The New York Excelsior invited fans to watch the live premier of their full-length documentary “We Are NYXL,” a behind-the-scenes look at the team’s first season in the Overwatch League.
The NYXL’s success in earlier stages of OWL Season 1 took a backseat to the team’s disappointment at their Stage 4 performance, which became the focal point for “We Are NYXL” in the latter half of the documentary.
The reactions caught on camera after the team’s loss to Philadelphia Fusion in the semifinals was real and raw. Watching Yeon-joon “ArK” Hong and Tae-hong “MekO” Kim embrace each other with tears streaming down their faces was taut with emotion, as was coach Hyeon-sang “Pavane” Yu’s apology to his crying team.
The team kept reliving their mistakes, beating themselves up for feeling as though they hadn’t played their best.
“This memory is painful to the bone for me,” said Do-hyeon “Pine” Kim. “At the same time, the pain made us realize that we need to try harder.”
Despite a Stage 4 record that reflected the team’s late season struggles, the New York Excelsior dominated Stages 1, 2, and 3. The team had one of the most loyal and passionate fan bases in the league, with fans snaking around multiple city blocks just to get their favorite players’ signatures.
They had the talent and the support to win. But they still had come up short.
The NYXL’s story wasn’t just about defeat, however. It was also about redemption.
“NYXL has spent the offseason in reflection,” the narrator stated above fervent shotcalling from the team practicing in the background. “Motivated by that bitter taste of defeat, they are determined to use their shortcomings as fuel to propel them forward in the 2019 season.”
Instead of giving up when things didn’t go there way, the determined team has been doing whatever they can to overcome these obstacles. Adding Yeon-oh “Fl0w3R” Hwang and Yeon-kwan “Nenne” Jeong to the roster, the New York Excelsior feel retooled and energized going into Season 2.
“We’re the best,” MeKO said, “because we have the best coaches, best players, and the best fans.”
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