# 2021 Shanghai Dragons season

The 2021 Shanghai Dragons season was the fourth season of the Shanghai Dragons's existence in the Overwatch League and their second under head coach Moon Byung-chul.

## Preceding offseason
### Roster changes

Free agents :
| Position | Handle | Name | 2021 team | Date signed | Notes |
| Damage | Dding | Yang Jin-hyeok | – | – | – |
| Damage | Diem | Bae Min-sung | Shanghai Dragons | December 2 | – |
| Damage | Diya | Lu Weida | – | – | – |
| Tank | Geguri | Kim Se-yeon | – | – | – |
| Support | Luffy | Yang Sung-hyeon | – | – | – |
| Legend  Light green background indicates a player was re-signed by the Dragons.  Light red background indicates a player departed from the Dragons. ||||||
The Dragons entered free agency with five free agents.

#### Acquisitions

The Dragons's first offseason acquisition was Koo "Fate" Pan-seung, a veteran tank player, who was acquired from the Florida Mayhem on November 11, 2020. Six days later, the Dragons signed Jeong "Erster" Jun, a "generally adaptable" damage player who played with the Atlanta Reign in 2020. Shanghai's final acquisition of the offseason was He "Molly" Chengzhi, a support formerly with the Chengdu Hunters who was signed on November 24.

#### Departures

Four of the Dragons' five free agents did not return, none of which were signed with other teams, which included damage player Yang "Dding" Jin-hyeok, damage player Lu "Diya" Weida, tank player Kim "Geguri" Se-yeon, and support player Yang "Luffy" Sung-hyeon. Outside of their free agents, the Dragons' first departure was tank player Lee "Fearless" Eui-seok, who was transferred to the Dallas Fuel on November 7. Twenty days later, on November 27, the Dragons released tank player Seo "Stand1" Ji-won.

## Regular season

The Dragons' first match of the 2021 season resulted in a win over the Guangzhou Charge in the May Melee qualifiers. After defeating the Philadelphia Fusion in the Eastern regional knockouts, the Dragons entered the May Melee tournament, the first of four midseason double-elimination tournaments in the regular season, as the second-seeded Eastern team. The team fell to the Dallas Fuel in the upper bracket finals, dropping them to the lower bracket of the tournament; the Dragons reached the finals of the tournament through the lower bracket, where they once again lost to the Fuel.
Prior to the start of the June Joust qualifiers, damage player Joon "Erster" Jeong retired. Looking to add depth to their roster, the Dragons signed damage player Lee "WhoRU" Seung-jun several days later. The team won three of their four June Joust qualifying matches to advance them to the regional knockouts. Several days before the knockouts began, the Dragons lost another player to retirement in damage player Bae "Diem" Min-seong; once again looking for depth, the team signed damage player Chae "Develop" Rak-hoon shortly afterwards. The Dragons advanced to the June Joust tournament after defeating the Seoul Dynasty in the regional knockouts. The team lost their first match of the tournament, again to the Fuel; however, after making it to the finals through the lower bracket, the Dragons defeated the Fuel to claim their first title of the 2021 season.
The Dragons continued their success throughout the Summer Showdown, winning all four of their qualifying matches and advancing past the regional qualifiers. Prior to the start of the Summer Showdown tournament, the team added former Dragons player Kim "Daemin" Dae-min as a coach. The Dragons went undefeated in the tournament, and after defeating the Chengdu Hunters in the finals, they claimed their second consecutive midseason tournament title.
In the final tournament cycle of the regular season, the Countdown Cup, the Dragons went 2–2 in the qualifiers, failing to advance to the regional knockouts for the first time in the season; Dragons' head coach Moon "Moon" Byung-chul stated that they were "resting" their players during the tournament cycle. The team finished the regular season with 12 wins, 4 losses, 20 league points, and the top seed in the season playoffs.
Kim "Fleta" Byung-sun, Lee "Lip" Jae-won, and Kim "Izayaki" Min-chul were all MVP candidates for the 2021 regular season. Additionally, Lee "Lip" Jae-won, Kang "Void" Jung-woo, Kim "Izayaki" Min-chul, and Lee "Leejaegon" Jae-gon were awarded Role Star commendations for damage, tank, support, and support, respectively.

## Playoffs

Shanghai selected the sixth-seeded San Francisco Shock as their opponent for the first round of the season playoffs; the Dragons swept the Shock, 3–0. The team next defeated the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Gladiators by a score of 3–1. Moving on to the upper bracket finals, the Dragons faced the second-seeded Dallas Fuel, marking the fifth time the two teams had played each other in a midseason or season playoff match in the 2021 season. Despite keeping the maps close, the Dragons came out with a 3–1 victory to advance the Grand Finals bracket.
In the Grand Finals match, the Dragons swept the Reign by a score of 4–0 to win their first OWL championship.

