The Overwatch League 2021 Playoffs were held in Hawaii this past weekend, and fans had the opportunity to see the Atlanta Reign fight their way from the lower bracket against the best teams in the western conference to make it to the grand finals of the event. However, the excitement of the main event would be short-lived for the Atlanta Reign as the Shanghai Dragons deftly defeated the Reign in a spectacular 4-0 sweep, ending their meteoric rise from setting the record for the most losses in a professional sport to becoming the champions of the 2021 Overwatch League.

Perhaps the most memorable tidbit of Shanghai Dragons trivia that even casual viewers would know is the 0-40 loss record the Shanghai Dragons set during their first year in the Overwatch League. This losing streak would go down in sports history as one of the worst losing streaks in professional sports history. Even after the Overwatch League’s expansion in its second season, the Shanghai Dragons would struggle to establish their footing, but hard work paid off as they would manage top 8 during the later stages of the second season.

If anything, the Shanghai Dragons are a testament to how patience and hard work pays off in the end. DPS players Fleta and LIP were extraordinary to watch during the grand finals of this year’s Overwatch League playoffs. Flashy plays and picks from Fleta allowed the Shanghai Dragons to dive in with strong dive compositions and push their momentum onto points. While the Atlanta Reign showed signs of life during their game on King’s Row, with Kai Collins managing solid picks on his Hanzo, the Shanghai Dragons were able to overcome the Atlanta Reign with a rotation of heroes that allowed the Dragons to respond quickly and adequately to the Atlanta Reign’s pressure.

With the Overwatch League looking to transition to an early build of Overwatch 2 for its next season, the Shanghai Dragon’s win this past weekend is the final chapter in professional Overwatch’s story. As organizations look to adapt to Overwatch 2’s new 5v5 player versus player mode, we’re likely to see some adjustments and roster shake ups that will see the departure of many players.

The Shanghai Dragons will go down in Overwatch’s history as the final champions of professional Overwatch as the scene, teams, and players look to transition into Overwatch 2.