2019 Houston Outlaws season

The 2019 Houston Outlaws season was the second season of the Houston Outlaws's existence in the Overwatch League (OWL) and their second under head coach Tae-yeong Kim. After finishing 22–18 the previous season, the Outlaws were looking to improve on their record and qualify for the season playoffs for the first time.

2019 Houston Outlaws season
Head coach	Tae-yeong Kim
General manager	Matt Rodriguez
Owner	Hector Rodriguez (until Jun 12) Immortals Gaming Club
Division	Atlantic
Results
Record	9–19 (.321)
Place	Atlantic: 6th League: 16th
Stage 1 Playoffs	Did not qualify
Stage 2 Playoffs	Did not qualify
Stage 3 Playoffs	Quarterfinals
Season Playoffs	Did not qualify
Total Earnings	$25,000
← 2018 Houston Outlaws 2020 →

The Outlaws began the season winning three of their matches in Stage 1. The stage was capped off by a 1–3 loss to the Atlanta Reign that prevented Houston from qualifying for the Stage 1 Playoffs. Houston performed poorly in Stage 2, as the team did not claim a single victory in their seven matches of the stage. After the All-Star break, the Outlaws hit their stride, posting a 5–2 record in Stage 3 and qualifying for the Stage 3 Playoffs. However, lost to the Vancouver Titans 0–3 in the quarterfinals. A 1–3 loss to the London Spitfire in Week 3 of Stage 4 officially eliminated the Outlaws from season playoff contention. Houston ended the season on a 5-game losing streak to finish the season with a disappointing 9–19 record.

Preceding offseason

Player re-signings

From August 1 to September 9, 2018, all Overwatch League teams that competed in the 2018 season could choose to extend their team's players' contracts. Outlaws elected to release three of its players, Russell "FCTFCTN" Campbell, Lucas "Mendokusaii" Håkansson, and Matthew "Clockwork" Dias; Mendokusaii and Clockwork were moved to non-player roles with the team.^[1]

Free agency

All non-expansion teams could not enter the free agency period until October 8; they were able to sign members from their respective academy team and make trades until then. On September 18, Outlaws traded GG Esports Academy player Yoo "Smurf" Myeong-hwan to San Francisco Shock in exchange for Dante "Danteh" Cruz.^[2]

Regular season

The Outlaws opened their 2019 season with a match against the new expansion franchise Toronto Defiant on February 15; the Outlaws lost 2–3.^[3] Houston finished Stage 1 with a 3–4 record and did not qualify for the stage playoffs.^[4]

In Stage 2, the Outlaws faced their in-state rivals, the Dallas Fuel. Houston, who had never lost to Dallas, lost the match 1–3.^[5] The Outlaws ended the stage with a winless 0–7 record.^[6]

In Stage 3, Houston found themselves in an eight-game losing streak; however, a win over the San Francisco Shock snapped both Houston's losing streak and San Francisco's eleven-game winning streak.^[7] The Outlaws, who had a winless Stage 2, finished Stage 3 with a 5–2 record and secured a spot in the Stage 3 Playoffs.^[8] The Outlaws faced the second-seeded Vancouver Titans in the Stage 3 Quarterfinals on July 11; Houston was unable secure a map win and lost the match 0–3.^[9]

The Outlaws were officially eliminated from playoff contention after a loss to the London Spitfire on August 10.^[10]

Sale of the franchise

On June 12, Immortals Gaming Club (IGC), the parent company of Immortals and Los Angeles Valiant, acquired Infinite Esports, the parent company of Houston Outlaws and OpTic Gaming, marking the first major sale of any Overwatch League franchise.^[11] By OWL rules, one company may not own more than one OWL franchise. Both Riot Games and Activision Blizzard approved the sale, but IGC must operate Valiant and Outlaws as entirely separate entities, with oversight by OWL representatives, until IGC sell the Outlaws.^[12]

Final roster

2019 Houston Outlaws roster
Players	Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality Damage 6 Danteh Cruz, Dante United States Damage 49 LiNkzr Masalin, Jiri Finland Damage 57 ArHaN Jung Won-hyeop South Korea Damage 76 JAKE Lyon, Jacob United States Tank 7 SPREE Vanhomwegen, Alexandre Belgium Tank 17 Muma Wilmot, Austin United States Tank 69 Coolmatt Iorio, Matt United States Support 1 Rawkus Flaherty, Shane United States Support 3 Bani Benell, Christopher Canada Support 13 Boink Pence, Daniel United States	Head coach Kim Tae-yeong
Legend: (I) Inactive (S) Suspended (2W) Two-way player Substitute Injury / Illness	Latest roster transaction: September 18, 2018.

