The Overwatch League just wrapped Week 2 of its second season, and proved many of our first week rankings to be, well, not great. That’s the great thing with early-season power rankings, there are many surprises ready to spring forth. This week saw underdogs win every single day, and provided what may be the greatest moment of the season with the Shanghai Dragon’s first win. After having our rankings turned on their head, here’s how we ranked the teams heading into Week 3.
(MPD= Map Differential, High is the highest an individual ranked the team, Low is the lowest an individual ranked them, and LW= Last Week’s Power Ranking Position)
1. New York Excelsior – Record 4-0 MPD: +8 (High: 1. Low: 3. LW: 2nd)
Heading into Week 3, the NYXL are starting to find their groove once again. Maintaining a win streak in such a turbulent league climate is going to be hard, but knowing a team as adaptable as the Excelsior, they won’t go down without at least putting up a fight. The NYXL up until this point have been slowly but surely able to grow and learn in a league dominated by 3-3 GOATS team compositions. Things started off rocky, but with each game they’re looking more and more solid, and as the stage moves forward the Excelsior are sure to keep their momentum going.
– Miranda Rodriguez
2. Vancouver Titans – Record: 3-0 MPD: +7 (High: 1. Low: 5. LW: T3rd)
Survive and conquer – that’s the name of the game in the Overwatch League right now. Vancouver weathered the storm during a week that saw upsets up and down the schedule. After narrowly escaping with a win against Guangzhou, the Titans took down the Shock in one of the best matches of the young season. Vancouver is getting huge contributions from the entire roster, but Hyun-woo “JJANU” Choi, in particular, has carried the team time and again. He saved the day against the Charge with an eleventh hour self-destruct, and through two weeks he looks like an MVP candidate.
– Bradley Long
3. Paris Eternal – Record: 2-0 MPD: +3 (High: 2. Low: 4. LW: 6th)
Paris had their biggest test so far playing the Los Angeles Gladiators who many have on their list of teams that are set to contend for a championship. While the match didn’t look the cleanest from Paris with their star DPS Terrence “SoOn” Tarlier having a rough game on the Zarya, they still were able to pull out the victory with some help from their support players.
– Eren “Kenobi” Erkey
4. Atlanta Reign- Record: 2-1 MPD: +5 (High: 2. Low: 9. LW: 7th)
The Atlanta Reign continue to show that they have the determination and skill to be ranked alongside the top teams in the league. With the proven stamina to fight until the last second, and huge individual performances across the entire squad, the Reign are looking better every match. Expect to see Atlanta in the Stage 1 playoffs.
– Garrett “Norcetto” Golden
5. Philadelphia Fusion – Record: 2-2 MPD: 0 (High: 4. Low: 14. LW: 1st)
Rough would be an understatement when describing how the Philadelphia Fusion’s week went. After suffering a surprising loss to the Florida Mayhem, the Fusion also lost to the Dallas Fuel. Philadelphia looked messy this week; with Isaac “Boombox” Charles out sick, it was up to Elijah Hudson “Elk” Gallagher to take up the role of off support. Elk is a main healer, so he struggled on Zenyatta as Alberto “Neptuno” Gonzalez often left him in the lurch to focus on kills. The Fusion had a lot of trouble against their opponents this past week, but fans could appreciate their attempt to switch things up during their match against the Dallas Fuel.
It was refreshing to see Simon “Snillo” Ekström take the main stage. With Snillo in the starting lineup, and on Brigitte duty, fans got to see Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee on Widowmaker and Mccree, while Josue/Josh “eqo” Corona took up the role of DVA. While the Fusion did not see any major success on Busan, their attempt at creativity gave fans a small spark of hope for the future of the Fusion. Philly is notoriously stubborn when it comes to their team compositions and starting lineups. Hopefully the Fusion will take what they learned from their mistakes this week and come back stronger than ever.
– Kate Shepard
6. San Francisco Shock – Record: 1-2 MPD: +1 (High: 4. Low: 14. LW: 5th)
The Shock’s one game this week did not go as planned, as they lost to Vancouver 3-1. The game was actually quite close aside from a disastrous round on Volskaya, and a lot of the fights were decided on who played better rather than who made more mistakes. The debut of Min-ki “Viol2t” Park did not go as planned, as he was average at best and didn’t appear to be super conformable with his new team. This game really proved that Vancouver is a top tier threat, but the Shock did manage to keep up with them. That in of itself is an achievement.
