Everyone Likes Suprises
All bets are off now (unless you bet on NYXL) as this stage continues to surprise. Dallas is doing well, Boston is suffering, and Seoul might not make the playoffs. The unexpected makes for more excitement though, as each win and loss this stage have major implications for the finals.
News
More on League Expansion
In an interview with German Financial Paper Handelsblatt, Pete Vlastelica, the President and CEO of Activison Blizzard esports Leagues, made a few comments regarding the future of Overwatch League. Major takeaways were plans to add six teams to the league, “Two from the Americas, two from Asia-Pacific and two from Europe and the Middle East.” (translated). Vlastelica also mentioned that the second season will be taking place Los Angeles.
NYXL Has the Best Season Record
It’s not news that New York is the best team in the League, they’ve been there for a long time. Their win over Seoul last week however made everything official. The win put them 30-3, (a record they’ve since improved further). Regardless of the rest of the season, the NYXL will have the best record. This achievement comes along with the $300,000 bonus for the team for having the best regular season record. Additionally, New York has completely secured the top seed for the playoffs.
Spitfire Mark Four Players Inactive
In a news post on the team website the London Spitfire announced that four of their players will be going inactive. Hyeon-woo “HaGoPeun” Jo, Jang-hyeon “TiZi” Hwang, Seung-hyun “WooHyaL” Seong, and Dong-eun “Hooreg” Lee. While the exact futures of these players is unclear, the amount of talent each one possesses make it unlikely that they won’t be playing for a new team next season.
VOD of the Week
Dallas Fuel (9-25) vs. Philadelphia Fusion (21-13)
Fan pick rates for this, via High Noon Pickem, were overwhelmingly in Philly’s favor. For good reason too. The Fusion were a clear early adopter to the new meta, fining their niche with the tank focused game play now in vogue. Sado is also now a fully integrated and dangerous part of the team. Somehow though, Dallas prevailed. It’s something that really has to be seen to be believed. The execution from the Fuel across the four map series is more like the Dallas we expected at the beginning of the season than the Dallas we’ve seen lately.
Series of the Week
Los Angeles Gladiators (24-14) vs. Los Angeles Valiant (22-12)
This week it’s got to be the last Battle of LA of the season. We couldn’t ask for a better time for these teams to go at it either. The Gladiators have been on a tear recently. They count themselves as one of the teams that has adapted to the new meta of the game early on and their stage record, 4-0, speaks for itself. Of course their rivals the Valiant also have a spotless Stage Four. They recently dethroned the Dynasty and take the first seed in the Pacific Division for themselves. These two teams have a big opportunity in this match, not just for a win, but to hand their rival a loss.
