Hangzhou Spark

Hangzhou Spark (simplified Chinese: 杭州闪电; traditional Chinese: 杭州閃電; pinyin: Hángzhōu Shǎndiàn) is a Chinese professional Overwatch esports team based in Hangzhou, China. The Spark compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region.

Hangzhou Spark
杭州闪电
Founded7 September 2018
LeagueOverwatch League
RegionEast
Team historyHangzhou Spark
(2018–present)
Based inHangzhou, China
Arena
  • Hangzhou Grand Theatre
  • Wuzhen Grand Theatre[1]
Colors     
OwnerRui Chen
PresidentYouyou "So" Chen
Head coachPark "changgoon" Chang-geun
General managerYouyou "So" Chen
Affiliation(s)Bilibili Gaming
Main sponsorBilibili
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms
Hangzhou Spark
Simplified Chinese杭州闪电
Traditional Chinese杭州閃電

Founded in 2018, Hangzhou Spark began play as one of eight expansion teams in 2019 and is one of four professional Overwatch teams based in China. The team is owned by Bilibili, a Chinese video sharing website; the company also owns Bilibili Gaming, who operate their own Overwatch division that compete in Overwatch Contenders as an academy team for the Spark.

Lee "Mask" Mu-ho was appointed the team's first head coach and led the Spark to the season playoffs in their inaugural season, but they were eliminated in the lower bracket's third round of the double-elimination tournament.

Franchise history

OWL expansion

On 7 September 2018, Activision Blizzard announced that Chinese video sharing website Bilibili had purchased an expansion team based in Hangzhou for Overwatch League's second season.[2] On 14 November, the team revealed their team name as Hangzhou Spark.[3]

On 16 November, the Spark revealed their new head coach, Lee "Mask" Mu-ho.[4] In the following week, the Spark revealed their 10-man inaugural roster through a series of Twitter posts, consisting of players from different Chinese and Korean Contenders teams.[5]

Inaugural season
Main article: 2019 Hangzhou Spark season

Hangzhou's first regular season OWL match was a 3–1 victory over the Shanghai Dragons on 14 February.[6] The Spark finished Stage 1 with a 3–4 record and did not qualify for the Stage 1 Playoffs.[7] A 3–1 win over the Seoul Dynasty on 5 May gave the team a 5–2 record for Stage 2 and the seventh seed in the Stage 2 Playoffs.[8] Hangzhou defeated the London Spitfire, 3–1, in the Stage 2 quarterfinals,[9] but their playoff run ended after getting swept 0–4 by the San Francisco Shock in the semifinals.[10] The Spark improved upon their Stage 2 performance in Stage 3, amassing a 6–1 record and the third seed in the Stage 3 Playoffs.[11] However, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Los Angeles Valiant after losing a in five-map series.[12] Hangzhou struggled at the beginning of Stage 4 after suspending their starting DPS Cai "Krystal" Shilong and the implementation of an enforced 2-2-2 role lock by the league.[13] The team lost their first three matches of the stage but recovered by winning their final four matches. The Spark ended the regular season with an 18–10 record and the fourth seed in the season playoffs.[14]

The Spark began their playoff run with a 3–4 loss to the Los Angeles Gladiators, sending them to the lower bracket.[15] The team defeated the Seoul Dynasty, 4–1, in the first round of the lower bracket.[16] In the second round, the Spark swept the Atlanta Reign, 4–0 to advance to the third round, where they faced the Shock.[17] The Spark's season came to an end in a 0–4 loss to the Shock.[18]

Team identity

On 14 November 2018, Bilibili officially announced the brand of their franchise, the Hangzhou Spark. The name "Spark" symbolizes the immense speed and power electricity, as well as the "electric nature and creative spark" of the Bilibili brand.[3]

The logo is in the team's official colors of pink, white, and blue. It depicts a hand-gesture in shape of a gun with electricity emerging from it and is a reference to Mikoto Misaka from A Certain Scientific Railgun.[19] The official colors are vibrant in nature to reflect the fast-growing nature of Hangzhou.[3]

Personnel

Current roster
Hangzhou Spark roster
PlayersCoaches
RoleNo.HandleNameNationality
Damage  17 Shy  Zheng Yangjie  China 
Damage  15 Pineapple  Li Zhuo  China 
Damage  21 Architect  Park Min-ho  South Korea 
Damage  27 AlphaYi  Kim Jun  South Korea 
Tank  8 guxue  Xu Qiulin  China 
Tank  11 BERNAR  Shin Se-won  South Korea 
Tank  22 LiGe (2W)  Jia Chengjie  China 
Support  4 Superich  Wu Gengtuo  China 
Support  10 irony  Kim Hyeong-woo  South Korea 
Head coach
  • Park "changgoon" Chang-geun
Legend

Latest roster transaction: November 19, 2021.

