Overwatch League Stage 2 Week 1 Power Rankings
The Fusion is on the surge with Eqo, the Uprising do everything except their namesake, and New York’s front line moves to the back role.
The first week of Stage 2 has come and gone, with the Stage standings reset. The cumulative record will be for the playoffs this June, and many teams see this as a clean slate to improve on. The new stage also brought a new meta and teams went back to their roots, utilizing strategies within their comfort zones. Check out which teams found their groove, and which teams fell down the power ladder below:
1st — Houston Outlaws (+2)
For the first time, a non-Korean team sits on top of the proverbial Overwatch League ladder. The Houston Outlaws have impressed, defeating the London Spitfire in a close 3–2 game and sweeping the Boston Uprising 4–0. They showed improvements to their gameplay, dominating in Control maps in which were the bane of their Stage 1 efforts. Also, the team was willing to try and experiment with their hero pool, such as LiNkzr using a Hanzo and a Mei on King’s Row. Houston has lifted off to the top of the rankings and will seek to keep it that way.
2nd — London Spitfire
The London Spitfire holds the number 2 spot after holding their own in a very tough schedule. Facing off the Outlaws and the Excelsior, both series went down to the wire, reaching a game 5. They lost and won those matches respectively, with an easier schedule coming for their Stage 2. The Spitfire seems confident about their season, with pride in their deep roster (like HaGoPeun on the Sombra) even after the departures of Rascal and Fissure. Surviving their strongest schedule with a decent map score all but assures the Spitfire in the top echelon of the stage standings, barring a major crash and burn.
3rd — New York Excelsior (-2)
Power rankings are not a measure of potential, but a measurement of current strength. Injuries play a key role in the hierarchy, and the New York Excelsior has suffered. With an injury to support player ArK, the players had to shift roles around, with Mano going on the Lucio pick instead. Bringing in Janus from the bench, the team played well enough to take a 3–1 victory over the Florida Mayhem before losing in a Stage 1 finals rematch to the London Spitfire, 2–3. While the debate is still ongoing if it is the tank role or the support role that is lacking as of the moment, it is clear that ArK is sorely missed. Maybe a support player added to their roster may do good for the NYE.
4th — Seoul Dynasty
Roster changes: (+) Gambler
Arguably the team with the strongest support roster, the Seoul Dynasty have come out of the gate strong. With the Mercy meta behind us, Tobi and Ryujehong are having a better time on the Lucio and the Zenyatta. While it is clear that the Ana is missed by Ryujehong, the support role is even bolstered by the addition of Gambler. A full sweep of the Los Angeles Valiant and a 3–1 win over San Francisco Shock (with Tobi getting amazing boops on Lijiang Tower) see the Dynasty eyeing at a return to the top rank they initially had. Oh, and Fleta is still amazing.
5th — Philadelphia Fusion (+2)
The perennial gatekeepers look to leave their post! Showing an amazing mastery of the dive composition, the Fusion has amazed all in the first week. Sweeping both Boston and Florida, the Fusion has young upstart Eqo in the lineup over Shadowburn, and he has not disappointed. Do not disregard Carpe however, as he has been consistently amazing through the 8 maps the team has won, and they are the only team with no map loss in the first week. The lull period of looking for a meta and returning to a dive have done the Fusion well, and we can expect the team to keep running the dive and isolating back lines in games to come.
6th — Los Angeles Valiant (-1)
The Valiant do not seem to shine as bright this Stage 2. After being dished out a cold serving of revenge by a sweep via the Seoul Dynasty, they tied a map with Shanghai Dragons before beating them on the next 3 maps. The team does not look weaker, rather the other teams look a lot stronger with the new meta. While the Valiant struggle to find their identity and where they can impress, they may see themselves struggle in the coming weeks.
7th — Boston Uprising (-1)
An uprising, in its namesake, calls for a raise from a lower position to a higher one, and the Boston team has done the complete opposite. The team has been completely unpredictable this season, and these lows are a part of it. They seemed confused with their strategies and experimented with their lineups to success. Going 0–8 in map score is not what Boston wanted to start with, and even with close defenses like in King’s Row against the Outlaws, Boston looked like a team that would lose a payload map by the first checkpoint… which they did (on Watchpoint: Gibraltar vs. the Outlaws).
8th — Dallas Fuel (+1)
There seems to be a light in the fire of the Dallas Fuel team, with a new lineup setting the stage ablaze. Taimou has returned to the off-tank role, with the addition of aKm for the DPS and xQc coming in as the main Tank raising the spirits of the squad. They performed well, defeating both the Los Angeles Gladiators and the Shanghai Dragons 3–1. Taimou notes that they shifted from a raw talent team mindset to an efficient one, working with their coaching staff and balancing their daily lives. While the true test lies in their upcoming match against Seoul Dynasty to kick off Week 2, Fuel fans are seeing a spark in their eyes for the success of the Dallas Fuel to preseason expectations.
9th- Los Angeles Gladiators (-1)
Fissure has arrived and has raised the shield of the Los Angeles Gladiators. It’s ironic that the team with the moniker “Shields up” struggled in Stage 1 with their Tank lineup, but a sweep over the San Francisco Shock did show an improvement for the Gladiators. While the Dallas Fuel matchup was one that went sideways for the team, it was clear it was a matter of communication rather than skill that seems to be the team’s problem. With charges on King’s Row from Dallas Fuel tank xQc slamming into Fissure’s Reinhardt, the chemistry needs to be built for the team’s new addition. Overall, the Gladiators are only looking upward for the rest of the stage.
10th — San Francisco Shock
… it’s almost March, and then we’ll talk if they can shock the scene. They did win a map over the Seoul Dynasty though, so that’s something.
11th- Florida Mayhem
The Mayhem look more comfortable in their play, and even took a map off New York. Beyond that, they still seem to be outclassed both strategically and mechanically. The team morale does seem up though, and with the incoming additions of the Meta Athena players once the Visa issues have been dealt with, we may see the Mayhem be a bigger contender in the Overwatch League. I’m just happy to see Zebbosai not want to rip his headset off playing Mercy.
12th- Shanghai Dragons
Honestly, I see the Shanghai Dragons as 0–3 this week, losing their matches Dallas, LAV, and the US embassy. The squad seriously needs additions to their lineup, and while they did not lose all their maps (1 win from Dallas and 1 tie with the Valiant), the skill gap was still apparent. The Dragons do have an “easier” schedule next week with matches against the Gladiators and the Shock, and if the new players are able to play this week, we may see the Shanghai Dragons achieve some maps wins. There’s even a chance that the Dragons can have their first ever match win.
Previous weeks: Week 0
