Crazy Raccoon has lifted the Esports World Cup trophy for the Overwatch 2 category, waltzing through to the Grand Final and decimating Toronto Ultra, one of the frontrunners to secure victory at the historic tournament. Crazy Raccoon’s dominance was visible for all to see, with the team pushing through the entire event and dropping just two maps.
Toronto Ultra was sharp, but Crazy Raccoon was on another level entirely.
Weird Name, Great Team
Crazy Raccoon is a Japanese organisation that was founded in 2018 – but it didn’t enter the Overwatch 2 scene until April of this year. The organisation stood up a roster to compete in the Esports World Cup, and by all accounts, it went very well. In June, the squad won a $100,000 prize by securing victory at the OCS 2024 Major, setting the tone for the months to follow.
It’s worth stressing that this isn’t a nobody team that has made it big – Crazy Raccoon’s roster is represented by some of the best Overwatch players of all time. Last year, CH0R0NG won the OWL playoffs – the final stage before the competition was ultimately shut down for good. Then there’s Shu, who has won several high-tier tournaments to become one of the wealthiest Overwatch players in the business.
They perhaps pale somewhat in comparison to Lee ‘LIP’ Jae-won, a pivotal player on the squad who claimed the top spot in the 2021 Playoffs and at a further 12 major events (not counting the EWC), almost all of which were won when playing with the Shanghai Dragons.
This weekend, the team almost swept Toronto Ultra, but the latter squad managed to win just one map with the closest finish we’ve seen for years in competitive Overwatch. On Runasapi, the Push came down to the closest distance break possible, with Toronto winning with 130.43 meters over CR’s 130.42 meters.
It wasn’t enough, though – Crazy Raccoon shut Ultra down in the next map, winning $400,000 and a much-needed allotment of 1,000 Club Championship points.
This was a pretty big defeat for Toronto Ultra, as the team was looking strong through the bracket. The squad was able to push LGD, Twisted, and ZETA out of the running, making it to the GF with relative ease – and that’s where it all came crashing down. Still, the squad walked away with a $160,000 prize, so it’s not all bad.
For more Insider Gaming Esports, check out the news that Spacestation won the HCS Atlanta Major