Head coaches
Hangzhou Spark head coaches
Handle Name From To Span Ref.
Mask Lee Mu-ho (이무호) 16 November 2018 31 July 2020 1 year, 258 days [4][20]
paJion Huang Ji-sub 31 July 2020 26 April 2021 269 days [21][22]
Andante Hwang Jae-hong 26 April 2021 15 July 2021 80 days [22][23]
changgoon Park Chang-Geun 15 November 2021 26 days [24]

Awards and records

Seasons overview
Season P W L W% Finish Playoffs
2019 28 18 10 .643 3rd, Pacific Lost in Lower Round 3, 0–4 (Shock)
2020 21 10 11 .476 6th, Asia Did not qualify
2021 16 7 9 .438 5th, East Did not qualify

Individual accomplishments

Role Star selections

  • guxue (Qiulin Xu) – 2019
  • iDK (Park Ho-jin) – 2019

All-Star Game selections

  • guxue (Qiulin Xu) – 2019

Academy team
Main article: Bilibili Gaming § Overwatch

On 15 March 2019, the Hangzhou Spark announced their official academy team, Bilibili Gaming (BLG), and full roster. The team competes in Contenders China.[25]

References
  1. Hanes, Robert (20 August 2019). "Hangzhou Spark Announce 2020 Schedule and Homestand Venues". The Game Haus. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  2. Carpenter, Nicole (7 September 2018). "It's official: All 8 new teams coming to Overwatch League have been revealed". Dot Esports. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  3. "Introducing the Hangzhou Spark杭州闪电队". Business Wire. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  4. Rodriguez, Veronika (16 November 2018). "Hangzhou Spark Reveals Overwatch League Coaching Staff". DBLTAP. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  5. Qu, Bonnie (13 December 2018). "The Hangzhou Spark are making an electric entrance into the Overwatch League". Heroes Never Die. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  6. Grayson, Nathan (15 February 2019). "Overwatch League's Season Two Debut Was Exciting Despite An Unpopular Meta". Kotaku. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  7. Field Level Media (18 March 2019). "Titans sweep Charge to cap perfect OWL Stage 1". Gwinett Prep Sports. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  8. Goldberg, Rob (5 May 2019). "Overwatch League 2019 Stage 2 Week 5: Shock's Top Plays, Prize Money". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  9. Amos, Andrew (9 May 2019). "San Francisco Shock and Hangzhou Spark advance to Overwatch League stage 2 semifinals". Dot Esports. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  10. Samples, Rachel (11 May 2019). "Vancouver Titans and San Francisco Shock advance to Overwatch League stage 2 finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  11. Salaun, Theo (30 June 2019). "Overwatch League 2019 Stage 3, Week 4: Surefour's Top Plays, Prize Money". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  12. Linscott, Gillian (13 July 2019). "LA Valiant Continue Meteoric Rise, Head To Semifinals". Hotspawn. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  13. Amos, Andrew (2 August 2019). "Hangzhou Spark indefinitely suspend Krystal". Dot Esports. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  14. Howard, Brandon (26 August 2019). "Hangzhou Spark End Their Regular Season Strong, Hoping To Carry Momentum Into The Playoffs". TheGamer. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  15. "Gladiators, Titans win on Day 1 of Overwatch League playoffs". ESPB. Reuters. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  16. "Shock, Spark stay alive in OWL playoffs". ESPN. Reuters. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  17. Gemignani, Mike (13 September 2019). "Overwatch League Playoff: Spark and Shock Advance". Hotspawn. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  18. Hoskins, Ryan (15 September 2019). "OWL: San Francisco Shock Advance over the Spark". Hotspawn. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  19. Cooney, Bill (15 November 2018). "Chinese Illustrator shares her original Overwatch League concepts for the Hangzhou Spark". Dexerto. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  20. Hangzhou Spark [@Hangzhou_Spark] (31 July 2020). "Thank you Coach @Mask_ow" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 April 2021 – via Twitter.
  21. Hangzhou Spark [@Hangzhou_Spark] (31 July 2020). "Meanwhile, @pajion90 will step in as the main Coach" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 April 2021 – via Twitter.
  22. Hangzhou Spark [@Hangzhou_Spark] (26 April 2021). "Spark Communications" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 April 2021 – via Twitter.
  23. Richardson, Liz (15 July 2021). "Hangzhou Spark parts ways with head coach Andante, assistant coach Mentalist". Dot Esports. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  24. Hangzhou_Spark [@Hangzhou_Spark] (15 November 2021). ""I'm honored to lead Spark for the new season of OWL in OW2. Coaching a mixed team is new for me, and I think our team roster has sufficient competitiveness, but still room for growth. I'll try my best to lead Spark to a team that is worth your cheers!" Head Coach, @changgOW!" (Tweet). Retrieved 16 November 2021 – via Twitter.
  25. Joyce, Darby (15 March 2019). "Overwatch: Hangzhou Spark Announces Academy Team". The Game Haus. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
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