Week 21 of the Overwatch League (OWL) brought plenty of surprises, but the Shanghai Dragons continued their dominance. Here’s what we can take away from this weekend’s matchups.
Shanghai, Philly, and San Francisco
The top three teams in the OWL continue to impress, especially Shanghai. They won two more games this weekend, beating the Seoul Dynasty 3-1 and the Hangzhou Spark 3-0. They are clearly the strongest team in the Asia bracket right now. And they are the clear favorites to win that bracket in the summer showdown.
The Philadelphia Fusion lost 0-3 against the San Francisco Shock this weekend, giving them their second loss on the season. San Francisco had some struggles early on in the 2020 OWL season, but it seems they have figured things out. This could easily be a preview of a matchup in the North America Bracket of the Summer Showdown. Hopefully, Philadelphia will put up more of a fight if the two teams meet up again.
Upsets and surprises
Perhaps the biggest surprise this weekend was the New York Excelsior losing to the Guangzhou Charge. New York has gone 1-2 since signing the 2019 Rookie of the Year, Hyo-jong “Haksal” Kim. With their two victories, Guangzhou moves into fourth place in the standings ahead of New York.
Another surprise was the Vancouver Titans snagging the fourth seed for the Summer Showdown. After completely remaking their roster earlier in the 2020 OWL season, they looked like a lost cause. However, after their wins over the Dallas Fuel in Week 20 and over the Boston Uprising this week, it seems they have some life in them after all. Vancouver fans shouldn’t get their hopes up, though, as both Dallas and Boston are relatively weak teams.
The Summer Showdown takes place next weekend, and the brackets are ready. Expect some fun and competitive games with a lot of money on the line. Make sure to stay tuned for more OWL news and stories!
