San Francisco Shock: Stage 2 Week 1 Preview

Stage 1 was a smashing success for the Shock, as they only just came short of the ultimate prize. But that Stage is in the past now. The Shock should look towards the future, and what is to come for Stage 2.

Los Angeles Valiant (0-7)

Image Courtesy of the Los Angeles Valiant

Saying that the Valiant have fallen flat in Season 2 so far would be a huge understatement. Many teams that were predicted to be much worse than the Valiant have at least scraped a win or two, and yet LA still has a goose egg in the win column. That being said, LA still should be taken seriously, as there are several good players on the team. No team wants to be their first win either, and the Shock are no exception. There are still many good players on this team, but the overall team cohesion has been a huge problem. The Shock are the sort of team that feast on an uncoordinated squad, so this shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Shock Win 3-1

Player to Watch: Jay “Sinatraa” Won

Photo Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

The Valiant aren’t exactly the worlds most coordinated team, and that’s putting it lightly. Therefore, the Shock should be ready to rock and roll with their trademark hyper aggressive playstyle. That means that Sinatraa will be worth keeping an eye on. Sinatraa will be looking to tear apart the Valiant in their first game in Stage 2. No one truly knows what the meta will be, but rest assured that Sinatraa will be a force, whether he is on Zarya, Tracer, or even Wrecking Ball.

Guangzhou Charge (3-4)

Image Courtesy of the Overwatch League

The Charge have been pretty average so far in the Overwatch League. They’ve made some great plays, and had some great games, but they’ve also had many not so great plays and games as well. The Shock aren’t average at all. Quite the contrary. They should win this game as well, although the new meta could bring some new surprises to the table. The new balance changes could serve to disrupt the Shock’s hyper aggressive playstyle, which would make this game in particular much closer. It is entirely possible that the Shock will just run GOATs anyway. Even with this uncertainty, however, the Shock are the better team here.

Shock Win 3-1

Player to Watch: Dong-jun “Rascal” Kim

Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

Rascal was largely relegated to Brigitte duty in Stage 1, and this could be his time to shine. This is completely moot if the Shock continue to run GOATs, as Rascal is a solid but unspectacular Brigitte player. Where he really shines is his flexibility. A new meta can mean that a ton of different stuff will be tried and experimented with, and Rascal could be a huge asset if this is the case. Be sure to watch for him to potentially be trying out all sorts of new stuff.

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Featured Image Courtesy of The San Francisco Shock

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