The new for Overwatch League have created space for four teams in the Stage Playoffs. The change in the number of teams has increased the competition and the potential for more teams to qualify for the playoffs. As with every stage, the final week of Stage 3 will feature a few important matches. The outcome of these matches will have a direct impact on the potential of several teams to qualify for the Title playoffs.

As of right now, two teams have already qualified for the playoffs. Boston Uprising and New York Excelsior are way ahead of the rest of the teams. While they are confirmed of a position in the playoffs, they will still want to win every match in this week. The team that secures the first position gets the opportunity to select their opponents for the semifinals. This is a big advantage as a place in the finals guarantees a monetary prize for the team.

The Current standings for Stage 3 ( along with match scores) are as follows :

Boston Uprising ( 8-0) New York Excelsior ( 7-1) Los Angeles Valiant (6-2) Los Angeles Gladiators (5-3) Houston Outlaws ( 4-4 ) Philadelphia Fusion ( 4-4 ) Seoul Dynasty ( 4-4 ) San Francisco Shock ( 4-4 ) London Spitfire (3-5) Florida Mayhem ( 2-6 ) Dallas Fuel ( 1-7 ) Shanghai Dragons ( 0-8 )

You can view the individual Map scores and Map differentials for each team in detail here.

Boston Uprising will aim for the 10-0 record

The Boston Uprising is in an unprecedented situation right now. They are currently 8-0 in the Stage and have the potential to win their remaining matches to secure a 10-0 score. This would be a first in the Overwatch League as no other team has accomplished this feat. It would also be the first time that New York Excelsior has failed to secure the top position in the Stage standings.

Boston Uprising is currently on a 12 match win-streak. Indeed they have not lost a single match after Gamsu’s return to the team on March 12, 2018. The main tank’s role in the team is quite important as he has been instrumental in getting the team together. Their performance spike at the end of Stage 2 was mainly due to Gamsu and his return on the roster.

They play against the two Los Angeles teams in the last week of the stage. They have never lost to either of the Los Angeles teams. While Stage 1 saw Boston wiping them off the floor with 4-0 victories against either team, Stage 2 was much closer and Boston had to go to Map 5 to secure their victory.

In their current form, we don’t expect Boston to give up their current form. They look extremely strong and their momentum is sure to carry them to victory against the Los Angeles teams.

The Valiant’s chances against Boston look slim

While Valiant is a great team, their chances against Boston Uprising definitely look quite bad. Boston has been amazing this stage and is en route to finishing the stage with a perfect 10-0 record. The maps for this match are

Temple of Anubis

Blizzard World

Nepal

Route 66

These maps will put the slight advantage in favor of Los Angeles Valiant as they do have an excellent Widowmaker in Soon. Some of these maps favor Widowmaker gameplay and that can mean the difference between the two teams. However, the coordination and chemistry present with the Boston Uprising are just miles ahead of Los Angeles Valiant. The Boston Uprising team has shown their ability to keep up with their opponents. With the DPS for the Uprising performing at their peak, this match is going to be an extremely difficult one for the Valiant.

While Valiant does have a decent chance on Temple of Anubis and Blizzard world, they are behind on the remainder of the maps. Boston has put forth strong performances on KOTH maps and that plays in their favor. Los Angeles Valiant’s recent performances have put them with losses to Houston and London and a very narrow win against their local rivals, the Gladiators. The team has shown us glimpses of great plays but it is still definitely not on the level of the Boston Uprising.

The Gladiators could put up a fight, but it’s going to be close.

The Gladiators is the team better equipped to potentially have a chance of defeating Boston Uprising. However, it is a small chance, one that requires several factors to align for the Gladiators. Their current performance is not really their peak and without the DPS being able to match Striker and Mistakes, the Gladiators will have to rely heavily on their tanks. Fissure has been known to be extremely strong in creating space for his teammates, however, Boston has shown their ability to peel for the supports repeatedly.

The support lineup for Boston is one of the most underrated in the League. They have been quite consistent with their performance and enable their front line to eliminate the target. Their statistics might not be the best in the League, but the team’s statistics taken together shows why Boston is more precise and incisive in their dive strategies.

The Gladiators will rely heavily on Surefour’s widowmaker to potentially get crucial picks as they head into this match. Surefour has had a good stage so far, but with adequate homework, Boston should be prepared for him. This match is going to be much closer than the Valiant-Boston one. But the drive to ensure a 10-0 stage will help in Boston putting their best performance so far.

