Stage 3 of the Overwatch League is coming to an end with only two days of games remaining. The new rules for the Stage Playoffs mean that we will have four teams in the Playoffs for the first time. Each team in the playoffs has to play two matches before they can claim the title of Stage Winners.

New York Excelsior, Boston Uprising, and Los Angeles Valiant are already qualified to the Stage 3 Playoffs. Boston Uprising is en route to create history by potentially winning all ten Stage matches. Their last Stage match will be against Los Angeles Gladiators on the 4th of May at 16:00 PDT.

Overwatch League Stage 3 Standings.

The three teams in contention for the Stage 3 Playoffs are Los Angeles Gladiators, Philadelphia Fusion, and Seoul Dynasty. We take a look at the various scenarios for each of the three teams’ chances to qualify for the Playoffs.

Los Angeles Gladiators Seoul Dynasty Tie-Breaker Match

Los Angeles Gladiators

The Los Angeles Gladiators have the best chance to qualify for the upcoming Stage Playoffs. Their win condition is just to win their next match, irrespective of the score. They can afford to lose the match as well but should be able to at least reach the 5th map against Boston Uprising.

A win vs Boston secures them the Playoff spot

The Gladiators is the only team with their fate in their own hands. Currently, at 6-3 match score in Stage 3, they need just one more match win in order to cement their place in the Playoffs. A win would put them at a total score of 7-3, which places them third in the stage above Los Angeles Valiant. A win for the Gladiators, however, would spoil the chances for Boston Uprising to have a perfect Stage 3 performance.

A 2-3 loss to Boston Uprising works will still see Gladiators qualify

They can also secure a position in the Playoffs if they manage to at least take the game to Map 5. A loss in the final map would mean that the result is 2-3. A map differential of 7 ( 8-1) would still secure a Playoff berth for the Los Angeles Gladiators.

Even if the remaining two teams win their matches 4-0 ( which is the possible outcome for these teams), the Gladiators would have a higher map differential. This qualifies them to reach the playoffs at Position 4.

Seoul Dynasty

The Seoul Dynasty is almost out of the current stage. They have a very slim chance to potentially make it to the Stage Playoffs. It depends on their result in the next two games as well as Gladiators final score.

In order for Seoul Dynasty to qualify for the Playoffs, all the following need to happen:

LA Gladiators lose 0-4 / 0-3 to Boston Uprising Seoul Dynasty win 4-0 against London Spitfire Seoul Dynasty win 4-0 against Houston Outlaws

In such a scenario, Philadelphia Fusion’s final score won’t matter and Seoul Dynasty will qualify for the Playoffs. This is because in the event that all of the above three steps happen, and Philadelphia win their match against Valiant 4-0; it would still mean Seoul Dynasty proceed to the playoffs. This because Seoul Dynasty won their match against Philadelphia Fusion 3-2 in Stage 3. Ofcourse it’s easier said than done and this is practically impossible for Seoul Dynasty to qualify for playoffs judging by their current form.



Philadelphia Fusion

The Philadelphia Fusion is also another team in contention for a playoffs spot. However, their fate relies on several things happening. The Philadelphia Fusion has an outside chance of qualifying, although it looks very difficult right now.

The only chance for Philadelphia Fusion to win requires all of the following three outcomes:

LA Gladiators lose 0-4 / 0-3 to Boston Uprising Seoul Dynasty lose at least one map in their remaining two matches Philadelphia Fusion wins 4-0 against the Valiant.

While such an outcome is also extremely unlikely, there is a small possibility it could happen. Ofcourse it would mean that Philadelphia Fusion needs to win 4-0 against the Valiant, which is going to be a daunting task.

Philadelphia Fusion surprised us with their performance during the Stage 2 playoffs. Their win against London Spitfire and the close loss in the finals definitely showed us the potential of the DPS lineup on the Fusion

The Possibility of a Tie-Breaker Match

There is one possibility which would result in a tie-breaker match. There is a very slim but possible chance for this to happen. If it happens, it would be the first tie-breaker match in Overwatch league.

The rules for tie-breakers are as follows:

Stage-only map differential.

Stage-only head-to-head result.

If two teams are tied in record and map differential without having played one another during the stage in question, qualification/seeding will be decided by a single tiebreaker match, with format and scheduling details to be determined.

The tie-breaker match between the Fusion and the Gladiators is a possibility only if the following sequence of events happens:

Gladiators lose 1-3 / 0-2 to the Boston Uprising

Philadelphia Fusion win 4-0 against the Valiant

The Los Angeles Gladiators and the Philadelphia Fusion have not played against each other at this stage so far. The details about the tie-breaker match will be revealed at a later stage.

In Other News: Shanghai can have a better map differential than Dallas Fuel.

Dallas Fuel Map score is actually in strong competition with Shanghai Dragons Map score for Stage 3. If Shanghai Dragons manage to go to Map 5 against NYXL, they will actually have a better map differential than Dallas Fuel despite losing all their matches. Shanghai Dragons are currently positioned last with a -19 map differential with one more match to go. Dallas Fuel on the other hand are done with their Stage 3 matches and have a -21 map differential.

You can catch the action live on Twitch with the next match between Los Angeles Gladiators and Boston Uprising at 16:00 PDT.

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