Team Tales of Triumphs and Tragedies (Overwatch League Stage 1)
Highlighting the teams that impressed (and unimpressed) in the first stage of the Overwatch League as Stage 2 looms.
In every sport, there are teams that come out of nowhere and there are teams that don’t live up to the hype. The Overwatch League is no different, and we’ve seen triumphs and tragedies for many of the teams. The stories of Stage 1 are in the history books, and these are the teams that impressed (and disappointed) past expectations the most:
Honorable Mention — Los Angeles Valiant
An honorable mention goes to the Los Angeles Valiant, who proved to the audience that a Western team could take the fight against the Korean teams. With a roster of great depth, SoOn led the charge to be one of the top Western teams in the Overwatch League. Taking the division lead after crushing Seoul Dynasty 3–0, they missed the playoffs due to map score but sit on top of the Pacific Region. Their play was swift but methodological, and are serious contenders for the crown of Season 1 champion.
3rd Biggest Disappointment — Seoul Dynasty
The Seoul Dynasty was on top of everyone’s predictions before the start of Stage 1. With their legendary Lunatic-Hai roster flanked by Korean standouts, they were poised to dominate the Overwatch League handily. However, they stumbled with questionable moments, such as benching Ryujehong and giving up maps to teams like the Shanghai Dragons. Their map score, used for seeding tied records, suffered and as they lost to fellow Korean teams New York Excelsior and the London Spitfire they were on the descent down the leaderboard.
The once obvious playoff birth was put in jeopardy as they lost to the Los Angeles Valiant. Tied for 3rd, their lower map score put them in the lowest chance to make it to the playoffs. With all the possible scores and scenarios for Houston, Los Angeles, and Boston, Seoul removed all fears from these teams by losing 2 maps to San Francisco and were no longer in playoff contention. They ended with a record of 7–3, and the once invincible Seoul Dynasty now looked vulnerable. A meta shift may do wonders for them coming into Stage 2 as to highlight their support play.
3rd Most Impressive — London Spitfire
The Stage 1 champions came in the first 5 weeks of the Season with questions looming over them. While many considered them in the top of the league, the 12 man roster raised concerns. Issues included playtime and team chemistry when meshing together the 6 man rosters of GC Busan and Kongdoo Panthera. London got through all that and impressed.
Ending the stage 7–3, the London Spitfire had the toughest and the longest last day. Putting their 12 man roster to good use, they had internal scrims as no one was available on such short notice. With all the practice they needed, they fought a close match against New York Excelsior before taking down Houston Outlaws. In a rematch against New York, they learned from their mistakes and were able to pull off the reverse sweep, thanks in part to the MVP gameplay of Birdring. While London has now lost a member of that 12 man roster due to Fissure moving to the Los Angeles Gladiators, London still has the strong core to keep their momentum up and defend that stage crown.
2nd Biggest Disappointment -Shanghai Dragons
Many expected the Shanghai Dragons to be at the bottom of the League. The roster creation was mired in controversy, as standouts from the highly successful Miraculous Youngster team were glossed over in favor of other Chinese players. There were calls that the management was corrupt and mistreated the players, and the team’s play has been nothing short of lackluster.
The main stage was no different from the predictions. Starting slow, the Dragons did pick a few map wins here and there, most notably against Seoul Dynasty. However, they still ended Stage 1 without any series victories and were swept in 6 out of their 10 losses. Playing at the highest stage of Overwatch gameplay, the Dragons always look like they are outclassed and outmatched even in the closest of situations. The incoming Korean roster additions seem to bring in additional problems rather than solutions and a series’ victory for the Dragons seem like a distance away.
2nd Most Impressive — Boston Uprising
The Cinderella story of the Overwatch League, the Boston Uprising were the greatest unknown. They first surprised their fellow competitors, as their team aptitude in scrims brought them close to victory against the toughest of teams. They had a poor show in the preseason, but that soon changed upon Stage 1.
With a mesh of “unknown players” to the audience, the Boston Uprising always put up a fight against any opponent. Players like DreamKazper made names for themselves in the Blizzard Arena, and Boston Uprising came close to the Stage Playoffs. The fairytale ending, however, was cut short as they were beaten to the playoff spot by the Houston Outlaws in an extremely close series through a tiebreaker. They have, however, cemented their spot as a proper contender in the Overwatch League, a spot few saw them in coming into the league.
Biggest Disappointment — Dallas Fuel
What is there left to say about the Dallas Fuel? The EnVyUs squad showed promise in the preseason and were seen as the top Western team to go against the 3 Korean powerhouse teams. The hype from their APEX participation and the Korean boot camps gave them the pedigree to take the top spot in the league. This all changed with the coming of the season itself, and their issues have thrust them into a 3–7 record at the bottom of the standings.
The media were quick to cover the Fuel’s individual issues: xQc’s suspension, Taimou’s self-criticism and EFFECT’s stream ban & final week’s personal reasons to name a few. Their star-studded roster that has played long together suddenly did not work, and they struggled against even the lowest ranked teams. Only winning against the Gladiators, Shock, and the Dragons, Dallas looked lost in translation within their 7 losses. The team looked uncomfortable in their roles and the whole stage looked like Dallas wanted to skip to the next one. The return of xQc and the addition of aKm will seek to alleviate these pains, as many fans and pros alike have still not given up on the potential of the Dallas Fuel.
Most Impressive — Houston Outlaws
After putting up great fights in their defeats in the preseason, some saw the potential of the Houston Outlaws to be good. The American-dominated lineup did that and more, going beyond most projections and taking the slot left behind by the slumping Dallas. Stumbling at the start due to the surprising debut of the Philadelphia Fusion, the Outlaws bounced back and paved a smooth road en route to the stage playoffs.
The Outlaws set the record for the longest map streak in the stage, winning 18 maps in a row across 5 matches. This is due to the discipline instilled by coach TaiRong, as the Outlaws learned how to mesh the Korean methodology with the Western ease to think on the fly. With the best of both worlds in their arsenal, the Houston Outlaws were the bane of many teams’ existences. With JAKE on the Junkrat (hence the term, Jakerat) causing fear in the hearts of all, the Outlaws shot up the standings of the League. Now they are arguably in the top 3 of the league and can not only take the fight to New York, London, and Seoul but also take them to the limit and steal the victory.
Stage 2 is coming closer by the second, and we will see if the teams can keep up their positive performances or bounce back from negative records. With a new stage comes new expectations, and another set of triumphs and tragedies will emerge to those who rise above or fail to meet these. The spirit of competition means that one must rise above another, and we will see who will fall in the grandest stage of Overwatch: the Overwatch League.
