
This week the Overwatch League returns to play two weeks after the conclusion of the May Melee. With the Dragons and Shock champions of the Asiatic and North American regions respectively, a new quest begins. This month, the Summer Showdown, and qualifiers begin this weekend. They’ll last for the next three weeks before the tournament begins on the fourth week. Also, this format brings a change to the hero pools, as they’ll last the next two weeks of play. The heroes out are Echo, Sombra, D.Va and Brigitte. This will be a bit of a departure to the meta that developed over the course of the May Melee. This week brings many matches to highlight, like the Battle for Canada part two, and two of the top teams in the NYXL and Dynasty matchup. With all of that covered, here are The Game Haus power rankings heading into Week 19.
(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)
There is no doubt that the Shock are the best team playing in North America currently. That said, there are plenty who could reasonably argue that the team currently below them on these rankings could be the best team in the OWL. Unfortunately because of COVID, fans may have to wait to see this matchup. Either way, the Shock will have to continue to win and win in convincing fashion to hold this spot.
Shanghai are clearly one of the top two teams in the Overwatch League. They’ve steadily been at the top over the past few weeks and the May Melee tournament gave them a chance to prove it. While it may take a while for fans to get a masterclass match between the Shock and the Dragons, be sure it will be unmissable entertainment. One thing is almost certain, Jae Won “Lip” Lee is gunning for rookie of the year, and he may be unstoppable.
The Philadelphia Fusion were poised to make the finals of the May Melee until they met a surging Mayhem team. The Fusion look to get back on track against a struggling Outlaws team and make another push for the summer tournament.
The Seoul Dynasty showed that even though they were in ranked last place for the APAC region that they are a force to be reckoned with ending in second place behind the Shanghai Dragons. With a small break, the Seoul Dynasty took a relaxing retreat, but will definitely be coming prepared. They’ll have a tough match right out the gate against another team that was toppled by the Dragons, the NYXL. The Dynasty are poised to show the APAC region that they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
Image credit: Stewart Volland for Blizzard Entertainment
The Mayhem are in the best run of form in the organization’s history. Off the back of a second-place finish in the May Melee tournament, Florida should now be a team that’s expected to clean up shop against most other teams in their region, as there are very few teams in North America that are completely put together. They face a burgeoning Dallas Fuel squad in their next OWL fixture, and so the Mayhem will need to play to the same level they have been in order to continue their upwards trajectory.
The NYXL were able to make it to the semifinal in the May Melee and were promptly swept by the Dragons. Looking at where this team could improve, the NYXL got one of the most coveted free-agents in Hyojong “Haksal” Kim. He immediately makes the DPS line-up even more frightening, and after only decent showings from Seung-jun “WhoRu” Lee, Haksal most likely becomes the starter. With five DPS signed, it is likely that one will either transition to coaching, get dropped, or traded. Who it will be remains to be seen, however all eyes are on 2019 Overwatch League Rookie of the Year Haksal coming into this week.
The long-awaited debut of SP9RK1E has arrived and Eternal fans are ecstatic, as they should be. They have been waiting for the prodigious DPS to start for a while and luckily for them, the rest of the team has really started to come together during this time. Once SP9RK1E gets through the nerves, he instantly makes this team a major contender and it will be interesting to see just how far this team can go now that all their pieces are in place.
Alright, it is time to be fully bought in on the LA Valiant. The Valiant have outperformed expectations many experts had coming into this season. They have extremely talented DPS players, and an underrated support line along with a pretty good tank line. This team may not pop outside of the DPS, but they are very good everywhere. Even better, the team seems to enjoy playing together, and their cohesion helps push stronger teams to their limits.
The Guangzhou Charge were able to secure a first-round bye for the May Melee, but were unable to stave off the charging Dynasty. The Charge still are a formidable team, still holding onto their slot in the top ten, but they’re not yet in the elite status. With other teams like the NYXL signing elite-level players, the Charge are going to be hoping for a speedy return of Charlie “nero” Zwarg, who had to leave due to visa reasons. If this team can continue their impressive play throughout June, they’ll be hungry for revenge come the next tournament.
Image courtesy of Robert Paul for the Overwatch League
Atlanta opened the May Melee tournament with a strong victory over the Toronto Defiant but fell spectacularly in the next round to the Florida Mayhem. They must break this habit of underestimating teams like the Mayhem if they wish to finish the 2020 season strong. They have an incredibly talented roster yet they continue to play as though they aren’t sure how to combine their players effectively. Now that they’ve had a break, and with the changes coming to Hero Pools, this is Atlanta’s chance to dominate the rest of the 2020 season.
