The Overguard: Haste Overwatch $1k Series 3 may have flown under your radar. The tournament had a small prize pool, only $1,020 total, and wasn't even included in our match ticker - for shame! However, despite the relatively small size of the tournament, it still contained within a few succulent story lines.
The juiciest of which, as previously noted, was that Argentina’s KARMA won after taking down Toronto Esports in the Grand Final, battling a significant ping disadvantage to deliver what may well have been the first South American victory in a North American tournament.
Last time we kept tabs with Toronto Esports, the team was looking at a rebuild following the departure of DPS Jaru, and rebuild the team did. Many, if not all, of the former players announced they were looking for teams while still contracted with Toronto. Very few of those players appear to be on the team now, as Haste would host the debut of the new Toronto roster featuring the old faces of NotE and Snow with the additions of Kayuun (ex-Evil Geniuses) , Poro (ex-MVP Space), Panker (ex-Kongdoo Uncia), and insomniaq.
The tournament also included other old faces playing under new banners. In the qualifiers, Team ENERGY, a roster including primarily of former NRG players (Mendokusaii, KSF, enigma, numlocked, dummy and Ajax), put up a strong performance, but dropped out before the main event. Banned from E-Harmony, another notable mix team that includes two players from the Portuguese World Cup team (Addicted, Horthic, YouMustHooey, Beasthalo, Cosi and Mac), also played well before being knocked out in the semifinal by KARMA. Virtue, a team that was once revealed to be coached by former Immortals tank-turned-coach Chance, debuted former IMT main tank nomy at the same role.
Just below the pristine surface of professional Overwatch, competitive life continues to bubble up from the murky depths. The second season of Blizzard’s own regional Open Division is just kicking off around the world. For western fans who want to watch more than just the teams currently participating in Contenders, tournaments like Haste, or the Academy Weekly Series, are just about the only opportunity besides getting up early and turning to the east. This weekend provides another rare opportunity, as Dreamhack Montreal will include a smattering of teams as well as EnVision eSports.