The Nexus Cup 2017 Annual Finals are set to provide high level competition between Korean and Chinese teams. With participants ranging from Premier Series Champions and APEX finalists to up and coming Korean and Chinese teams, many intriguing story lines will be on show during the online cup.

Format

The group stage of the cup runs from the 30th of November to the 6th of December whilst the Playoffs will be played from the 6th to the 17th of December. 16 Chinese and Korean teams have been split into four separate groups. The top two teams from each group will advance to the winners bracket of the double elimination playoffs upon the completion of a single round robin, whilst the bottom two teams are automatically placed in the loser's bracket.

Competing teams won't just be fighting for national pride, as the Annual Finals boast a prize pool larger than the previous six Nexus Cup events. The ¥150,000 CNY (~$22,718 USD) prize pool will be allocated as detailed below:

  • 1st: ¥80,000 CNY (~$$12,116 USD)
  • 2nd: ¥40,000 (~$6,058 USD)
  • 3rd: ¥20,000 CNY (~$60,700 USD)
  • 4th: ¥10,000 CNY (~$1,515 USD)

Teams

Group A

RunAway

  • Haskal (DPS)
  • Stitch (DPS)
  • KoX (Flex)
  • Kaiser (Tank)
  • TiZi (Tank)
  • JJANU (Tank)
  • Bumper (Support)
  • Lucid (Support)

RunAway are regarded as one of Overwatch's top teams and rightfully so, as the team has put in impressive performances in numerous major events. However, a failure to finish in first place has typified Runaway's play. Runners up in APEX seasons two and four, the APAC Premier and even the Nexus Cup Summer, championships have eluded RunAway as of yet.

Support player Lucid, who played with Afreeca Freecs in APEX seasons three and four and the APAC Premier, has been added to the team's roster for the event, moving KoX to the flex position as per the announced rosters.

It appears likely that RunAway will claim their group, and perhaps the event itself, given their recent performances and roster continuity, although the proficiency of KongDoo and LGD's rebuilt squads is still unknown.

KongDoo Panthera

  • YOUNGJIN (DPS)
  • Decay (DPS)
  • DDing (Flex)
  • Changsik (Tank)
  • rOar (Tank)
  • Void (Tank)
  • CoMa (Support)
  • Luffy (Support)

KongDoo Panthera have undergone a major roster rebuild following the departure of the former roster's core to the London Spitfire and the retirement of Curious. Former Panthera players wakawaka and Void have been joined by KongDoo Uncia members Decay, DDing, ChangSik, and Luffy. Additionally, free agents r0ar, JIN (who is not competing in the Annual Finals) and CoMa have been added to the new look roster.

The Annual Finals will be the first time this version of Panthera have been seen in action since their rebuild. A match against RunAway on the 2nd of December should prove to be a measuring stick for where the team now stands in the hierarchy of Korean Overwatch.

LGD Gaming

  • Shy (DPS)
  • Eileen (DPS)
  • Zilian (DPS)
  • guxue (Tank)
  • Rikka (Tank)
  • farway (Support)
  • Weiyuan (Support)
  • LMCPPP (Support)

LGD were considered to be China's best team for a brief period earlier this year following an undefeated run in the regular season of the Spring Premier Series event. However, things went downhill after the team fell to 1246 in the final of the Spring Series. LGD turned in disappointing results time and time again as the year progressed amidst alleged inter-team disputes, culminating in the roster's failure to qualify for the APAC Premier. The team now looks to rekindle the success it once achieved, rebuilding following the departure of MG, altering and uNdeAD to the Shanghai Dragons.

With Miraculous Youngster looking to take a step back from Overwatch in 2018, LGD have the chance to reclaim their spot at the top of Chinese Overwatch. A strong performance in the Annual Finals will go a long way towards this, although they will likely struggle against the quality Korean opposition.

LinGan e-Sports

  • Timon (DPS)
  • X1nYue (Flex)
  • izumi (Tank)
  • X1ao3u (Tank)
  • JustIBb (Tank)
  • DD (Support)
  • K3LLY (Support)

LinGan e-Sports have previously been a middle of the pack team in China, placing 5th-6th in the Premier Series Summer. The Annual Finals will offer the team the opportunity to test out their new recruits X1ao3u and K3LLY. Given their previous performances, the team will likely be the bottom team in Group A but could possibly challenge LGD under the right circumstances.

