The Overwatch League wrapped up Week 3 of the 2019 season, and team standings are starting to take shape. There are clear top-tier teams, and clear bottom teams heading into the final two weeks of the first stage. With six different teams holding a 3-2 record, the matches this week carry a lot of weight. This is how The Game Haus ranked the teams heading into Week 4.
(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 6-0 MPD: +12 (High: 1. Low: 3. LW: 1st)
Week 3 left the New York Excelsior undefeated. The NYXL are getting more comfortable with the ever-present 3-3 meta. Every time they take the stage, they’re looking even more dominant than the last time. With their current momentum, there’s no denying that the NYXL are the best team in the league right now.
– Miranda Rodriguez
2. Vancouver Titans – Record: 4-0 MPD: +9 (High: 1. Low: 2. LW: 2nd)
The top two teams in our rankings continue to separate themselves from the pack. Vancouver cruised to a dominant victory over the faltering Los Angeles Valiant, and maintain their place as a true juggernaut. Next week will challenge the Titans’ preparation and scouting, as they take on Paris and Chengdu – two teams with wildly different playstyles. Stage playoffs are all but assured for Vancouver, as they look to solidify their place as the best team in the Pacific Division with a strong finish to Stage 1.
– Bradley Long
3. Atlanta Reign- Record: 2-1 MPD: +5 (High: 3. Low: 5. LW: 4th)
The Atlanta Reign continue their upward climb after a decisive win against an undefeated and highly lauded Paris Eternal. With their second 4-0 of the season, and strong individual stats across the roster, Atlanta has proven that they deserve to be ranked alongside the best. As long as they can maintain consistency, expect to see the Reign making a strong showing in the Stage 1 playoffs.
– Garrett “Norcetto” Golden
4. San Francisco Shock – Record: 3-2 MPD: +7 (High: 3. Low: 8. LW: 6th)
The Shock had a very good week, as they handily beat the Spark before absolutely tearing apart the Justice. This week had the Shock firing at all cylinders. Matthew “Super” DeLisi and Jay “Sinatraa” Won showcased excellent synergy, and Min-ki “Viol2t” Park is truly showing that he belongs in OWL. Week 3 was arguably just a warm-up for what is to come, however, as the Shock will have to square off against the Excelsior and the Eternal in Week 4.
– Sam Putney
5. Paris Eternal – Record: 2-1 MPD: -1 (High: 4. Low: 9. LW: 3rd)
Paris had an incredibly rough week where they really needed some momentum going into Week 4. They were cleanly swept by the Atlanta Reign 4-0 not seeming to have the same communication and coordinated play in their GOATs composition that many expected them to have. A lot of cracks were shown, mainly the Zarya play of Terence “SoOn” Tarlier not being up to the potential one would expect from someone of SoOn’s caliber. Things are in no way going to get easier for Paris. They start of next week against arguably one of the best teams in the league in the Vancouver Titans. Then they will have to play the San Francisco Shock. If Paris can’t get wins against either team, their playoff hopes might be completely dashed.
– Eren “Kenobi” Erkey
6. Philadelphia Fusion – Record: 3-2 MPD: +2 (High: 5. Low: 9. LW: 5th)
After a less than stellar second week, the Fusion had a good game against the Washington Justice. In their only match of the week, the Fusion managed to pull out a 3-1 victory. However, even with Isaac “Boombox” Charles back in after a bout of sickness, Philly still looked shaky. Despite their inconsistency, the strength of their core roster allows them to remain one of the stronger teams in the league.
– Kate Shepard
7. Guangzhou Charge – Record: 3-2 MPD: +5 (High: 5. Low: 12. LW: T12th)
The Charge had fairly easy opponents this week in the Valiant and Mayhem, and may have played these a bit closer than anticipated. Yet the team itself clearly is growing stronger nearly every time they play. They have growing synergy and several insane playmakers like Hong-Jun “Hotba” Choi and Jin-seo “Shu” Kim on their roster. They might be doing decent in this stage purely from having an easy schedule, but Guangzhou are going to keep building into a dominant force as the season goes on, and many people may not see that coming.
