OW Insight

Welcome! OW Insight is a blog intended to give insight on all things Overwatch League, Contenders, and lower in the competitive scene. You can find match predictions, power rankings, and news. It is written by Nick Rozhon, an avid Overwatch League watcher, writer, and student at DePaul University. The mission is to give my insight on Overwatch Esports for Competitive Overwatch fans to enjoy. All criticism is good critism, so feel free to express your opinions :) DM on Twitter for inquiries. https://twitter.com/PokeCola_Nick

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OWL Power Rankings Stage 3 Week 5

Top 500

Vancouver Titans (20-1)

[+2] Hangzhou Spark (14-7)

Grandmaster

New York Excelsior (17-2)

[-2] San Francisco Shock (16-5)

[+1] LA Valiant (8-13)

Masters

[-1] LA Gladiators (13-8)

Shanghai Dragons (11-8)

Seoul Dynasty (12-9)

Diamond

[+5] Chengdu Hunters (9-12)

[-1] London Spitfire (12-9)

[-1] Philadelphia Fusion (11-8)

Platinum

[-1] Houston Outlaws (8-13)

[-1] Atlanta Reign (7-12)

Gold

[+3] Dallas Fuel (10-11)

[-2] Guangzhou Charge (7-12)

Silver

[-1] Boston Uprising (8-13)

[-1] Paris Eternal (8-13)

Bronze

Toronto Defiant (7-12)

Florida Mayhem (2-17)

Washington Justice (2-17)

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OWL Power Rankings Stage 3 Week 4

Top 500

Vancouver Titans (19-1)

San Francisco Shock (15-4)

Grandmaster

New York Excelsior (16-2)

[+1] Hangzhou Spark (12-7)

[-1] LA Gladiators (12-7)

Masters

[+7] LA Valiant (7-12)

[+1] Shanghai Dragons (10-8)

[-1] Seoul Dynasty (10-9)

Diamond

[-3] London Spitfire (12-7)

[+1] Philadelphia Fusion (10-8)

Platinum

[-2] Houston Outlaws (6-13)

[-2] Atlanta Reign (7-12)

Gold

[+1] Guangzhou Charge (7-11)

[+1] Chengdu Hunters (8-11)

Silver

[+2] Boston Uprising (8-12)

[-4] Paris Eternal (8-12)

[-1] Dallas Fuel (10-10)

Bronze

Toronto Defiant (7-10)

[+1] Florida Mayhem (2-16)

[-1] Washington Justice (2-16)

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OWL Power Rankings Stage 3 Week 3

Top 500

[+1] Vancouver Titans (18-0)

[-1] San Francisco Shock (13-4)

Grandmaster

New York Excelsior (15-2)

LA Gladiators (12-6)

Hangzhou Spark (10-7)

Masters

London Spitfire (11-6)

Seoul Dynasty (10-8)

Shanghai Dragons (9-7)

Diamond

[+9] Houston Outlaws (5-12)

[-1] Atlanta Reign (7-11)

Platinum

Philadelphia Fusion (9-8)

Paris Eternal (8-10)

[+2] LA Valiant (5-12)

Gold

[+2] Guangzhou Charge (6-11)

[+2] Chengdu Hunters (7-10)

Silver

[-6] Dallas Fuel (10-8)

[-4] Boston Uprising (7-11)

[-4] Toronto Defiant (7-9)

Bronze

Washington Justice (2-15)

Florida Mayhem (1-15)

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OWL Predictions (6/13)

Houston Outlaws 0-4 San Francisco Shock

San Francisco barely squeezed out a win against Atlanta, but the Reign have played many top tier teams close recently. Houston’s biggest show was going to a map 5 where they lost to a Meko-less NYXL. San Francisco is the best team in the league for a reason right now, and the Outlaws don’t seem to be changing their style when it’s clear they can’t match up in the Goats-goats matchup. With the World Cup coming up, the battle between Muma and Super for the main tank spot will be fun to watch. I expect Super to get that spot and win the match easily.

Key Matchups: Muma vs Super

Shanghai Dragons 2-3 Atlanta Reign

Atlanta has been playing the top tier teams in the league to their limit, and they manage to upset the Dragons. The dragons have looked good recently, but they are always vulnerable. Atlanta will finally get their long deserved upset. the matchup between Gamsu and Pokpo will be fun as both have played very well. It will be a neck and neck matchup that Pokpo and atlanta will win.

