2019 Guangzhou Charge season
The 2019 Guangzhou Charge season was the first season of Guangzhou Charge's existence in the Overwatch League as one of eight expansion franchises added for the 2019 season. The team had a subpar performance throughout the first three stages of the season, posting a 9–12 record through 21 matches with no stage playoff appearances. After the implementation of an enforced 2-2-2 role lock by the league, the Charge flourished, losing only one match in their final seven matches to give them a 15–13 record for the season. Finishing in 9th place in the overall standings, Guangzhou qualified for the Play-In Tournament, where they defeated the Chengdu Hunters in the first round, 4–1. However, they were unable to make it season playoffs, as they fell to the Seoul Dynasty by a score of 1–4 the following day. Preceding offseason Charge acquired Choi "Hotba" Hong-Jun from Philadelphia Fusion on 17 October. In mid-November, Charge announced nine more players signed for their inaugural roster: Yiliang "Eileen" Ou, Finley "Kyb" Adisi, Lee "Happy" Jeong-woo, Charlie "nero" Zwarg, Oh "Rio" Seung-pyo, Kim "shu" Jin-seo, Kim "Chara" Jung-yeon, Chen "Onlywish" Lizhen, and Lee "Rise" Won-jae. Charge signed Cho "J1N" Hyo-jin as the team's head coach on 3 December. Regular season Stage 1 Charge opened their 2019 season on 15 February with a loss to fellow Chinese expansion franchise Chengdu Hunters. The team's first Overwatch League win came a week later in a 4–0 sweep over Dallas Fuel. Two days later, Charge lost in an overtime match to Vancouver Titans. Guangzhou took both of their matches week three over Florida Mayhem and Los Angeles Valiant to bring their record to 3–2. After dropping their week four match to Los Angeles Gladiators, Charge's final match of the stage was a rematch against Titans. Needing a win to secure a spot in the Stage 1 Playoffs, Charge was swept by Titans, ending the stage with a 3–4 record and out of playoff contention. Stage 2 Charge could not find much success in Stage 2. Charge did not find a single map victory through their first four matches of the stage, getting swept 0–4 in each match. Guangzhou found their first map win in week three against Hangzhou Spark, but Spark took the match 3–2. The team faced Atlanta Reign the following week. Charge found their first win of the stage, taking the match 3–1; with a combined total score of 33 points, the match became the highest scoring game in Overwatch League history. Charge took a win in their final match of the stage, defeating Houston Outlaws, and ending the stage with a disappointing 2–5 record. Stage 3 The Charge opened Stage 3 on 6 June strong with a 3–1 victory over the Chengdu Hunters. Two days later, they faced the Seoul Dynasty; Guangzhou was dominated throughout the match and was swept 0–4. The following week, the Charge took on the Los Angeles Valiant. The match was riddled with little mistakes by the Charge; that, and their inability to