The Overwatch League has seen some amazing games. Insane wins, seemingly impossible losses, and crazy games in between. However, after the last few weeks of intense action, there are two teams left and only one can take home the trophy. What does each team need to focus on to win the grand final?
San Francisco Shock
San Francisco have a deep bench that they have utilized to a heavy degree. With players like Nam-Joo “Striker” Kwon making appearances on certain maps and Dong-Jun “Rascal” Kim based on play-style their coaching staff has a fantastic understanding of how they want to play the game. The team needs to stick with the play-style they understand and want to use, and probably won’t be intimidated by the Titans to the point where they would feel forced to try something new.
The Shock have a fantastic record on most map types, but the one they truly need to win is Control. With both teams having a steady footing on it, the team that takes Control may be the team that takes the series. If the Shock can put extra focus into finding new and creative strategies for Control, then the Shock may have an easier final for them ahead.
Additionally, the key feature of the Shock is their seemingly miraculous ability to win fights they should never win. Being down two players at the beginning of the fight never truly means the Shock have lost. It’s that playmaking and clutch potential that the San Francisco representatives will have to rely on time and time again in order to pull out the win from this monster of a Vancouver team. After 16 straight maps of dominance since being sent to the loser’s bracket, the Shock have something to prove, and this is their chance.
Vancouver Titans
The Titan’s transition into a 2-2-2 role lock was shaky to begin with, but now with a run throughout the winners’ bracket to the Grand Finals, no one is questioning their dominance once again. With a new main tank added to the team, the Titans are a more dynamic force with a variety of play-styles, akin to the Shock. However, one of the keys for Vancouver is to adapt their play-style based on what San Francisco presents. If they can discover a weakness, they need to attack it head-on with composition switches, transitional shot calling, and hyper focus.
On top of that, the Titan’s have thus far been able to get away with some pretty questionable cooldown usage due to their dominance of play. The problem is that it can cost them maps in many series, the most obvious being the series against the New York Excelsior. Even though the Titans eventually won, it was too drawn out to be considered clean, and a team like the San Francisco Shock are sure to take every small inch to create a mile of an advantage in a series as important as this one.
The X factor for the Canadian representatives may just be their tank line. With the late season introduction of Jang-hyeon “TiZi” Hwang, the Titans picked up a tank a bit less aggressive than Sang-Beom “Bumper” Park (though being less aggressive than Bumper is fairly easy). The ability to swap these two players out may give the Shock a run for their money if the Titans can effectively switch them out at opportune times. The frontline is what sets the bar for team fights, and a lot of pressure is on for the Vancouver team to set it high and keep it there.
Both teams have a fighting chance of winning the Season Two trophy. No clear favorite can be called, and no money can be surely put on one team or the other. With so much uncertainty in this series, one thing is for sure: This is bound to be the most hype filled final the Overwatch League has ever seen.
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