Contenders Season 1 ended with a whimper for Kungarna, as their optimistic hopes of finishing in a playoff spot vanished after a five-game losing streak in the Season 1 regular season. They can hardly be blamed for the dip in performance, given the circumstances from Overwatch League trials hindering practice for their squad. Nevertheless, with the end of their Week 7 fixture against Immortals, came the end of Kungarna’s run with their current roster.
Fun last game of contenders! This is the end of my time in @TeamKungarna, I'm gonna miss all the boys and I wish them good luck .
— BABYBAY (@KINGBABYBAY) September 25, 2017
Kungarna rose to notoriety in January this year, qualifying for the the NGE Winter Premiere LAN finals before losing out to Immortals in the grand finals under Ghost Gaming. Good showings in the Rivalcade Memorial Day Rumble and Contenders Season Zero cemented their place as one of the top teams in North America. While they never broke into the elite ranks, myKL’s polarising persona made their games entertaining to watch, either as a fan or a cynic. Backed up with star hitscan power in BABYBAY, and a talented array of tanks and supports to enable him, they were a team capable of causing upsets. But in the world of the Overwatch League, non-sponsored teams like Kungarma were ripe for the picking, and the opportunities are too great for the players to turn down.
Alongside losing practice time to Overwatch League trials during Contenders, there were also internal disputes within Kungarma about who would play what role, mainly regarding myKL’s position in the team. There were also back and forths regarding prize money and offers to sell their spot, which all added up to Kungarna’s downward spiral. Following the team’s separation, team captain, myKL, released a twitlonger apologising for how the situation was handled with the team, and stated that Kunagarna would return for Season 2 of Contenders, though a vastly different roster is expected.
This is not the end of Kungarna. We are awaiting news on contenders season 2. We will enter a rebuilding phase and see what lies ahead.
— Kungarna (@Team_Kungarna) September 25, 2017
BABYBAY was the first of Kungarna to find a new home with NRG’s San Francisco Overwatch League team. Bischu is also hotly tipped to find an Overwatch League team soon, with the other player’s futures also to be determined.
Kungarna final roster was:
- Michael "myKL" Padilla (DPS)
- Andrej "BABYBAY" Francisty (DPS)
- Aaron "Bischu" Kim (Flex)
- Luis "iReMiix" Galarza (Tank)
- Dusttin "Dogman" Bowerman (Support)
- Mark "Pookz" Rendon (Support)