Grading the Shock: How They did Against the Gladiators

This might seem like a somewhat stupid question at first.

After all, how they did can be somewhat discerned by the clean 4-0 that the Shock handed the hometown team.

The scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story though. There have been 4-0s that have actually been quite close in the past.

This wasn’t one of them. The Shock absolutely ran away with this game, clobbering the Gladiators for most of the match. San Francisco put the hammer down every time LA looked poised to break through, and kept it down even when GLA were on the back foot. But, looking back it is still worth asking, how did the individual pieces of the Shock perform against the Gladiators?

DPS: A-

Image Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

This was probably the weakest part of the Shock during this game.

Of course, describing any part of the Shock’s game as “weak” during the game is a laughable concept. The DPS were still on point throughout. But there were a few times where they didn’t look quite as sharp as the rest of the squad. Jay “Sinatraa” Won and friends were sharp, but there were a few instances of blatant over-extension that definitely stalled out the Shock a couple of times, especially on King’s Row.

This is really the only negative that one could even talk about, however. Basically all of the Shock’s colorful DPS lineup put in work on the admittedly limited hero selection of the current meta. Reaper, Doomfist, Bastion, Mei, Pharah, and even some Sombra was seen during the game. It may have been the “weak link”, but that’s like pointing out the weak link in the old New York Yankees’ Legendary Murderer’s Row lineup; it’s weak point is still incredibly strong.

Tanks: A+

Image Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

Sigma really has changed the meta game, hasn’t he?

The old scientist may have a few weak points, sure, but his double shield core with Orisa is warping the state of Overwatch.

Naturally, tank players are pretty important right now. The Shock’s tanks are getting the job done and then some. Myeong-hwan “Smurf” Yoo and Hyo-bin “ChoiHyoBin” Choi are fantastic at their chosen characters. The pressure that they provide for the team to take advantage of is staggering. This meta is largely dictated around who can get behind the shields first. Hence, the popularity of rushdown characters like Reaper and Doomfist. Choi and Smurf do a decent of keeping these characters off, and they do an even better job of getting their DPS behind the other team. It’s a fantastic asset to have good tanks in this meta, and these two fit the bill.

Supports: A

Image Courtesy of the Overwatch League

Here is the daily dose of obligatory “Shock has fantastic supports. The end”

The Shock’s support line has been absolutely fantastic for the whole season. Grant “Moth” Espe and Min-ki “Viol2t” Park have been lighting the league on fire for a while now. They are both easily amongst the best of the best in their respective roles. Lucio and Moira are both hugely important heroes and both Moth and Viol2t play the characters to perfection.

There honestly isn’t a whole lot to say here without repeating things that have been said time and time again. That’s honestly a testament to the Shock’s supports and their consistency. They have become so consistently good that it is hard to find new words to describe how well they are doing. And that is high praise.

Overall Grade: A

The Shock were absolutely fantastic during this game. They had the Gladiators pinned down at every corner. The Shock look ready to take on the Spark, and who knows? Maybe they will ride the momentum all the way to Philadelphia.

You can follow me on Twitter @GtSputnik or ping me on Discord (SputnikGT#2845) if you would like to talk Overwatch!

Follow The Game Haus for more sports and esports coverage.

Featured Photo Courtesy of the Overwatch League

Twitter: TGH Esports
Facebook: The Game Haus

“From our Haus to Yours”