XL2 Academy (2018–2019) On February 20, 2018, New York Excelsior formally announced their academy team would go under the name "XL2 Academy" for
Overwatch Contenders North America, as well as revealing their initial 6-player squad, where notably, 17-year-old star DPS player Hwang "Fl0w3R" Yeon-oh was not on the roster, as he was waiting to become eligible for the
Overwatch League. Shortly afterwards, on March 24, they announced that Fl0w3R would be joining the academy roster. The 17-year-old had been an inactive member of parent team Excelsior, after being deemed ineligible to compete in the
inaugural Overwatch League season due to age restrictions. XL2 began play in the North America region of Contenders 2018 Season 1. In their first season of play, XL2 qualified for the playoffs, but fell to EnVision eSports in the quarterfinals by a score of 2–3. The following season, the team posted a perfect 5–0 in the group stages and qualified for the playoffs. After defeating
Mayhem Academy and
NRG Esports in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, XL2 went on to face
Fusion University in the North America Grand Finals; however, XL2 was swept 0–4 in the contest. In 2018 Season 3, XL2 again qualified for the playoffs, where they defeated
Uprising Academy in the quarterfinals. The team went on to lose to
ATL Academy in the semifinals by a score of 1–3. In 2019, XL2 was forced to rebuild their roster after new regional lock rules came into effect. XL2 posted a meager 2–5 record in the 2019 Season 1 group stages. Nonetheless, the team qualified for the playoffs for the fourth time in four seasons, where they were swept 0–3 in the first round to ATL Academy. The team found more success in 2019 Season 2, posting a 5–2 record in the group stages; in the playoffs, XL2 made it to the finals, but they were unable to secure their first title, as the team was defeated by
Team Envy in the finals match. Advancing past the group stages, XL2 first took down Team Envy in a 3–0
sweep, but in their next match, they were swept, 0–3, by ATL Academy, eliminating them from the tournament. On November 11, 2019, XL2 announced that they would be temporarily ceasing play in Contenders, noting that they are "currently working with other organizations."
NYXL Academy (2023–present) In April 2023, the New York Excelsior announced that their academy team would be returning to play, under the name NYXL Academy, in both Overwatch Contenders and Calling All Heroes. == Seasons overview ==