LAV needs one win to secure their Playoff Berth

The Los Angeles Valiant has seen quite a mixed performance in Stage 3. They started off really strong with clean victories over Shanghai Dragons and Seoul Dynasty. But their subsequent matches have been really close and even their wins have not been convincing. Nevertheless, they are just one match win away from securing a playoff berth in Stage 3.

The Los Angeles Valiant will be looking to make their best performance against Philadelphia Fusion. Since their other match is against Boston, which is an uphill task in their current form, their best bet is against Philadelphia. A win against the Fusion will put their match wins score at 7, comfortably qualifying for the Stage Playoff spot.

The maps for this match are:

Volskaya Industries

Numbani

Nepal

Route 66

Volskaya Industry and Numbani are two of the best maps for the Valiant. They have consistently put up good performances on these maps. Their map pools for the two matches in Week 5 are totally different. This means that they will focus on one match in particular. Focussing their practice and strategy on the Philadelphia match would make more sense for the Valiant since it increases their chances of qualifying.

With Bunny on the roster, the Valiant definitely look much better. Bunny’s presence provides more space and options for Soon. He has been playing other heroes such as the Mccree and the Widowmaker of late. The team does not have a star Genji player but they have been able to play around that limitation quite well.

The Valiant might not be in the best form right now, probably even slightly worse than the Gladiators. But their matches have been really close and their inconsistency definitely puts them in a tricky situation.

The Los Angeles Gladiators

The Los Angeles Gladiators are currently placed 4th in the Stage Standings and they would like to maintain that ranking. Since the top four positions in the Overwatch League make it to the playoffs, the Gladiators position is the one most at risk.

The Gladiators play against Florida Mayhem and Boston Uprising. Their current standing on the Stage is 5-3 and there are 4 (or 5 if you count London) teams just waiting for a single mistake from the Gladiators.

The Los Angeles Gladiators match against Florida Mayhem and later against Boston Uprising will be one of the most important matches in Week 5. The outcomes of these matches will determine the final standings in the Stage and the potential Playoff candidates.

The Gladiators should win against Florida, but the map score matters.

The Los Angeles Gladiators have generally looked much stronger in their performances. Their wins over London Spitfire, Seoul Dynasty, and Houston Outlaws definitely outline the individual performances on the team. The biggest change to the team’s performances happened after the addition of Fissure. It is rare to point out individual tank performances, but Fissure has repeatedly shown us why he is considered one of the best main tank players in the League. He creates so much space and his ability to stay alive for long provides a lot of time and freedom for the LAG DPS players to get important kills.

Fissure’s addition to the roster is directly accompanied by the improvement in the DPS efficiency. Surefour’s Widowmaker, as well as Hydration with his various DPS options, provide the necessary damage needed for the team.

Against Florida Mayhem, they will have to contend with Sayaplayer’s Widowmaker. He has been able to carry the Mayhem through almost impossible situations and since every map matters, they need to devise a proper strategy against him. Sayaplayer’s insane Widowmaker clips on Junkertown just show why he is one of the best Widowmakers in the league.

Coming Into this match, the Gladiators are favored to win. However, the final score of the match is as important as the win condition itself. Unless the Gladiators manage to maintain a high match score, their fate will rely on other teams’ performances through the week.

Potential Playoff teams

Boston Uprising and New York Excelsior have secured their spots in the Overwatch League Stage 3 Title Playoffs. The remaining two spots will see a lot of competition. The Valiant need just one match win to secure their spot in the playoffs. The Gladiators need to win both their matches to confirm their spot. If they manage to win just one match, their fate relies on the other match results in the week.

This might be the first time that we see both the Los Angeles based teams in the playoffs. With Boston Uprising almost confirmed to take the number one seed for the week, we expect them to pick one of the LA-based teams as their semifinal opponent.

The teams with the best chances of making it to the Playoffs are :

Boston Uprising (qualified)

New York Excelsior (qualified)

Los Angeles Valiant (need 1 win)

Los Angeles Gladiator (need wins, but their fate depends on other results as well).

Week 5 of Stage 3 will commence with the opening match between Philadelphia Fusion and the Dallas Fuel 2nd May, 16 PDT. You can catch the action live on Twitch.