Philadelphia Dreaming

Aristotle said that “hope is a waking dream”, and the Philadelphia Fusions stares that reality in the face. While the adage is true in a very colourful way, we’ve repurposed it. To foster drive, the daydream has been replaced by visualisation. To ask someone, in this case, a player, to step forward and think about what it might feel like to win, what emotions might surge, what the trophy will feel like, what might the opponent do, how they will react to the litany of things you’ve prepared. Philadelphia dream of all the things that could happen during the 2020 Overwatch League grand finals, their hopes are torn between finally making it to the top and the disillusion of repeating their shortcomings. 

Imagine for a moment these point of views, these delectable daydreams that push these players forward.

You have people like Lee "Carpe" Jae-hyeok, the toothless great, Mr Clutch, but also someone who still yearns for his time in the sun. 2020 could be his year. Finally, Carpe can reach the refreshing oasis in the barren desert of his trophy case and be the one centre stage. From FaZe Clan to Fusion, Carpe would finally put the doubters to rest and finish his bust on the Mt. Rushmore of the Overwatch League.

Your 2020 Rookie of the Year, Kim "Alarm" Kyung-bo, has been a quiet fixture of the Philadelphia Fusion’s development process for years. Crafting a dynasty in the amateur division as a part of the Fusion’s academy team, Fusion University, Alarm is certainly no stranger to greatness, but this is different. This is the pièce de résistance, the top of the top, the highest achievement in the game. Imagine for a moment waiting, sitting on your skill while forced into a holding pattern until now—and making it this far. Finally, after starting from the base and reaching the apex of the mountain, Alarm would finally cap his tour de Overwatch with the biggest title of them all. 

Being one of the only players to enter the league without previous professional experience, being one of the only players to suffer the heavy hand of the Overwatch League’s disciplinary arm, Kim "SADO" Su-min now dreams of championship glory. After being framed as a main tank pariah after the Fusion’s poor performance during their 2019 run, he not only has done a full 180 turn, he’s done it in arguably the hardest timeline. Think of how sweet it might taste to nearly have your dreams ripped away from you in an instant only to return and hoist the Overwatch League trophy above your head triumphantly. 

The list is neverending and comes from all walks of life, but these are a handful of the hopes and dreams that Philadelphia advances into the grand finals with. This will be the fuel for their championship fire. 

I dream my painting and I paint my dream.

― Vincent van Gogh

 

Doors may only open once, but we’ve gifted the opportunity to live in a hallway with thousands upon thousands of them. You just have to be ready for the next to swing open and that is something that Philadelphia has captured. They had the door confidently closed in their face in 2018 after being the ones to close the door on Overwatch League favourites, the New York Excelsior. Two years later they find themselves standing at a new doorway, a familiar one, but a new one none the less. The Fusion have been here before in multiple ways. They’ve dreamed of this doorway, they’ve physically seen ones identical to the one that glares back at them, final after final but nothing but “what ifs” to show for it. 

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Speaking plainly, 2019 ended flat. While the Fusion finally started to show signs of life towards the end of the regular season, it didn’t make up for the fact that they, like many, were caught off guard. They ended with a 10th place finish in the regular season and were denied playoff entry, dropping their first play-in game to the Shanghai Dragons. So, they revaluated and built the super team that stands before us today. However, even the best teams need time to find themselves and grow. 

Spring gave us our first monthly tournament in the May Melee, one that the Philadelphia Fusion were poised to do well in, but they were dispatched quite quickly by the Florida Mayhem, a team that were just a step ahead. The Summer Showdown was a test of patience, a test where perhaps there isn’t a possibility of a successful outcome, like a scripted boss fight that propels the protagonist forward against inconceivable odds. The Fusion did all the right things against the Paris Eternal; they took them to their limits and then some. What more could you ask of them? Sometimes you can do everything right and still miss. The Countdown Cup echoed this feeling, this dream of chasing something or perhaps someone just out of reach. The San Francisco Shock now stood as their gatekeepers, between them and their opportunity to taste victory. Comically enough, the Fusion even finished second in their division, losing their shot at earning North America’s top seed in the grand finals to the Shock. 

At each and every turn of the avenue, chances have been snatched away in the final moments; their dreams deteriorate into nightmares. Was silver baked in their blood? Were they always going to be the perennial spectator? Would they ever get the chance to enjoy the relaxation of victory?

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It depends.

Will the nightmares of the past haunt them heading into the grand finals? From all we’ve seen from their playoff performances, they have that steel gaze, that unshakable form that warrants championship consideration. The Washington Justice were riding a tailwind coming into the losers’ bracket final, and the Fusion came alive. They looked measured and better than we’ve ever seen them—and this evolution came after a bleak loss to the Shock. Match after match, the Fusion refuse to deflate, instead to roll forward, building momentum, learning from their past, and snowballing into the future. 

We’ve talked at length about how Philadelphia will be a problem in the 2020 grand final, and it isn’t just about their strength. They don’t want to stand in the silhouette of their past mistakes, the shadows of what could have been. Rather they use that fire, that hunger to propel them forward into the light. This is the perfect moment for the imperfect team, a beautiful patchwork roster from all across the world that has come so close so many times. All of their bruises, scratches, and stitches have led to this particular moment in time.

So stride forward Philadelphia, battle the world’s best teams.

However, remember that reality can be more beautiful than our dreams.

It’s right there, can you see it?

Catch it, Fusion. Don’t remain Philadelphia dreaming.

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Images via Blizzard Entertainment