After a great set of games on day one of Blizzcon 2018, the Overwatch World Cup would rage onto day two. We would see some huge upsets yesterday. For example, Team UK would take down favorites Team USA. Canada and China would crush France and Finland, two very strong contenders for the World title. Today will decide which country is the best Overwatch team in the world. The first game to watch would be a true David vs. Goliath match between Team UK and Team South Korea.
🇬🇧 vs 🇰🇷
🇨🇦 vs 🇨🇳Overwatch World Cup Semi Finals hype!
Watch LIVE 👉 https://t.co/03WKGPOHvS pic.twitter.com/8d8pAksU1s
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) November 3, 2018
Team South Korea takes down Team UK
South Korea would come into this matchup with a ton of momentum. Their almost perfect series against Australia would show that their downfall was greatly exaggerated by the media. However, Team UK was also coming from a huge upset win against the United States. Their main tank, Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth, was a huge factor for the team. For example, his play on Reinhardt would be the deciding factor in multiple maps. Also, Team UK’s utilization of the GOATS composition would surprise the USA.
Betcha didn't see THAT one coming! #OWWC2018
HUGE SHATTER from @Fusions clears the way for a team kill!
Watch the match here: https://t.co/qjn3C10HRK pic.twitter.com/3CA6KnuDWh
— Overwatch Path to Pro (@owpathtopro) November 3, 2018
Unfortunately, Korea would exercise their will on the first map, Nepal. It was looking like South Korea would roll over the UK, but on the next two maps would be very close. As we have said, Fusions would be key for the UK’s success again, with some of the best Reinhardt play we’ve seen at the World Cup. The UK would capitalize on the synergy between Fusions and Finley “Kyb” Adisi, with some great Shatter combos. They would force draws on both King’s Row and Volskaya.
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE SEMIFINAL! #OWWC2018
🇰🇷 beat the 🇬🇧 2-0 in an absolutely thrilling match. pic.twitter.com/IqlxA7dY50
— Overwatch Path to Pro (@owpathtopro) November 3, 2018
Their last map, Rialto, would be the closest map of the four. Team UK would play an incredible defensive half, shutting down Korea’s offense with ease. Again, Fusions would come up huge with some big six-man Reinhardt ultimates. However, South Korea would use the exact same defensive strategy against the UK. Additionally, South Korea would begin to manage their ultimates very well and would adjust their strategies accordingly. Overall, a very close map between the two, but South Korea would stand tall.
Team China stuns Team Canada, moves to World Cup Grand Finals
Team Canada would come into this matchup looking like the favorites. After finishing in second last year’s World Cup, and recently taking down France in a 3-0, many fans were behind the Canadian squad. On the other hand, Team China was looking pretty good, especially after their big sweep against Team Finland. Could they upset last year’s World Cup silver medalists? The short answer? Yes, that could, with their flex DPS Huang “leave” Xin leading the way.
And just like that, the stage is set for the Bronze & Gold medal matches! #OWWC2018
🇨🇳 takes the series 3-0 over 🇨🇦!
WHO CALLED IT!? pic.twitter.com/gwkW2wCqkd
— Overwatch Path to Pro (@owpathtopro) November 3, 2018
Leave was simply dominant throughout the matches, bringing out some great heroes like McCree and Doomfist. For example, he would end their second map, Blizzard World, with 20 final blows and 40 eliminations on Doomfist. He was getting some incredible picks and would take down some key targets right when China would need it. Meanwhile, Canada just could not find a foothold on any of the maps. Their coach, Justin “Jayne” Conroy, would state that Canada was actually expecting Finland in the semifinals. Team Canada did look pretty unprepared for this matchup, with members getting caught out constantly.
Team Canada edges out Team UK for Bronze
After their disappointing loss to Team China, many people thought that Team UK could take them down. Reason being, Team UK would take Team South Korea through four tightly contested matches. They would force South Korea to pull out all the stops against their GOATS composition, so they had plenty of momentum coming into the bronze medal match. Their first match would have them face off on Horizon Lunar Colony, where Team UK would dominate Team Canada. Fusions looks like the true standout player on the team, alongside DPS player Kyb.
.@7LionsOW: Is it safe to go outside? 🤔@agilities: pic.twitter.com/UpvUEU757j
— Overwatch Path to Pro (@owpathtopro) November 3, 2018
However, Canada would strike back with force on Blizzard World. Team UK just could not find the same picks like in their first map. Surefour would seem to survive almost every engage, which was key for Canada. His Zarya flanks with Graviton Surge would turn the tide for many fights, and through some elongated skirmishes, Canada would come out on top. The UK would counter with a strong game on Volskaya Industries. Team UK would simply outplay Canada throughout the map, with some well planned engages from Fusions and Kyb.
Congratulations to @TeamCanadaOW on coming in third at 2018 Overwatch World Cup! 🥉🇨🇦#OWWC2018 #NorthStrong pic.twitter.com/bpaMy3Czda
— Overwatch Path to Pro (@owpathtopro) November 3, 2018
The final map would be Junkertown, where Canada would suddenly show up in a big way. We had not seen this Team Canada for the majority of the World Cup playoffs. Additionally, the confidence that Agilities and Surefour would exude on their Pharah/Sombra combo was incredible. As a result, they would stymie the UK attack over and over again with great EMP/Missile Barrage combinations. Canada would crush the UK in the final map to take the Bronze medal at the Overwatch World Cup.
South Korea crushes China to their third World Cup championship
Congratulations to South Korea on winning the 2018 Overwatch World Cup! 🌏🇰🇷#OWWC2018 pic.twitter.com/bjZ3gWQwec
— Overwatch Path to Pro (@owpathtopro) November 4, 2018
Could China pull off the upset against South Korea? Not even close. South Korea would take the Gold for the third year in a row against China in a seven-game series. The only close round that China would get would be their final round on Watchpoint: Gibraltar. However, South Korea would simply outplay China in every map. They would focus down on Leave, and wouldn’t allow him to get anything going against the Korean’s DPS players. Each Korean player would have a moment for themselves, showing that not only are they great individually, but they are the best team overall in the world.
What are your thoughts on the Overwatch World Cup this year? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more Overwatch coverage, check us out here!