Key Matchups: Gamsu vs Pokpo

Dallas Fuel 3-1 Chengdu Hunters

The Fuel have looked bad against the best but decent against everyone else. The Hunters have gotten off to a bad start with losses against the Charge and Valiant. The matchup between OGE and Ameng will be the decider in which team comes out on top. While both main tanks have had both high and low points, OGE will come out on top.

Key Matchups: OGE vs Ameng

Hangzhou Spark 1-3 Vancouver Titans

Hangzhou had been one of the biggest turnaround teams in stage 2. This is primarily due to the coordination between Guxue and the rest of his team. Bumper has also shown to be the center piece around the rest of Vacouver. Hangzhou will fall short, but the maps between these teams will be close. It will show that the Titans still remain mostly unbeatable.

Key Matchups: Guxue vs Bumper

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OWL Power Rankings Stage 3 Week 2

Top 500

San Francisco Shock (12-3)

Vancouver Titans (16-0)

Grandmaster

New York Excelsior (14-2)

Los Angeles Gladiators (10-6)

Hangzhou Spark (9-6)

Masters

London Spitfire (10-6)

Seoul Dynasty (9-7)

Shanghai Dragons (8-7)

Diamond

[+2] Atlanta Reign (7-9)

[-1] Dallas Fuel (10-6)

[-1] Philadelphia Fusion (8-7)

Platinum

[+4] Paris Eternal (7-9)

[-1] Boston Uprising (7-9)

Gold

Toronto Defiant (7-8)

Los Angeles Valiant (4-12)

Silver

[+1]Guangzhou Charge (6-10)

[-4] Chengdu Hunters (6-10)

Bronze

[+2] Houston Outlaws (3-12)

[-1] Washington Justice (2-13)

[-1] Florida Mayhem (1-14)

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OWL Stage 3 (6/6) Predictions

San Francisco Shock 4-0 Atlanta Reign

Shock is coming off an incredible undefeated stage 2 and a Stage 2 Championship against the Vancouver Titans. It looks as if nothing can slow down the Shock now, especially not the Reign. It will be interesting to see the matchup between Babybay and Sinatraa. Babybay has adjusted well to a starting role despite the Reign not making the playoffs. Sinatraa however will show once again why he got the starting position in San Francisco.

Key Matchups: Sinatraa vs Babybay

Florida Mayhem 1-3 Seoul Dynasty

Florida may have ended the last stage winless, but they have made changes by acquiring Fate from the LA Valiant. While removing Hagopeun from the roster may seem questionable, the team as a whole seems to be moving in a more positive direction that last stage. Whether Seoul start Marve1 or Fissure is unknown, but i give both of the main tanks a matchup advantage over Fate. All 3 main tanks have shown incredible plays, but I think Seoul has shown they are able to coordinate more with their main tank. Especially with how much more time they’ve had.

Key Matchups: Fate vs Marve1/Fissure

Guangzhou Charge 2-3 Chengdu Hunters

This is an exciting rematch of the first time these teams met. Chengdu looks to come out on top once again, especially because they have improved much more over the last few stages. Ameng is a surprising all-star of the Chengdu Hunters, known for his great Hammond and Reinhardt. Rio on the other hand looked good at first but has been expose as of late. The Charge have decided to use more Doomfist, and I doubt this will work even against the DPS oriented comps of Chengdu.

Key Matchups: Rio vs Ameng

LA Valiant 2-3 Shanghai Dragons

While I still expect the Dragons to win and control the match, the Valiant will make it very close throughout the match. FCTFCTN still seems like a questionable improvement over Fate, but the other improvements they have made will help them climb out of the bottom of the standings. Shax in particular will hopefully be a much needed improvement over Kariv and KSF. His matchup against Diem on Zarya will be fun to watch. If the Shanghai Dragons still opt to run D’va-less Sombra comps, the Valiant could maybe find a way to upset the Dragons. I give the benefit of the doubt to the dragons though in a close match.

