Los Angeles Valiant

Origins and Entry into the Overwatch League

The Los Angeles Valiant's origins are directly tied to the Immortals organization, which entered competitive Overwatch by acquiring the roster of the North American team Sodipop on September 12, 2016. This squad competed as Immortals, finding success by winning tournaments like the NGE Winter Premier, the Overwatch Carbon Series, and Overwatch Contenders 2017 Season Zero in North America.

On July 12, 2017, Activision Blizzard announced that Immortals CEO Noah Whinston had acquired a Los Angeles franchise spot in the new Overwatch League for an estimated $20 million. Whinston highlighted the league's localization aspect and revenue sharing as crucial reasons for joining, aiming to build deeper ties with a local fan base. The team's identity was unveiled on October 23, 2017. The name Valiant was chosen to signify heroism, courage, and determination. The original logo featured a golden-winged helmet that used negative space to form a 'V', set against the team's initial colors of green and gold. The starting roster was revealed in a series of Twitter posts from October 30 to November 2, consisting of eleven players across four damage, four tank, and three support roles.

Competitive Peak in Los Angeles (2018-2020)

The Valiant's inaugural 2018 season began with a 4-0 victory over the San Francisco Shock on January 10. The team posted a 7-3 record in Stage 1 but did not qualify for the stage playoffs. Early in Stage 2, head coach Henry 'Cuddles' Coxall departed and was replaced by Byung Chul 'Moon' Moon. The team struggled to a 4-6 record that stage but rebounded in Stage 3 with a 7-3 record, earning the third seed for the Stage 3 Playoffs where they were swept by the New York Excelsior.

The team's best performance came in Stage 4. They were undefeated until a final regular season loss to the Dallas Fuel, finishing with a 9-1 record and the second seed. In the Stage 4 Playoffs, they defeated their intercity rivals, the top-seeded Los Angeles Gladiators, 3-2 in the semifinals. On June 17, 2018, the Valiant claimed their first and only stage title by defeating the New York Excelsior 3-1 in the finals. This success gave them a 27-13 regular season record, the second seed, and a first-round bye in the season playoffs. Their playoff run ended in the semifinals, where they lost both matches to the London Spitfire, including a 0-3 sweep in the second match on July 20.

The 2019 season started disastrously with the Valiant failing to win a single match in Stage 1. This led to the firing of head coach Moon, with Mike 'Packing10' Szklanny taking over as interim coach. The team's first win came on April 12, a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Reign. A highlight of Stage 3 was a 3-1 win over the undefeated Vancouver Titans. The Valiant finished Stage 3 with a 5-2 record, qualified for the stage playoffs, and defeated the Hangzhou Spark 3-2 in the quarterfinals before falling 0-4 to the San Francisco Shock. A final 0-4 loss to the Shock in the last regular season match prevented them from qualifying for the season playoffs.

For the 2020 season, the team debuted a new color scheme, trading green and gold for baby blue, yellow, and white. On August 22, they clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Vancouver Titans. In the North America bracket playoffs, they defeated the Florida Mayhem 3-2 in the first round. They were then swept by the Philadelphia Fusion in the second round and eliminated by the Washington Justice 1-3 in the lower bracket.

Controversial Relocation and Struggles in China

In a highly controversial move preceding the 2021 season, the Valiant announced in mid-January that they would relocate from Los Angeles to China to compete in the league's Eastern region. The decision was made in response to a suggestion from the Overwatch League, which needed more teams in its Eastern region. On January 29, the team released its entire roster and most of its staff, with the Immortals Gaming Club citing visa issues for the move as the reason.

This decision was met with heavy criticism from fans and analysts. Because all teams were required to have at least seven players signed by January 4, most rosters were already full, leaving the dropped players with few options. Weeks later, Immortals signed a one-year operating agreement with Chinese esports organization LinGan e-Sports (LGE). This agreement stipulated that LGE would not acquire any ownership share in the Valiant.

In mid-March 2021, the Valiant announced a new six-player roster for China, which included previously retired and controversial players, under head coach Zhang 'JpCat' Peng. The team's competitive performance collapsed. They finished the 2021 regular season in last place with a 0-16 record, becoming the second team in OWL history to have a winless season. In December 2021, the team announced that LGE would continue to operate them from Asia for the 2022 season.

Final Return and Disbandment

In February 2023, the Valiant announced their return to the league's Western division for the 2023 season. Later in March, they signed a completely North American roster ahead of the Pro-Am West tournament, marking a full return to their original regional identity. This comeback was ultimately brief. In October 2023, following the termination of the Overwatch League itself, the Los Angeles Valiant ceased all operations and disbanded.

Team Identity and Community Focus

From its launch, the Valiant organization stated it was focused on its founding principles and core values, aiming to be the most accessible, authentic, and transparent organization in esports. The team expressed a dual goal of competing for championships while also creating a compelling live entertainment experience for its fans, whom they described as key to their journey. The visual rebranding in 2020 to baby blue, yellow, and white was a significant shift from the original green and gold identity that had been in place for two years.

Notable Players and Individual Accolades

The Valiant roster featured numerous players who earned league-wide recognition. Support player Park 'Kariv' Young-seo was selected as a Role Star in 2019. The team had a strong presence in the All-Star Game, with Brady 'Agilities' Girardi, Scott 'Custa' Kennedy, Koo 'Fate' Pan-seung, Kariv, Terence 'Soon' Tarlier, and Indy 'Space' Halpern all selected in 2018. Space was selected again in 2019, while Kai 'KSP' Collins and Caleb 'McGravy' McGarvey were selected in 2020.

The organization also received recognition for positive community influence through the Dennis Hawelka Award. Scott 'Custa' Kennedy won the award in 2019, and Caleb 'McGravy' McGarvey won it in 2020. Head coach Moon Byung-chul was selected to be a head coach for the All-Star Game in 2018.