Entering the final week of the regular season for Stage 3 of the Overwatch League, the playoff picture remains murky, with a number of teams fighting for the final two playoff spots.
With Boston and New York clinching thus far, the last two playoff places are currently held by the Los Angeles teams – Valiant and Gladiators – but both have a difficult slate of games.
Valiant have tough schedule
For the currently third placed Valiant, a bout with top side Boston Uprising is followed by a closing match against Philadelphia Fusion, with only one win necessary to clinch a playoff berth.
Valiant lack star power compared to other top sides, but their team cohesion and synergy lend themselves towards a consistent brand of Overwatch.
The concern for Valiant is their lax schedule throughout Stage 3 that saw them avoid having to play the Stage 2 champions New York Excelsior at any point in this stage. However, this is an opportunity to squelch some of the nay-sayers, with a 1-1 split sufficing for their playoff hopes.
Gladiators clinch with a couple of wins
The Gladiators need a 2-0 week to absolutely guarantee a playoff spot, but a schedule that includes an improving Florida Mayhem side alongside league leaders Boston Uprising means it will be a tough task.
The Gladiators have looked like a playoff side ever since the addition of Fissure, who has truly reshaped the foundation of this team.
Complimenting Fissure has been the likes of Bischu and Surefour, who have shown vast improvement in this stage compared to the previous two. However, this will mean little should the Gladiators fall short of a playoff appearance, with four teams sitting just one game behind them. The good thing for the Gladiators is that they currently have a four map edge in the tiebreaker (map differential), so unless they lose in a one-sided manner, a single win should put them over the line. This isn’t guaranteed though
Outlaws the best of the rest
The team most likely to challenge the Gladiators for the final spot is the Houston Outlaws, given they sit with the best map differential of all the 4-4 teams with +1, while also having arguably the highest ceiling.
The Outlaws have slowly been building momentum, with a win over the Los Angeles Valiant being their best victory since back in week one over London. Houston have two of the other 4-4 teams on the schedule for Week 5, with San Francisco Shock and Seoul Dynasty both slated. However, Houston’s overall skill cap and their recent success with three wins in their last four matches gives them strong hopes of a last-minute playoff spot. Houston will need help from quite probably Boston to make it through, but given Boston’s perfect 8-0 start to the stage, this help is likely to be forthcoming.
New York hoping to pip Boston to first place
New York Excelsior have a decent shot at claiming top spot in the league with the easiest schedule of the week by far. Closing out the regular season for Excelsior is the free-falling Dallas Fuel, who are allowing their best player EFFECT to take a break, alongside the still winless Shanghai Dragons, who to be fair have improved as of late.
Even still, New York appear all but locked for a 2-0, with what currently sits as a one map differential edge over the current first place squad; Boston. Boston have the aforementioned difficult task of playing both the Los Angeles Valiant and Los Angeles Gladiators – teams giving everything they have in an attempt to secure a playoff spot – so they could be pipped to the top in the final week.
Conclusion
New York alongside Boston are a cut above the rest currently, and New York have the opportunity to steal the number one seed away from Boston in the final week. That would be three straight stages with the best record should Excelsior pull off the late move. Meanwhile, a number of teams could secure the final two playoff spots so there is still a great deal to play for.
