NAL Stage 1 would see the clock strike midnight on one of the greatest Cinderella stories we’ve seen in recent years. At the time, the InControl roster consisted of five unproven, inexperienced players alongside a first-time head coach, all looking to battle their way through the Challengers League. After a rough Kickoff Stage where they managed just six rounds, Outlast chose to stick with the roster heading into Stage 1. The results, however, remained the same; they went winless once again. But beneath the losses was a glimpse of what this team could become, as they pushed SSG all the way to overtime. But every Cinderella story eventually reaches midnight. And for Outlast, midnight came with a major shakeup. Vrionx, Nesta, Logger, and even Head Coach SuperOxy would be shown the door, as the organization turned its attention toward veteran help.

A European Invasion

First, Outlast would bring in Tyrant, a long-time EU T1 pro who had seen his fair share of success, but had never quite reached the top. Being nearly a year removed from real competition, Outlast knew Tyrant alone couldn't change the culture surrounding the team.

That's when the biggest NA import in Siege history was announced.

Because the only thing scarier than a Tyrant with a chip on his shoulder is a Russian Cyborg.

EU legend JoyStiCK would officially ink a deal with Outlast. After winning two Majors with Empire and establishing himself as a perennial contender during his time on Virtus.pro, the Russian Cyborg had seemingly set his sights on one thing: conquering North America.

The Dark Knight Returns

After a second-place finish at the Charlotte Major and a NAL Season 2022 championship, Iconic would make the move to M80. A NAL 2023 Stage 1 victory followed by a runner-up finish at Gamers8 had M80 looking like they were building something special.

Unfortunately, a string of poor finishes would eventually see Iconic land on SSG.

But before his time with SSG could even get started, Iconic announced that he would undergo surgery on his wrist and just like that, his Pro League career was over. Two years into a forced retirement, Iconic would finally get his feet wet again in a charity match. Then came E7. And after making his return to competitive Siege, Iconic would officially be announced as the final piece of the new-look Outlast roster.

The Harsh Reality

It seems Outlast was missing more than just good players. When talking to former assistant coach, but now new head coach, cntr0, he said, “I joined only a few days prior to stage 1 and had no issues other than the lack of culture that seemed to be there.”

When asked about the daunting task of coaching legends in the game, he said “Joystick Iconic, and even Tyrant are all players I looked up to and watched growing up as a teen, as much as it is a dream of mine to work with these guys I have to focus on the team, the performance, and the growth day in and day out. It being my first time in PL as a head coach I just have to keep my own head on first and trust in myself, the other staff, the players, and the process we put forward including standards and expectations.”

So the major question is: can this group, led by two rookies in Trevmak and Mili and anchored by three veterans, two of whom are already etched into the history books as legends, come together under a rookie head coach to build the winning culture, chemistry, and program needed to not only top NA, but conquer the global stage?

That's a question we'll get answered real soon.