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Overwatch: How Can The United States Bounce Back?

Publish Date: November 10, 2018

The United States crashed out of BlizzCon 2018 in spectacular fashion. The United Kingdom defeated the USA 3-1 in the first quarterfinals of the Overwatch World Cup. The USA came out strong, with a 2-0 win on Illios. The first map went exactly how the US (and the rest of the world) thought it would happen. After that map, things began to go downhill for the US. The United Kingdom stomped the US with an exciting win on King’s Row, then a tight Volskaya Industries battle, and finally the deciding blow of Route 66. The whole match can be viewed here.

Courtesy of USA Today

Without disregarding the incredible teamwork and skill of the United Kingdom, the US truly flopped when it came to the World Cup. They had thought this was supposed to be there year. The United States came in, according to head coach Aaron “Aero” Atkins, as the “villians” of the tournament. They came in cocky, and paid for it. With an entire year before Blizzcon 2019, what will the United States do to bounce back after the biggest upset in Overwatch World Cup history?

Train For The Fight Ahead

The United States came out first seed in the Los Angeles qualifiers. The draw put them against the United Kingdom. Then, US felt that this was their time. They were so confident going in, they seemed to not care. This is not to say that they should not have felt confident. They had beaten their continental rivals in Canada, and sat back and watched France destroy the United Kingdom in the Paris qualifiers. When the United States came to BlizzCon, they seemed to have this aura of “Let’s just get this over with so we can play South Korea.” There was a lack of respect for the talent that the United Kingdom had. Though no one could have predicted the effect that adding Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth to the lineup would have.

Courtesy of Inven Global

The United States needs to focus on the immediate fight that is ahead of them. there is reason to plan ahead, especially when you are expected to win it all. However, planning for each step of the journey is crucial. In a do-or-die matchup, teams cannot afford to assume they will prevail. With a relatively young roster still, and an entire season of the Overwatch League between now and the next BlizzCon, there is still plenty of time for the US to crack down and come out fighting.

Meta Changes

The United States were up against a primarily GOATS comp team. The UK perfected their GOATS, and the communication between Fusions on the Reinhardt and Finley “Kyb” Adisi on the Brigitte was impeccable. Together, their stun and shatter combinations were perfectly timed, often dismantling the US team completely. Often times, the United States looked lackluster in their play. DPS player Zachary “ZachaREEE” Lombardo failed to hit the mark too often. Tank player Austin “Muma” WIlmot did not live up to this potential. In no way did Muma play poorly, but the current meta did not favor the play style that he prefers.

By the time that the 2019 Overwatch World Cup roles around, GOATS comp will more than likely be irrelevant. However, this does not mean the the US has nothing to work on. Their ability to adapt and change mid game is what will take them to the next level. After losing to South Korea two World Cups in a row, and being taken out early by the United Kingdom, the US has a chip on their shoulder. They will be looking for revenge. Being able to change and adapt to what the current meta is will help that. New Hero Ashe could completely change everything we know about the current state of Overwatch.