Standings

Record by stage

Stage	Pld	W	L	Pct	MW	ML	MT	MD	Pos
1	7	3	4	.429	13	16	1	-3	12
2	7	0	7	.000	4	24	1	-20	20
3	7	5	2	.714	19	10	1	+9	7
4[a]	7	1	6	.143	11	19	0	-8	16
Overall	28	9	19	.321	47	69	3	-22	16
Qualified for playoffs •   Qualified for play-in tournament

1. No stage playoffs were held for Stage 4.

League

Pos	Div	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PCT	MW	ML	MT	MD	Qualification
1	PAC	Vancouver Titans	28	25	3	0.893	89	28	0	+61	Advance to season playoffs (division leaders)
2	ATL	New York Excelsior	28	22	6	0.786	78	38	3	+40
3	PAC	San Francisco Shock	28	23	5	0.821	92	26	0	+66	Advance to season playoffs
4	PAC	Hangzhou Spark	28	18	10	0.643	64	52	4	+12
5	PAC	Los Angeles Gladiators	28	17	11	0.607	67	48	3	+19
6	ATL	Atlanta Reign	28	16	12	0.571	69	50	1	+19
7	ATL	London Spitfire	28	16	12	0.571	58	52	6	+6	Advance to play-ins
8	PAC	Seoul Dynasty	28	15	13	0.536	64	50	3	+14
9	PAC	Guangzhou Charge	28	15	13	0.536	61	57	1	+4
10	ATL	Philadelphia Fusion	28	15	13	0.536	57	60	3	−3
11	PAC	Shanghai Dragons	28	13	15	0.464	51	61	3	−10
12	PAC	Chengdu Hunters	28	13	15	0.464	55	66	1	−11
13	PAC	Los Angeles Valiant	28	12	16	0.429	56	61	4	−5
14	ATL	Paris Eternal	28	11	17	0.393	46	67	3	−21
15	PAC	Dallas Fuel	28	10	18	0.357	43	70	3	−27
16	ATL	Houston Outlaws	28	9	19	0.321	47	69	3	−22
17	ATL	Toronto Defiant	28	8	20	0.286	39	72	4	−33
18	ATL	Washington Justice	28	8	20	0.286	39	72	6	−33
19	ATL	Boston Uprising	28	8	20	0.286	41	78	2	−37
20	ATL	Florida Mayhem	28	6	22	0.214	36	75	5	−39

Source: The Overwatch League
Rules for classification: 1) winning percentage; 2) map differential; 3) head-to-head record; 4) head-to-head map differential

