Overwatch League Season #2 Power Rankings – Stage 1 Week 4

Welcome to our OWL Power Rankings for Week 4! As we head into the fourth week of the Overwatch League, individual teams begin to solidify their standings in the overall League as a whole. Many teams remained close to their same spot as last week. That said, a few teams made some rather dramatic jumps in the rankings. Let’s take a look to see who the best and worst teams from last week are.

VANCOUVER AND NEW YORK MAINTAIN THE LEAD

Last week’s best teams were the New York Excelsior and Vancouver Titans, and based on the results of this past week those two teams remain in our #1 and #2 spots. New York did drop one map each to the Seoul Dynasty and Toronto Defiant, but they continued to play at a higher level than their opponents. Vancouver only played once last week, but a decisive victory against a struggling LA Valiant solidifies their spot in second place. As the Stage Playoffs draw closer, these two teams look to be the top contenders for finishing Stage 1 on top.

SAN FRANCISCO AND ATLANTA CONTINUE TO IMPRESS

The Atlanta Reign played one match last week, but it was a convincing 4 – 0 sweep of the Paris Eternal. With Dafran’s famous rooftop Graviton Surge, the Reign continue to put on a show for their fans. Atlanta looks to be another team fighting for the Stage Playoffs, alongside the #4 team for this week, the San Francisco Shock. San Francisco took down the Hangzhou Spark with a combination of taking advantage of the Spark’s mistakes and effective team plays.

The Shock continued their hot streak with a clean sweep of the Justice on Saturday, and these performances help them to claim the #4 spot this week. These teams seem to be the main threats to the NYXL and Titans. Expect them to challenge the top two in the Playoffs.

THE PLAYOFF HOPEFULS

Coming in at #5 this week is the Paris Eternal, with a significant loss to the Atlanta Reign. Paris seemed lost and didn't know how to deal with what Atlanta was throwing at them. Because of this they move down to #5. The reason they remain so high in our ranking is their impressive wins in the prior weeks.

Philadelphia Fusion is #6 this week. They won their only match against the Washington Justice, dropping one map. While losing one map to the Justice is not ideal, Fusion fans should be excited about their win when viewed through the lens of the Week 3 games. In order to make the playoffs, Philadelphia will have to play the Valiant and Eternal, which means they have their work cut out for them.

Rising up from #12 last week is the Guangzhou Charge, who rank #7 this week. The Charge had a solid week with two wins over the Florida Mayhem and Los Angeles Valiant, however wins over two of the relatively weaker teams in the league mean that Guangzhou will not place higher this week. The Charge have a rough looking schedule ahead of them in order to make the playoffs, including the Los Angeles Gladiators and a rematch against the Vancouver Titans.

Our #8 team this week will be the London Spitfire, who won a close set on Friday against the Los Angeles Gladiators. London is a difficult team to place at the moment.  They have looked both strong and weak simultaneously several times this stage already. That said, their future matches should be a good indicator at their chances for the playoffs. With matches against the Shanghai Dragons and the Seoul Dynasty, look for London to impress.

A STRONG MIDDLE BUNCH

Rising up to #9 this week is the Toronto Defiant. Toronto had a rough start last week losing to the NYXL, but bounced back later on against the Boston Uprising. The Defiant has been pretty consistent throughout Stage 1, and with matches against the Hunters and Spark this week, they may be able to snatch a playoff spot.

Dropping down to #10 is the Seoul Dynasty. Seoul had two matches last week and lost them both (Boston Uprising and New York Excelsior). The loss to New York is more or less expected, but losing 3 – 1 against Boston helped push the Dynasty down from last week’s spot at #5. Seoul has been playing somewhat inconsistently lately, but they should be able to bounce back this week against the Washington Justice.

Inconsistency Abound

The Hangzhou Spark drop 3 spots this week to #11, due to a loss against the Shock and a win against the Gladiators. Despite the even record last week, the Spark dropped a few spots and still remain firmly in the middle. The Spark can be difficult to predict, as they have their up and down moments. Hangzhou only has one more match this stage, but they will need to prepare a lot if they want to beat the Toronto Defiant.

