Seoul Dynasty

Origins and Foundation

The Seoul Dynasty was born from the union of a new Overwatch League franchise and an established Korean team. In July 2017, Blizzard announced that KSV Esports International, led by Kevin Chou and Kent Wakeford, would own the Seoul franchise. The organization quickly acquired the players and coaching staff of Lunatic-Hai, a team considered one of the world's best after winning back-to-back Overwatch APEX championships. This core formed the foundation of the new team.

Over the following months, the roster was built out with notable additions like star flex player Kim 'Fleta' Byung-sun, DPS player Byeon 'Munchkin' Sang-beom, and tank Koo 'xepheR' Jae-mo. The franchise name, Seoul Dynasty, was revealed on October 26, 2017. The name was chosen after feedback from fans, staff, and players for its universal appeal and to reflect aspirations of long-term success, directly honoring the championship legacy of the Lunatic-Hai players. The final pieces of the inaugural roster, Chae 'Bunny' Jun-hyeok and Kim 'KuKi' Dae-kuk, were confirmed by Blizzard in November 2017.

The Crumbling Dynasty of 2018

Entering the Overwatch League's inaugural 2018 season, the Seoul Dynasty were the overwhelming favorites. They reinforced this status with convincing preseason victories over teams like the Shanghai Dragons and New York Excelsior. The regular season started promisingly with five consecutive wins, but key losses to top rivals like the Excelsior, London Spitfire, and Los Angeles Valiant saw them fall to fifth place and miss the Stage 1 playoffs, sparking talk of a disappointing start.

This pattern of near misses defined their year. They finished fourth in Stage 2, again missing the playoffs even after the format was expanded. Commentary shifted to their inability to defeat the league's best teams, with ESPN's Emily Rand noting Seoul's dynasty was already starting to crumble. Their performance declined sharply, going 5–5 in Stage 3 and 3–7 in Stage 4. Their map differential worsened from +9 in Stage 1 to -6 in Stage 4. They fell out of season playoffs contention entirely, finishing eighth overall with a 22–18 record, a far cry from the predicted success.

Breaking Through to the Playoffs

Ahead of the 2019 season, the Dynasty appointed Kim 'KDG' Dong-gun as new head coach. The team secured its first playoff qualification in the final match of Stage 1, a 3–0 victory over the London Spitfire giving them a 4–3 record. In the Stage 1 Playoffs, they took down the New York Excelsior 3–1 in the quarterfinals but were swept 0–4 by the Vancouver Titans in the semifinals.

The team struggled to a 3–4 record in Stage 2 but hit their stride after the All-Star break. They opened Stage 3 with three consecutive 4–0 sweeps, finishing 5–2 and qualifying for the playoffs as the fifth seed, where they lost 1–3 to the San Francisco Shock. Seoul finished the regular season in eighth place with a 15–13 record. They defeated the Guangzhou Charge 3–1 in a play-in tournament to claim the final season playoffs spot. Their playoff run was brief, losing to the Vancouver Titans 2–4 and then to the Hangzhou Spark 1–4 in the lower bracket, ending their 2019 campaign.

The Grand Finals Run of 2020

The 2020 offseason saw major changes. Head coach KDG was released, replaced by assistant Park 'Changgoon' Chang-geun. The roster was overhauled, with players Kim 'Fleta' Byung-sun and Ryu 'Ryujehong' Je-hong departing, and stars Park 'Profit' Joon-yeong and Hong 'Gesture' Jae-hui joining. The season started poorly with a last-place finish in the Asia May Melee qualifiers, but the team turned things around in the knockouts, advancing to the Asia finals against the Shanghai Dragons. There, they took a 3–0 lead but lost four consecutive maps to lose 3–4.

The Dynasty posted a middling 12–12 regular season record. They advanced through the Asia play-in tournament by defeating the Hangzhou Spark on September 5. In the Asia playoff bracket, they beat the Guangzhou Charge but lost to the Shanghai Dragons, then defeated the New York Excelsior in the lower bracket finals to advance to the Grand Finals bracket. In that four-team tournament, they lost a close 2–3 match to the San Francisco Shock, dropping to the lower bracket. There, they swept the Philadelphia Fusion 3–0 and upset the Shanghai Dragons 3–2 to earn a rematch with the Shock in the Grand Finals. On October 10, 2020, the Seoul Dynasty fell short of the title, losing the championship series 2–4.

Final Chapters and Dissolution

After the Grand Finals run, the Dynasty parted ways with several players, including support Yang 'tobi' Jin-mo, the last remaining member from the inaugural 2018 roster. For the 2021 season, they signed veterans like Jeong 'ANAMO' Tae-seong and Park 'Saebyeolbe' Jong-ryeol, though Saebyeolbe did not play the entire season due to a boycott by Chinese teams over past statements. Seoul was the only Eastern team to advance past qualifiers in all four 2021 midseason tournaments but only advanced deep once, in the Countdown Cup. They finished the regular season third in the East with a 12–4 record but lost their play-in match to the Philadelphia Fusion 1–3 on September 5, ending their year.

Another major rebuild followed the 2021 season. The team parted ways with five players, including Saebyeolbe and Gesture, and head coach Changgoon. Former player Yang 'tobi' Jin-mo was brought in as the new head coach. New signings included former San Francisco Shock tank Yoo 'smurf' Myeong-hwan and former Excelsior support Bang 'JJonak' Sung-hyeon, though JJonak left for health reasons before the 2022 season began. This new lineup found immediate success, winning the Eastern region Kickoff Clash, the first tournament of 2022, by defeating the Philadelphia Fusion 4–0 in the finals. This victory was their last major achievement. On November 21, 2023, the organization announced the Seoul Dynasty was disbanded.

Brand Identity and Cultural Symbolism

The Seoul Dynasty's identity was deeply rooted in Korean culture and regal symbolism, unveiled on October 26, 2017. The team's name was selected for its representation of long-term success and to pay homage to the Lunatic-Hai core's back-to-back championship history. The logo, designed as a modern royal seal, featured a tiger in the team's colors. The tiger was chosen for its symbolism in Korean culture, representing strength, courage, and good fortune.

A key detail was the stylized version of the Korean Hanja character for 'king' on the tiger's forehead. The official colors were black, gold, and white. Gold was chosen for its historical association with royal dynasties, while black was intended to convey power and elegance, completing the brand's majestic and culturally resonant aesthetic.

Personnel and Legacy

Throughout its history, Seoul Dynasty was synonymous with elite Korean talent. The initial roster was built around the Lunatic-Hai lineup. Over the years, the team featured many of Overwatch's major players. Multiple Dynasty players were selected for All-Star Games, including tank Kim 'Zunba' Joon-hyeok in 2018, flex player Kim 'Fleta' Byung-sun in 2018 and 2019, support player Ryu 'ryujehong' Je-hong in 2018 and 2019, DPS Park 'Profit' Joon-yeong in 2020, and support Yang 'tobi' Jin-mo in 2020.

The organization was owned by Kevin Chou's Generation Gaming, which also operated an academy team in Overwatch Contenders under the Gen.G Esports name, revealing its Korean Contenders roster in November 2018. This structure was designed to develop future talent for the main roster. The Seoul Dynasty is remembered as a flagship Korean franchise that carried high expectations, included star players, and came within two matches of an Overwatch League championship.