There are many ways to elicit emotion in a viewer. New York Excelsior was entertaining because of its rampaging dominance throughout the season. The Boston Uprising was moving because of its underdog story. The Shanghai Dragons were awe-inspiring due to the sheer impossibility of their failure.





The Houston Outlaws were a team that finished seventh in the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, just outside a playoff berth. As the embodiment of a middle-of-the-pack team, the Outlaws might not seem like a team to warrant much interest, so it was strange that I found myself overall entertained by the team throughout the season.





In some ways, the source of my entertainment is perverse. Because the main feature attracting my attention to Houston was their struggle.





Much like the Dragons were magnetic in their constant search for a single win, the Outlaws were constantly on the cusp of victory but always seemed to falter at the last moment. Of their 21 losses throughout the season and preseason, 10 of them were lost 3-2 on the final map of the series.





What needs to be taken into account is that this means that about 50 percent of Houston losses occurred on the Control map type used for tie-breaking. That means the Outlaws consistently lost on the map type that most favors Tracer.

managed to de-mech coolmatt NUMEROUS times, ggs @OutlawsOW — danteh (@danteh) March 18, 2018





In some ways, discussing Houston's Tracer problem is like reopening an old wound to find the injury has turned a delightful OpTic emerald from gangrene. It was the subject of much discussion throughout the season, as Tracer was the overall most influential DPS character during OWL, but the Outlaws couldn't consistently field a top-tier Tracer.





Although some would say the Outlaws' obstinate refusal to acknowledge its Tracer weakness is frustrating, I found it remarkable in the context of their team. The Outlaws did not have a lineup stacked with talent; its best feature would be the main tank, Austin "Muma" Wilmot. Otherwise, the Outlaws were a team comprised primarily of role players and specialists that lacked a superstar.





Yet, the team continued to prevail and came within inches of clinching a playoffs position. Houston came up with multiple methods to try and clinch advantages, most notably their substitutions of Alexandre "SPREE" Vanhomwegen and Daniel "Boink" Spence.





There is something admirable in how Houston developed a system to overcome its weaknesses. There is something inspiring in how Houston remained a fierce competitor by virtue of teamwork over individual ability.





And there is something romantically tragic in how ultimately, despite their best efforts, their fatal flaw continued to plague them until the very end.



