The third week of the Overwatch League’s second season is over. Now more than ever, playoff implications are starting to become palpable. Along with that, two teams’ fates have already been decided. This third installment of my weekly recap is going over the first 10 teams according to the schedule of the week. Let’s get right into it.
Washington Justice
This is the second week in a row that they had the first match of the week, and their results didn’t change. The Washington Justice had two matches this week, losing 3-1 to the Philadelphia Fusion and then getting swept 4-0 by the San Francisco Shock. That means the Justice are one of two teams that are win-less this season. Their first match against the Fusion showed promise, but the second match they were just outplayed. On the bright side, Joon-hwa “Janus” Song is still playing well for them, along with Gi-do “Gido” Moon on Zenyatta. Unfortunately, the rest of the squad seems inconsistent and are struggling to adapt to other teams’ strategies.
Watch your step with @januspy_ in the server. #OWL2019https://t.co/U6dIioZfOU pic.twitter.com/CvAMQGVGmg
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 1, 2019
A poor week for the Justice, even with their tough schedule. I’m giving them a 2/10.
Philadelphia Fusion
This Fusion roster wasn’t great last week, but most people could argue it was due to losing Isaac “Boombox” Charles. This week, they got him back and won their only game of the week. They did face a poor Washington Justice squad and lost a map to them, but they dominated the rest of the match. That 3-1 victory was deserved, and even though the opponent wasn’t a hard one, they needed it for their confidence. Not only did Boombox get back to form instantly, but Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee seems to be improving on Zarya as well.
Is this the secret weapon of the @Fusion!? #OWL2019 @Boombox seems to be feeling better. 😎https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/evH14KU7OI
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 1, 2019
A win is a win, but it was against relatively easy competition. I’m giving them a 7/10.
Seoul Dynasty
This team can’t seem to be consistent. The Seoul Dynasty, off of sweeping the Chengdu Hunters, lost both of their matches this week. They were favorites against the Boston Uprising but lost in a convincing 3-1. Then they faced the New York Excelsior, a game nobody expected them to win, and took a map but lost 3-1. The potential in this squad is there, but it seems like the two shot-callers on the team, Chan-hyung “Fissure” Baek and Seung-soo “Jecse” Lee, aren’t working well together. Whether they do get over that or not will be seen next week, but this problem was obvious in the Boston match. They improved against the Excelsior, but the opponent was just too great. The bright spot in both matches was DPS player Byung-sun “Fleta” Kim, who almost won them the map single-handed against the Excelsior.
And #FISSURE pulls off another HUGE counter shatter!
Don't count the @SeoulDynasty out of this yet!
LIVE: https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/YfzTrf3dyo
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 1, 2019
A disappointing week for the Dynasty. I’m giving them a 3/10.
Boston Uprising
Boston continues their decent form this week, continuing to win games they weren’t expected to. This was obvious in the Seoul Dynasty game, where they beat them 3-1. But they also lost a match 3-1 that they were expected to win against the Toronto Defiant. The positives were clearly the main tank, Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth, as well as Min-seok “AimGod” Kwon. But the hype for the fans was the start of newly signed player Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem great on Zarya, getting dominated in the Toronto game (when he debuted). However, they won the Seoul game with plenty of adversaries saying they wouldn’t.
BOOP, down you go. #OWL2019@KellexOW displaces the enemy to make quick work for the @BostonUprising
LIVE: https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/U2zxeiF8wK
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 1, 2019
The mixed week for this Boston team is reflected in the score I’m giving them, at 5/10.
Florida Mayhem
The Mayhem didn’t have as good of a week as last, but they did do admirably in their two losses. Their first match was a close map five loss to the Guangzhou Charge, but their second match was a 3-1 loss to the Houston Outlaws. One of their bright spots continues to be Sang-bum “BQB” Lee on his Sombra, but the surprise was new players Damon “Apply” Conti and Caleb “McGravy” McGarvey. These two American players weren’t expected to be played much, but they got significant playtime and impressed when played. Apply specifically popped off on Genji, slicing through the Houston Outlaws in the second match. It was obvious they needed more time to blend into the full Korean team of the Mayhem, but they look like great additions.
