This year, the staff here at The Game Haus came together to make their official picks for the Blizzcon quarterfinals coming up in November. While we all love to objectively report breaking news and meta changes, we also love to apply our knowledge of the game to form our opinions on who we think plays it best. So, really, whoever picks the most of these quarterfinals has the most knowledge of how the game works, right? Isn’t that how this works?
Well… Regardless, the picks are in! Here’s who The Game Haus staff sees as being victorious in each match of the Blizzcon quarterfinals. Let’s start with the matchup between France and Canada.
France vs Canada
Overall TGH pick: France
Zach Stenzel: Canada defeats France 3-2
France finished their group stage 5-0, in a group that did not have as much competition as others. Canada only lost to the USA, and put up a good fight. Expect this series to be a tight one, but Canada will come up on top in the end. Look to Lane “Surefour” Roberts to be the MVP of this series.
Ryan Lenihan: France defeats Canada 3-1
Both of these teams have shown a lot of promise in the qualifiers, but the pick here is pretty easy for me. France went undefeated in the group stage. Poko is the first player in Overwatch to have a move named after him (the Poko-bomb). Canada was founded by the French which means that France has basically always dominated Canada. That trend holds up here. France takes this one 3-1.
Kate Shepard: France defeats Canada
Canada obviously has strong individual players, but I feel like France is more cohesive as a team. I think they have a good shot at moving up to the semi-finals based on their performance at Paris.
David Grove: Canada defeats France 3-2
This is shaping up to be the most competitive quarterfinal match, in my opinion. The French team dominated with the home crowd during the final group stage in France. However, facing off against the next level ultimate coordination of Team Canada may prove to be their crux. Hopefully, the French fans will show up in force to offer their squad some encouragement. My money is on Jayne, XQC, Surefour and the rest of Team Canada taking this in game five 3-2.
WatchHaus Team: France defeats Canada
Links to each member’s picks can be found by clicking with their corresponding name below. The entirety of the Blizzcon Episode of WatchHaus can be found by clicking on the WatchHaus logo.
Connor Knudsen: Canada defeats France 3-2
Brandon Padilla: France defeats Canada 3-2
Katrina Weil: France defeats Canada 3-2
Finland vs China
Overall TGH pick: Finland
Kate Shepard: Finland defeats China
China was a pleasant surprise coming out of Thailand, but I do feel like Finland’s experience and seasoned roster will give them a significant advantage.
Zach Stenzel: Finland defeats China 3-1
Finland was not able to overcome the powerhouse that is South Korea, but they look strong coming into this quarterfinals. With a roster that boasts six Overwatch League talents, they should be able to beat China to move on to the semifinals. China will not go down without a fight, especially now that all their players got their Visas approved. Keep an eye on the support duo of Benjamin “BigGoose” Isohanni and Jonas “Shaz” Suovaara from the LA Gladiators to play extremely well together.
Ryan Lenihan: Finland defeats China 3-2
I’m unfamiliar with most of the players on the Chinese roster because none of them were in the 1st season of the Overwatch League. However, I do know talent when I see it and they looked GOOD in their group stage matches. Finland, on the other hand, is made of just solid OWL players and seeing as how I always like to pick at least one upset, I think this is my chance. Finland takes this tightly contested matchup 3-2.
David Grove: Finland defeats China 3-1
Finland’s OWL flooded roster fared very well against the South Korean Powerhouse during the Korean group stage. The flexibility of their roster offers endless answers against their opponent’s attacks. I personally see the DPS for Finland standing out in this quarterfinal win, handling Team China 3-1.
WatchHaus Team: Finland defeats China
Brandon Padilla: Finland defeats China 3-2
Connor Knudsen: Finland defeats China 3-2
Katrina Weil: China defeats Finland 3-1
USA vs UK
Overall TGH staff pick: USA
Ryan Lenihan: USA defeats UK 3-2
On paper, I think this is the most closely contested matchup of the quarterfinals. As a fusion fan, I really wanted to pick the UK here so that I could root for Boombox, but the cohesiveness and undefeated group stage résumé of the American team is too much to overcome. Another close one, USA wins it 3-2.
Zach Stenzel: USA defeats UK 4-0
The United States was not easily troubled by their opponents in the Los Angeles qualifiers. They rolled through the stage, easily taking games. They will look to do the same against the UK. This may be the USA’s year if the team can continue to gel well together. The UK did well to finish second in the Paris group stage but were easily defeated by team France. The USA should be able to breeze through to the semifinals. Watch for Zachary “ZachaREEE” Lombardo to get some time in this stage, and play at Overwatch League caliber.
Kate Shepard: USA defeats UK
Rare moment of patriotism on my part, but in all seriousness, the UK struggled a good bit during Paris. The USA dominated the Los Angeles group stage, and I don’t think the UK stands a chance against them.
David Grove: USA defeats UK 4-0
United Kingdom’s engine that carried them through the group stage will finally stall out. Team USA will demand respect following their commanding performance in the quarters as they await their more “preferred” opponents while they sweep UK off their feet 4-0.
WatchHaus Team: USA defeats UK
Katrina Weil: USA defeats UK 3-1
Connor Knudsen: USA defeats UK 4-0
Brandon Padilla: USA defeats UK 4-0
South Korea vs Australia
Overall TGH staff pick: South Korea
David Grove: SK defeats Australia 4-0
Clearly a no-brainer pick. Australia draws the short straw and will, unfortunately, be exiting the quarterfinals early. 4-0 sweet for South Korea.
Kate Shepard: SK defeats Australia
Press F to pay respects – this will probably be a stomp.
Ryan Lenihan: SK defeats Australia 4-0
If I recall correctly, South Korea has the top 3 finishers for the OWL MVP award on their team in Saebyeolbe, Carpe, and the eventual winner Jjonak. Australia, on the other hand, has heart, the Sydney Opera House, Bindi and Robert Irwin and really cool accents, but unfortunately, none of that translates to victories on Rialto or Nepal. South Korea takes this one in a sweep.
Zach Stenzel: SK defeats Australia 4-0
South Korea is widely regarded as the unbeatable team in Overwatch. They have won the past two Overwatch World Cups, and have not shown signs of slowing down. The plucky Australian team will look to take a map or two but realistically will fall quickly to South Korea. Look for Sung-Hyeon “JJoNak” Bang to pop off on his trademark Zenyatta.
WatchHaus Team: SK defeats Australia
Connor Knudsen: SK defeats Australia 4-0
Katrina Weil: SK defeats Australia 4-0
Brandon Padilla: SK defeats Australia 4-0
Thanks again to all of The Game Haus staff writers who submitted their picks for the quarterfinals. Be sure to check back in after the quarterfinals to see the staff’s picks for the semifinals.
Mei the best Haus Mate win!
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