Overwatch League Week 2 Power Rankings and Predictions

Week one of Season 2 of the Overwatch League has come to a close, and with it, we have a good idea of what teams are looking strong. Last week we concluded our countdown of the top teams in the League and made the first of many power rankings, and this week we've got the Overwatch League Week 2 Power Rankings. This week, we have our updated power rankings according to how the Staff believes each team will continue to do in the Overwatch League.  Here they are!

Overwatch League Week 2 Power Ranking Highlights

Many teams had unexpected results in the first week of the Overwatch League. You could even say we “didn’t know nothin’.” Most notable surprises included the London Spitfire, Shanghai Dragons, and Hangzhou Spark amongst others. Several of these teams performed well below the level that we predicted based on their performance last season, while a few teams surprised fans with a few more wins than expected.

London Spitfire Drop to #12 (Week 1 Ranking: #2)

The London Spitfire appeared to have a relatively easy schedule going into the first week of Season 2. It shouldn’t have been too tough for them to handle. In a rematch against their Season 1 Grand Finals opponent, the Philadelphia Fusion, many fans believed London could pull off another win. Unfortunately, London was only able to take one map from the Fusion, despite starting off the series looking rather strong.

London tried out a few different triple- or even quad – DPS lineups, and while they were occasionally effective, Spitfire struggled to keep up with Philadelphia by the end. London also had a rough showing against the Paris Eternal, a team many did not know how to evaluate going into the season. Paris put on a great show and finished off the set 3-1 in a dominant style. London currently isn’t looking that strong, and so they come in this week at #12 on our rankings.

Shanghai surprise absolutely no one, coming in at #19 (Week 1 Ranking: #12)

The Shanghai Dragons continue their winless streak into Season 2, losing to two expansion teams in the Hangzhou Spark and Vancouver Titans. While the Dragons have a new roster that is good on paper, they weren’t able to secure more than one map between the two sets. Shanghai’s Tanks, Fearless and Gamsu, went missing at critical moments this week, but once the Dragons are at full force they should start seeing results. Both opponents that Shanghai faced were quite good and Shanghai did play well against them, but the Dragons will need to refine their playstyle going into next week if they hope to pick up their first win (ever) in the Overwatch League.

Hangzhou Spark is lightning in a bottle at #3 (Week 1 Ranking: #15)

The Hangzhou Spark had a very good showing their first week. They were one of three teams that finished 2-, and the only expansion team to have that honor. The individual skill shown by the Spark was enough to reconsider their overall standings, and they are clearly explosive enough to have what it takes to do very well in the triple support, triple tank meta. Hangzhou had a close set against the Los Angeles Valiant, but their ability to clutch it out in the end is what helped push them up to #3 for this week.

 Both Reign (+5) and Shock (+3) Move Up

The Atlanta Reign and San Francisco Shock both played quite well this week, pushing both of them up in the rankings. Atlanta had a close set with the Fusion, our new #1 ranked team, and they should continue to do perform with their innovative strategies and strong team play. The Shock did well against the Dallas Fuel, but lost a close set to the Gladiators. All things considered, San Francisco looks quite strong with their deep roster and individual talent, and they should have a strong showing in the upcoming weeks.

STAGE 1 WEEK 2 PREDICTIONS

Alongside the updated Power Rankings each week, I will be making my own personal predictions of who I think will win each match for the upcoming week. I fully expect to get several of these incorrect, with the high number of inevitable upsets, but based on the Power Rankings I will provide my own weekly thoughts as to what teams will win.

Thursday Matches

On Thursday I believe the London Spitfire will get their first win of the season over the Justice. Despite London looking relatively weak and the Justice putting up a good showing against New York, I think London will be able to pull this one out.

The Philadelphia Fusion should beat Florida pretty soundly, as the Mayhem have been struggling to get their footing so far this season while the Fusion have been looking very solid in this meta.

Guangzhou vs Dallas is much closer to call, as both looked decently strong, but I believe the Fuel will be able to win.

Seoul should be able to beat Chengdu, since the Dynasty did look good against the Gladiators, but I think the Hunters can give them a good close match.

Friday Matches

Atlanta will face off against Toronto in the first match on Friday, which I believe will be a close, but in the end I can see Atlanta winning. Both teams were surprisingly good in the first week, but I think Atlanta has a slight edge against the Defiant. It should be a close set, however.

New York should be able to beat the Valiant, despite past results showing Los Angeles’ ability to beat the NYXL, I think the current meta suits New York better.

Shanghai will struggle again this week to get their first win but has a decent shot against Boston. If Boston is able to keep their heads cool, they should be able to pull off the win.

Wrapping it up on Friday the Outlaws will face off against the Spark, but I don’t see Houston being able to win against them. The Outlaws have brought each set to a fifth map and it is definitely within their grasp to win, but I believe Hangzhou will take the win this week.

Saturday Matches

Paris versus the Gladiators should be a very exciting match, with both teams looking quite good from what we have seen so far. I think the Gladiators will win in the end, but the Eternal should be able to put up a good fight.

Philadelphia has looked more comfortable in the current meta than Dallas so far, but if AKM is able to shine like he did last week against Seoul the set could be very close. However in the end I think the Fusion will win.

Having only seen one match each from Vancouver and Guangzhou it is difficult to predict who will come out on top, but Vancouver looked quite strong against the Dragons.

I think the Charge won’t be able to pull out the win this week, but they should bring it close.

Florida versus Chengdu should be another close match, and I think unless Florida brings in Sayaplayer on Widow or something similar they will lose to the Hunters. This set has the potential to go to a fifth map, but the Mayhem has their work cut out for them.

Sunday Matches

On Sunday I think Hangzhou versus London will be one of the premier matches to watch. If London wins earlier in the week against the Justice, I think they will have the confidence needed to win against the Spark, but Hangzhou could definitely take the win over the Spitfire. It will be close, but I believe London will win.

If there’s any match to make sure to catch this week, this is the one. Afterward, the Excelsior will face the Outlaws. Unless Houston makes some drastic improvements, I think New York will win in the end. Houston has a chance, but New York is a tough opponent to face in any meta.

Toronto versus the Valiant should be another close exciting set, and I think Toronto has a very realistic chance to win. The Valiant are a strong team in their own right, but the Defiant could very well surprise us with a win over Los Angeles. Finally, to wrap up this week the Titans will play against the Shock in what I believe will be a very close match. Both teams look strong, and both have a good shot at winning, but in the end, I think Vancouver will clutch it out.

As we head into the second week of the Overwatch we will get a better idea of how each team will do over the course of the season. We hope you enjoyed our first Season 2 installment of our Power Rankings and Predictions, and we hope you enjoy the matches this week.

Images VIA: Blizzard Entertainment and the Overwatch League