Contenders, Roster Changes, and why I'm taking a step back from Overwatch

First off I want to say thank you to all of the amazing people who helped me make Overwatch a career. I am truly honored to have made so many friends through organizations, fellow coaches, and amazing players throughout this past year and without you it would have been impossible. Over the past weeks many people have been asking me to delve deeper into the run that enVision made in contenders, and what impacted our decisions from play style to roster changes and everything in between. So i figured why not give a better look into what was going on with the team over this period of time.



1. Contenders



Contenders was a truly magical and amazing time to be a part of Overwatch eSports and I could not have been more proud of my players in how hard they fought and how amazing they did throughout the run we made. It was simply amazing being able to meet these players at our boot camp in San Diego and to help them become such a strong moral and mechanical team. The hard-work put in by Chu and Qrow while I was not able to attend the first week was amazing, and they provided a huge impact in how the team performed in the group stage. While we ran out of steam towards the end of contenders I could not be more proud of my staff and my team.



2. Roster Changes



I know it was a big surprise to everyone in the Overwatch community when Connor J left the enVision roster before the top 8 of contenders. At the end of the day I don't know if this helped us or hurt us, but in my mind this was the right decision regardless of the outcome. Connor J is an amazing player. He is smart, dedicated, and a great player to sit down and discuss the game with, but unfortunately Connor and the team never quite meshed well together and I knew that after contenders was over there was no future for Connor J with enVision. That being said Connor and I sat down and had a long conversation as for what was best for him and the team which is when we decided it was better to split ways now rather than after contenders was over. With Connor leaving we needed a quick replacement, and being that we inquired about trialing Jaru in the past we as a team felt it was best if we could make a move on him before top 8 and that's simply what we did. With limited practice time with the team Jaru performed well and showed his mental maturity despite being so young. I am absolutely thrilled that he is now a full time member of enVision, and I know he is going to do great things here.



3. Why I'm taking a step back from Overwatch



Unfortunately for me, despite how much I love coaching and interacting with my players and staff everyday the time has come for me to go back to school and become a functioning part of society again. Being that I'm past my mid twenties, beat up from my time in the Marine Corps, starting flight school in 30 days, and planning on starting a family soon I just don't have the time to commit 70-80 hours a week into Overwatch anymore. This decision was probably one of the toughest decisions I've had to make in the past few years, and it really hurt me to tell my staff and players that this is the way my life is shifting now. To be completely honest it would be unfair of me to try and coach this team while being a full time student. Needless to say when a team house comes around I wouldn't be able to move in and after seeing how important it is for the full team to be together at the boot camp I wanted to set them up with the best tools to succeed, and unfortunately that's not me. I will still be working with the team in a lesser status that requires less of a time requirement, and maybe one day if the right financial opportunity comes around my life can shift back towards coaching full time again.



In the near future I plan to do a few workshops to help aspiring coaches understand my philosophies and ideology. Hopefully this helps create more ultra dedicated coaches in the scene.



Once again I just want to say how thankful I am for my players and staff. They are honestly amazing.



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