– Sam Putney
7. Hangzhou Spark – Record: 2-2 MPD: -1 (High: 5. Low: 13. LW: T3rd)
The Spark couldn’t keep up the momentum from last week, struggling through their matchups with the Houston Outlaws and the London Spitfire. Coordination issues and trouble adapting appeared to be at the heart of their problems as they frequently found themselves outplayed. However, strong fourth-map showings in both matches proved that they still have tricks up their sleeves – they just need to learn how to break them out sooner. Now that they’ve plummeted from the top of the standings to more towards the middle of the pack, it’s time to learn from their mistakes and regroup. The Spark face some tough opponents for Week 3, taking on the San Francisco Shock and the Los Angeles Gladiators, but if Week 2 is any indication, anything is possible.
-Darby Joyce
8. Seoul Dynasty – Record: 2-1 MPD: +4 (High: 5. Low: 16. LW: 9th)
The Seoul Dynasty were able to 4-0 the Chengdu Hunters in Week 2, a team that proved more resilient than people thought. With that win, the Dynasty sit 5th overall through the first two weeks of play, and have reaped the benefits of Chan-hyung “Fissure” Baek on main tank. The Dynasty have a tough week ahead, facing the ever rising Boston Uprising, and the NYXL. If Boston is able to resign Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth before the match, it’ll be a tough match for Seoul. don’t be surprised to see a 1-1 split coming from Week 3.
-Dalton Jewell
9. Los Angeles Gladiators – Record: 1-2 MPD: -2 (High: 3. Low: 14. LW: 8th)
The Los Angeles Gladiators held their own against the Paris Eternal, who are one of the best looking teams in the Overwatch League. Their main tank play from Chang-hoon “rOar” Gye is still not where they want it to be consistently, but he is showing great promise. Jun-woo “Void” Kang has been the Gladiators star player, giving the Gladiators the off tank play they need. The Gladiators will be looking forward to the return of Hyung-seok “Bischu” “Aaron” Kim from illness, as his presence has been missed. The Gladiators have had a very hard start to their schedule, which has seen them fall to 1-2 in the standings. Expect them to put up a fight against the London Spitfire and Hangzhou Spark next week, who both sit at 2-2.
– Zach Stenzel
10. London Spitfire – Record 2-2 MPD: -1 (High: 3. Low: 17. LW: 11th)
London appeared to finally show signs of life after looking lost during their first few games. Swapping out Ji Hyeok “birdring” Kim from the main roster in favor of Junyoung “Profit” Park on Zarya and Hee Dong “Guard” Lee on Brigitte has London looking back like their former championship-winning selves. While they looked mediocre against Washington this week, their strong performance against the Spark following their roster changeup should have fans more confident in a victory against the underperforming Gladiators.
–Steven Bower
11. Toronto Defiant – Record: 2-1 MPD: 0 (High: 5. Low: 15. LW: 14th)
After capturing a win in Week 1, Toronto managed to exit Week 2 with a win verses the struggling Los Angeles Valiant. Despite their loss to the Atlanta Reign on Friday, Toronto managed to begin their season on a high note. Without their starting flex support Se-hyeon “Neko” Park, these two wins leave the Defiant in a contending position for Stage 1 playoffs. Neko’s return will certainly rejuvenate this young roster as they prepare for the undefeated New York Excelsior to start Week 3.
– Dave Grove
T12. Dallas Fuel – Record: 2-2 MPD: -2 (High: 7. Low: 16. LW: 12th)
Dallas is either on fire, or rolling over. Every game is dependent on what Dallas shows up that day. The silver lining is that the Fuel coaches now know who the starting hitscan player will be, Dylan “aKm” Bignet. The win against the Fusion was a big morale boost, but don’t forget the abysmal game against Guangzhou. Hopefully the Fuel can find a starting roster because consistency is key for this team. With the uncertainty of what Fuel team shows up to the stage, they are a middle of the pack team that has the potential to fry the big fish. Dallas has it lucky for the upcoming week, with only one game against a team rising from the ashes. It is time to see if this squad sinks or swims.
