The Overwatch League wrapped up Week 2 of Stage 3 this past weekend. There was a Shock(ing) upset, while other teams are clawing their way to prime positions. For some that were on the outside looking in like the Outlaws and Valiant, they’re bringing a revitalized team in Stage 3 to make their case for a play-in game playoff spot. This week’s game to watch is Saturday night’s Hangzhou versus Seoul match. With that, take a look at how The Game Haus crew ranked the teams.
(MPD= Map Differential, 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. Vancouver Titans – Record: 18-0 MPD: +50 (High: 1. Low: 1. LW: 1st)
It would seem that the Vancouver Titans’ 18-0 record would take some suspense out of their games. A team that never loses shouldn’t be one of the most entertaining in the league. Vancouver, however, always likes to make things interesting before pulling things out. They did it last week against the Spark, just like they did against Chengdu in Stage 1. The Hunters will take another swing at the Titans this week. Can they be the ones to make Vancouver look mortal?
– Bradley Long
2. San Francisco Shock – Record: 13-4 MPD: +37 (High: 2. Low: 3. LW: 2nd)
The Shock were anything but golden this week, suffering a loss to a surging Outlaws squad in the week’s opening matchup. While they looked better against Seoul, who refused to play Sombra during the first two maps, there will still be question marks moving forward about how this team will handle Sombra. Lucky for them, the Shock have Florida and Boston this week, which should bring two convincing wins back home to the Bay Area and give the Shock more time to reassert their dominance in the league.
– Connor Knudsen
3. New York Excelsior – Record 15-2 MPD: +37 (High: 2. Low: 4. LW: 3rd)
The NYXL have continued to run their Sombra GOATS lineup, which has yet to lose them any matches. Jongryeol “Saebyeolbe” Park has been impressive, yet his Sombra play does have clear holes. His EMPs are extremely predictable, and an aware Zenyatta has almost always been ready to counter it. However, Saebyeolbe has excelled on getting hacks off on single opponents at crucial times, and it’s this strength that has propelled the NYXL in Stage 3. With many teams below their skill level, NYXL has little to fear. If they want to play with the top-dogs in Vancouver and San Francisco though, they’ll need to work out the kinks.
– Dalton Jewell
4. Los Angeles Gladiators – Record: 12-6 MPD: +19 (High: 3. Low: 5. LW: 5th)
The Los Angeles Gladiators continue to show that they are a top tier team this week. With wins over the Philadelphia Fusion and Washington Justice, they improve their Stage 3 record to 3-1, with a +8 map differential. While it wasn’t the toughest of weeks for the Gladiators, they got the job done. Next week they only have one game, and they face off against the Shanghai Dragons.
– Zach Stenzel
5. Hangzhou Spark – Record: 10-7 MPD: 0 (High: 5. Low: 9. LW: 6th)
The Spark continue to impress this stage, with consistent improvements and strong showings all around. Possibly more notable than their victory over the Washington Justice was their close match against the Vancouver Titans. After a crushing defeat the last time the two faced off, watching Hangzhou very nearly force a fifth map is a testament to their progress so far. With crucial matches this coming week against the Dallas Fuel and the Seoul Dynasty, there’s no better time for them to find their groove.
-Darby Joyce
6. Shanghai Dragons – Record: 9-7 MPD: -1 (High: 4. Low: 8. LW: 8th)
The Atlanta Reign in Week 2 was Shanghai’s hurdle to jump past, but Week 3 provides a mountain. Despite Week 1’s blowout against the Valiant, they’ll have to repeat that before facing their toughest foe of the stage, the LA Gladiators. Both teams have drastically improved since their last matchup in Stage 2 Week 1, but Shanghai still have more to fix before they beat LAG (aka the fourth map).
