Miracle Team One 2016–2017 The One Winner 2018–2019 T1w.GZA 2019 The One Winner 2020–present
Colors
Red, blue, white
Owner
Cheng Xiao
Head coach
Zhang Peng
Regional titles
1
2018 Season 3
Interregional titles
0
The One Winner, or simply T1w, is a Chinese esports team for the video game Overwatch competing in Overwatch Contenders (OWC). The team is a former academy team for the Guangzhou Charge of the Overwatch League (OWL). The team was founded under the name Miracle Team One; after the formation of T1w Esports Club, the owner of the team, the team rebranded to The One Winner and rebranded, again, to T1w.GZA after becoming the academy team for the Charge. T1w plays in the China region of OWC, and since inception, they have won one OWC regional title and multiple other major tournaments not affiliated with Overwatch Contenders.
Franchise history
2016–2017: Miracle Team One
The franchise began in 2016 under the name Miracle Team One (MT1). The team entered the Chinese scene with high expectations, but failed to find much success. In 2017, they placed in the top four at the Overwatch Premier Series to qualify for the Overwatch APAC Premier 2017.[1][2] However, the team produced disappointing results in the tournament, failing to move on past the group stages.[3] The following month, MT1 was invited to the 2017 Nexus Cup;[4][5] they were eliminated early from the tournament.[6]
2018–2019: The One Winner
In 2018, T1w Esports Club was officially established to manage competitive teams in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Wangzhe Rongyao (Kings of Glory), and Overwatch, and Miracle Team One was rebranded to The One Winner (T1w).[7] The team competed in the first season of Overwatch Contenders China, and while they were able to qualify for the playoffs, T1w fell to Lucky Future Zenith in the semifinals by a score of 2–3.[8] The following Contenders season, T1w, again, qualified for the playoffs, and fell to Lucky Future Zenith in the semifinals by a score of 2–3.[6]
In between Contenders seasons, the team hit its stride, claiming multiple tournament victories. T1w found its first LAN tournament victory at LanStory Cup 2018 Guangzhou by defeating LinGan e-Sports in the finals.[9] The following week, T1w placed second at the NetEase Esports X Tournament (NeXT) 2018 Summer, falling to RunAway in the finals.[10] A few months later, the team successfully defended their LanStory Cup title, defeating Flag Gaming at the LanStory Cup 2018 Hangzhou finals and secured their second tournament title.[11]
T1w continued their dominance in the group stages of Contenders China 2018 Season 3, as they posted a perfect 5–0 record and 20–0 map differential.[12] The team blew through the playoffs – only dropping a single map – en route to defeating Flag Gaming in the finals and claiming the title of Overwatch Contenders China champions.[12] A few weeks later, the team fell in a close 2–3 match to LGD Gaming in the semifinals of at NeXT 2018 Winter.[13]
In Contenders China 2019 Season 1, The One Winner showed their flexibility as a team, being able to effectively run both GOATS (three tanks, three supports) and standard 2-2-2 compositions; they were able to, again, post a perfect record in the group stages. After defeating both Lucky Future and LGD Gaming by a score of 2–3 in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, of the playoffs, the team was swept by the Chengdu Hunters academy team LGE.Huya in the finals.[14] By placing second in their region, the team qualified for the Contenders Pacific Showdown, an interregional double-elimination tournament; T1w placed third in the event, losing only to the top two Korean Contenders teams.[15] Following the Showdown, T1w picked up a pair of third-place finishes at NeXT 2019 Spring and LanStory Cup 2019 Summer.[16][17]
2019: T1w.GZA
On July 2, in the middle of Contenders China 2019 Season 2, it was announced that T1w would be competing as the academy team for the Guangzhou Charge of the Overwatch League, and the team rebranded to T1w.GZA. The Charge fielded their own academy team, known as Guangzhou Academy, but the team disbanded after only one season.[15]
2020: The One Winner
On February 7, 2020, the Charge ended their partnership with T1w.[18]
All Overwatch Contenders players are eligible to be promoted by their affiliated Overwatch League team or signed to any other Overwatch League during specified non-blackout periods.[19]
2018
DPS Cai "Krystal" Shilong was signed by new expansion franchise Hangzhou Spark on November 20.[20]
^T1w Esports Club (January 15, 2018). "T1w电子竞技俱乐部 正式成立~" [T1w Esports Club is Officially Established] (in Chinese). Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019 – via Sina Weibo.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^"LFZ, 오버워치 컨텐더스 차이나 우승…태평양 이어 중국까지 한국팀이 정복" [LFZ wins Overwatch Contenders China … South Korea team conquers the Pacific]. Daily e-Sports (in Korean). May 14, 2018. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
^"《守望先锋挑战者系列赛》第三赛季常规赛落幕 T1w一小分未丢杀进季后赛" ["Overwatch Contenders" Regular Season of Season Three Ended – T1w Did Not Lose a Map Going into the Playoffs]. Gamefy (in Chinese). December 21, 2018. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
^Netease Esports NeXT (June 6, 2019). "网易守望先锋NeXT春季赛总决赛，RunAway零封Gen.G夺冠" [Netease Overwatch NeXT Spring Finals, RunAway defeats Gen.G]. Kuaibao (in Chinese). Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
^"6月19日LSC战况：BLG斩杀LGD获得冠军" [LSC Battle on June 19: BLG Defeats LGD to Win Championship]. ZhanqiTV (in Chinese). June 19, 2019. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
