Overwatch League Season 2 Power Rankings | Stage 4, Week 5
| Tags: Overwatch
| Author Malik Shelp
Contents
- 1 1. SF Shock
- 2 2. Vancouver Titans
- 3 3. Washington Justice
- 4 4. Atlanta Reign
- 5 5. L.A. Gladiators
- 6 6. London Spitfire
- 7 7. Chengdu Hunters
- 8 8. Guangzhou Charge
- 9 9. Seoul Dynasty
- 10 10. Shanghai Dragons
- 11 11. L.A. Valiant
- 12 12. Hangzhou Spark
- 13 13. Paris Eternal
- 14 14. New York Excelsior
- 15 15. Philadelphia Fusion
- 16 16. Florida Mayhem
- 17 17. Houston Outlaws
- 18 18. Toronto Defiant
- 19 19. Boston Uprising
- 20 20. Dallas Fuel
1. SF Shock
The San Francisco Shock has been nothing if not consistent throughout the last two stages. After their 4-0 against the Chengdu Hunters, the Shock has proven that they can perform in a tank heavy meta, and a damage-centric meta as well. This upcoming week, they take on the Vancouver Titans during the Kit Kat Rivalry Weekend. This will be a good gauge as to what we can expect during the Season Playoffs.
2. Vancouver Titans
The runner up for slow and steady in the League right now is the Vancouver Titans. We didn’t see them play in Week 4, but the entirety of Season 2 is a testament as to how powerful the Vancouver Titans are, even on off weeks. This week, we will see the San Francisco Shock face off against the Vancouver Titans. My money is on the Titans reclaiming their #1 spot.
3. Washington Justice
The Washington Justice has been insane this Stage, thriving in the 2-2-2 meta and fully taking advantage of their damage superstars. They did lose to the currently undefeated Atlanta Reign, but they ended their first season in spectacular fashion. Washington Justice was one of the worst teams all season. But with the implementation of 2-2-2 Role lock, they easily sky-rocketed to a top-five team.
4. Atlanta Reign
Stage 4 has been explosive in the development of the Atlanta Reign and they are now in a solid position to make it into the playoffs. The Reign delivered the Washington Justice their first loss of the Stage, and it was no easy task to come out on top. The Reign played dominantly for most of the series and adapted well to the Justice’s intense playstyle. Ultimately, they proved themselves as serious competitors to the rest of the League.
5. L.A. Gladiators
Alright Gladiator fans, before you get up in arms about their #5 placement, hear me out. The Gladiator’s seemed to play at different tempos from each other and at times, they were split and unable to engage a whole, and lacked momentum through most maps. The Los Angeles Gladiators have potential, but being on the same page during team fights is critical if they want to succeed in playoffs.
6. London Spitfire
The London Spitfire has had a rough go of it for the past two weeks and for now, they are in the playoffs. If (when) the Atlanta Reign defeat the Boston Uprising and Dallas Fuel, clinching an immediate playoff spot, the Spitfire will have to fight for a chance to defend their title. I expected the former season champions to thrive a bit more in this meta, but I’m sure we will see them step up their game going into the playoffs.
7. Chengdu Hunters
Sadly, the Chengdu Hunters don’t perform like a team that has been playing 2-2-2 all season. This past weekend they were demolished by the San Francisco Shock, and barely claimed a 3-2 victory over the Houston Outlaws. Nearly everyone expected the Hunters to perform phenomenally during this new meta, but unfortunately, they fell short. We will more than likely see them in the playoffs, but it isn’t looking hopeful for a chance at the title of champion.
8. Guangzhou Charge
Guangzhou Charge is another team that saw impressive growth with the introduction of 2-2-2 Role Lock. They quickly wiped out the Dallas Fuel 4-0 and going into playoffs, and I expect to see the Guangzhou Charge pull a few tricks out of their sleeve to surprise us all.
