The Overwatch League wrapped up Stage 4 Week 2 this week, and things got a little crazy. It clearly was the week of the upset, and many top teams are searching for answers in the new 2-2-2 meta. After losses to the bottom two teams in the league, who will take the win when the London Spitfire and Vancouver Titans face off in the first match of the week? Here’s how the writers of The Game Haus ranked the teams, (after a week that said power rankings be damned), heading into Stage 4 Week 3.

(MPD= Map Differential, High is the highest an individual ranked the team, Low is the lowest an individual ranked them, and LW= Last Week’s Power Ranking Position)

1. San Francisco Shock – Record: 18-5 MPD: +51 (High: 1. Low: 4. LW: 3rd)

Considering how badly other top teams faired last week, the Shock can now sit more securely at the top of the standings. Their map 5 comeback win against the Gladiators in Week 2 only solidifies this. This week, they face a desperate Dallas team and a Dragons team that hasn’t looked the same in Stage 4. These are two games that the Shock should win, but if last week taught fans anything, it’s that no win in Stage 4 of the OWL is guaranteed.

– Connor “GoopyKnoopy” Knudsen

2. Vancouver Titans – Record: 22-2 MPD: +56 (High: 2. Low: 5. LW: 1st)

For the first time this season, the Vancouver Titans are left with more questions than answers. The 4-0 score line doesn’t reflect just how lost they were on Sunday against the Justice. Two winnable games in Week 3 against the Spitfire and Fusion will tell whether that was a one-off slip up or if the Titans are in real trouble. The good news for Vancouver fans is they’ve responded strongly to every loss so far this season. This should be no different

– Bradley Long

3. Los Angeles Gladiators – Record: 15-10 MPD: +17 (High: 1. Low: 5. LW: 5th)

The Gladiators had another tumultuous week, going 1-1. Both of their games went to 5 maps, beating the Hunters and falling to the Shock. The Gladiators are battling with the London Spitfire for a place in the automatic playoff spots. LA have one game this upcoming week, against the Dallas Fuel, which should see the Gladiators improve to 3-2 on the Stage.

– Zach Stenzel

4. Washington Justice – Record: 5-19 MPD: -37 (High: 1. Low: 10. LW: 16th)

The Washington Justice did not start the crazy upsets last week, but boy did they deliver the biggest one. Not only handing the Titans their second regular-season loss, but looking extremely good and sweeping them 4-0 as well. The Justice are far removed from the bottom of the power rankings, but their early struggles have them entrenched in the standings. The Justice have four winnable games coming up, the Uprising, Outlaws, Reign and Eternal. While a 7-0 has no standings implications for them, it certainly would serve notice to the rest of the Overwatch League. In Season 3, beware the Justice.

– Dalton Jewell

5. Shanghai Dragons – Record: 13-11 MPD: 0 (High: 3. Low: 8. LW: 2nd)

What kicked off all the upsets last week? Shanghai’s loss to Toronto. While Toronto has steadily been improving with their retooled roster, Shanghai seemed to be overconfident heading into the match. They were not dominated like some of the other top teams, but they did lose against what is seen as a lower-tier team. The loss puts them at 1-2 for Stage 4, with three wins above 13th place for a chance at the playoff play-in matches. With one more win, they should lock in their slot. With San Francisco, Seoul, and Hangzhou on the horizon, Shanghai will have to take each one seriously.

– Dalton Jewell

6. Guangzhou Charge – Record: 12-13 MPD: -5 (High: 4. Low: 11. LW: 7th)

The Guangzhou Charge had somewhat of a hiccup this last week, but still have continued to show their overall dominance in the league by taking down another of the powerhouses. They play two more highly difficult teams, yet Guangzhou has shown they can play at a high enough level to still take a win against either the Dynasty or the NYXL, who came off a stomp from Chengdu. With a 70% chance to make it into play-ins, this week will likely determine Guangzhou’s playoff fate.

– Ethan Seftor

7. Atlanta Reign- Record: 12-12 MPD: +8 (High: 4. Low: 12. LW: 14th)

Atlanta has this week off and will be prepping for their Week 4 opponents, Washington Justice and London Spitfire. Both teams have locked and loaded firepower so the Reign will need perfection to maintain momentum. The good news is the Spitfire have looked weak, and Atlanta should be able to maintain their play-in playoff status with a win against them.

