This week the Overwatch League heads into Week 25 about seven weeks out of the playoffs. Hero Pools still consist of Widowmaker, Mei, Orisa, and Ana. Many teams have continued the Genji meta that dominated the Summer Showdown, none more so explosive than the Paris Eternal and Yeong-han “SP9RK1E” Kim. For the first time, multiple teams have tied in the rankings, with the Eternal in the top five for the first time. With another great weekend of matchups on the horizon, here are The Game Haus power rankings for Week 25.
(High is the highest an individual ranked the team, Low is the lowest an individual ranked them, and LW= Last Week’s Power Ranking Position)
1. San Francisco Shock (High: 1 Low: 2 LW: 1st)
The Shock made their way to an easy 3-0 victory against Boston, which comes as little surprise. Matthew “Super” DeLisi made a surprise start in the DPS role, where he outperformed expectations. The real test will be how he handles the Mayhem this upcoming week.
- Matthew Kennedy
2. Shanghai Dragons (High: 1 Low: 4 LW: 2nd)
T3. Philadelphia Fusion (High: 2 Low: 5 LW: 3rd)
T3. Paris Eternal (High: 2 Low: 8 LW: 8th)
After an incredible run in the Summer Showdown and an easy 6-0 week after the break, it seems as though the Eternal have found their groove. They are very clearly one of the best teams in the OWL and anyone who argues otherwise may need to take a nap and rethink their choices.
- Rob Hanes
5. Guangzhou Charge (High: 3 Low: 5 LW: 4th)
Beating the Dragons still not enough to move this team higher? Not just yet but they are getting there. A team that truly plays as a team is rare even in Overwatch. While of course they have their stars, the Charge play the game as a cohesive unit and this should only help them as they work towards a deep playoff run.
- Rob Hanes
6. Florida Mayhem (High: 6 Low: 12 LW: 6th)
The Mayhem are a tough team to rank right now. Florida’s last month of play includes emphatic victories against strong teams like the Philadelphia Fusion and crushing losses against streaky, lowly ranked teams like the Houston Outlaws. Despite this inconsistency, the Mayhem have shown in the past that when they are at their best, that they are nigh impossible to overcome. Their match against the San Francisco Shock next week will be an interesting litmus test of the team’s true potential.
- Sam O’Dwyer
7. New York Excelsior (High: 4 Low: 8 LW: 5th)
The NYXL got Chengdu’d this past week, but remain an extremely strong team. The greatest strength of this team is its flexibility in DPS, something that should be flourishing with the resurgence of a Dive-centric meta. This week is a heavy-hitting match against the Charge. It presents the NYXL an opportunity to stamp their mark back into contention as a top-five team in the Overwatch League.
- Dalton Jewell
8. Seoul Dynasty (High: 8 Low: 10 LW: 8th)
The Seoul Dynasty has fallen to the 11 spot in the standings and need to pullout some wins soon. They face the Chengdu Hunters next week, but after the Hunter’s performance against the NYXL, even this might not be an easy win. Tiger Nation are looking to see some improvements in the coming week.
- Lauren “daebakowl” Olson
T9. Los Angeles Valiant (High: 7 Low: 12 LW: T7th)
The Valiant have struggled in a Genji centered meta, but bringing in more of Johannes “Shax” Nielsen did lead to a victory over the Uprising. The Valiant aren’t challenging the top-tier teams like they once used to, but the current hero pools have banned out key role heroes. No more Orisa or Ana has hampered the cohesion of the team, but adding in Shax and playing around a Dive meta was a key reason for their win last week. The Valiant take this week off to sit and observe the rest of the Overwatch League and try to plan for more victories.
- Dalton Jewell
T9. Atlanta Reign (High: 9 Low: 12 LW: 11th)
A lot of uncertainty surrounds the Atlanta Reign roster right now with the Departure of star DPS Andrej “babybay” Francisty from the team and fan favorite Steven “Kodak” Rosenberger transitioning to coaching. The Reign had an impressive start to last weeks’ games with a decisive win against the LA Valiant but then crumbled while facing the Florida Mayhem. The full impact of their roster changes remains to be seen.
- Rhiannon Boyce
11. Hangzhou Spark (High: 7 Low: 15 LW: 12th)
It seemed as though things were heading in the wrong direction for the Spark after they were easily dismissed during the Summer Showdown but then they went out and swept a very inconsistent Seoul Dynasty. Who are the Spark really? This week they will look to answer that question a bit more and try not to get Chengdu’ed.
- Robert Hanes
12. Los Angeles Gladiators (High: 9 Low: 15 LW: 10th)
LA get a 3-0 win in a short game vs. Vancouver. The Glads rebounded from a laughable early defeat in the Summer Showdown Tournament. They were able to get it together this week, but their road isn’t any easier next week. Whatever worked this week needs to carry over.