9. Seoul Dynasty
Seoul Dynasty is, by far, one of my favorite teams to watch. With them, you never know what you are going to get. On Thursday, Kim “Fleta” Byung-sun played like a god-king against the Shanghai Dragons, and in the next match against the Philadelphia Fusion, Kim “Fits” Dong-eun had to pick up his slack. I’m not sure what we can expect from the Seoul Dynasty in the Playoffs, considering their hot and cold performances. Despite losing Chanhyung “Fissure” Baek and Sangbeom “Munchkin” Byun, it doesn't seem like they lost much momentum.
10. Shanghai Dragons
Our former Stage champions have seemingly fallen since the implementation of 2-2-2 in the Overwatch League. Jinhyeok “DDing” Yang and Youngjin “Youngjin” Jin may have been ready for the new meta, but it seems like the rest of their team was not. Shanghai needs to win against the Hangzhou Spark if they want to remove any uncertainty about not making it to playoffs.
11. L.A. Valiant
I genuinely feel bad for the L.A. Valiant when looking at who they have to face off against during their Homestand weekend. The Valiant played dominantly against the Boston Uprising, but it is the Boston Uprising after all. King’s Row was especially rough for the Valiant as they struggled to maintain an upper hand when they were down a member.
12. Hangzhou Spark
Kyeongbo “Godsb” Kim is an animal when it comes to his Hanzo play, using his ultimate to zone the enemy team and getting picks before the team fights start. The unsung hero of the series against the Gladiators is Jaehwan “Adora” Kang. Adora on Mei constantly froze key targets or set up ice walls to zone out the enemy team. The Spark is going to take on the Shanghai Dragons this weekend, and after their performance in Week 4, I doubt the Spark will have any issues.
13. Paris Eternal
While Paris may not have the opportunity to join the playoffs, their performance this past weekend was admirable. George ”Shadowburn” Gushcha and Terence “So0n” Tarlier, the old legends, went head to head with Corey “Corey” Nigra and Ethan “Stratus” Yankel. They had a somewhat disappointing display and came up short in multiple team fights.
14. New York Excelsior
Season 2’s finals stage hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for NYXL. They're currently sitting with a record of 2-3 going into the last week of Stage 4. They didn’t play this last weekend, but hopefully, they can break even this homestand weekend when they face off against Boston Uprising. They need this win, as they'll inevitably lose to the Vancouver Titans. Well, there’s always playoffs!
15. Philadelphia Fusion
Being a Seoul Dynasty, the Saturday loss to the Fusion was oddly satisfying for a few reasons. The Philadelphia Fusion and Seoul Dynasty game demonstrated a lot of strengths and weaknesses on both sides. Both teams have a superstar DPS that underwhelmed, but it was the steady Mei performance from Josue “EQO” Corona that truly allowed Jaehyeok “Carpe” Lee and the rest of the Fusion to do work.
16. Florida Mayhem
There isn’t much to say about the Florida Mayhem this week as they beat two relatively low ranked teams. What is impressive is that they were able to win both games 4-0 and remain the lowest-ranked team from the entire season. Overall, Florida took much too long to adjust to the GOATS meta. It's possible the end of the season will allow them to come back better than ever.
17. Houston Outlaws
A stunning 3-1 victory over the L.A. Gladiators had me convinced that the Houston Outlaws were prepared for Stage 4. But, just like the blip of power we saw in Stage 3 against the San Francisco Shock, the fire was fleeting with the green crew.
18. Toronto Defiant
Toronto has failed to find its footing this stage only taking one win over the Shanghai Dragons in Week 2.
On paper, the Toronto Defiant is a team that should have been dominant this meta. But it seems like they may need more time together as a team to become a real force of power in the Overwatch League.
19. Boston Uprising
Boston has yet to win a single map this stage. So far, they've simply failed to show up in so many of their matches. The only thing keeping Boston from being the lowest team in the league is the fact that Kelsey “Colourhex Birse and Zion “Persia” Yang pop off at critical moments.
20. Dallas Fuel
It seems as though losing the reverse sweep to the Gladiators, and then being 4-0’d by the Shock in week 3, sent the Dallas Fuel into a spiral. They took a harsh beating last weekend losing to the Hangzhou Spark and the Guangzhou Charge so, at this point, it’s best to look forward to next season.