Overwatch League Match of the Week Stage 4 Week 4 – Washington Justice vs Atlanta Reign

The race for the playoffs is heating up fast. With three teams locked in for the top 6 slots, and with some slots all but confirmed, multiple teams are battling it out for a place in the season playoff play-ins. However, three teams are already officially eliminated from the running. As such, these teams are able to play spoiler, and that’s where this week’s match of the week begins!

Match of the Week – Washington Justice versus Atlanta Reign

If this were written before Stage 4 began, nobody would’ve taken it seriously. However, this is an entirely new stage, with a new meta and new teams proving their worth. And none more so than the Washington Justice. The Justice are eliminated from the season playoffs, sitting at 19^th on the table with a 7-19 win-loss record and a -34-map differential. For the first three stages, things looked bleak for Washington.

But that was when GOATS reigned supreme. Now the 2-2-2 role lock is in place and the Justice are smashing it. It wasn’t too much of a surprise that they managed to beat both Florida and Toronto, but when they swept the Vancouver Titans, that’s when heads turned. Since then, Washington hasn’t slowed down, and a considerable part of that is thanks to their DPS star, Corey “Corey” Nigra. Since the start of Stage 4, Nigra has wowed the crowd with his skills on both Hanzo and Widowmaker. Fans are even discussing him being the best North American damage player.

Playoffs on the Line

However, the Justice should watch out when approaching this match against Atlanta. The Reign are 11^th in the standings with a 12-12 match record and a +8-map differential. 11^th place means they are ever so slightly above the cutoff line for the season playoff play-ins. And, when it comes to DPS, they are no slouches either.

When it comes down to it, they have quite the lineup. Players like Andrej “babybay” Francisty, Ilya “NLaaeR” Koppalov and Jun “Erster” Jeong are a force to be reckoned with. Their large hero pools between them make them both huge threats. Both Babybay and Erster have proven to be a solid duo in this meta, with Erster playing as Mei and Babybay on the Reaper respectively. So far, the Reign haven’t lost a match in Stage 4. Its definitely possible they'll be able to keep that win streak going. If Atlanta can somehow counter Corey and his scary Hanzo or Widowmaker, the Reign might be able to tip this match in their favor. However, if they aren’t careful, the Justice will be able to play spoiler, and it could cost them dearly.

You can catch the Atlanta Reign and the Washington Justice match on Friday, August 16^th at 7 pm ET here at ESTNN TV.

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