision I really wanted to bring more players in that I’ve coached before. After we locked in Fire and Tseini to our roster, it was a wild ride.”

“All my guys will tell you I’m never easy on them and expect the best out of them every day. Creating a team dynamic where everyone could succeed was the first step to success. With my background from the Marine Corps and traditional sports, I can be a bit brash and overbearing at times, but the guys bought into the system. We created an open development system and outworked everyone else.” Again the theme of EnVision’s exceptional work ethic is ever present. Darkhorse teams climb into the spotlight with determination and grit.

When we touched on EnVision’s practice regimen he talked about an average day for the team. “We did overhaul things for a long time,” Szklanny said. “General days are VODs, Map reviews, scrims, more VODs, more map reviews, discussions, and one on ones to reach developmental goals with anyone of the staff members. People underestimate the value of family, hard work, and most importantly believing in yourself. This team wouldn’t be in the same place they are today if they didn’t care and believe in each other.”

There is something to be said about a team that has gone from wading in the community pool, to exploding past Western Overwatch mainstays like Immortals and Rogue in the olympic pool. All of the worries, the eight to ten hour days, all of their hard work seemed to be paying off. EnVision Esports has qualified for the LAN playoffs in Overwatch Contenders Season 1 against the odds.

Hanging on the edge of a sheer cliff, EnVision was projected to tumble down and meet their certain demise. Their last few fingers latched into the rocky surface started to give way, but they still somehow managed to climb their way to the peak. No matter where the team goes from here, they have left their imprint into the fabric of Overwatch’s history.

They are the underdogs, the plucky darkhorse team that shocked the Western Overwatch world.

Joseph “Volamel” Franco has followed esports since the MLG’s 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 and EnVision Esports.