Phoenix1, best known for its three-split long stint at League of Legends’ NA LCS and for being the parent company of Overwatch League side Los Angeles Gladiators has rebranded to Sentinels. The organization announced the news today in a press release.

Formed in May 2016 after acquiring Team Impulse’s spot in the NA LCS, Phoenix1 overcame problems shown in its first split to finish third in the 2017 NA LCS Spring Split. The team led by jungler Rami "Inori" Charagh and bot lane duo Noh "Arrow" Dong-hyeon and Adrian "Adrian" Ma defeated FlyQuest 3-2 in Vancouver, qualifying the team for the 2017 Rift Rivals – the only international tournament in which the team qualified for during its short existence.

After a mediocre Summer Split, with Phoenix1 going 4-14 to finish last, the organization decided to sell its LCS spot following Riot Games' announcement that the NA LCS would undergo a massive restructuration, which included a franchise system replacing the relegation-promotion system that was core part of the league since its inception in 2013. Moving away from the League of Legends scene, Phoenix1 instead allied itself with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Group, acquiring one of the two Los Angeles spots in Blizzard’s newly created Overwatch League, creating the Los Angeles Gladiators.

With the Overwatch side’s brand now developed - and with the team showing positive results - Sentinels is focusing on other competitive titles: “The last year our priority was to build a competitive team and brand for the Overwatch league,” said Rob Moore, Sentinels’ CEO in the press release. “Now that Eric Ma and the group have successfully launched the Gladiators, we have decided to relaunch our broader esports organizational brand as the Sentinels.”


Hearthstone expansion

Sentinels’ first team will compete in Hearthstone. Led by Cong “StrifeCro” Shu and strengthened by the additions of Josh “Impact” Graham and James “GreenSheep” Luo, Sentinels will be looking to compete in the upcoming Hearthstone Championship Tour.

According to Director of Esports Charlie Lipsie, “(Sentinels) moved into Hearthstone because of the tournament structure supported by Blizzard. Since we already had the exceptionally talented StrifeCro, it seemed like a natural move to enter the new Hearthstone tour.” Lipsie also claimed that the organization can potentially enter in other competitive scenes in the near future: “we’re also exploring new opportunities in other esports. I’ve got my eye on a few more games.”

Regarding the new brand itself, creative director Riley Jamison claimed that “the goal of the rebrand is to shift the position of the organization.” Jamison also explained the origins behind the organization’s logo, while sharing Sentinels’ plans to not become just another esports brand – but a network with interconnected players and fans:

 “With Sentinels, we're turning a brand into a network. A network of connected, vigilant gamers who can rally behind our players. Watching their games. Participating on stream and on social. The logo is a symbol representing the connected tech aesthetic of the brand. The katakana letters spell out “Sentinels” and speak to the cyberpunk, future-Tokyo visuals seen throughout our marketing,” concluded Jamison.

You can follow the new organization on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Twitch.

Photo courtesy of Sentinels