"Winkyface." – @McGravy 😉 #OWL2019
LIVE: https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/Sxnjk4fdsH
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 1, 2019
A promising but unproductive week for the Mayhem. I’m giving them a 4/10.
Guangzhou Charge
The Charge don’t fail to disappoint people looking for fun matches to watch, but they are also churning out wins. They won both of their matches this week, first a close five map win against the Mayhem, but then a dominant 3-1 win against a lowly Los Angeles Valiant. Their star players of Jung-woo “Happy” Lee, Jin-seo “Shu” Kim, and Hong-joon “HOTBA” Choi continue to impress on all of their roles. Even with the Mayhem changing strategies and players every map, they adapted well and won in the end. The Valiant game was another show, however, with the Charge dominating most of the match for the win.
SHU SHU!! 🚂 @shu_overwatch #OWL2019https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/RrmUzQpJdL
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 4, 2019
The most entertaining team in the league is keeping that tag and winning too. I’m giving them a 7.5/10.
San Francisco Shock
This juggernaut of a team recovered off of their mediocre last week, winning both of their matches in convincing fashion. Their first match was against the Hangzhou Spark, where they won 3-1. Their second match was against the Washington Justice, where they dominated them in a 4-0 sweep. After having a poor performance to start the season, Matthew “super” DeLisi improved to help them in both of their matches. But the standout player has to be new player Min-ki “Viol2t” Park on Zenyatta. His play was a step above both enemy Zenyattas in both matches.
WOW. @SFShock this was WAY TOO CLOSE! 😲#OWL2019 https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/JCGp43qrBv
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 1, 2019
They might’ve stumbled a bit last week, but they’re running on ahead this week. I’m giving them an 8/10.
Hangzhou Spark
The popular brightly colored fan favorite new expansion team didn’t do well last week. This week started with more of the same but ended on a bright note. Their first match of the week was a 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Shock, but they bounced back to a 3-1 win against the Los Angeles Gladiators. They looked poor last week, and that doubt lingered into the San Francisco match, but putting Xu “guxue” Qiulin on main tank permanently looks like a smart choice. He dominated in the Gladiators match, helping his team to their only win this week.
You can just imagine the comms from @Hojin_idk during this play. #OWL2019
"REIN. REIN. REIN. GET THE REIN!!"https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/rT8Ga88gLV
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 3, 2019
An up-and-down week, but one win against these two strong teams looks promising. I’m giving them a 6/10.
Los Angeles Gladiators
The Gladiators, after a good start in the league, seem to be falling down the standings. They lost a close match to the London Spitfire 2-1, but they then got dominated in a 3-1 loss to the Guangzhou Charge. These two losses put the Gladiators out of the top eight but still in the playoff race. Gui-un “Decay” Jang finally debuted, playing well on Zarya but looking uncoordinated with his support players. Jonas “Shaz” Suovaara was also great in their Spark game, but it wasn’t enough to win them the match.
SAVAGE. #Shaz @LAGladiators #OWL2019https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/D2d1qG2TVc
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 3, 2019
A poor week for the Gladiators. I’m giving them a 3/10.
London Spitfire
Last seasons champs didn’t start of the second season too well. They did rebound last week, and continue their better form this week. They only had one match for week three, facing the Los Angeles Gladiators and winning a close game 2-1. While they didn’t win it convincingly, they needed these wins to make up for their poor start. The standout players continued to be Joon-yeong “Profit” Park and Seung-tae “Bdosin” Choi. Both of these players were key for this game and their recent improvements, seeming to always making plays to win them games.
Why use a hamster wheel when there's @Furyy_d's JUNGLE GYM!? #OWL2019
The only thing that makes this clip even better is @MattMrX's VO. 🤣
LIVE: https://t.co/U6dIioZfOU pic.twitter.com/um7TQbf3id
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 2, 2019
With only the one game, it’s hard to judge their performance. I’m giving them a 7/10.
Want to hear the rest of the teams’ results from this week, along with my team of the week? How did the other teams fare in their starting games? Part 2 will be up shortly.
