After a shocking end to Stage 4 of the Overwatch League, everyone is looking towards the Postseason. Only the best teams made it to the Postseason Playoffs and some big names were left out.
If you don’t know about it yet, the Houston Outlaws and Seoul Dynasty were unable to secure a spot to play for the title of inaugural season champions. What is even more of a shock is that the Los Angeles Valiant crowned themselves as the Stage 4 Champions, defeating the NYXL 3-1 in the finals. It’s promising that other teams are competing and defeating high caliber teams.
With the stage set for an explosive Postseason, the only question that is on everyone’s mind is: who will win the Overwatch League?
The Contenders
Only the best six teams could make it to the Postseason, and all the teams have a realistic shot of taking the title. These six teams have been good through their regular seasonal play and all of them, at one point or another, have shown why they could be the best team in the Overwatch League. The six contenders for the Overwatch League Postseason Playoffs are the New York Excelsior, Los Angeles Valiant, Boston Uprising, LA Gladiators, London Spitfire and Philadelphia Fusion.
Two Dominant Teams
Although the LA Gladiators have been playing great Overwatch throughout Stage 4, the Los Angeles Valiant and NYXL are the two most dominant teams currently. The Valiant exemplified this in the Stage 4 Playoffs and the NYXL have proved it all season long. These two teams have the best coordination, adaptation and team play, helping them reach success throughout the season.
Due to their success and earning themselves the first-place seed in their respective divisions, both teams have been granted a first round bye in the Postseason Playoffs. This obviously helps either team’s chances of reaching the Grand Finals. With lots of prep time and a first round bye, it would be safe to say that either one of these teams will make it to the Finals. By the chance that both teams end up making it to the Grand Finals, we could see an exciting Stage 4 Finals rematch.
Onward and Upward
Two teams that must fight their way to the finals and have shown success is the LA Gladiators and London Spitfire. The Gladiators have shown that they can play with the best, however, their hubris got the best of them when they decided to play against the Los Angeles Valiant in the Stage 4 Playoffs. No doubt that the Gladiators have been on a tear throughout Stage 4, but they must remain humble and shouldn’t take any opponent lightly when going into the Postseason.
On the other hand, the London Spitfire looked great in the early parts of the Overwatch League, but then looked shaky in the latter parts of the season. Although they closely qualified for the Postseason, the London Spitfire need to figure things out if they want to have a chance. Respectively, both teams have shown potential and could make a deep run in the Postseason. Will the Gladiators continue to march forward? Similarly, will the London Spitfire fly high to give themselves a shot at the title?
Two Streaky Teams
The two final contenders for the Postseason are the Boston Uprising and the Philadelphia Fusion. The Boston Uprising and Philadelphia Fusion are two of the streakiest teams in the League. When they are on a hot streak, they go on crazy runs, defeating almost any team and making a case of why they could be the best team. However, they are also streaky when it comes to losing. They could beat a great team one week and continue to lose to lower tier teams in their future matches. Regardless of the ups and downs in the regular season, all that matters now is the Postseason and this is the time to be on a hot streak. Will the Boston Uprising and Philadelphia Fusion play at a constantly high level like we know they can or will their emotions get the best of them?
To find out which two teams make it to the Grand Finals and to see who gets crowned as the Inaugural Season Champion, tune into the Overwatch League.
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Featured Image Credit: Blizzard Entertainment/Overwatch