10. Atlanta Reign - Key Player: DACO
Josh: This roster is pretty good. I have them 2 spots higher making the back end of playoffs. If dafran can get anywhere near his selfless peak, this team is scary. Nlaaer is the big ? for me however.
Ryu: if all the puzzle pieces in this team fall into place they can win every matchup in my eyes. Making this happen is very, very hard.
Drey: DACO and his partner Pokpo are massive additions for this team, add that along with a high potential EU support duo, and with Erster on flex dps? This Seems to be a good team if they gain the momentum in the regular season they could definitely sneak into the top 8.
9. Shanghai Dragons - Key Player: Diem
Josh: Much improved from 0-40 adding a solid core of Kongdoo. I think a high seed for the last call tourney is about right for this team. Diem and DDing as a dps duo sounds promising
Ryu: No, they will not go 0-28, far from it actually! This team is very good and have some good pre-existing synergy. Diem/DDing/YoungJIN is an extremely scary rotation on DPS.
Drey: With the new additions of KDP players, GuardiaN, and Diem, it seems like the team is taking a massive step up. With a better team to play around him, I think that Fearless will get the chance to show off his true skill.
8. Philadelphia Fusion - Key Player: Carpe
Josh: Inconsistent throughout season 1. Philly have a minor goats problem, if it’s a dive meta for more than 3 stages this team is maybe higher. The support line is weakest amongst the top 10 in my mind.
Ryu: S1 finalist now 8th.. i myself have them making playoffs barely. This team is still very inconsistent and can literally lose to anyone on an off-day. Luckily for them they have enough starpower in the best DPS player in the world (imo) Carpe.
Drey: A team that already barely made playoffs in season one, though that could also be due to the fact that they used Fragi for 3 stages. When Philly is ON they can take on any team, but when they’re OFF, they can also be beat easily. If that’s fixed then they can definitely be a playoff contender.
7. Hangzhou Spark - Key Player: Krystal
Josh: Lots of questions with this roster however if paper turns out to be realistic this team is great. I’m well on the Guxue Krystal hype train going into s2, this team looks like a contender. I have them at 6th in my list.
Ryu: I think this team is certainly good and have them around the 10th place. Spark will be fan favorites in most games due to their branding and that might give them a boost. Reason for having them a bit lower is just that i think other teams are a bit better overall.
Drey: I think the team has a lot of potential going into the first season of the Overwatch League, despite X6’s and Seven’s recent Contenders performances. With two of the best Chinese Overwatch players in the world, along with extremely notable players such as Godsb and IDK, I expect them to pop off.
6. San Francisco Shock - Key Player: Architect
Josh: What else can I say apart from, rascal, architect, striker choi nevix,viol2t and moth on one team. In my mind, this team competes to be the 3rd best. Crusty has created a potentially finals appearing team here.
Ryu: i am not on this hype train at all, signing 5 DPS players is great and all but 90 percent of the games you will still only field 2 of them (and one of them is always Architect imo). The rest of the starting team is not changed as much from last season. Managing personalities and substitution is something many teams have struggled hard with before. Let’s see how this goes but i would not be surprised if they end up midway down the table.
Drey: Not only having an extremely stacked DPS line, they’ve also picked up one of the, if not the best, Flex Support from Overwatch Contenders. It seems that recently they plan on playing Nevix (as shown by Danteh’s scrim leaks)
5. Vancouver Titans - Key Player: Bumper
Josh: This may seem as a surprise at 5 however besides LW red this was the only team to really compete with GC Busan. Runaway are good everyone should know this. I’m not worried by their transition to OWL
Ryu: This team has proven for 2 years and during different meta’s to be at the top of Korean Overwatch. All the players have tons of LAN experience and the only thing holding them from a play-of spot in my eyes is the transition to a different country,culture and environment. Talent is present in every roll.
Drey: Many say that this might end up as a Seoul scenario, or that they will be overhyped. Overhyped may be true, but I doubt this is going to be another Seoul scenario. I can’t go into deep detail here, but in general it seems the community is more knowledgeable of the players coming into the OWL and the things surrounding them, along with Vancouver getting the chance to learn from Seoul’s mistakes.
4. Seoul Dynasty - Key Player: Fleta
Josh: Seoul are further down in my opinion however they are still quite strong. A competitive roster with a brilliant coaching staff with Hocury leading the ship. Jecse and fissure are two of the most impactful signings to inaugural teams.
Ryu: The Redemption arc has started and i am all for it. Their potential Lineup looks stacked and Fissure has proven to be able to turn teams around. The coaching staff has cleaned which was the biggest issue last season. Top 3 might even be possible for them.
Drey: This team will either destroy this season with their incredible new rebuild, or they will sink. I’m hoping to be optimistic here and say that Fissure won’t throw them into a gutter, but recent rumors of Marve1 starting don’t bolster it too much. The rest of the team surrounding Marve1 though might still be good enough to push them to a playoffs contender anyways.
3. Los Angeles Gladiators - Key Player: Shaz
Josh: Throughout season 1 I was insistent that LAG were not that good, however goats meta or not this team can beat anybody. Goose out of mercy prison is a huge boost for this team. Critically adding R0ar and Decay has helped drive the legion further up the rankings. Friendly reminder shaz is the best flex support that isn’t from South Korea.
Ryu: All the players on this team have a set purpose and with the signing of roar and Decay (who were top tier in KR contenders last season) there is no reason to believe that they will not continue their season 1 stage 4 form.
Drey: They were already one of the best teams last year, and even though they lost Fissure, who is a near irreplaceable player in terms of individual skill, they got rOar who is probably their best realistic option. Once Decay turns 18 after their first 1 or 2 matches, their GOATS comp is going to be terrifying.
2. London Spitfire - Key Player: Fury
Josh: Reigning champions spitfire are the literal definition of stacked. Adding a great dps in Guard who slots perfectly as well as JJonak 2.0 in Krillin. Every play in their starting 6 are in discussion for top 5 in their role. When you have profit on your team, life is good.
Ryu: This team is kind of in the same boat as Seoul. Cleaned up their team and coaching and found their formula for success in the playoffs. Profit/birdring is the best DPS duo in the league and if they play their final form non can stop them.
Drey: With an extremely experienced coach coming in, along with a more solidified roster London will be able to take their rightful place in the standings this season. Guard as a pickup is probably the most fitting thing I’ve seen in the off-season, plays everything that London needs to a great level, including fantastic Sombra play and a good Zarya.
1. New York Excelsior - Key Player: Jjonak
Josh:Consensus number 1 team in the league. I’m not sure how but NY got better. With a loaded dps line, they have so many options. Give me any meta and I’d take NYXL as the top dogs. It’s time for these guys to mirror their stage 2 victory and take the chip off the spitfire.
Ryu: although crashing in playoffs, this team has shown to be the most consistent squad over a long period of time. Together with LSF they stand at the top of the mountain that is OWL power rankings.
Drey: It’s hard to explain how stacked their roster is, keeping all of their players from season 1’s dominant run, while picking up new ones. Mano’s Reinhardt previously was very good, and I’m excited to see him get the chance to show that off in season 2.
Comments