Second chances rarely lead to the kind of success that Moon Byung-chul has enjoyed as the head coach of the Shanghai Dragons. Despite previous hardships in the Overwatch League, Moon will now enjoy the title of Coach of the Year for his work with the Dragons during the 2020 season.
In 2018, the original Shanghai Dragons made history by not winning a single match, ending the season with a 0-40 record. Despite a team revamp in 2019 and a stage championship win, Shanghai has always carried the weight of that first season with them.
This year, the Dragons may finally shed that questionable history, thanks to the strategies and support of coach Moon. The Shanghai Dragons ended up the top-ranked team in the Overwatch League in 2020, earning an easy trip to the Grand Finals bracket.
Moon is a veteran coach in the competitive Overwatch scene. He began his career coaching teams like Ardeont and LW Red in South Korea and was hired as the Los Angeles Valiant head coach in 2018. After leaving the Valiant, Moon was made the head coach of the Shanghai Dragons’ Contenders academy team, Team CC. Thanks to the team’s excellent season, the Shanghai Dragons brought him back up to coach in the Overwatch League once more.
This award feels like the end of a redemption arc for Moon, who left the Los Angeles Valiant after a 0-7 stage racked with disappointment. Moon has long been “blamed” for the decision to play main tank Kim “KuKi” Dae-keuk—who is now a fellow Coach of the Year nominee with the Florida Mayhem—on support instead of Scott “Custa” Kennedy during that fated stage.
With this win, Moon has solidified himself as a star coach once again. The Shanghai Dragons’ next game is Oct. 8 as the Overwatch League Grand Finals bracket begins.
