Atlanta Academy: A Sign of What's to Come?

Tier 2 matters, but it may mean even more for one of the League's newest teams.

If you're unfamiliar with the history of both teams, let's get you caught up. The Atlanta Academy team consists of the former roster for Last Night's Leftovers, an Overwatch Contenders team that appeared on the scene in Contenders Season 2. Their coach at the time was Atlanta Reign's own head coach, Brad "Sephy" Rajani, former Head Coach of the San Francisco Shock. Unknown to many at the time, LNL performed admirably in the trials for Contenders Season 2, but failed to push very far into the season itself. As most of us know, Season 3 was a very different story. The newly dubbed Academy team pushed all the way to the Finals, establishing their place among the best up-and-coming rosters.

It makes a ton of sense that Atlanta's head coach would bring along a roster he was coaching to be the Academy team for Atlanta Reign. What impresses me so much about Atlanta Academy is how they went from being a completely unknown roster to competing for the the Contenders Title in a matter of one season! That transformation can't be overlooked. Coach Sephy's eye for talent, and ability to develop that talent, is on full display here. That is the part that brings us to Atlanta Reign.

Here's an excerpt from Sephy describing the roster building process in an article posted by Andrew "ZP" Rush on the Overwatch League website:

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"We had a clear vision the whole way through, and our management made bold moves to recruit once we had the names. I’ve been in esports a very long time but personally never been a part of something so thorough as this, and we’re just getting started."

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He was also quoted describing the process as "no joke", saying it lasted for months as the team sifted through hundreds of hours of gameplay footage. What I love so much about the quote above is that there was a clear vision of what they wanted, and once the decisions for who fit that vision were made, they aggressively pursued their chosen players. Having followed many professional sports teams for many years now, I can't express how important that sort of vision is to the success of the team.

What does all of this mean for Atlanta Reign? Glad you asked.

With the Second Season of Overwatch League peaking its head over the horizon, Atlanta Reign finds itself in a similar place as Last Night's Leftovers. Sure, the names on this roster have a bit more recognition, but people around the league aren't expecting much out of them. In fact, I haven't seen a single analyst place them in the the top half of the League as far as power rankings are concerned. I think that will change as the season plays out.

With Atlanta Academy's ascension into the upper level of Tier 2, coach Sephy has shown once again that he possesses not only the "eye" for talent, but also a keen ability to get the most out of them as a unit. In my mind, this translates directly to Reign. This is an organization that is built for success. I believe this is a roster that is going to surprise a lot of people. The biggest question isn't "Are they good enough?" It's "How quickly can they come together?" Chemistry just takes time. It's unpredictable. It's the X factor. Last Night's Leftovers had the advantage of playing with each other before they became Atlanta Academy, while Reign is an entirely new roster. The track record, however, is there. Atlanta Academy is proof that this staff knows what they are doing.

Atlanta Reign is a sleeper, there's no doubt about it. But we aren't sleeping on them. No. We know what we have, and this community is foaming at the mouth to see it come together. Soon, everyone else will know what we have, too. The first to find out will be Florida Mayhem. I don't expect they will enjoy it very much. The Season is almost here, Royals! Let the Reign begin!