With Week 3 of Stage 3 wrapping up for the Overwatch League, there was a monumental upset. The retooled LA Valiant handed the Vancouver Titans their first ever regular-season match loss, and fans went wild. A resurgent Houston was felled by the old-guard in Florida, and Sombra is proving to be a key factor in most match-ups. With only Week 4 standing in the way of the Atlanta Homestand, some teams are going to be playing for their stage playoff lives. Here’s how the TGH crew ranked the teams heading into Week 4.
(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: 19-1 MPD: +50 (High: 1. Low: 3. LW: 1st)
It turns out a 19 game winning streak buys you some cushion when it comes to the power rankings. Despite suffering their first loss of the regular season, the Vancouver Titans keep the top spot on the strength of their performance leading up to this moment. If they don’t want to make a habit out of losing, however, they need to clean up their play both with and against Sombra moving forward. Up next, a rematch against the other LA team, then a bye week before Stage 3 playoffs.
– Bradley Long
2. San Francisco Shock – Record: 15-4 MPD: +45 (High: 1. Low: 2. LW: 2nd)
Ever since their loss to the Outlaws, the Shock have been playing angry. With three consecutive sweeps, the Shock look back in Stage 2 form. However, Week 3 only featured lower tier teams in the Uprising and Mayhem. The Shock have the unfortunate mantle of losing to a team, the Outlaws, that lost to the Mayhem. With Chengdu and London up at bat for Week 4, the Shock will need to be prepared for more DPS in the lineup. Thankfully, the pure talent and skill on this team should lead them to victory over both opponents, and another chance for a stage playoff title.
– Dalton Jewell
3. New York Excelsior – Record 16-2 MPD: +38 (High: 1. Low: 4. LW: 3rd)
Even though they struggled a bit against the Spitfire, New York are starting to play more to their strengths with Jong-ryeol “Saebeyolbe” Park making his way back on stage. It seems as though the team will be stuck in third until the end of the stage as they wont play anyone challenging from here on. Their true test will be to finally make some headway in the Stage 3 playoffs, where the top teams have been getting it done.
– Miranda Rodriguez
4. Hangzhou Spark – Record: 12-7 MPD: +4 (High: 3. Low: 5. LW: 5th)
With two more wins in the bag, the Spark have an opportunity to finish out Stage 3 with an impressive 6-1 record. A decisive victory over the Fuel worked in their favor this week, while a tougher match against the Dynasty revealed that Hangzhou still has a few more weaknesses to patch up before Stage 4. Still, this stage has established them among the league’s top teams. If they can keep up the momentum and take home wins over the Valiant and the Mayhem, they have the chance to lock in a solid seed for stage playoffs.
-Darby Joyce
5. Los Angeles Gladiators – Record: 12-7 MPD: +17 (High: 5. Low: 8. LW: 4th)
The Los Angeles Gladiators fell to the Shanghai Dragons in Week 3, falling to a 3-2 record. They will face the Toronto Defiant and Vancouver Titans in Week 4 to finish off their Stage 3 campaign. The city of Los Angeles is responsible for the first regular season loss to the Titans (Shout out the Valiant) and the Gladiators will try to emulate that result. A win against Toronto is expected, putting them on at least 4 wins, which should still put the Gladiators in a Stage 3 Playoff spot.
– Zach Stenzel
6. Seoul Dynasty – Record: 10-9 MPD: +12 (High: 4. Low: 8. LW: 7th)
Seoul are unfair to rank because they have the most dynamic roster rotations in the league. Their 3-2 record in Stage 3 showcases a team that has carved out a nook in the mid-tier. They can beat lesser teams like Atlanta but then look outclassed against foes like San Francisco and Hangzhou. The Dynasty should win out against both Paris and Chengdu this upcoming week, so their stage playoff lives are once again in their hands.
– Daron Scott
7. Shanghai Dragons – Record: 10-8 MPD: -1 (High: 5. Low: 9. LW: 6th)
Despite Shanghai losing to the Valiant, they bounced back rather quickly & thumped the Gladiators. More credit should be given to the Valiant playing well rather than the Dragons spurting downward, and it showed versus Vancouver. As Shanghai is still a top ten team in the league, they’ll have a much more relaxed schedule to finish out Stage 3.
– Jacob Renie
8. Los Angeles Valiant – Record 7-12 MPD: -7 (High: 6. Low: 9. LW: 10th)
After an upset of the week by the Valiant squad, they’ve earned themselves a major boost to the middle of the pack. It seems they’ve completely found their stride with Johannes “Shax” Nielsen and Russel “FCTFCTN” Campbell in the lineup. They’ve been running more DPS and Sombra, and have looked all the better for it. Now, it’s just a question of outclassing their opponents as they did against the Titans.
– Aaron Gerr
9. London Spitfire – Record 12-7 MPD: +14 (High: 5. Low: 9. LW: 8th)
The Spitfire ended up with a split over Week 3, which came closer than they would’ve wanted. Against NYXL they pushed the match to a fifth map, and overall looked more comfortable against Saebyeolbe and the Sombra plays. However, they still couldn’t get it done. This inability to get it done almost reared its head against the Justice, which would’ve kicked off the other upsets over the weekend. London clearly didn’t game plan as much for the Justice, instead, focusing their attention on their rival NYXL. A tough Week 4 lies ahead for the Spitfire, with the 4-1 Valiant and Shock up at bat.