– Daron Scott

8. London Spitfire – Record 15-10 MPD: +9 (High: 4. Low: 11. LW: 4th)

A painful loss to the Florida Mayhem shows that London hasn’t become any more consistent since last season. While all the pieces that won last year’s playoffs are still there, after three stages of GOATs it seems like they’re having trouble washing the rust off. As long as they don’t let the loss get into their heads and if they can keep their top-tier DPS players on form, they should still be on track for a top-five finish: their true test is against the Titans this week.

– Gabby Hidalgo

9. New York Excelsior – Record 20-4 MPD: +42 (High: 4. Low: 11. LW: 6th)

The NYXL drop to 1-2 in Stage 4, as they continue to search for answers. They have at times looked dominant, but when playing tougher teams than Paris, have looked lost. They seem confident in Haeseong “Libero” Kim’s DPS play, but have constantly rotated in partners in each map. While team play was always a strong suit, it doesn’t seem like the other DPS are quite comfortable in a 2-2-2 meta just yet. In what was thought to be a position of strength, it has been the DPS letting the NYXL down. This week they’ll play two teams trending in separate ways, the Spark and Charge. It wouldn’t be unexpected to see another 1-1 week.

– Dalton Jewell

10. Los Angeles Valiant – Record 10-14 MPD: -2 (High: 4. Low: 11. LW: 8th)

The Valiant had a well balanced week, with one loss and one victory evening out their scoreline. Currently, they sit just outside of playoff contention. This means that every single game they play, they need to win. Every map makes a difference. This week, the Valiant face the Florida Mayhem, one of three teams that pulled off an incredible upset this past weekend. Defeating the London Spitfire 3-0, the Mayhem are a team that can never be counted out, as they’re constantly full of surprises. If the Valiant can prepare accordingly, they should be able to earn another victory before the week is out.

– Mallory McMahon

11. Chengdu Hunters – Record: 12-13 MPD: -6 (High: 6. Low: 13. LW: 12th)

The Chengdu Hunters have been waiting for a DPS meta all season long. While other teams were playing 3-3, Chengdu continually played their own DPS heavy style. Stage 4 and the 2-2-2 meta is the Hunters’ chance to play the style they’ve perfected throughout the season. Their DPS players have always been extremely flexible and star DPS player, Hu “JinMu” Yi can take over games. Despite their tough schedule, they have a lot of upset potential as Stage 4 continues and should make the Overwatch League playoffs.

– Violet McHale

12. Seoul Dynasty – Record: 13-11 MPD: +14 (High: 5. Low: 11. LW: 14th)

Seoul are sitting eighth in the current league standings and still have a shot at making it into top six. The problem is they have been looking very weak and are even still looking at the possibility of missing out on the playoffs should they play badly enough. It is unlikely that they don’t win at least one more game but not out of the realm of possibility.

– Robert Hanes

13. Philadelphia Fusion – Record: 14-11 MPD: 0 (High: 8. Low: 15. LW: 15th)

In Week 1, the Fusion came close to victory but fell short. Last week they came back with a vengeance. Determined to turn things around, the Fusion managed a satisfying 3-1 victory over the Houston Outlaws. Although the Toronto Defiant gave them some trouble, they also managed to pull a classic 3-2 Fusion victory as well. This was a better week for Philly, but they still have a long road ahead of them if they want to make it into the top 12 for playoffs.

– Kate Shepard

14. Hangzhou Spark – Record: 14-9 MPD: +4 (High: 13. Low: 16. LW: 9th)

The Spark have now dropped both of their matches in Stage 4, and look lost with the 2-2-2 role lock. They had locked down and perfected GOATs just in time for the meta to shift, and now the players look like they’re struggling to catch-up. This isn’t the first team we’ve seen thrown into a fire with a sharp meta shift, but it is the most recent. With the drama surrounding the suspension of Shilong “Krystal” Cai, the behind the scenes issues could be another cause of the drop in play. With matches against NYXL and Chengdu this week, hopefully, improvement will come in time for season playoffs.

