By Blizzard Entertainment

Houston Outlaws

Joined Overwatch League: September 2017

Division: Atlantic

2018 Recap

While there was plenty of talent on the Outlaws roster last season, a lack of consistency throughout the season proved challenging. In Stage 1, the team looked like a legitimate contender, posting a 7-3 record and reaching the Stage Finals, where they lost to London in the first round. During Stage 2, the Outlaws dropped to 5-5 and the middle of the league standings. The slide continued in Stage 3 as the team struggled to a 4-6 record. The team rebounded in Stage 4 with a 6-4 mark, flirting with season playoffs contention before falling out of the race late in the stage. Despite the up-and-down results, the Outlaws still finished with a winning record (22-18) and in seventh place overall.

2018 TEAM STATS AND LEAGUE RANKINGS

Roster Analysis

Find out what the casting team thinks about the Outlaws’ lineup.

More: 2019 roster

Keys to Success

Overwatch League analyst Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson offers his thoughts on what Houston needs to focus on this season:

• The Outlaws have not made any roster improvements this offseason other than the addition of Dante “Danteh” Cruz. Houston are relying on their innate advantage of honed chemistry and a year of experience when tackling the competition, and they hope it pays off. In order to get a leg up on the expansion teams, the Outlaws have to fly out of the gates before the others catch up. Keep an eye on their opening match against the Toronto Defiant and their Week 2 game against the Hangzhou Spark to see if that’s the case.
• A large issue with Outlaws in the inaugural season was their DPS players’ hero pools. With Danteh now on the roster and a long offseason to practice, it’s essential that Houston’s DPS line is comfortable playing a range of meta heroes and styles.
• Another enormous key to success for Houston lies with Austin “Muma” Wilmot. When his solo style of flanking and intercepting on Winston was vogue in Stage 1 and early Stage 2, he looked like one of the best main tanks in the league. When he was forced to play a more direct dive game or was focused, he became a non-factor. Either Muma must extend his talent to encompass other styles of play, or Houston needs to hope his comfortable playstyle is effective on the relevant patches.
• For the marketable Outlaws, success doesn’t stop at just in-game results. In Stage 2, when they play the Fuel in Dallas to close out the first Homestand Weekend, there will be a secondary focus on the regional rivalry between the two Texas teams. For the franchise, winning this game could be a key to building long-term success by firing up their fan base.

Catch the Houston Outlaws in action in their season opener against the Toronto Defiant on Friday, February 15, at 4 p.m. PST. All 2019 season matches will be available live and on demand on overwatchleague.com, the Overwatch League app, our Twitch channel, MLG.com, and the MLG app.