Game log

Regular season

2019 game log (Regular season record: 9–19)
Stage 1 (3–4) 1 February 15 Toronto Defiant 3 – 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA      Recap Blizzard Arena   1 Nepal 2 4 Numbani 5 1 Volskaya Industries 0 2 Route 66 1 2 Busan 1 2 February 17 Houston Outlaws 2 – 3 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA      Recap Blizzard Arena   2 Nepal 0 2 Hollywood 3 3 Volskaya Industries 4 4 Dorado 3 1 Ilios 2 3 February 23 Houston Outlaws 3 – 1 Hangzhou Spark Burbank, CA      Recap Blizzard Arena   2 Busan 0 5 King's Row 4 4 Temple of Anubis 3 0 Dorado 1 4 February 24 New York Excelsior 4 – 0 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA      Recap Blizzard Arena   2 Nepal 0 3 Hollywood 0 2 Temple of Anubis 0 2 Route 66 1 5 March 02 Florida Mayhem 1 – 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA      Recap Blizzard Arena   1 Ilios 2 3 King's Row 5 3 Horizon Lunar Colony 4 2 Rialto 1 6 March 09 Los Angeles Valiant 1 – 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA      Recap Blizzard Arena   1 Busan 2 3 Numbani 2 3 Volskaya Industries 3 0 Route 66 2 7 March 17 Houston Outlaws 1 – 3 Atlanta Reign Burbank, CA      Recap Blizzard Arena   1 Ilios 2 2 King's Row 1 0 Horizon Lunar Colony 1 2 Rialto 3
Stage 2 (0–7) 8 April 13 Vancouver Titans 3 – 1 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA   1:30 pm PST    Recap Blizzard Arena   0 Busan 2 1 Paris 0 2 Eichenwalde 1 1 Rialto 0 9 April 19 Philadelphia Fusion 4 – 0 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA   5:30 pm PST    Recap Blizzard Arena   2 Busan 1 3 Temple of Anubis 2 2 Eichenwalde 0 3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 0 10 April 21 Houston Outlaws 0 – 3 Shanghai Dragons Burbank, CA   1:30 pm PST    Recap Blizzard Arena   0 Oasis 2 0 Temple of Anubis 0 0 Blizzard World 1 2 Junkertown 3 11 April 27 Houston Outlaws 0 – 4 Seoul Dynasty Allen, TX   1:10 pm PST    Recap Allen Event Center   1 Oasis 2 3 Paris 4 0 Blizzard World 3 3 Rialto 4 12 April 28 Houston Outlaws 1 – 3 Dallas Fuel Allen, TX   4:15 pm PST    Recap Allen Event Center   0 Lijiang Tower 2 2 Temple of Anubis 1 2 King's Row 3 3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 4 13 May 02 Guangzhou Charge 3 – 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA   8:30 pm PST    Recap Blizzard Arena   2 Lijiang Tower 1 2 Hanamura 0 1 King's Row 2 2 Rialto 3 2 Busan 0 14 May 04 London Spitfire 4 – 0 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA   12:00 noon PST    Recap Blizzard Arena   2 Lijiang Tower 0 2 Hanamura 0 3 King's Row 2 2 Junkertown 0
Stage 3 (5–2) 15 June 07 Houston Outlaws 2 – 3 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA   7:30 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   2 Ilios 1 0 Horizon Lunar Colony 1 4 Numbani 3 3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 4 0 Oasis 2 16 June 13 Houston Outlaws 3 – 2 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA   4:00 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   2 Nepal 1 0 Horizon Lunar Colony 1 0 Eichenwalde 3 1 Havana 0 2 Ilios 0 17 June 14 Boston Uprising 0 – 4 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA   7:30 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   0 Nepal 2 1 Volskaya Industries 2 1 Numbani 2 0 Havana 1 18 June 20 Paris Eternal 1 – 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA   5:45 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   0 Oasis 2 2 Paris 4 2 Hollywood 1 1 Dorado 2 19 June 23 Houston Outlaws 1 – 3 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA   3:30 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   2 Ilios 0 2 Paris 3 2 Hollywood 3 2 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 3 20 June 28 Houston Outlaws 3 – 0 Washington Justice Burbank, CA   9:00 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   2 Oasis 0 4 Volskaya Industries 4 3 Eichenwalde 2 1 Dorado 0 21 June 30 Houston Outlaws 3 – 1 Toronto Defiant Burbank, CA   3:30 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   0 Oasis 2 3 Horizon Lunar Colony 2 2 Eichenwalde 1 3 Dorado 1
Stage 3 Playoffs Quarterfinals July 11 Houston Outlaws 0 – 3 Vancouver Titans Burbank, CA   6:00 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   0 Ilios 2 2 Eichenwalde 3 2 Volskaya Industries 3
Stage 4 (1–6) 22 July 25 Houston Outlaws 1 – 3 Paris Eternal Burbank, CA   4:00 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   2 Busan 0 0 Volskaya Industries 1 0 Blizzard World 3 2 Junkertown 3 23 July 27 Los Angeles Gladiators 1 – 3 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA   3:30 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   1 Busan 2 2 Hanamura 3 2 Hollywood 1 2 Havana 3 24 August 02 Houston Outlaws 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA   5:45 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   0 Ilios 2 2 Temple of Anubis 1 1 Hollywood 2 3 Havana 6 25 August 04 Atlanta Reign 3 – 1 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA   12:00 noon PST    Details Blizzard Arena   2 Lijiang Tower 0 2 Hanamura 3 1 Blizzard World 0 3 Route 66 2 26 August 10 Houston Outlaws 1 – 3 London Spitfire Burbank, CA   12:00 noon PST    Details Blizzard Arena   0 Lijiang Tower 2 3 Volskaya Industries 4 2 King's Row 3 1 Route 66 0 27 August 11 Washington Justice 3 – 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA   1:45 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   1 Lijiang Tower 2 2 Hanamura 1 1 King's Row 2 3 Route 66 2 2 Busan 1 28 August 17 Chengdu Hunters 3 – 2 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA   5:15 pm PST    Details Blizzard Arena   1 Ilios 2 2 Temple of Anubis 1 2 Hollywood 1 2 Junkertown 3 2 Lijiang Tower 1

Awards

On May 8, Dante "Danteh" Cruz was named as a reserve for the 2019 Overwatch League All-Star Game.^[13]