– Dalton Jewell

15. Houston Outlaws – Record: 9-16 MPD: -18 (High: 13. Low: 16. LW: 11th)

It looks like the sheriff has finally caught up with the Outlaws. After two tough losses last week, their playoff hopes are effectively dashed, unless some teams ahead of them nose-dive as well. But this is mostly due to their lackluster early-season catching up with them. Houston is still improving and playing reasonably well, but the momentum just wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. Now they’re playing for pride… and playing spoiler.

– Rainee Scott

T16. Paris Eternal – Record: 9-16 MPD: -22 (High: 16. Low: 18. LW: 13th)

To say Week 2 was rough in the Overwatch League would be a gross understatement. While nobody was expecting Paris to defeat the NYXL, fans did walk away from the match somewhat pleased. The fact that the Eternal managed to take a map off one of the better teams in the league was a success in most’s eyes. Unfortunately, their match against the Atlanta Reign would leave everyone at a loss for words. An unfortunate play made by Nathan “frd” Goebel on Roadhog caused the team to step off the payload during overtime. A lot of mistakes were made, and it’s obvious that Paris is growing frustrated with their performance. Their next, and only match this week, is against the Philadelphia Fusion.

Both teams have had their fair share of struggles this season. However, the Fusion have grown from their mistakes while Paris seems to have stagnated. The Fusion are an inconsistent team, so it’s anyone’s guess which version will show up on Thursday. If Paris wants any shot at beating them, they cannot let their guard down and they need to be prepared for anything.

– Kate Shepard

T16. Toronto Defiant – Record: 8-17 MPD: -26 (High: 14. Low: 18. LW: 19th)

Toronto showed that they’ve finally begun to mesh together. Unfortunately, it’s too little too late as they are effectively out of playoff contention. Though the squad couldn’t find much success beyond Stage 1, this is a team to watch out for in Season 3. What will be interesting to watch is how more news develops regarding Beoumjun “Bishop” Lee’s sudden firing as head coach, and how Toronto finished the stage with their assistants taking the reigns, and what it means for Bishop’s time in the Overwatch League.

– Brad Killion

18. Florida Mayhem – Record: 3-21 MPD: -48 (High: 16. Low: 20. LW: 20th)

The 2-2-2 role lock has opened the door for many teams who struggled in the GOATs meta to show what their teams true potential is. Florida is one such team, having a great week of games. They managed to take Washington to 5 maps, which seems to be an impressive feat considering the Justice’s form recently. Florida also disposed of another in form team in the Spitfire, in what was a surprisingly easy win. Although power rankings are close to impossible to be sure of at the moment, it seems as though Florida is no longer the worst team in the league.

– Sam O’Dwyer

19. Boston Uprising – Record: 8-15 MPD: -23 (High: 17. Low: 20. LW: 18th)

Boston’s week off didn’t do much to their placement in the standings. They didn’t have any games, therefore they had no chance to showcase any improvement or growth. This upcoming week should be worrisome, however, with the newly undefeated Washington Justice lurking ahead. A team that just toppled the Vancouver Titans is certainly a team to be wary of, as this meta is working for the struggling Justice. Boston needs to show up in a big way before they fall to the very bottom of the Overwatch League standings once and for all.

– Mallory McMahon

20. Dallas Fuel – Record: 10-13 MPD: -14 (High: 19. Low: 20. LW: 17th)

2-2-2 has not been kind to the Fuel so far. They have looked like the easiest win on teams schedules for a while now and that is unlikely to change. Hopefully, with Taimou subbing in he will bring some sort of spark for a team the is in desperate need of one. If not there will be even more questions than answers as the Fuel will be on the outside looking in once again.

– Robert Hanes

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers!

Our voters for OWL Power Rankings: Stage 4 Week 3- Bradley Long, Kate Shepard, Darby Joyce, Robert Hanes, Mallory McMahon, Dalton Jewell, Zach Stenzel, Ethan Seftor, Dave Grove, Sam O’Dwyer, Connor Knudsen, Jake Renie, Rainee Scott, Daron Scott, Brad Killion, Violet McHale, Gabby Hidalgo, Alex Arnold, Steph No