Two semifinals. Two regular season rematches. Two coveted spots in the Grand Finals next week. These are the stakes for Overwatch Contenders Korea starting Friday at 11 PM EST. It has been an unpredictable yet unforgettable season that has seen new faces abound and stunning turnarounds from two of the semifinalists. StormQuake and WGS Armament enter the arena as underdogs against Element Mystic and Runaway, respectively, but after upset victories in last week’s quarterfinals, they cannot be underestimated. Let’s take a look at the big questions heading into each match.
Team StormQuake vs Element Mystic
Can StormQuake keep their cool in the moment?
StormQuake are not the same team that fell to Element Mystic 3-1 in the first week of the group stage. After an 0-2 start, they have turned their season around, rattling off four straight wins including a convincing victory last week against MVP Space in the quarterfinals. They have rallied around Ryu “Kaiser“ Sang-hoon, who seems to have gotten his groove back after an extended absence from the limelight. He will have his chance once again to put his stamp on Korean Overwatch, as StormQuake look to continue their run that started in Contenders Trials.
Still, the moment will come when StormQuake have their backs against the wall. Element Mystic is coming in confident. How will StormQuake respond when they are getting bullied by Kim “Sp9rk1e” Yeong-Han? It has been pretty smooth sailing for StormQuake lately. This will be their biggest test yet against their strongest opponent. They will need to rely on their veterans, Kaiser and Ahn “AMY” Min-yeong, and their star DPS player, Kim “Proper” Dong-hyun. Proper’s Zarya has been a revelation, and they will need him to be superb to have a shot at the Grand Finals.
Can anybody stop Sp9rk1e’s Doomfist? Does it even matter?
When these two teams last played, Sp9k1e and Element Mystic were using Doomfist sparingly. It’s easy to see why as it made just a brief appearance during a lackluster Hanamura defense. Since then, Doomfist has slowly been incorporated until last week, when they unleashed it in force on an unsuspecting GEEKSTAR squad. Sp9rk1e picked them apart for two maps before returning to the Zarya to finish the job in a clean 3-0 sweep.
It is that return to the Zarya that makes Element Mystic so dangerous. Sp9k1e’s ability to flex comfortably across the hero roster makes game planning tough. Not only must StormQuake prepare for the standard meta match ups, the standard battle of GOATs compositions, but they have to be ready for a niche hero – one that can be oppressive in the right hands. Sp9k1e has proven himself one of the best Doomfist players in the world, something StormQuake cannot replicate in scrims. If they do manage to stifle him, they still have to win the mirror match that has defined this season. Element Mystic have top tier players at every position, something StormQuake can certainly attest to.
WGS Armament vs Runaway
Have WGS Armament leveled up enough?
In the second semifinal, we have our second regular season rematch. Their Week 2 match up was a one sided affair with Runaway taking three of the four maps in dominant fashion. Something interesting happened in that series though. On the final map, WGS decided to swap the roles for Choi “DPI” Yong-joon and Lee “Gargoyle” Beon-jun when the team plays GOATs compositions. DPI, usually a DPS player, picked up D.Va and Gargoyle took over Zarya duties. They were able to take Route 66 off Runaway, and they haven’t lost a match since. After a 3-2 victory over GC Busan Wave – a team many saw among the favorites to take it all – WGS seem to have raised their ceiling once again.
DPI has taken to D.Va immediately, with the culmination coming in the quarterfinals where he was a terror. His Defense Matrix usage was impeccable and he gobbled Graviton Surges like candy – all against one of the best Zaryas in Contenders, Kim “Edison” Tae-hoon. DPI will have his hands full once again with Jeong “Heesu” Hee-su on the other side of the stage. Runaway remains the bar that teams must clear to be the best in the region. WGS last week proved last week that their run to the playoffs was not a fluke. This week we will find out exactly how much they have improved.
Is it really going to be this easy for Runaway?
They weren’t supposed to be this good, not this soon anyway. Runaway was supposed to struggle after having to replace the roster that captured the Season 2 Contenders Grand Finals. And yet here we are. Runaway didn’t come close to losing a match during the regular season. They dropped only three maps en route to one of the most impressive group stages in any Korean Contenders season. While that is certainly evidence of this team’s prodigious skill and precise team play, it could also spell trouble.
This is not your father’s Runaway. This is not the team that had years of synergy and experience to fall back on when things went wrong. For most of the team, this is the first time they have been in a spotlight of this magnitude. How will they react when adversity rears its head for the first time? How will this group respond to the pressure? Runaway are supremely talented, that much is obvious. The tank line of Kim “Mag” Tae-Sung and Yu “QoQ” Sung-jun have been among the best in any Contenders region. Ultimately, the answer in unknowable until Runaway hit the stage this weekend. Will the moment get to them, or can they carry the torch and keep Runaway atop the world of Korean Overwatch?