Group B

X6-Gaming

  • GodsB (DPS)
  • TimeBoy (DPS)
  • Architect (DPS)
  • BQB (DPS)
  • NoSmite (Tank)
  • ChoiHyoBin (Tank)
  • BeBe (Support)
  • RoKi (Support)

Whilst by no means a superteam, X6 are a well respected Korean roster, having played in the playoffs of the last two APEX seasons. Two additions have been made to the team's roster for the Annual finals, namely architect and RoKi.

Architect was previously a member of CONBOX, playing in APEX seasons three and four, before the team was released by the organisation, whilst RoKi played support for the Foxes in APEX Challengers Season 4 and the Nexus Cup Summer.

The addition of Architect's respected projectile DPS play and the relatively unknown factor of RoKi will be an interesting storyline to follow during the event. X6 fans will be hoping that these fresh faces can help the team to place higher that the 5th-6th finish they turned in during the last Nexus Cup event.

Seven

  • Ukn0w (DPS)
  • Bazzi (Flex)
  • TtuBa (Flex)
  • eVo (Tank)
  • shubil (Tank)
  • Mika (Support)

Seven are one of Korea's rising stars, finishing second in APEX Challengers Season 5 after claiming the inaugural Korean Open Division. The team looks to be one of the stronger Korean teams in 2018 and have the opportunity to prove themselves against talents from APEX's main division in the Annual Finals. Retaining the same six-man roster that they played with in the Open Division, Seven are a cohesive unit that have a good chance of making a deep run in this event.

Team CC

  • KHeart (DPS)
  • Yakumo (Flex)
  • ZiJin (Flex)
  • YangYang (Tank)
  • YouNai (Tank)
  • Century (Support)
  • WinWinQ (Support)
  • kyo (Support)

NetEase's Premier Series roster, Team CC, failed to impress in the Summer Series. Garnering just three match victories, Team CC are considered to be one of China's lowlier squads. However, roster moves have been made since the Summer Series, with former FTD Club players Century and YouNai added after the departure of FiveKing to the Shanghai Dragons.

Nevertheless, it appears unlikely that Team CC will be able to pose much of a threat to the two Korean teams in their group.

LaoYinBi

  • PPPPPP (DPS)
  • 9DUO (DPS)
  • caidao (DPS)
  • Jinmu (Flex)
  • xinyi (Tank)
  • vanessa (Tank)
  • Ayan (Support)
  • TRICKSTER (Support)

LaoYinBi's Annual Finals roster is the one that won them the Overwatch Team Story Chapter 3. As the champions of the most recent Team Story event, LaoYinBi are considered to be one of the best teams competing in China's tier two scene. Whilst it may appear unlikely that the team will have much success in their group, they will remain an unknown factor until they are seen in action.

Group C

Foxes

  • SASIN (DPS)
  • E1KiNo (DPS)
  • Adora (DPS)
  • Pumple (Tank)
  • Quinas (Tank)
  • Hyeok (Support)
  • Simseungbo (Support)
  • Need (Support)

The Foxes underwent a significant rebuild after the conclusion of APEX Season 4, with starting players Neko, SeoMinSoo and Ria departing from the team. New additions Need, Quinas and Adora will make their debuts for the Foxes in the annual finals.

It is likely that the Foxes will take a step back after placing 4th in APEX Season 4 given the major changes to their roster. The Annual Finals will give the team the opportunity to mesh their new additions with the remaining core players.

Meta Athena

  • Recry (DPS)
  • Sayaplayer (DPS)
  • ArHaN (Flex)
  • NoName (Flex)
  • aWesomeGuy (Tank)
  • Sansam (Tank)
  • Hexa (Support)
  • Kris (Support)

Meta Athena will debut their rebuilt roster in the Annual Finals with the interesting addition of trial player ArHaN, a well known former member of the Afreeca Freecs. ArHaN, ReCry and Sayaplayer have the potential to be a devastating offensive trio, so expect Meta to experiment with lineups showcasing all three players.

Meta Athena have been in a rut since their legendary winning streak in APEX Season 2. However, the team's rebuilt roster could potentially return them to their glory days, despite the departure of star player Libero to the New York Excelsior. Expect to see the team experiment with their lineups in this event as they attempt to rekindle the magic they once held.

