Tomorrow marks the beginning of Overwatch Contenders Season 1 and the competition in North America is nothing short of stacked.

For the first time, Rogue, EnVyUs, and Immortals, the best in the West, will face off in Round Robin competition for the whole world to see. FaZe Clan is finally bringing its talented roster to the west coast, including Russian player ShaDowBurn, and teams like FNRGFE, Renegades, and Kungarna will be looking to break away from the mid-tier team pack. But if anyone wants to upset the status quo in NA, they will need to take down Rogue — who are not likely to relinquish their throne quietly.

Rogue has been an undefeated Titan in Overwatch for months, having flourished since the re-introduction of the dive meta. In April, EnVy gave them a run for their money in a minor tournament, the Overwatch Rumble by Rivalcade, before the two forerunners of North American talent shipped off to compete in Season 3 of APEX. Rogue remained undefeated in the West, but Immortals took over in the meantime and has been on their tail as a strong second looking to steal away first, while EnVy looks to reestablish their dominance under their new coach, Kyky, and newcomer sinatraa.

For EnVyUs, their opportunity to outshine Rogue may lie in how they choose to utilize sinatraa. EnVy now has two world class Tracer players at their disposal between Effect and sinatraa, but it is likely that the latter will not be used for his signature hero. EnVy has wanted for a strong Genji player since Talespin was on the roster and, if the Overwatch World Cup is of any indication, Zarya is making a comeback as an answer to D.Va dive comps. sinatraa is a talented Genji and showed off his proficiency on Zarya at the World Cup; he may be able to fill in where Effect, Taimou, and Mickie are lacking, and propel EnVy ahead of Rogue — if they use him as more than a benchwarmer.

That being said, EnVy will have to compete with Immortals if they want to reclaim top seed in NA. Immortals has been a quiet and longstanding, but impressive force in the scene for months, though they have yet to upset Rogue. The relatively recent additions of Korean players Fate (tank) and KariV (support) have only made their all-star DPS of Agilities and GrimReality stronger, and helped the team to take first in Contenders Season 0. They should have no problem cementing themselves as one of the greats alongside Rogue and EnVy; it is all a matter of whether they can finally claim first or will reprise their role as second (or even third) place finisher.

While Immortals is at its best, Rogue may be at its most vulnerable.

winz, the team’s Lucio player and one of two primary shotcallers, will be gone for a week to compete in a Quake Champions tournament, and there must be underlying consequences of a player splitting time and dedication between two games. As Team France, they also struggled against Team Denmark, of all countries, and looked shakier than we have ever seen them. Furthermore, teams seem more anxious and willing to “break” the dive meta than ever. Zarya and Reinhardt have both seen competitive play — especially the former — and some teams are even under the impression that Junkrat/Mei comps are the answer to dive.

Rogue’s ability to adapt to and run Reinhardt or Zarya comps has always been of question, and with any luck, we may soon have an answer. The organization has picked up Kolsti, a formidable tank player formerly of Movistar Riders, as a substitute, and though this appears to be solely for one week while winz competes at QuakeCon, Kolsti’s hero pool could be of long-term benefit to Rogue. If Rogue is going to wobble in the West, then it is going to be at Contenders, competing against the best the region has to offer, and adapting to slight meta shifts and player absences.

Rogue, EnVy, and Immortals are the decided forerunners of NA Contenders Season 1, but there is a strong collection of second tier teams trying to claw their way to the top.

Of those competing, FaZe and FNRGFE are likely the ones to watch.

FaZe’s history is a rocky one, but they are absolutely bursting with DPS talent between noted projectile god ShaDowBurn; Korean pick-up Carpe, formerly of BK Stars; and, substitute Surefour, the most recent addition. It is unclear how Surefour will be incorporated, if at all, but it would be exciting for NA fans for him to have a chance to perform after months on the largely inactive Cloud9 roster. Regardless, ShaDowBurn and Carpe will no doubt make a formidable duo. With strong, adaptable tank players in FCTFCTN and SPREE, and impressive supports in Rawkus and Joemeister, FaZe’s roster looks stacked.

Furthermore, FaZe is finally coming to the United States to bootcamp throughout Contenders. This means that their star player, ShaDowBurn, will not be playing on Russian ping for the duration of the tournament, and that fact alone should scare competitors. The team has also hired a dedicated analyst, NamedHwi.

FaZe fell off towards the end of Season 0, placing 5–6, but with more scrim time, such a talented roster, and ShaDowBurn in North America, Season 1 is their time to prove themselves.

FNRGFE is an unsigned team of friends from the remnants of former organizations (Fnatic, NRG, and GFE, to be specific), but their free agent status is not a point against them. The roster has a lot of synergy and individual talent, especially in flex player Coolmatt69 and DPS Clockwork. The former is particularly well-respected for his Zarya play and the latter has a deep hero pool and long history in games like Team Fortress 2.

Their supports, Bani and Boink, are similarly skilled, and Buds is widely regarded as one of the best Reaper players, though his hero pool is no doubt deeper. Dummy and Enigma were added to the team roster as substitutes, but it is unlikely that they will be active.

Overall, FNRGFE looks competent, consistent, and good; they are not a team to underestimate in Season 1. With any luck, a strong performance will net some Overwatch League contracts and an end to the players’ free agent statuses.

Finally, Renegades and Kungarna made some notable pick-ups.

Kungarna snagged Gods and Dreamkazper as substitutes, while Renegades recruited xretzi. Gods and Dreamkazper are both solid players, but it is unclear if or how they will be used, and if that is what Kungarna needs to be competitive. Meanwhile, Renegades’ inclusion of xretzi is puzzling. He is no doubt incredibly talented, but so is J3sus, and they share the same hero pool.

Envision will also be competing as Liquid’s replacement.

As for the gameplay itself, the dive comp we have come to know will likely remain standard, but teams seem ready to run off-meta comps in an attempt to break it. Zarya, with recent buffs to her Graviton Surge that make it impossible for Genjis and Tracers to escape it, seems to be making a comeback, and was even used as part of a successful triple tank comp by Team USA. Teams with historically powerful Zarya players — FNRGFE’s Coomatt69; EnVy’s new pick-up, sinatraa; and, FaZe’s SPREE come to mind — will have an edge over the competition if Zarya prevails as a response to dive.

However, Doomfist is a hero to consider. He has the abrupt one-shot potential that made Roadhog so favorable, but with the mobility to complement dive. It may be too soon for Doomfist to be played seriously by pros, but more adventurous teams may want to exploit his abilities (and their opponents’ unfamiliarity with them) before any potential changes come through. In particular, Effect, of EnVy, has taken to the hero and he may be a part of their strategy.

Regardless, Contenders Season 1 will no doubt be the best meeting of North American talent that we have seen yet. Most tournaments in the last year have been short, scrappy events either without a Round Robin format or, if one was used, only a few match ups broadcast. The fact that no North American teams are absent from this event to compete in Korea is exciting in and of itself. Rogue, EnVy, Immortals, and even FaZe are all on American soil for this competition, and by the end, we will finally know who is the best of the best.

Matches begin this Saturday, August 19, at 4:15 PM CDT. Check overwatchcontenders.com for the full schedule.