Overwatch League Power Rankings – Stage 1 Week 5

Welcome to our OWL Power Rankings S1W5! With one more week of the first stage of the Overwatch League’s second season, we begin to see what teams are truly dominant in this triple healer triple tank meta. Several teams this week have managed to secure spots in the playoffs, while even more teams have been eliminated from contention. While the absolute top and bottom teams remain easy to identify, the others in the middle are much more likely to make upsets or lose to an underdog. Let’s see what teams managed to make it into the playoffs, and what teams will need to wait until next stage.

EXCELSIOR AND TITANS REMAIN DOMINANT

Surprising few, the New York Excelsior (#1) and Vancouver Titans (#2) are at the top of our rankings once again. New York had a close yet 4 – 0 victory over the San Francisco Shock and the Titans dominated Paris and won 3 – 2 over the Chengdu Hunters. The two dropped maps to Chengdu doesn’t bode that well for Vancouver, but they remain firmly above all other non-New York teams. Both teams have earned spots in the playoffs, having beaten many strong opponents to get there.

STANDING TALL

There are few other teams who can claim to be a top team alongside the Excelsior and Titans. Our #3 team for the week, the San Francisco Shock, has a good chance of making playoffs, despite losing to New York 0 – 4 in a close series. San Francisco also beat Paris handily 3 – 1. With no more matches this stage, the Shock are in a good position to earn a spot in the playoffs.

Close behind them are two teams who both had strong showings this week, including the Toronto Defiant and Los Angeles Gladiators. The Toronto Defiant have been quietly performing exceptionally this stage, and with solid wins over the Chengdu Hunters and Hangzhou Spark (losing only one map and drawing another between both series), have achieved #4 for this week. While Toronto has had a relatively easy schedule this stage and has lost to New York and Atlanta, the Defiant has still secured a spot in the playoffs and have proven to be a threat to watch out for.

Big Moves

The Los Angeles Gladiators, who have risen from the phoenix’s ashes, have climbed from 14th on this list to an astounding #5 spot. After looking quite rough coming into this week, incredible performances from Decay and Roar, the two new pickups for this team this season, the Gladiators were able to charge into a 2-0 week. They completely shut out  Atlanta Reign and also put together a convincing win against the Guangzhou Charge. However, Atlanta has not fallen far, as they clinch the #6 spot. Although they lost to the Gladiators, they will still have an impressive record coming into stage playoffs, with the lowest possible record being a 3-4. With their next opponents being the Chengdu Hunters and the Guangzhou Charge, this is highly unlikely. Atlanta is sitting pretty until the playoffs begin.

The Charge and the Fusion are a tale of two teams, one new, one old, one filled with well-known talent and players, and one filled with fresh faces and new blood, but still fighting to be above each other in the middle of the pack. That said, the Charge (#7) are looking slightly better than the Season 1 runner-up.  #8 Philadelphia was against one of the worst teams in the league, the Los Angeles Valiant. What should have been a crushing victory for the Fusion was a tense and drawn-out game. It was one of the few games that week that went to 5 maps, and only then was the Fusion able to clinch a victory. They did so not because of their skill, but because of LA Valiant’s inability to stop making crucial judgemental mistakes in their calls and the odd absence of Custa.

HUNGRY FOR VICTORY

This is where things get interesting. Many teams seem so similar in skill but are trying to put together a performance to prove that they are worthy of being recognized. One such team is the #9 Dallas Fuel, who managed to 4-0 Shanghai Dragons’ new roster that many have been impressed with. With plays from RCK and OGE, each map was close, but time and time again the Fuel proved to be the better team, placing them atop our lower half of the rankings.

Next up, we have #10 Paris Eternal, who although lost both matches, lost against higher tier teams while still putting on a spectacular performance. Vancouver Titans, formerly Runaway, a number #1 team in South Korean Contenders, and the San Francisco Shock, who also are doing extremely well this stage, were two opponents Paris would be the most okay losing to. While no longer in realistic playoff contention, look for improvement from this team in between stages and for a resurgence in early stage two.

Next up, we have the Korean stars in Seoul Dynasty (#11). With the acquisition of Fissure from the LA Gladiators, the roster looked to be all but destined for a comeback of the ages. However, with losses to Boston Uprising and the Dallas Fuel, they are looking quite beaten up and frustrated, as they do not seem to know what is causing their losses.

INT'ing for Wins

#12 Boston Uprising and #13 Shanghai Dragons are the next two teams. Ever since Boston’s loss to give Shanghai their first ever victory, they seem to be lost, not sure where to go. Despite a convincing victory over the Mayhem, they can’t be placed any higher due to their inability to perform against upper- to mid-tier teams. Shanghai also has this problem, with the silver lining being the close victory over the #14 London Spitfire.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. London, the Season 1 champions of the Overwatch League, have not adapted well to this meta, dropping several games and looking clueless as they do so. They’ll have to hope for some restructuring or a change in shot calling to better address this meta-caused distress.

Rounding out our lower mid teams are the #15 Hangzhou Spark and the #16 Houston Outlaws. Wach game was close and hard-fought despite Spark's loss. Houston, on the other hand, had the same problem that the Philadelphia Fusion had – the LA Valiant. Their inability to cleanly win the match put up some red flags, as a team that can’t convincingly close out an encounter with one of the worst performing teams in the league is most likely having some issues of their own. A main point of contention is that Jake, one of the star players and personalities of the team, seems tired and frustrated, highlighted by an incident of slamming his desk angrily during the match against the New York Excelsior. Whatever it may be, Houston must fix those problems if they wish to rise in the rankings and improve as a team during Season 2.

A FOR EFFORT

Some teams try hard and do well. Some teams look like they just naturally do well. And other teams? Well, at least they try.

Starting off our lower end of the power rankings are #17 Chengdu Hunters and #18 Florida Mayhem. Chengdu Hunters looked strong in their opening game, taking down the Charge.  Since then, however, their infamous inability to play meta comps like GOATS  has led to some pretty one-sided losses.

Florida Mayhem, on the other hand, has played these meta coms, but still look outclassed and outplayed. However, not all is lost for the Mayhem. McGravy, a player recently unbenched and put onto the starting lineup, shows some great promise, and if he can better incorporate himself into the team, the Mayhem could rise faster and higher than many would think.

Bottom of the Barrel

Next up at the #19 LA Valiant. Yep, they aren’t last. However, they could potentially be there with decisions like benching Custa and running certain comps like Reinhardt GOATS on more vertical maps were Winston is dominant. It seems like the team just isn’t working together, and sometimes even looks like a solo queue game against a six stack. With the recent release of coach Moon, no one knows what’s in store for the Valiant.

Lastly, the #20 Washington Justice. A team that came into the league with already bad notions due to the actions of their GM Kate, the Justice have simply fallen flat not only the stage but also in  every facet of the league. Many make light of their map record, winning half of the maps Valiant have, and having no coordination whatsoever. This team is reminiscent of the season 1 Dallas Fuel, where no one was quite sure what was going wrong, and no one knows what they need to do to improve.

Check out our preview of the signing sessions for the Dallas Ultimate Weekend here!