Week 3 in the Overwatch League brought about such a crazy mess of matches, even power rankings are difficult to run. The Valiant turned from a zero to a hero, and the Dragons escaped with a win this week. 3-1 this stage and 10-8 overall, Shanghai still remains in the playoff hunt.
Image Courtesy of @LiimitLiz
Doubling their overall wins in this stage alone, the Valiant have been dominant in all facets. Thumping Shanghai in a controlling 3-1 loss, this can be largely due to their new playstyle. Bringing in Russell “FCTFCTN” Campbell and Johannes “Shax” Nielsen told a different tale than their last matchup. The Dragons got a taste of their own medicine versus Sombra, along with Young-seo “KariV” Park hitting almost every sleep dart imaginable. Shanghai had taken the world by storm, and this match was a great opportunity to bring them back to reality in preparation for the rest of the season.
Although Seong-hyeon “Luffy” Yang leads the Dragons in healing per 10 minutes, Shanghai ranks 19th between leading healers. The Dragons are 3-1 in Stage 3, so this hints towards their ability to communicate and minimize the opposing offense’s attack.
Image Courtesy of @kyleenim on Twitter
Especially after the Valiant, the Dragons’ game versus the Gladiators caught many off guard. Being able to hold Los Angeles for two straight incomplete maps (along with a full hold), Shanghai brought their best defense on payload maps. The play was consistent across the board for the Dragons, including Min-seong “diem” Bae and Kyungwoo “CoMa” Son. Shanghai’s ability to maintain composure at several points of the series was critical towards the end. Specifically on Eichenwalde, the Dragons pulled past a strong Gladiators defense to cap point A. Despite not finishing the map, Shanghai moved to put an even stronger hold to win the map.
This match was especially tough to choose one single player, but Jin-hyeok “DDing” Yang once again stood above the rest. His Pharah play has continued to improve, and it will continue to become more and more dominant as the meta shifts.
Image Courtesy of @NyanmiEuphoriA on Twitter
Although not a team likely to advance in the regular season playoffs, the Charge have also done better than expected in Stage 3. After plenty of time to prepare with only one match last week, a tough matchup may be at stake. The Dragons took a beatdown against a team they undervalued last week, and another bad loss or two could put them behind in the upcoming season finish. Shanghai will have to contain Seung-pyo “Rio” Oh on the Reinhardt, as his ability to punish main tanks can quickly sway matches. If DDing can pop off on Ilios and they can avoid being full-held on Watchpoint, don’t expect the Dragons to struggle. Young-jin “Gamsu” Noh and company will move into another win streak on a score of 3-1.
Kyungwoo “CoMa” Son has slowly emerged as a great piece to Shanghai’s puzzle, especially after last week. Especially since Ilios is a heavy Pharmercy composition, it will be imperative for CoMa to manage both healing and damage boost on DDing. For a role that usually doesn’t see a lot of attention, keep your eyes on his stats for this matchup.
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