Shanghai Dragons (0-2) vs Vancouver Titans (1-0)
As the first week of the Overwatch League continued, eyes fell to the Shanghai Dragons and Vancouver Titans. With the debut of new addition Young-jin “Gamsu” Noh, Shanghai put on a good show. In the end, however, they couldn’t manage to pull out a win, and ended up losing the series 0-4 to the Vancouver Titans.
Busan Dragons 1-2 Titans
Shanghai came out of the gates with something new to offer. Instead of a GOATs comp, which we’ve come to expect, they leaned into a triple support, double damage, and solo tank. With Gamsu in charge, the Dragons took the point by storm, evenly flipping it. Sadly, the last minute flip to stall couldn’t win them the point, and they lost the first round.
Round two showed Shanghai taking the point in a first team fight. An incredible EMP play by Jin-hyeok “DDing” Yang held Vancouver at their own choke, and the team managed to full hold them for a round win!
Round three had Shanghai starting in another powerful position with a quick point cap. Holding the high ground gave Min-seong “diem” room to work on with quick Tracer kills. However, Vancouver rallied back to fight off their defenses, causing Shanghai to lose the map, 1-2.
Hollywood Dragons 0-1 Titans
With Shanghai on the attack first, the Dragons made their first substitution of the night. Se-yeon “Geguri” Kim replaced DDing in order for Shanghai to play a GOATs comp. Unfortunately, the Titans played a strong defense, holding the Dragons at bay for a full hold. Managing to only get a tick and a half, the Titans only had a handful of heavy lifting to do.
When the tables were turned, Vancouver made quick work of Shanghai’s defense. With 3 minutes to spare, they capped the point. The Dragons ended up losing the map, 0-1.
Anubis Dragons 2-3 Titans
As the game got back into it after halftime, Shanghai came back with another try at GOATs. Their first pushes were stalled, due to amazing Reinhardt play from Sang-beom “Bumper” Park of the Titans. However, they managed to break through Vancouver’s hold for a first point cap!
The second point proved a little harder to earn, as Bumper was generating earthshatters at the speed of light. However, towards the end of the time, Shanghai pulled together. Collaborative effort from the entire team earned them a complete second point cap.
On defense, the Dragons pulled out a unique composition. With an Orisa, played by Gamsu, and a Torbjorn played by Yong-Jin “YOUNGJIN” Jin, their defense fell apart quickly. The snowball effect instantly took place as Vancouver dominated a double point cap.
When given the chance to attack once more, Shanghai couldn’t quite make it work. Bumper’s aggression held them back, causing a full hold by Vancouver. As Vancouver attacked, Shanghai stuck to their guns, choosing once again to run Orisa and Torbjorn. The point was easily taken by Vancouver, causing the Dragons to lose the map, 2-3.
Dorado Dragons 1-2 Titans
With another substitution for Shanghai, they chose to give Dive another chance. DDing came back in for YOUNGJIN, and the team came together to give the series one last go. Diem was popping off, as expected, on Widowmaker, shutting down the problematic Bumper once and for all. With Gamsu back on Winston as well, a first cap point was easy to achieve.
Vancouver mirrored Shanghai’s Dive comp with their own, causing the fight to be a little more evened out. The Titans managed to fend them off, stalling them in the middle of a second point push. The round ended with the Dragons earning a point.
Sticking to Dive on defense, the Dragons managed to hold a strong hold for the first half of the round. Geguri showed her skills as a D.Va player, combining with Gamsu. DDing was able to pop off as well, with him and Son “CoMa” Kyung Woo using the full power of PharMercy.
However, Vancouver had their own secret up their sleeve. Chung-hee “Stitch” Lee unleashed the power of McCree. The Dragons defense, though strong, fell to a well played Deadeye. In the end, the Titans prevailed, and the Dragon lost, 1-2.
Conclusion
The Dragons, though finding themselves at the hands of another loss, still look stronger than last year. Additionally, Gamsu looked amazing for a player who’s been playing with this team for a mere four days. Their Dive looked more solid than their GOATs, and with some fine tuning, their first win is coming sooner rather than later. Stage 1 will bring Shanghai success.