Now that Overwatch League Week 14 is over, there is time to account for what happened across the league. More specifically, it is time to look at the perceptions of players, teams and how the league has changed through the 2020 OWL Season. A lot changes with every new hero pool, so this is very subjective. Welcome to the OWL Stonk Market.
Stonks Up: Seoul Dynasty
Calling this past week a rebound for the Dynasty may be an understatement. After losing nine straight maps including a sweep by the Shanghai Dragons, they came back this past week and beat the Dragons 3-2. It was a very close affair throughout but they did win in the end. The real question after this though is what will Seoul look like going forward. They always look their best playing double shield, but if Orisa is banned can they play a good dive? This upcoming week will hopefully help soothe the nerves of Dynasty fans since the team plays the Chengdu Hunters. On the other hand, it is Chengdu.
Stonks Down: NYXL
Just when the fans think you are good again, you do something questionable. In their 3-1 loss versus the Guangzhou Charge they made questionable lineup choices at best. They put Whoru back on Mei when he is not good at that hero at all. Additionally, they also ran Genji-Doomfist comps on various maps which makes almost no sense. After a near upset of the Shanghai Dragons things seemed to be looking up for the NYXL, but now fans are just left with more questions than answers.
Stonks Up: Paris Eternal
The Paris Eternal are a top five team in OWL, everyone all together now. The Eternal’s win over the LA Gladiators only cements that point. Without Xzi and Fielder on 200 ping they beat the Gladiators in 3-1 fashion. Soon and Nico have done admirable jobs on DPS while Hanbin has been a revelation this year. Just think, at the end of this month Sp9rk1e will finally be eligible. The eternal are poised to go on a run and be possibly even a top four team by season’s end. Watch out everyone, they are coming.
Stonk Down: Washington Justice
Yes they won but that isn’t the problem. This past week Corey and Stratus retired from pro Overwatch for various reasons. This is a massive blow to an already struggling Washington Justice team and the league as a whole. Not only did the Justice lose their best player but they lost one of the best hitscan players in OWL. He lead Team USA to its first OWWC win and instantly became a fan favorite. Stratus meanwhile leaves as one of the most beloved personalities in the league and will be greatly missed. The Justice have not announced their replacements but it will be tough to fill their roles, especially Corey.
Stonks Up: Guangzhou Charge
This is unexpected. The Charge are the cream of the crop in Asia for May Madness right now. The team sits at 3-0 after beating the Seoul Dynasty, NYXL and London Spitfire in relatively dominant fashion. All of this meanwhile comes while Neptuno can not play because he is back in Spain for visa reasons. Nero is proving to people that he is one of the best flex DPS in OWL and Cr0ng is answering many questions people had about him taking Hotba’s place in the offseason. How long this peak lasts, no one knows. Nero will have to come back to the US for visa reasons and that could spell doom for the Charge, but for now they are the kings of the world.
Stonks Down: Vancouver Titans
Obviously if a team drops its entire roster and picks up contenders players, it will be a stonk down. The Titans management and the players could not get along and in turn one of the most famous rosters in Overwatch history was disbanded. All that being said, who they picked up should make the team very exciting. Carcar has had tier two success on Fusion University, Dalton and Roolf played at the Gauntlet for Gladiators Legion and KSAA was one of the more interesting players from this past years Overwatch World Cup. While it may seem like dark times now, the team has some great pieces that can become parts of a good team.
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What do you think? Tell Christian on Twitter at @TheWiz_SPM.
Featured image courtesy of Overwatch League.
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