123 has made the decision to disband as a team, freeing their players up to pursue other opportunities. Though a last-minute rebuild has not been ruled out—pending further information about Contenders Season 2—123's players are actively searching for new homes during this time.
With the initial Overwatch League signing window now closed, many high-level players and teams that did not make the cut find themselves in an uncertain situation. Information about Contenders Season 2 has not been released, though OWL commissioner Nate Nanzer tweeted that news would be out "very soon" on November 5th. With limited information available currently, most team activity is on hold until the landscape is defined.
Contenders and Open Division news very soon.
— Nate Nanzer (@natenanzer) 5 November 2017
123 rose to fame during Contenders Season Zero and Contenders Season 1, reaching the finals and semifinals respectively in their first two tournaments. Of their Contenders Season 1 roster, only snillo found a home in the Overwatch League, signed by Philadelphia Fusion.
When asked for clarification on the team's situation, Dennia confirmed that 123 have currently disbanded but a rebuild for Contenders Season 2 would not be out of the question. As with most current professional players, 123's roster are keeping their options open for Season 2.
Much of the 123 roster have already announced their availability as free agents. Main tank Tonic was the first to announce that he would not be competing with the roster anymore, via Twitter last month. Subsequently, flex player Hafficool and backup support iPN also announced they were open to offers for Contenders Season 2 teams. Most recently, Lucio and shot-caller Dennia advertised that he was also open to offers, leaving only bock1 and Finnsi to officially declare their status.
LFT contenders season 2 as main support, open to most opportunities.
— Dennia (@DenniaTF2) November 13, 2017
The 123 roster was one of the most prominent examples in Europe of what could be achieved without support from an outside organisation. Former captain Mistakes originally put the team together in May, combining strong players and a focus on structure within the team. From that point, self-motivation and drive allowed them to become one of Europe’s best teams, finishing Contenders Season 1 just behind Gigantti and Misfits.
While the majority of the roster missed out on Overwatch League Season 1, the talent and determination of their players has been proven and will inevitably lead to success in one form or another. 123 and the rest of the Overwatch community continues to eagerly await announcements regarding Contenders Season 2 and Open Division, along with news on how Blizzard’s ecosystem will all fit together.
The 123 roster was:
Discord