– Jacob Renie
7. Seoul Dynasty – Record: 10-8 MPD: +13 (High: 5. Low: 9. LW: 4th)
The Seoul Dynasty have had a great start to Stage 3, going 3-1 in 4 different sweeps. Week 3 presents Seoul their second toughest matchup, the Hangzhou Spark. Even if Seoul takes a loss this week, they’re in a good position to secure another spot in stage playoffs thanks to a weak Week 4, facing the Eternal and Hunters. Seoul have won the games they should’ve won, now with the Spark facing them down, they need to prove once again that they can win the tough matches.
– Dalton Jewell
8. London Spitfire – Record 11-6 MPD: +14 (High: 5. Low: 10. LW: 7th)
The Spitfire will face their rival this week once again, taking on the NYXL. In Week 1 of Stage 3 they were swept by NYXL, looking fazed by NYXL’s use of Saebyeolbe and Sombra. Now that they know what to look out for, expect a closer match. London are still facing the same issues from Season 1, namely their inconsistency of play. Regardless of the NYXL match, the Spitfire should walk away with a victory over the Justice, as any inconsistency shouldn’t affect the sheer amount of talent between the two teams.
– Robert Hanes
9. Houston Outlaws – Record: 5-12 MPD: -19 (High: 8. Low: 13. LW: 18th)
There was a time, two weeks ago, that this very power ranking had a bleak outlook for the Houston Outlaws. Oh how things have changed in two weeks. The Outlaws are now 2-1 in Stage 3, taking NYXL to a fifth map, defeating the Shock on a fifth map, and clean sweeping the Uprising. The Outlaws should be able to take a victory lap of their achievements so far in Week 3, facing the Eternal and Mayhem. While Paris has looked improved, if Houston plays their game it should result in two more victories.
– Dalton Jewell
10. Paris Eternal – Record: 8-10 MPD: -12 (High: 8. Low: 15. LW: 11th)
Despite their excellent first week back, no one expected the Eternal to be able to take down the NYXL. However, the fact they were able to take a map off one of the best teams in the Overwatch League is a good sign of progress. Paris also did well against the Florida Mayhem, though the Mayhem did give them a lot of trouble on Horizon Lunar Colony. Despite some questionable positioning choices, the Eternal’s new starting six are looking promising. Fans are excited to see where they will go from here.
– Kate Shepard
11. Los Angeles Valiant – Record 5-12 MPD: -11 (High: 9. Low: 14. LW: 13th)
Week 2 for the Los Angeles Valiant was a success, as they showed that, despite being low on the rankings, they’re at least on the higher end of the bottom teams. They’ve still got a long road ahead of them, but they’re certainly not the bottom of the barrel.
– Aaron Gerr
12. Philadelphia Fusion – Record: 9-8 MPD: -3 (High: 9. Low: 15. LW: 12th)
Going into Week 2, Fusion fans were not confident in how the team would perform. To the surprise of many, the Fusion decided to do something they haven’t done in a long time: play to their strengths. Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee and Josh “Eqo” Corona were finally freed from their GOATS prisons. Both popped off on characters such as Sombra, Genji, and Pharah. Fans were also delighted to see Gael “Poko” Gouzerch on Zarya, his true signature hero. The Fusion didn’t beat the Los Angeles Gladiators, but that series gave fans hope. On Sunday, the boys did not disappoint and pulled out their first win of the stage. Even with a rocky start on Ilios, the Fusion came back and reverse swept the Boston Uprising. Things are looking up for the Fusion. So long as they continue to play to their strengths, things will only continue to go up from here.
– Kate Shepard
13. Atlanta Reign- Record: 7-11 MPD: -5 (High: 11. Low: 15. LW: 10th)
Back-to-back wins against the NYXL have bought Atlanta some leeway in the conversation about where they stand. After the losses to rising Shanghai Dragons and Seoul Dynasty it’s uncertain if this team can turn things around quickly enough. Thankfully, they’re in a great position to do so against a floundering Fusion squad.
– Daron Scott
14. Dallas Fuel – Record: 10-8 MPD: -2 (High: 10. Low: 16. LW: 9th)
After losing against the Gladiators, Titans and Hunters, Dallas has begun to slip. The following weeks will be extremely difficult for the Fuel as their schedule is one of the toughest in the League. The upcoming matches puts Dallas in jeopardy of making season playoffs, which is the goal for the team. Should they buckle down and practice hard, they could take down stronger teams like the Gladiators and Shanghai.
