The biggest esports franchise in Europe returned to Overwatch today, picking up one of the best teams in the world.
Fnatic has signed Nubris, a mix of Swedish and American talent that emerged as the top free agent Overwatch team in recent competition.
The lineup is headlined by its pair of Swedish stars, André “iddqd” Dahlström and Oliver “Vonethil” Lager. Support player Vonethil serves as the team’s in-game leader, but it’s the phenomenal iddqd and his brilliant aim that often drives the team. The carry player famous for his McCree spent most of the first week of Competitive Play’s release as the highest ranked player in Overwatch.
Backing the dynamic Swedish duo is Canadian support Scott “custa” Kennedy and a core of American players from the old Hubris team that dominated early portions of close beta in late 2015 and subsequently signed with EnVyUs in 2016. Warsi “Stoop” Faraaz Waris mans the tank position with Casey “buds” McIlwaine at carry, with Matt “coolmatt69” Iorio at flex. Robert “Roflgator” Malecki will continue to serve as the team’s coach.
“I’m extremely pleased to be joining such a reputable organization,” Iorio said in Fnatic’s announcement. “Few names in esports are more important and as a team we’re thrilled to get this opportunity. It really means a lot to be Fnatic’s first US based team. They saw enough potential in us that they considered it worthwhile to transcend regions. We’ll be sure to repay their faith.”
The team will be based in North America, with Fnatic planning to “invest heavily” in the region, a first for the European organization.
Fnatic began the Overwatch closed beta with their Battlefield 4 team swapping to the game, but those players quickly left to found their own franchise, Reunited. That left the esports titan searching for a new squad after Overwatch’s release. Nubris quickly became one of the top contenders, showing they have the talent to challenge the best teams in the game. Last week, Nubris qualified for the regional final of the ESL Atlantic Showdown, which will feed 4 teams into Overwatch’s first six figure tournament at Gamescom next month.
The entire lineup has plenty of experience competing at Overwatch’s top ranks since early in the closed beta, and they’ll look to continue that legacy wearing some of the most iconic jerseys in esports.
