What To Expect: OWL Week 2 Primer

Quick run through of matches and the implications or importance of them

The Second week of the Overwatch League is nearly upon us and we will be treated to some really great high tier match ups as well as some lesser teams being able to make themselves stand out from others in the crowded mid-table!

Numbers in brackets before team name are pulled from my personal power rankings. Numbers in parenthesis are the teams record heading into the week.

Wednesday January 17th

[9] San Francisco Shock (1–1)vs. [5] Philadelphia Fusion (1–1) — 7:00 pm EST

The Fusion should be able to withstand the Shock and win this match pretty handily. I view the Fusion as a top mid-table team and this match should reveal the difference in between a team on the outside looking in of the top tier and a team clinging to the cliff side trying to not fall into the bottom of the barrel. I don’t expect the Shock to have an answer for Poko and the Fusion.

[11] Florida Mayhem (0–2) vs. [2] Seoul Dynasty (2–0) — ~9:00 pm EST

There is almost nothing at stake in this match and the Dynasty should make quick work of the Mayhem, who have failed to look up to par on all but one map. Even if Tviq and the Mayhem do iron out their issues they won’t be able to stand toe-to-toe with the Dynasty. I am excited to see Fleta style a bit and that alone may be worth tuning in for.

[10] Houston Outlaws (0–2) vs. [12] Shanghai Dragons (0–2) — ~11:00 EST

Capping of the night is another match that not much is to be gained. The Dragons looked incredibly mediocre in Week 1 and Houston struggled in some hard fought matches against better competition. This should be a chance for Houston to pick up their first win of the OWL and perhaps gain some momentum heading into their match the following day against their natural rival, Dallas Fuel.

Thursday January 18th

[6] Dallas Fuel (0–2) vs. [10] Houston Outlaws (0–2) — 5:00 pm EST

Two under-performing teams with two of the biggest fan bases in OWL face off in a natural rivalry across sports with Dallas pitted against Houston. Not a win between them, there is even more to gain from this match than the blood of their rival. Expect the Fuel to reign it in a tad and methodically roll over the Outlaws as they have been performing much better than their record shows and it’s unlikely the Outlaws will push them to long double OT matches where Dallas has been shown to tilt in the aftermath.

*[4] New York Excelsior (2–0) vs. [1] Los Angeles Valiant (2–0) — ~7:00 pm EST*

The first battle of undefeated teams coming out of the first week should be a fun one to watch and an indicator as to if the Valiant are worthy of the number one spot in my power rankings or if their performance in Week 1 was a little overstated. This is the first match of the week that has a great implication as to how people hash out the top-tier of OWL. Two of the top three MVP considerations for Week 1 can be found in this match as So0n from the Valiant and Pine from NYXL should add even more excitement to this match of great importance.

[5] Philadelphia Fusion (1–1) vs. [7] Los Angeles Gladiators (1–1) — ~9:00 pm EST

Personally, I am almost looking forward to this match as much as NYXL and the Valiant. I had the hardest time placing the mid-table teams and this contest should really cast some light on that doubt. These teams are the top mid-table teams and it should be a very interesting clash of talent. The match up I’m anticipating most here is the Fusion’s Boombox and the Gladiators Shaz on Zenyatta. I thought both players were some of the most exciting Zenyatta’s to watch in the first week as well as having the most for their team.

Friday January 19th

[2] Seoul Dynasty (2–0) vs. [8] Boston Uprising (1–1) — 7:00 pm EST

The Uprising are a young team that stole a map from NYXL, my hope is that the steal one from Seoul as well because they are an interesting team and I’d love to see them succeed and grow. I’m afraid that’s really all the Uprising can hope for as the Dynasty should outplay them at every position and as a result, there isn’t the slightest bit of upset potential here.

[11]Florida Mayhem(0–2) vs. [12] Shanghai Dragons (0–2) — 9:00 pm EST

The proverbial toilet bowl of OWL. Without some crazy upset this will be the match where one of these teams picks up their first OWL win. The Dragons showed themselves in the preseason to not be as bad as they’ve appeared in week 1, but the Mayhem have a core of talent that should still best the Dragons.

*[3] London Spitfire (2–0) vs. [6] Dallas Fuel (0–2) — 11:00 pm EST*

The marquee match of Friday night should be a close intense competiton regardless if Dallas enters it with a win or not. These teams are close in talent and the DPS match up alone should be akin to watching fire works. This is the first true test for the Spitfire. If the Fuel can’t manage to win a game against top talent soon they will have to be considered mid-table in talent and who knows about their record.

Saturday January 20th

*[1] Los Angeles Valiant (2–0) vs. [3] London Spitfire (2–0) — 2:00 pm EST*

We are treated to one more top tier match up on the last broadcast of the week and if both teams make it here undefeated, this will likely be the match that determines who goes into the #1 slot next week. It should be exciting nonetheless and we will be treated to two of the top DPS in the game with So0n and Profit going at it. This is a can’t miss match.

[7] Los Angeles Gladiators (1–1) vs. [4] New York Excelsior (2–0) — ~4:00 pm EST

The Gladiators taking on the Excelsior should leave us with a good idea of the gap between top tier and mid-table talent as I think the Gladiators are about as middling as mid-table can get at the moment. I’d look to this match to be a possible upset especially if New York drops the game against the Valiant. The Gladiators could catch NYXL off guard with one of their off-kilter team comps.

[8] Boston Uprising (1–1) vs. [9] San Francisco Shock (1–1) — ~6:00 pm EST

We end the week with what should be a close entertaining match from two teams coming off a loss. It would be nice to see the Uprising continue to gel together and fight for a win here against the Shock and further separate themselves from the lower tier.