Overwatch

A look at the opening round of the 2020 OWL playoffs

08/24/2020

The final week of the Overwatch League (OWL) 2020 regular season is over, and the first round of the playoffs are approaching. Here’s a look at the opening matches in both North America and Asia, and what we can expect to see.

North America 2020 OWL Playoffs

The North American bracket is the bigger bracket, with 13 different teams (Asia only has seven). The first round of the playoffs will feature two play-in matches between the four bottom seeds.

Houston Outlaws vs. Boston Uprising

The first match will be the 10-seed Houston Outlaws going up against the 13-seed Boston Uprising. Boston has had an awful season, winning only two matches while losing 19. They also lost their tank player, Walid ‘Mouffin’ Bassal, after sexual harassment accusations against him.

Houston hasn’t had the best season in the OWL either, but they are expected to win this match. Boston doesn’t seem to have any sense of team chemistry and hasn’t won a match since Week 15 when they beat the Los Angeles Gladiators. The only thing Boston has going for them here is that Houston was one of the two teams they were able to beat this season.

Washington Justice vs. Vancouver Titans

The 12-seed Washington Justice goes up against the 11-seed Vancouver Titans. Both of these teams have had rough seasons as well. Vancouver had to overhaul their entire roster after internal issues, and Washington lost their two best DPS players after they chose to leave the OWL to pursue other careers.

This should be a fun match to watch. Both teams have struggled throughout the year, but seem pretty close in terms of skill. This should make for a fun matchup, as both teams have a chance for some small redemption here.

Asia

The Asia region only has one play-in match between the Chengdu Hunters and the London Spitfire. Chengdu finished the regular OWL season at 8-14, slightly ahead of London who finished 6-15. This should be a fun match to watch as well. While Chengdu has a slightly better record, London won against them in the regular season.