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The Dallas Fuel cosmetics and my thoughts (that no one asked for)

(Yes I’m ready to rant about it now)

During the 2021 season viewership rewards were changed and people who tuned into to watch the stage tournaments would be eligible to earn specially designed sprays that would commemorate that tournaments winner. The first of these sprays would be for the May Melee champions in Hawaii. Thankfully Dallas Fuel burned brightest that day and their efforts resulted (amongst other things) in the spray featuring a Dallas Fuel Reinhardt sipping from a coconut. The art was good and since Fearless had played Reinhardt during the last map of the finals match and had hit some amazing Earth shatters it was fitting that it would be the focus. The art is great and I love the idea of celebrating the smaller tournaments in this manner.

In 2022 they changed rewards so that winning teams of the stage tournaments would get team themed remix skins (instead of sprays that fans could earn for free just by watching) that fans could purchase with Overwatch league tokens. For the 2022 Summer Showdown tournament both region champions, the Shanghai dragons for the APAC region and The Dallas Fuel the NA region, were treated to their own themed Genji skin. This was extra fitting since on both teams resided the two best genji’s in the world in Whoru and Sp9rkle. Whilst the skin wasn’t as exclusive as other skins, it cemented both Dallas and Sp9rkle forever in Overwatch History. I really enjoyed the idea of tournament themed remix skins and the resulting Dallas Summer skin is my personal favourite skin.

The Dallas Fuel championship skin. When a team wins the Overwatch League, they get a skin to commemorate that victory. The “chained king” reaper skin was a disappointment and a failure in that regard. There is no Dallas Fuel iconography, there was already 2 team themed reaper skins released that year, there was nothing to suggest this skin had anything to do with the Dallas Fuel, it wasn’t even the right shade of blue. Rumours spread that it was a repurposed Warcraft or Diablo tie in skin, after looking at the skin I can see why. This is one of the few chances for teams to showcase the grand spectacle of the league, to bring attention to the team’s achievements that year. After eagerly waiting a year for the skin to be released fans were universally shocked and let down to discover what we had been provided, even people who weren’t fans of the Dallas Fuel were left confused at the skins reveal. The General Manager of the Dallas Fuel “Tazmo” hates the skin, and revealed that no one in the Dallas organisation had any input or were consulted about the skin. As far as he is concerned they didn’t get a championship skin. This is a skin that fans are expected to pay for, a skin that is supposed to represent the team that won the overwatch league, to celebrate the Dallas Fuel. Instead it just represents Blizzards lack of understanding and care. This skin that is supposed to represent the best grand finals of all overwatch league, is easily the worst championship skin that fails to do any of what it’s supposed to. To say I don’t like this skin is an understatement.

*Sigh*

The “Fuel Biker:76” was among the last remix skins to be released. Since it was the twilight of the League, since only 1 tournament outside of the grand finals took place that year the team remix skins were instead given to regular season winners for that respective stage. Dallas Fuel had returned from the midseason break with a fire in their hearts and won the APAC Summer qualifier regular season based on map differential. I like that they earned this by being the best regular season team and (considering the Championship skin failure) also has Fuel iconography and the right fuel colours.