This week the Overwatch League North America May Melee champion San Francisco Shock return to play. Last week, the Dragons made their debut after their tournament championship with a clean 3-0 sweep. Now, with new faces joining different teams, the competitive spirit continues to rage. Same as last week, Echo, Sombra, D.Va and Brigitte are excluded from play this week. This week has two hot matches to watch, mainly the Shock versus Eternal and the Valiant versus the Mayhem. Both of these feature underdogs that have shown flashes of brilliance, and are looking to build their hype even further. On the other side, the Shock and Mayhem will look to continue their absolute dominance over the NA region, with almost cruise-like efficiency. With all of that covered, here are The Game Haus power rankings heading into Week 20.
(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)
2. Shanghai Dragons (High: 1 Low: 3 LW: 2nd)
The Dragons came out of their championship run in the May Melee and promptly swept the Spitfire. After struggling and going to a map five in the first round of the May Melee, it was comforting to see the Dragons completely shut them out. Unfortunately, the Dragons aren’t gaining any cred in defeating mid-tier opponents and this week’s Hunters match won’t move them anywhere in the rankings barring a loss. The Dragons are a fierce team that many want to see consistently play against other top-tier teams like the Shock and Fusion, but it could be a long time before that is feasibly possible.
- Dalton Jewell
3. Philadelphia Fusion (High: 2 Low: 6 LW: 3rd)
The Fusion took care of business last weekend against a struggling Outlaws team. This week’s games might be a little tougher as the re-surging Uprising are next. Hee-Su “Heesu” Jeong continues to look great and fans should look forward to him making an impression this weekend.
- Rocco Romeo
T4. New York Excelsior (High: 3 Low: 7 LW: 6th)
The NYXL had a new look in Hyo-jong “Haksal” Kim’s debut, pairing him alongside Yeon-kwan “Nenne” Jeong. This team was not the cool and collected NYXL of old, and the strategy paid off. Sweeping another top tier APAC team in the Dynasty, the NYXL are showing another gear. The new aggressive style of play matches more with what the current meta succeeds with, and it is exciting to see that the NYXL have embraced it. This week’s matches against the Spark and Spitfire will allow them to show that this wasn’t a one-off, and that the NYXL are adapting.
- Dalton Jewell
T4. Florida Mayhem (High: 2 Low: 8 LW: 5th)
Another week, another win for the Mayhem. Now on a six-game regular-season win streak, the Mayhem seem to be on cruise control during the matches against most other North American teams. This week they play the Valiant, a small step up from the small fries they have been beating up on, and so it’s just another opportunity for the Mayhem to solidify themselves as one of the best.
- Sam O’Dwyer
6. Paris Eternal (High: 6 Low: 10 LW: 7th)
The once middling Paris Eternal are looking to add their name to the conversation as one of the top teams in the Overwatch League, and they received a massive boost this weekend. Young DPS prodigy Yeong-han “SP9RK1E” Kim had a spectacular debut for the Eternal last Saturday as they took down a resurging Boston Uprising team in five maps. The Eternal’s victory comes off the back of multiple teamfight-winning Nano-Blades provided by SP9RK1E’s Genji. Paris need to build off the positive momentum SP9RK1E has provided in order to have a shot in their upcoming match against the San Francisco Shock this Saturday.
- Barry Giglio
7. Guangzhou Charge (High: 4 Low: 12 LW: 9th)
8. Seoul Dynasty (High: 3 Low: 11 LW: 4th)
The match against the NYXL showed that the Dynasty have a lot of room to still grow and improve. They are a team that are really meta dependent. Their match facing the Charge will show how much their struggles are in hero limitation or in strategies for the matches.
- Lauren “daebakowl” Olson
9. Los Angeles Valiant (High: 6 Low: 11 LW: 8th)
Another week, another Valiant win. The team once again showed their prowess across multiple metas and rolled the Justice in 3-0 fashion. This upcoming week will be their biggest test outside of the Shock. They face the Mayhem who some may call the second-best team in NA. A win this week would be a massive statement.
- Christian Wisniewski
10. Los Angeles Gladiators (High: 8 Low: 12 LW: 11th)
This team is consistently getting slept on. After a 3-1 against Atlanta, there is little doubt that the Gladiators are a strong team and once they can consistently beat higher-ranked teams, they will finally move up the standings. For now, they will stay in the middle of the pack and look to pick up a nice win against the Houston Outlaws.
