Oh boy, here it gets tricky. Do you remember when Miro received criticism for his Reinhardt during our previous tank meta? Can Kuki positively surprise us and utilize his leadership skills to bring this disoriented team together? Because Zunba is one of the best Zarya’s in the world with a Reinhardt & Zarya front-line increasing in popularity, and Fleta… well Fleta does Fleta things.

It’s no secret that Seoul Dynasty struggled to everyone’s surprise, and perhaps it was my job as an analyst to not be blinded by the legacy of potentially the best team in Overwatch history, but then again, form is temporary, class is permanent. I expect nothing less than a Seoul Dynasty team revitalized, hungry, upset at their underwhelming downfalls during stage one, to come back in a Mercy-less meta and at the very least not disappoint expectations further. I truly believe that they have what is required.

I remember the Bunny from BK Stars who made Twitch chat erupt in astonishment, the Munchkin who I called out as an unknown talent a year back and thereafter joined Laser Kittenz and wreaked havoc during Contenders Season 0.

This squad, as well as its coaching staff, just need to come together as a team, and sure, with Esca is no longer with them as an emotional leader alongside Ryujehong, at this point, Tobi, Miro, and Zunba are no longer strangers to what it means to lose that crucial game, and then come back even stronger, themselves. What it feels like to chant “Hwaiting!” and mean it.

Do not underestimate the potential of the Seoul Dynasty. It’s a common mistake rarely rewarded.

3. New York Excelsior

Oh boy, who do we found down here? Just the most dominant team throughout stage one, hmm…

I do not want to disregard NYXL as a patch team (because honestly, we don’t really know what the next meta is), but I have an unsatisfying gut feeling when pondering about this fan-favorite squad.

I want to see Libero pull out that Hanzo on King’s Row and just scatter his way to victory, Saebyeolbe pull out a Roadhog that few of you might remember(!), and relive my playing career with Mano charging into the back-line, but a part of me hesitates to believe in the individual skill necessary to secure a title win on these (theoretically) new, flourishing, heroes in a new meta.

A prime example is how a year ago people talked about Mek0 as potentially the best D.Va in the world (and they still do), but a Zarya so lacking that he wasn’t even fit for a “best off-tank” nomination, hence why I oppose the notion when people suggest that he should be considered the best off-tank in the league. But hey, the way stage one turned out he might as well put on a Superman cloak and turn predictions into awkward post-game roasts for all I know.

After all, LW Blue was by the end of the last tank meta the most dominant team in Korea during APEX Season 2, they just fell flat in playoffs, as usual. Turn my doubts into beliefs once again, New York.

4. Philadelphia Fusion

It was a joy to witness the rise of an underdog in Philadelphia during stage one (partly because I refused to underestimate them), the aggression, Poko’s D.Va bombs, and Carpe and Shadowburn taking turns recording highlight after highlight like a teenage skateboard montage.

While I fear Fragi’s aggression might turn bittersweet with the Finn not being able to rely on resurrection as much, his Reinhardt jousting and aggressive decision-making almost always renders value for his team; may we never forget Poko’s fantastic Zarya, which very well could end up competing with the likes of Zunba, together with Manneten, and Houston’s Spree and Coolmatt; and a neptuNo who now gets to return to his signature Lucio, featuring fantastic mechanics.

Going into stage two there are ironically two paths I could see Philadelphia go down. Either they benefit from spreading out their playmaking ability with Fragi and Poko being able to win fights with Earthshatters and Graviton Surges, granting some kind of consistency to the team which it has severely been lacking, or they suffer as Shadowburn most likely moves away from his signature Genji to an off-tank or Junkrat role, and as such the team will be even more dependant on Carpe’s individual performances.

But should potential come to fruition, to me there’s nothing stopping this team to take its turn challenging the top three teams for a stage playoff spot.

5. Boston Uprising

With everyone being wrong about predicting Boston’s level of expertise, anyone cares to double down? That’s what it feels like anyway.

Fair enough, Gamsu went from passive Babybay tickler to senior space creator real fast, and DreamKazper decided to try out the life of being the best DPS player in the world for a few days before he then over-extended without Gamsu’s protection just one too many times.

B-BUT WHAT ABOUT NEXT META?

We may very well see Striker continue his on-going Tracer rampage, and DreamKazper act out that annoying Roadhog who always flanks at the right time and snags you away from Reinhardt’s shield, leaving you with a deep sigh — I just hope the front-line can once again exceed everyone’s expectations.

Because the fact of the matter is that we don’t really know how Gamsu’s Reinhardt pairs up with the rest of the league, he’s a very tactical and thoughtful player, but with that you always run the risk as Reinhardt to be out-paced with your decision making leaving you swinging into enemy charges or Earthshatters, and thus my beliefs are tentative of seeing more of it first-hand; but as the pieces come together as a team against the rest of the League, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Boston Uprising once again find themselves battling for a playoff spot in week 5.

6. Los Angeles Valiant