At #12 is another inconsistent team, the Dallas Fuel. The Fuel moved up two slots this week due to a close match against the Dragons, where Dallas came out victorious. The Fuel have had some impressive moments this season, but have also been swept by teams like the Guangzhou Charge. Dallas can certainly finish off the stage strong with a rematch against Shanghai and a duel against Boston.

Climbing up to #13 this week is the Shanghai Dragons, who continue to put on an impressive show for their fans. With a 4 – 0 victory over the Chengdu Hunters and a close match against Dallas, the Dragons have been looking nothing like the team they were in the inaugural season. Shanghai still has a rough schedule ahead of them, however. They have a rematch against Dallas and a match against the Spitfire. The Dragons have been on an upward trajectory, but they still have their work cut out for them in Stage 1.

IMPROVEMENT NEEDED BELOW

The rest of the teams in our Power Rankings have some serious work to do if they hope to make it to the Stage Playoffs. The Los Angeles Gladiators start us off at #14. They came up short last week against the London Spitfire and Hangzhou Spark. The Gladiators gave us a close game against London but stumbled against the Spark. The Gladiators have not looked quite like the team they were in Season 1, and have a rough few matches coming up for them. If the Gladiators hope to climb back to where their Season 1 form, they’ll have to put in a lot of work against the Atlanta Reign and Guangzhou Charge this week.

At #15, the Boston Uprising seem to have hit their stride with a surprising victory against the Seoul Dynasty on Thursday. Against the Toronto Defiant, however, Boston fell short. They only secured one map in the series. With Fusions in the lineup full time, Boston is looking good to return to their Season 1 form. They have matches against the Florida Mayhem and Dallas Fuel coming up, so Boston still has a chance to make the playoffs.

Houston and Chengdu are Doomed, maybe?

The Houston Outlaws make it to the #16 spot this week with a win over the Florida Mayhem. Houston has looked shaky this stage, but a solid win over the Mayhem has helped boost their confidence. Houston will finish off the stage with matches against the LA Valiant and Atlanta Reign. Due to this, the Outlaws still have a tough road ahead of them if they hope to claim a playoff spot.

Dropping down to #17 this week are the Chengdu Hunters, who failed to take a map against the Shanghai Dragons. The other teams in the League seem to be figuring out the Hunters’ playstyle. Unless Chengdu can adapt to their opponent, they may have trouble securing more wins this stage. Chengdu has a difficult finish coming up to playoffs, with matches against the Toronto Defiant, Vancouver Titans, and Atlanta Reign.

MAYBE NEXT STAGE

Finishing off our Power Rankings this week include the teams we think need to make some serious adjustments in order to be a playoff-worthy team. Remaining at #18 are the Florida Mayhem, who lost a close set to the Guangzhou Charge and came up short 1 – 3 against the Houston Outlaws. Coming close against the Charge bodes well for them, and with matches against the Boston Uprising and Washington Justice in the future, Florida may be able to pick up a few more wins this stage.

Falling down to #19 this week are the Los Angeles Valiant. The Valiant have looked lost so far in Season 2, and remain one of only two teams to have not won a game. The Valiant have had a rough schedule, but with losses to the Titans and Charge last week, Los Angeles has been eliminated from playoff contention this stage. LA plays against Philadelphia and Houston this next week, and it is entirely possible that the Valiant finish off Stage 1 with no wins at all to their name.

Holding onto the #20 spot are the Washington Justice, who only managed to take one map this week across two matches. The Justice have had a difficult schedule this stage, and many expected the Justice to lose to both Philadelphia and the Shock this past week. Washington is certainly capable of getting some wins this stage, as they have matches against the Seoul Dynasty and Florida Mayhem. That said, the Justice remains our pick for worst team in the League at the moment.

Thanks for checking out our OWL Power Rankings for Week 4! We'll see you tomorrow for our daily Overwatch League Recap!

Images VIA: OWL