Key Matchups: Shax vs Diem

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OWL Stage 3 Power Rankings

Top 500

[+1] San Francisco Shock (11-3)

[-1] Vancouver Titans (14-0)

Grandmaster

New York Excelsior (12-2)

LA Gladiators (9-5)

Masters

[+2] Hangzhou Spark (8-6)

[-1] London Spitfire (9-5)

[-1] Seoul Dynasty (7-7)

Diamond

[+2] Shanghai Dragons (7-7)

[-1] Dallas Fuel (9-5)

[-1] Philadelphia Fusion (8-6)

Platinum

Atlanta Reign (7-7)

Boston Uprising (7-7)

Chengdu Hunters (6-8)

Gold

Toronto Defiant (7-7)

LA Valiant (3-11)

Silver

Paris Eternal (5-9)

Guangzhou Charge (5-9)

Bronze

Washington Justice (2-12)

[+1] Florida Mayhem (1-13)

[-1] Houston Outlaws (3-11)

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OWL Stage 2 Playoff Predictions (5/10)

New York Excelsior 3-2 LA Gladiators

Both teams are coming into the playoffs as the best teams behind the Shock and Titans. I give an edge to the Excelsior though in this matchup although I could see this match going both ways. New York lost twice to Atlanta in one stage which speaks trouble, but the Gladiators just finished off the stage with a loss to Boston. The Excelsior’s ultimate combos and coordination altogether has just looked better to me. And if it’s a Zarya v. Zarya matchup, I’ll take Nenne over Decay. 

Key Matchups: Nenne vs Decay

Dallas Fuel 1-3 Vancouver Titans

Don’t get me wrong. I love the Fuel as a fan myself, but I can’t bet on them against the Stage 1 Champions when they got 4-0′d by both the Titans and the Dynasty just a few weeks ago. I love the energy that the Fuel come out with and they played the first map of Lijiang Tower and Blizzard World very closely, but Vancouver always got the best of them. If they have any shot in defeating the Titans, it will be between 2 of the best main tanks OGE and Bumper. Vancouver’s whole team is centered around keeping Bumper alive, and he had some amazing shatters on Lijiang Tower and Hanamura. OGE and the rest of the Fuel will have to find out how to beat Vancouver’s strategy. I do not see them being the first team to do that. P.S still #BurnBlue though I love you Dallas.

Key Matchups: OGE vs Bumper        

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OWL Stage 2 Playoff Predictions (5/9)

Shanghai Dragons 0-4 San Francisco Shock

The Dragons make their first stage playoff ever. The only issue is they’re facing off against the Shock just one week after their 0-4 defeat. I don’t see any reason why the outcome will be so different one week later. San Francisco will continue their map streak through the Stage Playoffs. Rascal has played vey well in playoffs, and was said to have started over Architect because of his clutch ability. With Shanghai’s unwillingness to play D’va I see no reason why they will win. DDing on Sombra will not be able to make up for the lack of D’va against the Shock, no matter how spectacular his Sombra is.

Key Matchups: DDing vs Rascal

Hangzhou Spark 3-2 London Spitfire

Hangzhou is coming off a spectacular win against Seoul to make the Stage playoffs. London has played great this stage and even beat the Spark earlier this stage. I just have a strong feeling especially with how great Guxue has played recently. Hangzhou will be able to win one more upset as the underdog. London’s DPS duo of Birdring and Profit will still play well in a very close loss. This game will tell us more about Hangzhou than London. It’s risky to bet against London in stage playoffs, but Hangzhou has impressed me, and I think they can pull off one more upset before getting eliminated.

Key Matchups: Guxue vs Birdring/Profit

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OWL Stage 2 Playoff Power Rankings (5/6)

Top 500

Vancouver Titans (14-0)

San Francisco Shock (11-3)

Grandmaster

New York Excelsior (12-2)

LA Gladiators (9-5)

[+1] London Spitfire (9-5)

[-1] Seoul Dynasty (7-7)

Masters

[+5] Hangzhou Spark (8-6)

[-1] Dallas Fuel (9-5)

Philadelphia Fusion (8-6)

Diamond

[-2] Shanghai Dragons (7-7)

[+2] Atlanta Reign (7-7)

Platinum

[-1] Boston Uprising (7-7)

[-3] Chengdu Hunters (6-8)

Gold

Toronto Defiant (7-7)

[+2] LA Valiant (3-11)

Silver

[-1] Paris Eternal (5-9)

[-1] Guangzhou Charge (5-9)

Bronze

[+1] Washington Justice (2-12)

[-1] Houston Outlaws (3-11)

Florida Mayhem (1-13)

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OWL Predictions (5/2)

Dallas Fuel 4-0 Florida Mayhem

Dallas has failed to compete with top tier teams, but against a lower team like the Florida Mayhem, Dallas will win with ease. At this point it’s clear that OGE is the centerpiece of this team. Whether it’s crazy shatters or juggles, he leads the team and is crucial to this team’s success. He will overpower Swon and Dallas will win quickly against the ever-struggling Florida Mayhem.