– Ethan Cowan-Kazmi
T12. Guangzhou Charge – Record: 1-2 MPD: +2 (High: 6. Low: 16. LW: 16th)
In a surprise to many, the Charge came into Week 2 swinging and proved a lot to their fans. While they overall still have more losses than wins, they’re currently the only team with a negative record and still a positive map score. This is a testament to their complete sweep of the Dallas Fuel, and their narrow loss to the Vancouver Titans, one of the current top rated teams in the league. The Charge have clearly shown they have potential, and if they keep improving at this rate, they might become one of the league’s top contenders
– Ethan Seftor
14. Chengdu Hunters – Record: 2-1 MPD: -2 (High: 6. Low: 17. LW: 15th)
The Chengdu Hunters are in a playoff spot, but they’re the only team to hold one with a negative map differential. Week 3 will see Chengdu play the Shanghai Dragons, who will surely ride their momentum of their first ever win. Chengdu has been one of the more fun teams to watch, constantly fielding compositions that go against the GOATs dominated Meta. Shanghai has proven they are unafraid to get silly as well, so expect a highly entertaining and close match.
– Dalton Jewell
15. Shanghai Dragons – Record: 1-2 MPD: -4 (High: 6. Low: 17. LW: 17th)
Shanghai made an excellent turnaround, in terms of communication and strategies, compared to Week 1. Although Jin-hyeok “DDing” Yang on Pharah and Sombra was the highlight, Seong-hyeon “Luffy” Yang was instrumental in the Dragons’ inaugural franchise victory. His use of Zenyatta’s discord orb was superb, and he’ll be the key to gain the next several wins in a tough Stage 1.
-Jacob Renie
16. Boston Uprising – Record: 1-2 MPD: -2 (High: 8. Low: 17. LW: 13th)
The Boston Uprising had another hard week. Despite their loss to Shanghai, there’s something about this team that warrants results, and wins. With Fusions in negotiations for a full time contract, it is likely to see better results from this team going forward. They’re always rising up.
– Mallory McMahon
17. Los Angeles Valiant – Record 0-3 MPD: -3 (High: 10. Low: 20. LW: 10th)
Week 2 did not go very well for the Los Angeles Valiant, but they were not put up against very easy opponents either. Two of their three matches were against two of the seemingly best teams in the league and the third against a team that seen as average or slightly above average by some. They still have plenty of matches to play this season and prove that they’re here to fight.
– Aaron Gerr
18. Houston Outlaws – Record: 1-3 MPD: -4 (High: 14. Low: 20. LW: 18th)
Houston had their toughest week, yet the Outlaws stepped up to the plate willing to fight an uphill battle. Despite a hard loss on Sunday, Houston proved that they can stand toe to toe with some of the better teams in the League such as Hangzhou. Houston does have trouble with the current meta, which does not suit their play style or team core well. However, when the Outlaws can make off-meta picks they shine. In addition, Austin “Muma” Wilmot and Dante “Danteh” Cruz have proven themselves time and time again with incredible Tank and DPS play respectively. If the team can either switch up their picks more often or adapt to the meta, this could be a fun team to watch.
– Steven Zamora
19. Florida Mayhem – Record: 1-2 MPD: -4 (High: 16. Low: 19. LW: 20th)
The loss to the Hunters was tough because many of the same communication mistakes made in Week 1 against the Atlanta Reign. Next week looks on the fence as well for the Mayhem as they take on the Guangzhou Charge and the Houston Outlaws. The Charge are living up to their name and charging forward with a commanding presence while the Outlaws are looking to be in shambles after a tough 0-4 loss to the NYXL. I feel that both games will go to map 5, but the winner is still too close to call.
– Evan Ellman
20. Washington Justice – Record: 0-2 MPD: -3 (High: 19. Low: 20. LW: 19th)
The schedule of the Justice means that they will likely be sitting at the bottom of these power rankings for the rest of the stage. However, in the upcoming week, Ethan “Stratus” Yankel will be eligible to play – which might make a difference to the existing roster Washington are fielding. Hopefully, the playtime they are receiving will give them the time they need to improve and tighten up the synergy in their gameplay.
– Rachael Yeak
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Our voters for OWL Power Rankings: Preseason- Bradley Long, Kate Shepard, Felipe Labarca, Darby Joyce, Robert Hanes, Katie Gripne, Ethan Cowan-Kazmi, Mallory McMahon, Dalton Jewell, Zach Stenzel, Garret “Norcetto” Golden, Ethan Seftor, Miranda Rodriguez, Dave Grove, Sam Putney, Aaron Gerr, Steven Bower, Rachael Yeak, Connor Knudsen, Jake Renie, Steven Zamora, Brandon Padilla, Eren “Kenobi” Erkey, Evan Ellman,