- Rob Hanes
11. Atlanta Reign (High: 7 Low: 13 LW: 10th)
The Atlanta Reign set the new record for the fastest attack on Blizzard World last weekend but unfortunately went on to lose a grueling game against the LA Gladiators. An appearance from the legendary Joon “Erster” Jeong was enough to prove he does in fact still exist- but was not enough to turn the game in favor of the Reign. Atlanta continue to struggle to find their footing, specifically with regard to adapting on the fly to match their opponent’s in-game changes. The Reign have an excellent track record against this weeks’ opponents, the Toronto Defiant, but should by no means underestimate this team or expect an easy win.
- Rhiannon Boyce
12. Hangzhou Spark (High: 8 Low: 15 LW: 12th)
13. Dallas Fuel (High: 10 Low: 17 LW: 14th)
Dallas move up one spot in the rankings despite a heavy-handed loss to the Mayhem. Plenty of bright spots shone through in the match however, something that Fuel fans can always focus on. Gui-un “Decay” Jang continues to be a beast unleashed when he’s left unchecked and can carry the team by himself at times. The pick-up of Nolan “Paintbrush” Edwards also looked good, although there were times when the synergy was off. Overall, the Fuel are looking strong, but not quite top-tier. There’s work to be done but there’s also hope along with it.
- Dalton Jewell
14. London Spitfire (High: 12 Low: 18 LW: 13th)
First week back but a forgettable one against the Shanghai Dragons. To be fair, the Spitfire are much younger and not anywhere near the Dragons’ level at this time. That said they need to start showing growth at this point in the season. This coming week will be a good chance for them to do so against the Hunters and NYXL. Hopefully, they can be competitive and win some much-needed maps for the Summer tournament.
- Rob Hanes
15. Chengdu Hunters (High: 13 Low: 18 LW: 15th)
16. Houston Outlaws (High: 13 Low: 19 LW: 16th)
Every time the Outlaws get their feet under them, the hill just gets steeper. Starting João Pedro “Hydration” Goes Telles at main tank has been a noticeable improvement for the team, but it not enough of one to net them any wins. After a solid stomp from the Fusion last week, they next face the Gladiators (newly featuring NA Contenders champ Kevin “kevster” Persson) and the dominant Mayhem. Unless something incredibly unexpected happens, Houston’s looking at a summer of anything but love.
- Jezi Scott
17. Boston Uprising (High: 16 Low: 19 LW: 18th)
Hang in there Boston fans, because the Uprising are oh so close to breaking free of their losing ways. Another absolute nail-biter falls to the opposition, but the Uprising are certainly looking far better than before. Boston, unfortunately, has to face Philly this week, but it still remains an excellent test to see if Boston can continue to battle top teams.
- Bryan “Brock” Rockwood
18. Toronto Defiant (High: 15 Low: 19 LW: 17th)
The second time around, the Toronto Defiant displayed a more dominant means of playstyle in the Battle of Canada, sweeping the Vancouver Titans 3-0. This is certainly a good start for this team of veterans, proving that they’ve got the right parts to earn a win. A tough bout is ahead of them against the struggling Atlanta Reign. If the Defiant can topple this team, their upswing could gain true momentum, and put some legitimacy on their name when it comes to rising through the ranks.
- Mallory McMahon
19. Washington Justice (High: 18 Low: 20 LW: 19th)
The Justice were swept by the Valiant last weekend, and it was hard to watch. Ho-Sung “TTuba” Lee performed admirably on the Mei and Hanzo, but the meta doesn’t rely on these heroes very often. TTuba got picks on Hanzo that just couldn’t match the consistent harass of a hero like Ashe. On Volskaya, the issues of positioning and focus reared their heads. Whether this is an example of a roster with minimal time together or coaching, it’ll need to improve if the Justice want to move anywhere in the standings. If last week was difficult for the squad, this week might be an even tougher pill to swallow.
- Dalton Jewell
20. Vancouver Titans (High: 19 Low: 20 LW: 20th)
This week saw the Titans lose the Battle for Canada in a 3-0 loss to a resurgent Defiant. Despite the loss, there was plenty of strong play shown. Dalton “Dalton” Bennyhof and Niclas “sHockWave” Jensen continue to impress, delivering outstanding performances on heroes like Ashe, Widowmaker, and Tracer. Alhumaidi “KSAA” Alruwaili also had standout moments on the Sigma. In the end, a loss is still a loss. The backline still needs improvement or else the Titans may continue to falter.
- Ethan Butler
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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