– Ethan Cowan-Kazmi
15. Chengdu Hunters – Record: 7-10 MPD: -11 (High: 11. Low: 16. LW: 17th)
After a disappointing Week 1, the Hunters regained their form against the Dallas Fuel in Week 2. Zhihao “YangXiaoLong” Zhang was key in the victory, making wonderful plays all match. Week 3 presents the Hunters with tough matchups against the Titans and the Fuel. Way back in Stage 1 the Hunters gave the Titans all they could, taking the match to a fifth and final map with their DPS rollout. As the Titans have flexed on more heroes lately, fans could see more DPS than usual.
– Robert Hanes
16. Guangzhou Charge – Record: 6-11 MPD: -19 (High: 12. Low: 18. LW: 14th)
The Charge must be feeling frustrated right now, as they lost a very winnable game this past week and once again have an overall losing record for what should be their easiest stage. They look very strong at times, but at others seem to fall apart or over-commit to fights or strategies that just don’t work out. They play a very low-ranked Toronto team this week, and it should be a match in the bag, but if they lose it then nearly all playoff hopes will likely be dashed for them.
– Ethan Seftor
17. Toronto Defiant – Record: 7-9 MPD: -6 (High: 16. Low: 18. LW: 16th)
This week offers the Defiant their best opportunity for a victory, facing off against the Guangzhou Charge. Their schedule is only tougher after this week, facing top and mid-tier teams that have looked much better in Stage 3. Daniel “Gods” Graeser and Normunds “sharyk” Faterins have seemed out of step with the rest of the Defiant, no doubt due to a language barrier. With Kangjae “envy” Lee being traded, the Defiant have no choice but to field a Western and Korean split roster. Guangzhou will come out with everything they’ve got, and it’s tough to see the Defiant managing to grab a win, but this has got to be their best chance to do so.
– Dalton Jewell
18. Boston Uprising – Record: 7-11 MPD: -14 (High: 15. Low: 20. LW: 15th)
Suffering another pair of losses, the Uprising have yet to find the gel that sticks them together. Though they looked much cleaner against the Fusion on Sunday, this upcoming week brings the Shock. Despite their surprise loss against the Houston Outlaws, the Shock are still easily one of the best teams in the League. If they can find some footing, a win could come in their rematch against the Paris Eternal.
– Mallory McMahon
19. Washington Justice – Record: 2-15 MPD: -34 (High: 18. Low: 20. LW: 19th)
The Justice continue to frustrate, as they seemingly have all the skills required to be at least a decent team, but can’t get them all online at once. They’re in dire need of a confident shotcaller and a dose of courage. If that doesn’t change, their current schedule points at them inheriting the 0-7 crown borne by the Valiant and Outlaws before them.
– Rainee Scott
20. Florida Mayhem – Record: 1-15 MPD: -33 (High: 19. Low: 20. LW: 20th)
The Florida Mayhem continue to create competitive series against teams well above them in the standings. They had the opportunity to take two maps against both Seoul and Paris had they closed out Havana in each of those series. The Justice however, seem to continue to butt their heads against a wall. Because of this, and despite their constant memeing on, the Florida Mayhem deserve to be challenging them for the 19th spot in the power rankings. Time will tell just how long Florida will remain cemented to the bottom of these rankings.
– Sam O’Dwyer
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Our voters for OWL Power Rankings: Stage 3 Week 2- Bradley Long, Kate Shepard, Darby Joyce, Robert Hanes, Katie Gripne, Ethan Cowan-Kazmi, Mallory McMahon, Dalton Jewell, Zach Stenzel, Ethan Seftor, Miranda Rodriguez, Dave Grove, Sam Putney, Aaron Gerr, Sam O’Dwyer, Connor Knudsen, Jake Renie, Rainee Scott, Daron Scott, Will Harrison