It’s week 5 in the 2020 OWL season, and nine teams are heading to Washington D.C. to compete. This week is slightly different, however, as it is the first week with Hero Pools.
Hero Pools were introduced by Blizzard in a developer update at the end of January, and now they are finally hitting the OWL. In the first OWL hero pool, McCree, Widowmaker, Reinhardt, and Moira will be banned. Here’s a look at which matches to watch and how the hero pool might impact them.
Toronto Defiant vs. Florida Mayhem
Two struggling teams face off for the first match of the weekend. Both of these teams are 1-3 and will be hungry for a win after coming off of an 0-2 week 4. Toronto should be extra hungry after handing the Houston Outlaws their first win of the season.
Toronto should have a slight advantage with this week’s hero pool. Lane “Surefour” Roberts and Brady “Agilities” Girardi are versatile damage players who don’t rely heavily on Widowmaker or McCree. On that note, Andreas “Logix” Berghmans might not see as much playtime.
Paris Eternal vs. Philadelphia Fusion
While Philadelphia should be the obvious favorite here, as they are undefeated so far in the 2020 OWL season, the hero pool might hurt them. Their star damage player, Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee, has spent most of the 2020 season playing Widowmaker and McCree and will need to adapt here.
Paris also looks decent so far, coming off of a 3-1 victory against the Atlanta Reign in week 4. This would be a great chance for them to upset Philly when their star player can’t play the heroes he has been dominant on.
Boston Uprising vs. Atlanta Reign
Atlanta has only played two matches so far, and Boston has only played three. Following this match, Boston will have played four. Both of these teams are still looking to get their footing in the league, and this match will be a good indicator of how good Atlanta and Boston actually are. Both teams have a group of new players looking to prove themselves.
What Overwatch matches are you excited about this weekend? Who do you think will come out the strongest in the first week with Hero Pools?
