Pictured: Florida Mayhem players. Credit: Misfits Gaming
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In April of this year, Overwatch League 
(OWL) team the Florida Mayhem made sweeping changes to its player roster and coaching staff. As of the current stage, the team now has a full South Korean roster, a stark contrast to its roster at the end of the 2018 season, which was mostly made up of Nordic players.
Speaking on the TEO Podcast, Florida Mayhem owner and CEO of Misfits Gaming Ben Spoont acknowledged that the team had clearly not performed well since inception. “As we looked at the pieces that we had on our roster, we felt that the best path forward was to build around our Korean players,” he said.
Unlike League of Legends, where Korean talent is also widespread, there is no regulation on player representation in the OWL. As of Stage 3 of the second season, Korean players account for 55% of the league’s total 193 players. Two of the strongest teams in the league, season one champions the London Spitfire and New York Excelsior , have retained all Korean rosters for season two, while some new North American franchises such as the Vancouver Titans and Toronto Defiant joined from the outset with a vast majority of players from the region.
Restructuring with an all Korean player base is not entirely new either, and is usually done for competitive improvement. Shanghai Dragons , which ended last season with a 0-40 record, made a similar switch as the Mayhem and are now seventh in the overall league table.
“It’s not just us, by the way,” said Spoont, citing Fusion Academy, which opted to compete in the Overwatch
“We tried having a mixed roster, and communication breakdowns just were not overcomeable for our guys. We tried to doing English lessons and tutors, but Overwatch is such a fast-paced game. It’s hard in critical moments for people to think in a non-native language.”
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Spoont also gave details on the Mayhem’s future home venue. As per the geolocation model of the league, every franchise is expected to plant some kind of territory flag by 2020. Some have already confirmed they will be using rented spaces, while others, such as the Philadelphia Fusion , are planning a large-scale arena of their own.
“We have a unique situation with our territory,” explained Spoont. “For us, we have essentially the state of Florida. What we think makes the most sense is to split games between both Miami and Orlando.” In an interesting side-note, the Tampa Bay Rays in Major League Baseball (MLB) have just received permission to likewise become a two-city team, paired with Montreal.
While venues are still to be determined, NBA team the Miami Heat, which is a partner and investor in Misfits Gaming, could provide options with its American Airlines arena, though Spoont notes that this may not be the right fit. “We’re going to be looking at some of the college campus venues, that may be a little more intimate, more welcoming for our fans. Also in Orlando, we’re going to be doing the same thing.”
While the ultimate plan and vision is for the Mayhem to have a permanent venue, the team is looking at how the market develops. The final location could depend on how large the fanbase gets in Orlando vs. Miami, or how Virgin Trains USA’s high-speed rail line affects travel time between the two cities.