– Ethan Seftor
8. London Spitfire – Record 3-2 MPD: 0 (High: 4. Low: 13. LW: 10th)
London continue to show signs of inconsistency, as demonstrated in their match against the Gladiators this week. The Spitfire have always suffered from a bit of instability in their performance, but if one thing’s for certain, it’s that their new core lineup continues to put up results when it matters. Their match against Shanghai this coming week has potential to showcase some semblance of consistent performance, but it could just as easily turn out to be a head scratcher if London underperforms. Only time will tell if this lineup is one that can truly be relied on, but at least it’s better than what the Spitfire were running in week 1.
–Steven Bower
9. Toronto Defiant – Record: 3-2 MPD: 0 (High: 4. Low: 15. LW: 11th)
With all of their roster present and accounted for, Toronto closed out Week 3 on a very positive note. A win against the Boston Uprising kept the Defiant in a contending position for the Stage 1 playoffs with Chengdu and Hangzhou left on the docket. Se-hyeon “Neko” Park’s return to the starting roster has shown to be a clear upgrade at their flex support position. On top of that, Seung-hyun “Ivy” Lee and Kang-jae “envy” Lee have cemented themselves as key assets for the Defiant going forward. Despite their loss to the NYXL, Toronto seems poised to remain in a top spot as they close out Stage 1.
– Dave Grove
10. Hangzhou Spark – Record: 3-3 MPD: -1 (High: 5. Low: 14. LW: 7th)
After a decisive loss to the San Francisco Shock, the Spark finally ended their losing streak, taking down the Los Angeles Gladiators on Sunday. Although the Gladiators are having their own problems, Hangzhou appears to be slowly closing up the holes in their strategies. They appeared far more organized this week. In a post-game interview, Xu “guxue” Qiulin mentioned that his Korean-language skills are improving, allowing him to better communicate with his team in the heat of a team-fight. They close out their stage this week with a match against the Toronto Defiant. Though a playoffs run is unlikely at this point, the Spark showed that they can put up a fight when they organize properly. Once they fully integrate guxue into the fold and lock down their communication and coordination, their plans are sure to become more airtight. Expect a stronger showing in Stage 2 as the Spark fully find their footing.
-Darby Joyce
11. Seoul Dynasty – Record: 2-3 MPD: +0 (High: 9. Low: 15. LW: 8th)
Seoul Dynasty have struggled through the third week. Albeit competitive against Boston and New York, Seoul were only able to take two maps across both series. Losing both matches in Week 3, the Dynasty are now sitting at 13th in league standings. Seoul need to go back to their matchup against the Hunters in Week 2 to control the tempo of the fights while not being disrupted by their enemies peeling for their supports. They are still in the hunt for Stage 1 playoffs facing the Washington Justice in Week 4 and can definitely use the win.
-Andy “Panda” Nekrich
12. Dallas Fuel – Record: 3-2 MPD: -3 (High: 7. Low: 15. LW: T12th)
Dallas looks like they are becoming more consistent. The main DPS role has been filled by Dylan “aKm” Bignet full time and everyone is starting to look more comfortable on their roles. Their only match of the week against Shanghai was a nailbiter for one reason, DDing. Dallas looks like a strong GOATS mirror match fighter, but going up against other compositions proves to be more difficult. With a starting roster as well as great preparation, Dallas can take any team in the mirror match. Look forward to the rematch against Shanghai and to shutting down Sombra play.
– Ethan Cowan-Kazmi
13. Shanghai Dragons – Record: 2-3 MPD: -1 (High: 8. Low: 16. LW: 15th)
Starting to get their rhythm, the Dragons picked up a strong win against Chengdu and lost a tough fight against a good Dallas team. Although their Stage 1 playoff hopes might be minimal, the Dragons can still build on the respect that they’ve gained so far in season 2.