Key Matchups: Dallas vs Swon

Philadelphia Fusion 0-4 San Francisco Shock

This 4-0 is not to say that Philly is a bad team or they won’t compete, but San Francisco has not lost a map yet this stage, and they are one of the best playing right now. Rascal will continue to impress on Brig and Baptiste as his flexibility has proved to be very valuable to the Shock. Philly’s Boombox has been the shining star of the team throughout this GOATS meta. Philly is a good team, but without a consistent main tank or Carpe’s carry potential on DPS characters, they will stay in the middle of the pack.

Key Matchups: Boombox vs Rascal

Guangzhou Charge (2-3) Houston Outlaws

Houston has had a bad string of losses after losing to Seoul and Dallas at Homestand Weekend for their 6th straight loss. Luckily they have a chance to turn things around or at least give their fans a bit of hope with a win against a struggling Guangzhou team. If Houston does not win this game, things will just continue to go downhill from here. The battle between Eileen and Danteh will be fun to watch if they get to spend time on their shining hero, Sombra. I give Outlaws the edge as they showed perseverance and toughness in their loss against Dallas.

Key Matchups: Eileen vs Danteh

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OWL Power Rankings Stage 2 Week 5

Top 500

Vancouver Titans (12-0)

San Francisco Shock (9-3)

New York Excelsior (12-1)

Grandmaster

LA Gladiators (9-4)

Seoul Dynasty (7-5)

Masters

London Spitfire (8-5)

[+2] Dallas Fuel (8-5)

[-1] Shanghai Dragons (6-6)

Diamond

[-1] Philadelphia Fusion (8-5)

Chengdu Hunters (6-7)

Platinum

Boston Uprising (6-6)

[+3] Hangzhou Spark (7-6)

[-1] Atlanta Reign (6-7)

Gold

[-1] Toronto Defiant (6-6)

[-1] Paris Eternal (5-8)

Guangzhou Charge (4-9)

Silver

LA Valiant (2-11)

Houston Outlaws (3-9)

Bronze

Washington Justice (1-11)

Florida Mayhem (1-12)

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OWL Power Rankings Stage 2 Week 4

Top 500

Vancouver Titans (12-0)

San Francisco Shock (9-3)

New York Excelsior (12-1)

Grandmaster

LA Gladiators (9-4)

Seoul Dynasty (5-5)

Masters

(+1) London Spitfire (7-4)

(+1) Shanghai Dragons (6-6)

(+2) Philadelphia Fusion (8-5)

(-3) Dallas Fuel (6-5)

Diamond

(-1) Chengdu Hunters (5-6)

Boston Uprising (6-6)

Platinum

(+6) Atlanta Reign (6-7)

(-1) Toronto Defiant (6-6)

(-1) Paris Eternal (5-6)

Gold

(-1) Hangzhou Spark (5-6)

Guangzhou Charge (4-9)

Silvera

LA Valiant (2-9)

(-3) Houston Outlaws (3-7)

Bronze

Washington Justice (1-11)

Florida Mayhem (1-12)

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OWL Predictions (4/18)

New York Excelsior 4-0 Philadelphia Fusion

These teams played off at the beginning of the stage and the match was the same result. I have seen nothing from Philadelphia in between that time that shows me they can complete with NYXL now. It just sucks that they they have to play them twice in a stage. 

San Francisco Shock 4-0 Toronto Defiant

San Francisco have been successfully clearing out their competition ever since the end of Stage 1. Toronto just got 4-0 swept by the Fuel, and the Shock is even better than the Fuel. im37 will look good on whatever hitscan they allow him to play despite the 4-0 sweep.

Florida Mayhem 0-4 LA Gladiators

I hate to predict so many 4-0 sweeps, but that’s what happens when the the top 4 teams are all playing in the same day. LA Gladiators did not look as solid against Valiant, but the Mayhem are at the bottom of the leaderboard and things do not look up when you have to play the Gladiators a week after being swept by New York.

