The Legacy Of Element Mystic

In the whirlwind of the 2020 Overwatch League offseason, it seems one beloved amateur team has been swept up. Popular South Korean Overwatch team, Element Mystic, will be closing its doors—at least for the time being.

As one of the most prominent homes to some of the biggest names in the Overwatch League closes its doors, the community has released a collective sigh of mourning at the sight of yet another amateur team, at the very least, taking a step back for now. However all is not lost, the elements of this team’s particular legacy live on in more ways than one. It’s high time we revisit the history of not only an iconic team in Overwatch history, but a team that has given us so much.

Jumping off the page with a win over the 2017 South Korean Overwatch World Cup team, Element Mystic’s early narrative reinforced something tenured esports fans were all too familiar with; South Korea produces world-class pro-gamers at a shocking and alarming rate. However, what was once a forgettable name on the global stage at the time, a name lost among the brilliant shine of some of the legendary names from OGN’s Overwatch APEX would soon become frontrunners during Overwatch’s second graduating class of talent. A name, and a team, that would become synonymous with success.

Their first stab at a major title came in during Overwatch Contenders 2018 Season 1. Leading their group with a dominant 5-0 match record and only dropping two maps overall, Element Mystic were heavy front runners when early playoff projections came in. However, their first at-bat was marred by the pressure and expectations they shouldered. In one of the most memorable and historic upsets of the year, the first seed from Group A, Element Mystic, lost to the fourth seed from Group B, O2 Ardeont. The team bounced back during 2018’s second season of Overwatch Contenders, but their playoff schedule placed them against a promising X6-Gaming, who they narrowly defeated, and against the eventual winners of that season, RunAway. The team would have to wait until 2019 to truly see their potential realised - and wait they did.

With one Overwatch Contenders title, two-second place finishes, the 2019 Pacific Showdown pennant, and taking home The Gauntlet title, 2019 saw Element Mystic cement themselves to rise as a top team domestically. Beginning the year with a second-place finish right behind RunAway, this was a decisive line in the sand. During the GOATS metagame, RunAway stood on the tried and true standard GOATS composition; however, standing as their foil, Element Mystic planted their feet and relied on attempting to break the status quo. They knew who they were, they knew their identity as a team, and they weren’t moving away from that. 

While dissenting voices look at 2020 as a blemish on the legacy of Element Mystic that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Exporting your entire roster and your coaching staff, the 2020 Element Mystic team should be given grace because they are a new team. The same expectations that were placed on this team in seasons past cannot be placed on a completely new coalescence of talent. Their 2020 performance should not cloud the discussion on how impactful Element Mystic has been as a highway for talent leading into the Overwatch League. 

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Before they assisted the Paris Eternal to a promising revival in 2020, Jung "Xzi" Ki-hyo, Choi "Hanbin" Han-been, Kim "SP9RK1E" Yeong-han, and coach Yun "RUSH" Hee-won, all make up some of the most memorable members of the Element Mystic core. The Dallas Fuel have heavily leaned on the DPS stylings of former Element Mystic DPS ace and Sombra specialist Kim "Doha" Dong-ha. Across Texas, the Outlaws secured their tried and true support line of Kim "Rapel" Jung-keun and Lee "Jecse" Seung-soo, who were workhorses for them in their 2020 performance. Then, cutting to Asia you’ve got former Element Mystic main tank, Lee "Fearless" Eui-Seok, becoming the shield of the 2020 Shanghai Dragons. Crucial in their multiple monthly tournaments wins, Fearless has had a career revival with the Dragons after narrowly playing alongside them the year prior. This team has historically been one of the biggest paths to becoming pro in the last few years.

What Element Mystic doesn’t get enough credit for is how creative and open to change this team has been historically speaking. Think back for a moment to how rigid the narrative was around GOATS; few teams dared to try to take the path least travelled; however, Element Mystic did dare.  to split away on certain maps. Peppering in heroes like Doomfist and Sombra.

Let’s think back to their scrimmage against South Korea’s 2017 Overwatch World Cup team, and we look at their King’s Row Point A defence, we see an incredibly strange list of heroes. Piloting a triple DPS composition of Torbjorn, Junkrat, and McCree? Your only support pick being Mercy? This was not something that was considered commonplace at the time. 

During their run through Overwatch Contenders 2019 Season 2, Element Mystic pushed against the tide of the Halt Hook combo that prevailed throughout the playoffs. Their creative solution? Giving SP9RK1E his signature Genji pick, allowing Doha to move to Doomfist and forming a Dive package around it. More interesting still was long time Element Mystic flex support Lee "MCD" Jeong-ho’s pick of Moira to really drive the proactivity of this full-court press. This was featured in both their semifinal match against Gen.G Esports and in the grand final against RunAway.

And this isn’t just a “funny hero” team akin to the narrative around the 2019 Chengdu Hunters. Even positionally Element Mystic was ahead of the curve and genuinely thought about the game differently than the vast majority of their peers. Now, what is exciting for long-time fans of Element Mystic are how the core of this team has not only reunited but has taken their talents to Texas as the core that will become the 2021 Dallas Fuel. 

Element Mystic’s legacy isn’t over, as cliche as it is, their story, their soul, it does truly live on. Not only does it seem like the team will be eyeing a return sometime after 2021, but the memories that they have left us with continue on in the players. The creativity, the signature heroes, the purest elements of Element Mystic lie with their players and staff, many of which still remain in the Overwatch League. Like we’ve talked about through many of the 2020 offseason departures, goodbyes in Overwatch are not necessarily forever. Holding patterns are no fun, but we know the end of our story is one with hope. 

We will all be waiting for Element Mystic to rise and shine once more. 

Images via Blizzard Entertainment