-Jacob Renie
14. Boston Uprising – Record: 2-3 MPD: -2 (High: 7. Low: 17. LW: 16th)
The Boston Uprising had a good week overall. With one win and one loss, they’ve managed to bounce back from a very rough Week 2. Going forward, they have another chance to earn a win with a well fought game. They’ve shown how much they’ve grown, and with their fully kitted roster, rising up in the ranks to prove the League wrong is on the horizon.
– Mallory McMahon
15. Chengdu Hunters – Record: 2-2 MPD: -6 (High: 11. Low: 18. LW: 14th)
The Chengdu Hunters continue to bring must watch Overwatch to the table in every map. They ended Week 3 handing the Dragons their first ever win streak, and have a tougher week ahead of them. Ding “Ameng” Menghan continues to impress with versatile picks like Wrecking Ball, but he’ll have a tough time going against the main-tanks of Vancouver and Toronto in Week 4. Once thought to be a contender for the bottom of the League, Chengdu continues to impress.
– Dalton Jewell
16. Los Angeles Gladiators – Record: 1-4 MPD: -5 (High: 10. Low: 17. LW: 9th)
The Gladiators had another rough week, as they were unable to adjust to the current meta. Even with the addition of their new Zarya player Gui-un “Decay” Jang, they still looked off. They played well against the Spitfire and the Spark, but were unable to finish strong. Benjamin “BigGoose” Isohanni seems to be struggling with the current meta, dying early in fights. The Gladiators have sent fan favorite Lane “Surefour” Roberts to the bench in favor of Decay, but it was still not enough. While their current record does not reflect their play completely, questions are starting to be asked about the current lineup, and if they can step up to the plate in this meta.
– Zach Stenzel
17. Houston Outlaws – Record: 2-3 MPD: -3 (High: 12. Low: 18. LW: 18th)
The Houston Outlaws are looking better and better as weeks pass. Austin “Muma” Wilmot continues to impress, even with off-meta picks like Orisa. In addition, Alexandre “SPREE” Vanhomwegen had another great showing as Houston’s resident Zarya specialist. Lastly. The Outlaws boasted cleaner communication and consistency which allowed them to pull out the massive win against the Florida Mayhem. Houston looks to gain another win against the LA Valiant, who are winless so far this season. If Houston’s tank line can stay consistent, the team may find themselves back in the race for stage playoffs with a .500 record.
– Steven Zamora
18. Los Angeles Valiant – Record 0-5 MPD: -7 (High: 16. Low: 20. LW: 17th)
Whether it’s because of the GOATS meta or the fact that the LA Valiant have lost so many people over the offseason, they have been looking very weak. They challenged some of the more highly regarded teams in the league, but when it came time to actually winning series against teams that weren’t seen as top tier, they still faltered. If this performance continues for the rest of the stage, roster changes could possibly be in order for the Valiant.
– Aaron Gerr
19. Florida Mayhem – Record: 1-4 MPD: -7 (High: 18. Low: 19. LW: 19th)
Week 3 saw the debut of a new player for the Florida Mayhem in Caleb “McGravy” McGarvey. He was mainly on D.va, and had some tremendous plays in his debut. Florida would play in a close 5-map series with the Charge, but came up short. Their match against the Houston Outlaws was more one-sided, and issues are still abound with this Florida team. With McGravy in the mix, communication will be stressed more than ever, especially as Damon “Apply” Conti has played in his two matches for Stage 1. Heading into Week 4 the Mayhem will clash with the Uprising, in which they’ll be hard-pressed for clear communication against one of the most aggressive teams in the Overwatch League.
– Dalton Jewell
20. Washington Justice – Record: 0-4 MPD: -9 (High: 19. Low: 20. LW: 20th)
The Washington Justice showed some signs of life this week against the Shock and the Fusion. Unfortunately, their brutal schedule continues to leave them 0-4 and it might not get any better. Their next match ups are against the Eternal and the Dynasty. They are improving, but it’s unlikely that they’ll see wins in Stage 1.
– 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, Garrett “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, Andy Nekrich