What To Watch Week 5
Team Mom breaks down what Overwatch League matches will be worth your time this week and why
Stage 2 has made liars of us all. Houston can’t seem to win. Los Angeles can’t seem to lose BUT it’s not the Los Angeles you think it is, and Florida is shaping up to be the team to watch in Stage 3.
Of course there are some immutable truths: Shanghai is awful on stage and off, and if you come at the Kings of the League, you best not miss.
It used to be you could look at a schedule and determine which games could be good. But with the way the Mercy meta has changed some teams’ playstyle for good or ill (*cough* Houston/LAV *cough*), predicting who will win has gotten harder and predicting what match will actually be worth watching is damn near impossible.
But I’m going to try anyway.
Week 5 Day 1
Los Angeles Gladiators vs. Philadelphia Fusion
LAG and Philly have been tearing ass this Stage in a way they just weren’t in Stage 1. Philadelphia is 5–3, their only losses have been to the expected Triumvirate of Badassery, NY, Seoul, and London.
With addition of Fissure, an underplayed and judging from his words underappreciated tank traded from the London Spitfire, the Gladiators have been on the rise. And it is highkey exciting to watch. He just clicks with his teams, his aggressive playstyle opens up space for DPS Surefour and Hydration to do that work.
This match will be hype as hell. Matches at the higher end of the ladder have been surprisingly boring- looking at you Seoul vs. London- turning what were once sure bets of a good time into sometimes embarrassing routs. And the lower end of the latter, where Dallas and Shanghai are...
This midpack though, where LAG and Philly reside? Pure fuego.
Both these teams have a shot at the Stage 2 Finals, both deserve to be there, but both need to win here if they wanna get there.
Florida Mayhem vs. San Francisco Shock
Be careful who you call ugly in Stage 1. The Florida Mayhem maybe on the biggest glo up we’ve seen all season. (but BIIIIITCH Fearless and Ado are makin their way to LA with Geguri close behind. So Shanghai’s time is coming!)
New players and new living arrangements that allowed Florida to spend more time practicing and less time commuting in infamous LA traffic has kinda been the cure for what ailed them. I think a lot of this improvement also has to do with their seemingly endless positive energy. They weren't winning, but they were having fun. And when the conditions were just right, they snappedT beating the Valiant and the Fuel, and damn near the Gladiators.
I do believe they can continue their winning streak but they’re going up against a team that is their equal in just about every way: record and improvement. The Shock took a map off the London Spitfire in what I honestly believe was London simply not taking them seriously. Then they, and you’ll have to pardon the gratuitous use of hashtags here, #shockedtheworld (or at least the casting desk) with a 3–1 upset over Houston.
San Francisco and Florida have been improving their game and upsetting stronger teams. Their showdown is about as evenly matched as you get.
Houston Outlaws vs Shanghai Dragons
It doesn’t really matter how off brand Houston’s performances have been, they’ll beat the Dragons. Handily. No I don’t wanna talk about it. Moving on.
Week 5 Day 2
Houston Outlaws vs. Seoul Dynasty
This could go either way. Both teams haven’t been performing their best, but Seoul is still Seoul, beating Houston in both stage and overall standings.
However, last time these two teams met, Houston made Seoul sweat for their victory, sending them into a tiebreaker final point. It is within Houston to beat Seoul, but if and only if they played the same way they played when they beat London earlier in this stage. They haven’t been playing like that. And as I said, Seoul is still Seoul. Being the perpetual red-headed stepchild of all the Korean teams still means you are better then every other Western/blended team. So this one’s hard to call.
New York Excelsior vs. Dallas Fuel
NEXT!
San Francisco Shock vs. Boston Uprising
Mid-pack is where it’s at.
Last stage, Boston was the resident slept-on team. The wild card, a team comprised of mostly unheard of players with a fanbase comprised of Patriots fans with Stockholm Syndrome. But they surprised everyone with their (pardon) valiant attempt to make it into the Stage 1 finals eventually loosing out to the power of math and Houston’s green wall.
San Francisco is proof positive that every. Map. Matters. London underestimated San Francisco and lost a map for it. Don’t sleep. This match should be interesting.
Week 5 Day 3
Friday is a wildcard day. Looking at these matchups, a stage ago you could easily call Seoul, LA, and London. While you can still call London (duh), with how Seoul and LA have fallen off and with Florida and Philadelphia’s marked improvements, I feel like these matches won’t be as one-sided as we might think they’ll be.
Keep these on in the background. Turn your eyeballs only when the casters start screaming.
Week 5 Day 4
If Friday’s a toss-up, Saturday is a complete snooze fest with the sole exception of the Boston/LAG match.
Los Angeles Gladiators vs. Boston Uprising
Depending on how LA does against Philly earlier in the week, this match will be of particular importance for Gladiators fans as it will be their last chance to hold onto their 3rd place spot and place in the Stage 2 Finals.
They will be fighting against an entire horde of good teams for their spot: Seoul, Philadelphia, and maaaybe LA. But the Gladiators’ most pressing threat: Seoul.
Seoul has been sloppy, that they allowed Dallas and Shanghai to take maps from them is exactly why LAG is ranked over Seoul by 2 points. If they continue to drop maps -as I believe they will they’re playing a godly Florida and a down-but-not-out Houston this week- that LAG lead is only going to increase.
LA can seal the Stage 2 deal in a good showing against Boston who will make. them. work. for it. Boston swept LAG the last time they met but Boston was playing better then and LAG was playing without the benefit of Fissure. Tensions, emotions, and hype will be high for this match. The only match of the day that can say as much because New York and London are going to eat their opponents alive.
The Finals
All weeks are important, but this week is when the amorphous standings for the Stage 2 Finals begin to solidify. Recall only the top 3 three teams will earn the chance to play in the Stage Finals for gobs of money and the casting desk’s respect.
Here’s what the standings look like now:
I feel like spots 1 and 2 will always bee occupied by 2 of the Overwatch Holy Trinity (and I’ll likely eat these words sometime in Stage 4, it’s just a feeling I have) but Spot 3 is the one you really wanna pay attention to. It’ll be the one hotly contested and likely to change stage after stage. Last time it was the Outlaws, this time it’s the Gladiators. There’s so much upheaval with bad teams playing well and thus likely to spoil chances and with good teams playing badly and thus likely to fall from grace, its hard to say with any kind of chest who will take it this time.
I hope its LA. We’ll see soon enough.
#ShieldsUp
