Overwatch League: Stage 1 Week 4 Day 4 Recap

Welcome to the OWL W4 D4 recap! We’re now just one week away from finishing the first stage of Overwatch League Season 2, and the fourth week finished with a bang. From unexpected results to shattered playoff hopes, here’s what happened in the most recent Overwatch League matches.

Paris Eternal versus San Francisco Shock

Some fans believed this would be a close one, but unfortunately for Paris, it wasn’t as close as they could’ve hoped. Fans of the Los Angeles Gladiators were also disappointed by this match, as Paris had to win the match either 4-0 or 3-1 in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Neither of those results came to light though. The Gladiators ruined their chances of making the playoffs with the loss. San Francisco, on the other hand, still have a change. The Shock took this win with a final match score of 3-1.

Paris seem to be lacking nowadays. They started off strong with two wins in the first two weeks of the league, but now their results are mostly losses. They currently have a match record of 2-3 and a map differential of -7. They’re in 16^th place, but they still have two matches to go before they finish Stage 1.

Despite the loss, the Eternal did keep it relatively close throughout the match, and they took the win on the final map of the game on Dorado. They also won some team fights throughout the match. Flex tank Finnsi, however, spent a lot more time outside of his  D.va mech than he spent inside of it doing damage. Paris needs to work on a few issues such as their ultimate management and positioning if they want to regain their confidence and win

Shock Looks Clean and Consistent

There wasn’t anything very flashy coming from either team, but the San Francisco Shock looked clean and in sync during the game. Their coordination was clean as they worked together during team fights to wipe out the Eternal and build up more progress during maps like Nepal, and they were able to keep their ultimates well managed to help them win fights as well. San Francisco are currently tied in 6^th place with the Atlanta Reign and the Guangzhou Charge, but with no more games left to play, the Shock has to hope that they aren’t knocked out by other teams looking to make the playoffs.

London Spitfire versus Shanghai Dragons

Not many people would’ve predicted this outcome. Going into this game, many people would think that the London Spitfire could easily take the win over the Shanghai Dragons, with Shanghai maybe picking up a map win. But it was the complete opposite. The series went the distance all the way to a third round on the fifth map, and in the end, it was Shanghai who took the win over the Spitfire. The final score of the match was 3-2 in favour of the Dragons.

Shanghai are one of the fan favourite teams in the Overwatch League. Coming into the second season, Shanghai was winless. That said, after a complete roster shakeup and some new pieces, they are on an upward trajectory. Not only did they manage to full hold the Spitfire on Route 66 and Kings Row, main tank Gamsu had a hero’s moment during the final moments of Ilios. As the percentage built up towards 100% for the Dragons, London began to flood back onto the point, but Gamsu wasn’t letting them stick around.

One by one they fell to his hammer as Reinhardt, wiping out a total of five players to clear them off of the point. With nobody left on the point and overtime now ticking away, the Dragons took the win over the Spitfire.

London's Inconsistency is a Major Problem

Nobody is quite sure what to expect from the London Spitfire anymore. Dubbed as the most ‘consistently inconsistent team’ in the league, you never quite know whether they are going to completely stomp a team or they’re going to lose horribly. They did manage to take the win 2-0 on Nepal and 1-0 on Temple of Anubis, but they were unable to take any points at all on Route 66 and Kings Row, taking only four points in total. London ar currently sat in 11^th place, tied with the Houston Outlaws, and they have one more match left in Stage 1 to keep their playoff dreams alive.

Florida Mayhem vs Boston Uprising

The third match of the night was between the Florida Mayhem and the Boston Uprising. Fans of the Uprising will be delighted to know that they are now in 9^th place overall, just below the Stage Playoffs cut-off line, as this match has helped them boost their chances of making it into the playoffs. Unfortunately for Florida, they couldn’t get any wins during the game, no matter how close the maps may look when you look at the scores. The final score was a clean 4-0 sweep in favour of the Uprising.

To put it simply, Boston looked better than the Mayhem. Nothing very flash took place, it was just clean, efficient teamwork that happened on the side of Boston. Coupled with effective communication and constantly capitalizing on the mistakes of the Mayhem, Boston took the win convincingly. They now have a 3-3 match record, with a +2-map differential heading into the final week of the league. Boston's will play their final match against the Dallas Fuel. The Fuel is currently in 5^th place overall and may just be able to make it into the Stage Playoffs with their 4-2 match record. It’s still anybody’s game, and Boston has a fair shot at making it.

Say Goodbye to Florida

Unfortunately for Florida, they’re officially eliminated from making the Stage 1 Playoffs. Despite the newly formed roster, not many improvements seem to have been made amongst the team. Florida is constantly making avoidable mistakes and failing to coordinate at the most basic of levels. Easily avoidable mistakes are being made and they aren’t coordinating very well either. Something definitely needs to change amongst the Mayhem, whether it be their coaching staff or part of their roster, they are going to need to make improvements if they want a shot at making the next stage playoffs, and the season playoffs if you think about it.

Vancouver Titans versus Chengdu Hunters

The final match of the night saw the Vancouver Titans face off against the Chengdu Hunters. It was the second match of the night that went the distance to a fifth map, and after a very close game between the two teams, the Titans took the win over the Hunters. The final match score was 3-2 in favour of Vancouver.

Vancouver secured themselves a space in the Stage 1 Playoffs, and they’re currently in 2^nd place in the league just behind the New York Excelsior. The Titans are still undefeated, going into the final week of Stage 1 with a 6-0 match record and a +14-map differential. It was close between both teams, but Vancouver managed to inch out the win. From flex tank JJANU landing a fantastic three-man D.va Self-Destruct along with two extra kills afterward to good teamwork overall, the Titans look good heading into their final match of Stage 1 and the Stage 1 playoffs.

It was a close game, but Chengdu couldn’t take the win over the Titans in the end. They did, however, give us some Overwatch that we will remember for a while. From Baconjack deciding to play Tracer on Hollywood and landing a double kill with his pulse bomb, to Ameng actually playing Reinhardt and landing more shatters than Bumper. The Hunters really stepped up their game during this match, going toe to toe with one of the best teams in the league at the moment. Unfortunately for the Hunters, they will not make the Stage Playoffs. That said, they still have one more match to go against the Atlanta Reign.

Coming Up

SATURDAY 16^th MARCH

3 PM EST – Washington Justice vs Paris Eternal

4:30 PM EST – London Spitfire vs Seoul Dynasty

6 PM EST – Boston Uprising vs Dallas Fuel

7:30 PM EST – Atlanta Reign vs Chengdu Hunters

SUNDAY 17^tH MARCH

3 PM EST – Philadelphia Fusion vs Paris Eternal

4:30 PM EST – Washington Justice vs Florida Mayhem

6 PM EST – Houston Outlaws vs Atlanta Reign

7:30 PM EST – Guangzhou Charge vs Vancouver Titans

Make sure to check out our Power Rankings from last week and see how we did!

Images via ESPN and the Overwatch League