Vancouver Titans 2-3 Dallas Fuel

I know I know bold prediction, but I gotta give hope to my favorite team. It is not just bias that makes me feel it’s possible though. OGE has looked insane recently with the addition of Note on the team. The flexibility that Note brings in too makes it look like a new Dallas team. It’s probably a long shot, but if Dallas was ever gonna beat Vancouver, it would be today with the momentum they have coming into this

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OWL Power Rankings Stage 2 Week 3

TOP 500

Vancouver Titans (10-0)

San Francisco Shock (7-3)

New York Excelsior (11-0)

Grandmaster

LA Gladiators (7-4)

Seoul Dynasty (4-5)

(+2) Dallas Fuel (6-3)

Masters

(+4) London Spitfire (6-4)

(+4) Shanghai Dragons (4-6)

Diamond

(+1) Chengdu Hunters (5-5)

(-1) Philadelphia Fusion (7-4)

(-5) Boston Uprising (6-4)

Platinum

(-5) Toronto Defiant (6-5)

Paris Eternal (5-6)

(+1) Hangzhou Spark (4-5)

Gold

(+1) Houston Outlaws (3-5)

(+1) Guangzhou Charge (3-8)

Silver

(+1) LA Valiant (1-9)

(-4) Atlanta Reign (5-6)

Bronze

Washington Justice (1-10)

Florida Mayhem (1-10)

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OWL Stage 2 (4/13)

London Spitfire 2-1 Philadelphia Fusion

London wins a close match against Philadelphia. Both teams are mid-tier and struggle against S tier teams. Against each other though it will be a great match to watch. The battle between Carpe and Profit will be fun to watch due to the high level of flexibilty and skill both players have. Both teams have improved their GOATS from the season opener. I give London an edge because of Profit’s skill and the ability for London to play Gesture on Winston more.

Key Matchups: Profit vs Carpe

Vancouver Titans 4-0 Houston Outlaws

It’s unfortunate that the Outlaws have to open the stage against the undefeated Titans. It will be interesting to see what compositions Houston comes up with, but it won’t make a difference today. Once Houston plays a weaker team it will be easier to see how they stack up in a meta that allows more DPS compositions. It will be a stomp, but the battle between Muma and Bumper will be fun to watch as both are two of the best main tanks in the league.

Key Matchups: Bumper vs Muma

Dallas Fuel 3-1 Toronto Defiant

Dallas open up the stage with a strong victory against Toronto. Note will shine in his debut on Dallas against Envy and the Defiant. Dallas missed out on the Stage 1 playoffs after being on the wrong end of a reverse sweep against Boston. They come back stronger than ever against an inconsistent Defiant squad.

Key Matchups: Note vs Envy

LA Gladiators 4-0 Guangzhou Charge

The Charge have not won a map yet this stage, and that won’t start today. It’s difficult to come back from a demoralizing loss like the one the Charge suffered yesterday. Things don’t look up against a very talented LA Gladiators team. It’s unsure whether Happy will be able to play today because he was out yesterday. The battle between Roar and Rio will be great to watch. Roar has been outstanding on all the main tanks that he has played this season. Rio on the other hand has had moments of greatness especially on Wrecking Ball. LA Gladiators will continue to prove how talented their roster is with a clean 4-0 sweep against Guangzhou.

Key Matchups: Roar vs Rio

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OWL Predictions 4/12

LA Valiant 3-1 Atlanta Reign

LA Valiant get their first win of the season against the Atlanta Reign who have not won without DaFran. Space will play much better at off tank against Atlanta’s strange recruitment of Frd. Valiant will take advantage of the weak opponent and not let it go to a map 5. 

Key Matchups: Space vs Frd

Boston Uprising 2-3 Hangzhou Spark

For the first time, Boston lets it get too close and can’t pull out the win. Their close calls get a little too close now as Hangzhou finally starts to play with the talent they have. Guxue vs Fusions will be very fun to watch when Guxue is on Winston and Fusions is on Reinhardt. Hangzhou Spark win the match in a map 5 in a huge upset and break Boston’s win streak.

Key Matchups: Fusions vs Guxue

Guangzhou Charge 0-4 San Francisco Shock

Guangzhou Spark haven’t given us a reason to believe in them like they did in Stage 1. The Shock however haven’t given us a reason to doubt them. The battle between Viol2t and Shu. It also doesn’t help that the Shock just swept the Charge last week.

Key Matchups: Shu vs Viol2t

Chengdu Hunters 3-1 Shanghai Dragons

The hunters finally have the meta they need in stage 2 to allow them to play such creative compositions under Ameng. His battle against Gamsu will be fun to watch as both main tanks are very talented and huge contributions to their teams success. This match will come down to the wire even if it is a 3-1 match. Shanghai’s close match against LA Gladiators has showed me that Shanghai may be able to hang with the best, but they can’t defeat the best. Therefore, Chengdu and Ameng escape with another win in their undefeated Stage 2.

Kay Matchups: Ameng vs Gamsu