Mentioned in this article Games: Overwatch Teams: Toronto Defiant

The Toronto Defiant’s official academy team for Overwatch Contenders is called the Montreal Rebellion.

The Overwatch League allows two-way contracts for players to also compete on an affiliated Contenders team.

The Rebellion’s international roster will live and train in Montreal, and also compete at Esports Central Arena later this year.

Following last week’s announcement that the Overwatch League’s Toronto Defiant established an Overwatch Contenders team in Montreal, today OverActive Media and Quebec-based partner Mirage Sport Électronique (MSE) revealed the organization’s branding.

The team will be known as the Montreal Rebellion, and it will serve as the official Overwatch academy team for the Defiant. Academy teams help develop talent for pro squads, but the Overwatch League (OWL) also allows players to sign two-way contracts and compete for both an OWL team and its affiliated lower-tier Contenders team within certain play time and pay restrictions.

The Montreal Rebellion has signed an international roster of players from Canada, the United States, Europe, Mexico, and Brazil. As announced last week, the players and coaches will live together in Montreal, marking what the team claims is the first such pro-gaming house in Quebec. It will also serve as a training facility.

Additionally, beginning in the second season of Overwatch Contenders later this year, the Rebellion will play from Esports Central Arena in downtown Montreal. The team will play its online matches in front of an audience, with the venue holding up to 500 spectators.

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“We are so excited at the diverse backgrounds and player skill sets we have already assembled for our new Rebellion team,” said MSE president Yannick Babin in a statement, “and since our players live and will be playing in Canada, we want to be a model for the future generations of Canadian esports athletes.”

The Rebellion’s logo weaves in multiple references, according to the team, with the bird shape meant to symbolize freedom, the fleur-de-lys lily flower symbol representing Quebec and its French heritage, and the subtle “M” shape in the negative space above the bird honoring Montreal.