The May Melee Tournament was a bittersweet time for LA. They shutout the Washington Justice in three maps, and lost decisively to the elite Philadelphia Fusion 3-1. Inconsistencies continue to show with the team’s performance, and they just need to figure out their strategy for a number of specific maps to be a true contender.
Though the Spark had previous success against the Dynasty, Seoul were able to get the better of them with a signature 3-0 game. Unfortunately, Hangzhou were not able to win a single map during the May Melee tournament which leaves them in the middle of the pack going into the second half of the season. Things are looking up for the team with new additions to the organization. They’ll need to come out strong as nothing is guaranteed in this league.
The London Spitfire had to face off with the Dragons to get anywhere in the May Melee, and unfortunately were unable to win. While they did lose the match, they performed exceptionally well. Far better than anyone predicted. This is a team that is always showing steady signs of improvement and may continue to surprise teams that underestimate them. Gilseong “Glister” Lim shined through on the Ashe while Hyeonwook “Although” Jung followed up with his Echo. The team played pretty static heroes, and it will be interesting to see how their play might have to change in the face of hero pools once again.
Dallas’ performance in the May Melee reflects how far they’ve come from their bottom tier status earlier in the season. In the weeks since the tournament, the Fuel have had a few roster changes, including the departure of Zachary “Zachareee” Lombardo and the addition of Nolan “Paintbrush” Edwards. It’ll be interesting to see how these changes affect how they play, particularly as Dallas has been adamant in developing their support lineup.
Courtesy of Blizzard
While the May Melee went as many expected, the Hunters’ performance against the NYXL was a bit of a surprise. Managing to push the team to the brink, forcing a map five shows loads of promise for this team that is consistently inconsistent. The Hunters aren’t playing this weekend which will allow them more time to practice with the revamped hero-pools. Hopefully, this extra practice will shine in their performances next week.
The Houston Outlaws are currently sailing through rough waters, and all signs point to it getting worse before it gets better. They were knocked out of the May Melee in their first match against the resurging Dallas Fuel by a 3-1 scoreline. Houston simply had no answer for Dallas’ star DPS Jang “Decay” Gui-un as he tore them apart on both Ashe and Widowmaker. The Outlaws now face a murderers’ row of matchups, with their next three games against the Philadelphia Fusion, Los Angeles Gladiators and Florida Mayhem. Adding to the challenge, the starting main tank role remains a big question mark for Houston. Will they continue to field DPS-turned-tank João Pedro “Hydration” Goes Telles, or will they fall back on their long-time starting main tank Austin “Muma” Wilmot?
May brought about one of the toughest schedules of the season for the Toronto Defiant. In the end, they barely managed to edge out the fresh new faces of the Vancouver Titans to earn their place in the May Melee. With a new face in the mix, however, and a more flexible time, there’s hope for this Canadian team yet. A rematch for the Battle of Canada marks a good chance for this team to come back, and earn a much-needed win in this new month.
Despite their early exit from the May Melee, Boston looks to bounce back from their poor first-half performance in a big way. Several roster additions have bolstered the confidence of the Uprising, and it appears as though confidence is all this team needed to be competitive again. Their tough schedule for June starts against Paris, and another close match will certainly help Boston’s stock.
The Justice were predictably swept out of the May Melee by the Gladiators. Now the retooled Washington Justice got the time they needed to work on team communication. With a full Korean roster this team can begin their redemption arc. Newly signed, former Titans Chunghee “Stitch” Lee and HyunWoo “JJanu” Choi will be counted on to lead the charge. They don’t have an easy path to success going into Summer Showdown qualifiers. They’ll face the three Californian teams, all ranked within the top-ten over the next three weeks. This is the time to see who the new Justice are.
Image via Vancouver Titans
Coming off an impressive showing in a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Defiant, the new Vancouver Titans squad are still on the hunt for that elusive first win. Niclas “ShockWave” Jensen addition has given them a bit of explosive power that was missed in their earlier games. Allowing Dalton “Dalton” Bennyhof to thrive on his signature heroes will continue to provide good results. With a couple weeks off to rest and continue to improve their synergy, they will hope to come up on top in their rematch with Toronto. It’s Titans v Defiant for the Canada Cup round 2.
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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