ViCi Gaming

  • mAryking8 (DPS)
  • Ziran (DPS)
  • jason (Flex)
  • tanqiu (Tank)
  • yaoxie (Tank)
  • Rookie (Tank)
  • eagle (Support)
  • yumu (Support)

ViCi have been one of China's strongest teams in recent times, placing second in the Premier Series Summer and third in the Premier Series Grand Finals. However, the team does not have a positive track record when facing international competition, most recently failing to make it out of their group in the APAC Premier 2017.

ViCi's focus in the Annual Finals will be centered around rebuilding their DPS lineup due to the departure of star player Diya to the Shanghai Dragons. As such, the team's performance may be lackluster at times as they attempt to integrate new player mAryKing8 into the lineup.

Lucky Future

  • GodV (DPS)
  • Joker (DPS)
  • Baymax (Tank)
  • Time (Tank)
  • 177 (Support)
  • Garry (Support)

Lucky Future were forced to make a last minute roster change following the release of moonmoon the day before the event due to alleged contractual breaches. Given this last minute roster change and the team's middling performances in the latter half of 2017, it is not unreasonable to expect the team to perform poorly in this event.

Group D

Lunatic-Hai

  • Nenne (DPS)
  • Whoru (DPS)
  • Dohyeon (Flex)
  • Yarg (Flex)
  • Sowhat (Tank)
  • GuardiaN (Tank)
  • IDK (Support)
  • Alarm (Support)

Lunatic-Hai's new roster will be one of the main attractions of the Annual Finals. Built around the core of what was formally the organisations sister squad, star youngster Whoru will undoubtedly be in the spotlight during the Annual Finals as he plays alongside new players YARG, Nenne, Sowhat and iDk

Once fielding what was considered to be the greatest team in the game, Lunatic-Hai will once again have to prove themselves amidst tough competition. Be sure to catch the team's match against Challengers champions Element Mystic on the 5th of December.

Element Mystic

  • Guard (DPS)
  • Sp9rk1e (DPS)
  • Fearless (Tank)
  • Daco (Tank)
  • Rapel (Support)
  • Jecse (Support)

Challengers Season 5 champions Element Mystic are Korea's most exciting up-and-coming team. The team appeared to take a huge boost from the patches to Mercy and D.Va during Challengers, going undefeated in the second group stage after the patch went live. A 3-0 sweep of the South Korean World Cup squad in a show match only added to the hype, as well as their first place finish in SURGE 2017, a minor Korean cup.

Now is the time for Element Mystic to meet their reputation against top tier competition. As a member of what is arguably the toughest group in the competition, a strong performance in the Annual Finals would solidly their reputation as a top team in Korea as the year draws to a close.

Miracle Team One

  • Krystal (Flex)
  • Unhappy (Flex)
  • MoLanlan (Flex)
  • ReckfuL (Tank)
  • Silver3 (Tank)
  • Kuzan (Tank)
  • MarBlue (Support)
  • PP (Support)

Miracle Team One have a tough task ahead of them in Group D. With one of the team's greatest contributors, Unturned, not listed on the team's Annual Finals roster, MT1 will likely struggle during the tournament. However, the event will offer the team the opportunity to trial new players Silver3, previousily a member of Skadi's Gift, and Unhappy against quality opposition.

Miraculous Youngster

  • YangX1aoLg (DPS)
  • leave (Flex)
  • jiqiren (Tank)
  • Lateyoung (Tank)
  • creed (Support)
  • zhufanjun (Support)

Last but not least, Miraculous Youngster are undoubtedly one of the favorites to win the Annual Finals. MY have not lost to a Chinese team since the 17th of June, claiming the Premier Series Summer and Grand Finals championships without a single loss. However, it was the team's strong performance against Lunatic-Hai in the OGN Seoul SuperCup that cemented their reputation as China's best team.

On a somber note, the team recently announced that it will take a step back from Overwatch in 2018, whilst not withdrawing completely, due to financial issues. With a chip on their shoulder, Miraculous Youngster will look to prove that they are still China's best in the Annual Finals, despite none of the players receiving an Overwatch League contract.

Tune into the Annual Finals at http://cc.163.com/nexuscup or alternatively keep track of the scores at the event page.