## Final roster
### Transactions

Transactions of/for players on the roster during the 2021 regular season:
* On May 21, damage player Jeong "Erster" Joon retired.
* On May 25, the Dragons signed damage player Lee "WhoRU" Seung-jun.
* On June 3, damage player Bae "diem" Min-seong retired.
* On June 10, the Dragon signed damage player Chae "Develop" Rak-hoon.

## Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | Pts | PCT | MW | ML | MT | MD | Qualification |
| 1 | Shanghai Dragons | 16 | 12 | 4 | 20 | 0.750 | 38 | 19 | 2 | +19 | Advance to season playoffs |
| 2 | Chengdu Hunters | 16 | 11 | 5 | 15 | 0.688 | 38 | 22 | 2 | +16 | Advance to season playoffs |
| 3 | Seoul Dynasty | 16 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 0.750 | 40 | 22 | 0 | +18 | Advance to play-ins |
| 4 | Philadelphia Fusion | 16 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 0.625 | 37 | 24 | 3 | +13 | Advance to play-ins |
| 5 | Hangzhou Spark | 16 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 0.438 | 32 | 31 | 0 | +1 | Advance to play-ins |
| 6 | New York Excelsior | 16 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 0.438 | 29 | 32 | 0 | −3 | |
| 7 | Guangzhou Charge | 16 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 0.313 | 20 | 38 | 4 | −18 | |
| 8 | Los Angeles Valiant | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0.000 | 2 | 48 | 1 | −46 | |