- Joe Gvora
13. Houston Outlaws (High: 9 Low: 16 LW: 14th)
Following a promising Summer Showdown performance, the Houston Outlaws’ Week 24 match versus the Dallas Fuel ended in disaster. Houston were up 2-0 at the half and looking to finish out the series with a clean sweep. They came within one teamfight of closing out the game on Map 3, but Fuel miraculously stole the map. Dallas went on to pull off the reverse sweep on Map 5, which concluded with a devastating C9 from Houston (link: https://youtu.be/yQsg3vY1FB8?t=9599). The Outlaws were plagued with poor ultimate usage and team coordination throughout the match. Houston now get an extended break. They don’t have a match until next Sunday, when they’ll be taking on the Washington Justice. Hopefully, the Outlaws can use this extra time to reset mentally and focus on finishing out the season strong.
- Barry Giglio
14. London Spitfire (High: 10 Low: 16 LW: 13th)
The Spitfire were able to take a map off the red-hot Charge last week but still dropped the match 3-1. With next week’s match against the equally tough (arguably a bit tougher) Dragons, the Spitfire are poised to open their path forward with another loss. Ranked near the bottom of the Overwatch League before this season kicked off, the Spitfire continue to rise up and surprise many with their rookie plays. The transition year continues forward as the Spitfire look to iron out everything in time for the playoffs in September.
- Dalton Jewell
15. Dallas Fuel (High: 12 Low: 17 LW: 15th)
Woah, what a match this past week in another Battle for Texas. It seemed as though the Outlaws had this game in the bag but then Dallas remembered how to play Overwatch. Both teams are probably even in terms of talent overall and more battles like this would definitely keep things exciting. For the upcoming week, Dallas have to not let up as they need to take a crucial win against the struggling Uprising.
- Robert Hanes
16. Chengdu Hunters (High: 13 Low: 17 LW: 16th)
A nice five map thriller against the NYXL had the Hunters returning to play with a win. Still remarked as the worst team in the APAC region, Chengdu can continue on an upward trajectory if they’re able to take down one or both of the Dynasty or Spark this week. This team has always been plucky and played whatever meta they want but the current Dive DPS fit right into their strengths. If these heroes continue to be the go-to choices, the Hunters may be in for a late-season surge.
- Dalton Jewell
17. Toronto Defiant (High: 14 Low: 18 LW: 18th)
It has been pretty mixed results for the Defiant lately. They make a deep run during the Summer Showdown to many fan’s surprise and then sweep the Justice only to be quickly swept by the Eternal. It is clear that they are a middling team and that is fine, but if they intend to make a similar run in playoffs at the end of the season they need to find some sort of consistency.
- Rob Hanes
18. Vancouver Titans (High: 16 Low: 19 LW: 17th)
The Titans took a step back in week 24 where they lost 3-0 in both games they played. The coordination they displayed in the Summer Showdown seemed to have faltered. They also insisted on forcing a Genji when none of their DPS are particularly explosive on the hero. Despite all that, they did have moments where they seemed like the team the fans know they can be. The DPS continue to impress when they play heroes in their respective pools. There is work still to be done, but hope is not all lost.
- Ethan Butler
19. Washington Justice (High: 18 Low: 20 LW: 20th)
It wasn’t the game many fans wanted to see out of the Justice last week. Being swept handily by the resurgent Defiant continues the downward trend of this team, saved from the bottom of the standings only by the Uprising. The team cohesion seemed better during the Summer Showdown when they upset the Gladiators, but it didn’t carry over with a new set of hero pools. This week presents two opponents that are performing very well, the Mayhem and Outlaws. Continued progress needs to be shown from this roster for any real shot at the playoffs.
- Dalton Jewell
20. Boston Uprising (High: 18 Low: 20 LW: 19th)
This week was rough, and there isn’t much of a silver-lining either. Boston looked unequivocally bad. The team looked lost and uncoordinated, much like they had at the beginning of the season. Is this the result of poor coaching? Or could something else be going on in the background? Whatever the reason, the Uprising need a small miracle to even beat the Reign this coming week.
- Bryan “Brock” Rockwood
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Our voters for OWL Power Rankings: Ethan Seftor, Mallory, Robert Hanes, Dalton Jewell, Lotte, Sam O’Dwyer, Bryan Rockwood, Brad Killion, Mandii, Rhiannon, Laruen “Daebakowl” Olson, Matthew Kennedy, Christian Wisniewski, Jordan Garcia, Rocco Romeo, Tiffany Purcell, Joe Gvora, London Bishop, Sebastian Quintanilla, Ethan Butler, Barry Giglio, Jezi Scott