– Dalton Jewell
10. Houston Outlaws – Record: 6-13 MPD: -19 (High: 9. Low: 12. LW: 9th)
Okay, yeah. That happened. But to be fair, Houston’s loss to Florida could just be a fluke. They weren’t even the most shocking 3-1 loss of the day, and the Mayhem looked better than they have in months. Meanwhile, Houston’s showing against Paris was strong and they’re still on an upward trajectory. If they struggle against Washington or Toronto, there may be reason to worry, but there’s still confidence in Houston to come out with a 5-2 stage record. They’ve looked strong from the beginning, even with a couple of unexpected results along the way.
– Rainee Scott
11. Philadelphia Fusion – Record: 10-8 MPD: -2 (High: 10. Low: 15. LW: 12th)
The Philadelphia Fusion had a great game against the Atlanta Reign this weekend. There is a brewing rivalry of sorts between the two teams. However, each time that they have faced off, the Fusion came out on top. This weekend was no exception. The Fusion proved that they once again are the better team out of the two. Allowing the team to run more DPS based compositions has been working in their favor. They’re starting to look more and more like the wild, rambunctious team that captured fans hearts last season. Fans are eager to see more, and cannot wait to see what the last weeks of the stage will bring. – Kate Shepard
12. Paris Eternal – Record: 8-12 MPD: -15 (High: 10. Low: 16. LW: 11th)
Paris had a rough weekend; not only did they suffer a major loss to the Houston Outlaws, they also got reverse swept by the Boston Uprising. Two losses in a row will definitely take a toll on morale, but the boys have made a lot of progress this stage. They’ve got one final match ahead of them, and it’s going to be a tough one. Facing off against the Seoul Dynasty is no easy task. The Eternal will have a lot of work to do this week if they want to close out the stage with a win under their belt.
– Kate Shepard
13. Chengdu Hunters – Record: 8-11 MPD: -11 (High: 10. Low: 15. LW: 15th)
Chengdu split Week 3 1-1, which was the expected result. The Titans looked more comfortable going against the Hunters than they did back in Stage 1, and the result was a 3-1 victory for the Titans. Chengdu came out swinging against Dallas, and they’ll need that same swagger against the Shock and Dynasty for Week 4. The Shock proved that more DPS causes them trouble, as showcased in their match against the Outlaws. Chengdu can prove that their play is improving with strong showings in Week 4, but unfortunately it won’t be enough to grab a stage playoff spot.
– Dalton Jewell
14. Guangzhou Charge – Record: 7-11 MPD: -15 (High: 12. Low: 16. LW: 16th)
Guangzhou pulled off a huge showing this week against the Defiant and looked the best they have all season. It’s clear that while individuals are improving still, the Charge’s decision to lean into DPS comps has been the right one, and the team composition has been improving as well. They cannot let up, however, as their next two games are against a very powerful foe: Shanghai. In order to make stage playoffs, they’ll need to take one of these matches; a difficult feat but not impossible by any means.
– Ethan Seftor
15. Atlanta Reign- Record: 7-12 MPD: -6 (High: 10. Low: 16. LW: 13th)
Atlanta’s struggles continue as another 5-map series is lost. If they want to change their losing narrative, this team desperately needs to figure out how to close opponents out. They have this upcoming week off, resting before the Atlanta Homestand in Week 5. Week 5 will also present the Reign with their best opportunity to avoid a winless Stage 3, with matches against the Defiant and Mayhem.
– Daron Scott
16. Boston Uprising – Record: 8-12 MPD: -17 (High: 13. Low: 18. LW: 18th)
The Boston Uprising did what they do best and turned the tides of their losing streak. In true Boston fashion, they found success in a reverse sweep of the Paris Eternal. Next week, they have one game against the Philadelphia Fusion. The last time these two teams met, Philly got the upper hand. If Boston plays as they did, they could stand a chance at getting another shot at revenge. Either way, Stage 4 is looking better for the boys in blue.
– Mallory McMahon
17. Dallas Fuel – Record: 10-10 MPD: -9 (High: 14. Low: 18. LW: 14th)
Identity crisis for Dallas. After having an easier first half of the season, their schedule kicked into overdrive. This led to them not knowing what they are good at or what to do. It is expected that the Fuel will end the stage with one win. Major team changes have to happen if they are going to turn the season around. Not necessarily roster changes, but overall team play and coordination.
– Ethan Cowan-Kazmi
18. Florida Mayhem – Record: 2-16 MPD: -35 (High: 14. Low: 20. LW: 20th)
Who would have thought that the Florida Mayhem would have been able to put a win on the board BEFORE their new roster is fully assembled? The Mayhem looked legitimately good for most of the match against a resurging Houston team. In the Mayhem’s series last week against Paris they could have gone to a map five had they secured the map victory on Havana as they likely should have. This is a level of competitiveness that the Washington Justice have not been able to showcase as of yet, and therefore, the Florida Mayhem finally rise out of the 20th position in the power rankings this week.
– Sam O’Dwyer
19. Toronto Defiant – Record: 7-10 MPD: -10 (High: 17. Low: 20. LW: 17th)
An 0-4 loss to the Charge has driven this team to the bottom of the rankings very quickly. They are clearly having some growing pains as they try to bring their new lineup together. It seems as though this team is playing for 2020 instead of 2019 at this point. With four more matches this stage, it’s quite possible the Defiant will follow the Valiant and Outlaws with a winless stage.
– Robert Hanes
20. Washington Justice – Record: 2-16 MPD: -35 (High: 16. Low: 20. LW: 19th)
Washington possibly played their best game of the year against the Spitfire as they almost started the trend of upsets for the weekend. They are starting to gel and are no longer an easy win. Until they get their first win though they will remain near the bottom of the power rankings.
– Robert Hanes
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Our voters for OWL Power Rankings: Stage 3 Week 3- 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,