Earlier this week, the full schedule for Overwatch League’s Season 2 was revealed. The teams will be playing fewer games, but the number of matches total will be increased from last year. Throughout the Inaugural Season we had a total of 480 games, not counting stage playoffs and season playoffs. This year, we will be having a grand total of 560 games, still not counting any playoff matches. You can find more details for Season 2’s structure here.
On the upcoming season, Houston Outlaws will be playing a total of 28 games, a rather low number compared to last season’s 40. This also means every single game has that much more impact towards season standings. Last year, the team was painfully close to scoring a spot in the Season Playoffs, and this year, the players will be making sure to make that dream a reality. As an already established team with over a year of experience, they will have a slight advantage when it comes to facing expansion teams, but there are some real powerhouses in the Atlantic division, teams that will definitely not make it an easy journey. We will be talking about the matches you cannot miss in each of the stages.
Courtesy of Houston Outlaws
Unfortunately, on opening day of the League the team will not be playing. However, we do have two matches on opening week! On Friday the 15th, the day after Season 2’s debut, the first match of the team will be against Toronto Defiant.
The match against Toronto will be defining. They’re a new team wanting to make a name for themselves, and with a coach like Beom-joon “Bishop” Lee it’s not gonna be an easy task. They field a strong line of players, which includes some familiar faces like former LA Gladiators DPS, Joon-seong “Asher” Choi, former Boston Uprising support, Se-hyeon “Neko” Park and former LA Valiant flex tank, Kang-jae “envy” Lee. Taking this match will be a must-do, as it is Houston’s inaugural match, something that could set the tone for the rest of the stage. Facing an expansion team in their first game could work in the Outlaws’ favor, but the squad is something to be feared.
Courtesy of Houston Outlaws
On Stage 2, week 2, Houston will be facing off against the Vancouver Titans. Fielding the whole roster of Korean Contenders Season 2’s champions, team RunAway, everyone expects them to be at the top of the leaderboards.
The most anticipated match of the year for fans of the Houston Outlaws, the battle for Texas, will take place on week 4, Sunday, April the 28th. On top of that, the match will be played at the Allen Event Centre, in Dallas, Texas. Houston managed to keep the title of Kings of Texas throughout Season 1, but we all know that Dallas had a rough patch at the beginning and managed to end Stage 4 with good results, even getting to stage playoffs.
With Aaron “Aero” Atkins and Justin “Jayne” Conroy on their coaching staff, and with the recent additions of former Fusion Uni DPS, Zachary “ZachaREEE” Lombardo and former London Spitfire support, Won-sik “Closer” Jung, the team looks ready to placed among the top 10 of Season 2. Also, with Hyeon “EFFECT” Hwang coming back to play, things will look even more grim to everyone playing against them. We’ll have to see who will reign supreme over the state of Texas.
Courtesy of Overwatch League
On Stage 2’s closing week, Saturday, May 4th, one old rivalry will come back to life, as the Houston Outlaws will be facing off against the Inaugural Season Champions, the London Spitfire. During the Inaugural Season, Houston remained undefeated against the Spitfire in regular matches, only loosing once when fighting over the Stage 1 title match. It’s good for teams to have healthy rivalries like this one, that way both sides can improve without the typical toxicity involved.
Courtesy of Houston Outlaws
Facing the New York Excelsior once is a nightmare for some people, but facing them twice? That’s a whole other topic. On Friday, July 7, week 1, Houston will be facing NYXL for the second time in the year. Let us not forget that it was against the Outlaws and Boston Uprising that Do-hyeon “Pine” Kim earned the title of Big Boss Pine while on Ilios. It will also be intriguing to see how their roster plays after the signing of Yeon-oh “Fl0w3R” Hwang, reuniting the whole squad of LW Blue once again.
Courtesy of Houston Outlaws
Stage 4 will be a tough one. With matches against LA Gladiators on week 1 and Philadelphia Fusion on week 2, the Outlaws will likely have a rough end of season.
Once again, they’ll be facing London Spitfire. The friendly rivalry will be coming back for a second round London made the strong addition of Hee-dong “Guard” Lee straight out of team Element Mystic. They also added Yung-hoon “Krillin” Jung, to their roster, which is a move not everyone is sure of, since he was not part of any team and just taken from the ladder. Their full squad is still one of the strongest in the League, and will definitely put up a really hard fight.
So there you go folks, that is all the games Houston Outlaws will be playing. If you’d like to see the schedule for the rest of the teams, you can click here.
Featured Image Courtesy of Houston Outlaws.
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