Overwatch League: San Francisco Shock Stage 3 Preview

The Shock are riding high after a triumphant Stage Two, in which they didn’t lose a map for the entire stage and beat the Vancouver Titans to take the stage championship.

But this is stage three now. This stage could bring on a whole new set of challenges, but the Shock should still be in good shape. This will take a look at what the Shock can expect in Stage Three

Roster Changes

The Shock followed the philosophy of “Don’t Mess with Perfection”. That’s really all that needs to be said here.

Week One

The Shock have one game in week one, where they play the Atlanta Reign in the first game of the stage. The Reign have had a pretty rough go of it since the departure of Daniel “Dafran” Francesca, and have been decidedly mid table after he left the team. They aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but they aren’t a huge threat. It’s never a good idea to underestimate any team, however, and Stage Three could bring all sorts of wacky new threats, so the Shock should tread carefully.

Week Two

Image Courtesy of the San Francisco Shock

The Shock play two games in week two, where they match up against the Outlaws and the Dynasty. To put it bluntly, the Outlaws have been absolutely horrendous in season two. They were dead last in stage two and are currently in a fight with Washington and Florida in order to avoid being the worst team overall. This team was already hugely reliant on meta shifts back in season one. The “Jakerat” comparisons became a meme, but it was fairly true; the Outlaws need a favorable meta to be a good team. GOATs is really not kind to them, and they have fallen off a cliff as a result. The Dynasty are another team that seems to be perpetually stuck as a somewhat mid table contender, although flashes of their old brilliance still appear at times. The Shock should be careful of Seoul.

Week Three

The Shock’s week three schedule features another mid table squad in Boston and the worst team in the league in Florida. Boston was the first team to ever go undefeated in a stage. They were the big shock of season one, as they actually ended up being a threat after many predicted them to be the absolute worst team in the league. They still have potential, but they have somewhat fallen from grace as of recently. Florida….well, they are Florida. They’ve only won one game this season, and that’s all that really needs to be said about that. Florida is really not good at the moment, even considering their few interesting additions that they have made recently.

Week Four

Image Courtesy of the London Spitfire

Week four features the Shock playing the Hunters first. The Hunters are always an entertaining team to watch thanks to their unconventional playstyle, but this strategy of off the cuff compositions hasn’t worked out super great for them. They have the potential to compete with any team in the league, but their weirdness can sometimes work against them. Finally, the Shock play the Spitfire in what will likely be their toughest matchup of the stage. The season one champs are a formidable opponent for anyone, and the Shock must play at their best if they are to take this matchup.

Week Five

The Shock will not be traveling to Atlanta. As such, they play no games this week.

Conclusion

This is admittedly not a super tough schedule, and the Shock have many places where they can potentially gain and keep momentum during this stage. Expect the Shock to once again compete for the top spot of the stage; maybe they will keep their impressive winning streak going.

You can follow Sam on Twitter @GtSputnik or ping him 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 San Francisco Shock

Twitter: TGH Esports
Facebook: The Game Haus

“From our Haus to Yours”