## Game log
### Regular season

2021 game log :
May Melee
Qualifier match 1
April 17
Guangzhou Charge
0
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
5:00 pm CST
   Details
1
Lijang Tower
2
3
Blizzard World
3
0
Dorado
1
0
Temple of Anubis
2
Qualifier match 2
April 18
Chengdu Hunters
3
0
Shanghai Dragons
Online
6:30 pm CST
   Details
2
Oasis
0
1
Eichenwalde
0
4
Watchpoint: Gibraltar
3
Qualifier match 3
April 30
Shanghai Dragons
3
2
Hangzhou Spark
Online
8:00 pm CST
   Details
2
Nepal
0
2
Volskaya Industries
4
0
King's Row
3
1
Havana
0
2
Busan
0
Qualifier match 4
May 01
Shanghai Dragons
3
0
New York Excelsior
Online
8:00 pm CST
   Details
2
Ilios
1
2
Temple of Anubis
1
3
Blizzard World
1
Regional finals
May 02
Shanghai Dragons
3
2
Philadelphia Fusion
Online
5:00 pm CST
   Details
2
Nepal
1
2
Volskaya Industries
2
1
Eichenwalde
2
0
Havana
1
2
Ilios
1
5
Watchpoint: Gibraltar
4
Tournament first round
May 07
Shanghai Dragons
3
2
Florida Mayhem
Online
10:00 am CST
   Details
2
Ilios
0
1
Hanamura
1
1
King's Row
2
1
Watchpoint: Gibraltar
0
0
Oasis
2
3
Dorado
2
Upper finals
May 08
Dallas Fuel
3
2
Shanghai Dragons
Online
9:00 am CST
   Details
2
Ilios
0
2
Temple of Anubis
2
1
Blizzard World
2
3
Watchpoint: Gibraltar
2
0
Oasis
2
2
Dorado
0
Lower finals
May 08
Shanghai Dragons
3
0
Florida Mayhem
Online
1:30 pm CST
   Details
2
Oasis
0
1
Hanamura
0
2
King's Row
1
Grand finals
May 09
Shanghai Dragons
2
4
Dallas Fuel
Online
9:00 am CST
   Details
0
Lijiang Tower
2
1
Temple of Anubis
0
2
King's Row
3
2
Watchpoint: Gibraltar
3
2
Ilios
0
1
Blizzard World
2 :
June Joust
Qualifier match 1
May 22
Shanghai Dragons
3
0
Chengdu Hunters
Online
6:30 pm CST
   Details
2
Oasis
0
2
Hollywood
1
6
Junkertown
5
Qualifier match 2
May 23
Shanghai Dragons
0
3
Hangzhou Spark
Online
5:00 pm CST
   Details
1
Nepal
2
3
Numbani
4
0
Rialto
1
Qualifier match 3
May 29
Shanghai Dragons
3
0
Los Angeles Valiant
Online
5:00 pm CST
   Details
2
Busan
0
3
Rialto
1
1
Volskaya Industries
1
1
Numbani
0
Qualifier match 4
May 30
Seoul Dynasty
1
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
6:30 pm CST
   Details
1
Lijiang Tower
2
1
Dorado
2
3
Temple of Anubis
2
0
Eichenwalde
3
Regional finals
June 06
Seoul Dynasty
0
3
Shanghai Dragons
Hangzhou, CN
6:30 pm CST
   Details
Future Sci-Tech City
Hosted by Hangzhou Spark
0
Lijiang Tower
2
1
Temple of Anubis
2
0
Hollywood
2
Tournament first round
June 11
Dallas Fuel
3
0
Shanghai Dragons
Online
10:30 am CST
   Details
2
Busan
0
2
Volskaya Industries
1
3
Numbani
2
Lower round 1
June 12
New York Excelsior
0
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
10:45 am CST
   Details
0
Busan
2
0
Temple of Anubis
2
2
Numbani
3
Lower finals
June 12
Shanghai Dragons
3
0
Atlanta Reign
Online
12:00 noon CST
   Details
2
Lijiang Tower
1
3
Hanamura
2
4
Numbani
3
Grand finals
June 13
Shanghai Dragons
4
3
Dallas Fuel
Online
9:00 am CST
   Details
0
Lijiang Tower
2
0
Volskaya Industries
2
2
Numbani
1
3
Rialto
4
2
Busan
1
3
Eichenwalde
2
2
Junkertown
1 :
Summer Showdown
Qualifier match 1
July 03
Seoul Dynasty
0
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
6:30 pm CST
   Details
0
Busan
2
0
Route 66
1
1
Temple of Anubis
2
Qualifier match 2
July 04
Philadelphia Fusion
0
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
6:30 pm CST
   Details
1
Lijiang Tower
2
2
Junkertown
3
1
Volskaya Industries
2
Qualifier match 3
July 09
Los Angeles Valiant
0
3
Shanghai Dragons
Shanghai, CN
8:00 pm CST
   Details
Jing'An Sports Center
Hosted by Shanghai Dragons
1
Nepal
2
0
Volskaya Industries
1
2
King's Row
3
Qualifier match 4
July 10
Hangzhou Spark
1
3
Shanghai Dragons
Shanghai, CN
8:00 pm CST
   Details
Jing'An Sports Center
Hosted by Shanghai Dragons
0
Ilios
2
1
Hanamura
2
2
Hollywood
1
1
Watchpoint: Gibraltar
2
Regional finals
July 11
New York Excelsior
0
3
Shanghai Dragons
Shanghai, CN
5:12 pm CST
   Details
Jing'An Sports Center
Hosted by Shanghai Dragons
0
Ilios
2
2
Volskaya Industries
3
4
King's Row
5
Tournament first round
July 16
Atlanta Reign
0
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
11:00 am CST
   Details
0
Nepal
2
1
Hanamura
2
0
King's Row
3
Upper finals
July 17
Chengdu Hunters
2
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
9:00 am CST
   Details
1
Ilios
2
1
Temple of Anubis
2
4
Eichenwalde
3
3
Watchpoint: Gibraltar
2
0
Busan
2
Grand finals
July 18
Chengdu Hunters
1
4
Shanghai Dragons
Online
9:00 am CST
   Details
2
Ilios
0
1
Temple of Anubis
2
1
Eichenwalde
3
2
Route 66
3
0
Nepal
2 :
Countdown Cup
Qualifier match 1
July 31
Philadelphia Fusion
3
0
Shanghai Dragons
Online
8:00 pm CST
   Details
2
Busan
0
1
Numbani
0
2
Rialto
1
Qualifier match 2
August 01
Shanghai Dragons
2
3
New York Excelsior
Online
6:30 pm CST
   Details
1
Ilios
2
3
King's Row
2
1
Havana
2
3
Volskaya Industries
2
1
Lijiang Tower
2
Qualifier match 3
August 07
Seoul Dynasty
2
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
6:30 pm CST
   Details
2
Nepal
0
2
Route 66
3
2
Temple of Anubis
0
1
Blizzard World
2
0
Busan
2
Qualifier match 4
August 08
Shanghai Dragons
3
1
Guangzhou Charge
Online
8:00 pm CST
   Details
2
Lijiang Tower
0
3
Havana
0
0
Hanamura
1
4
Numbani
3 :
2021 season schedule :

### Postseason

2021 playoff game log :
Season Playoffs
Upper round 1
September 22
San Francisco Shock
0
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
10:00 am CST
   Details
1
Ilios
2
0
Hanamura
1
2
King's Row
3
Upper round 2
September 23
Los Angeles Gladiators
1
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
1:30 pm CST
   Details
0
Ilios
2
2
Hanamura
0
0
Numbani
1
0
Havana
1
Upper final
September 23
Dallas Fuel
1
3
Shanghai Dragons
Online
10:30 am CST
   Details
0
Ilios
2
3
Volskaya Industries
2
2
Numbani
3
1
Dorado
3
Grand Finals
September 25
Atlanta Reign
0
4
Shanghai Dragons
Online
9:00 am CST
   Details
0
Ilios
2
2
Hanamura
3
5
King's Row
6
2
Havana
3 :