Stage 4 of the inaugural season of the Overwatch League begins this week, with New York looking to secure their third straight stage victory after sweeping through the Stage 3 playoffs.
New York the one to beat
New York have essentially no weaknesses, with an unquestionable wealth of talent supplemented by quality shot-calling and chemistry. Players such as Libero and Pine continue to adapt their play by diversifying their champion pool, while ArK and JJoNak remain some of the best Supports in the entire league. New York are incredibly well-rounded and look a cut above the rest entering the final stage.
Boston looking to repeat
After an incredible Stage 3, Boston Uprising will look to maintain the form that led them all the way to the finals against New York. Guided by the DPS duo of Striker and Mistakes, Boston had a prolonged winning streak, albeit in generally close series even against lesser competition.
The issue for Boston is the continued improvement of the other squads, although doubting them after such a sensational stretch of play would be a hasty call. However, the opposing teams on the slate do have a blueprint on how to shut them down, courtesy of New York’s domination in the finals; prevent the Boston frontline from playing by stopping Gamsu and company from diving the backline crushes that are the centerpiece around which Boston are built.
A regression is expected, but Boston are still likely to threaten the playoff places.
Dallas may be in trouble
A team destined to continue their downward trajectory are likely to be the Dallas Fuel who, after a myriad of issues, appear not to have EFFECT, by far their best performer, for Stage 4. Dallas have been the most disappointing team in the league by a substantial margin, with multiple player transitions and role swaps leading to worsening progress. A complete overhaul appears in store for Dallas moving forward, with all other options seeming to have been dispensed at this point. Dallas against Shanghai on Wednesday might be one of the most hotly contested matches of the week, with Shanghai having their best chance yet to end their 30-game winless streak.
London key is birdring
One of the most interesting squads entering Stage 4 is that of London Spitfire, who after a terrible start to Stage 3, finished 6th with a .500 record. Winners of Stage 1, London have been outclassed over the past few stages largely because of an injury that sidelined star DPS player birdring for an extended period of time. This team functions completely around his talent and abilities, with the side continually lacking without him even with the likes of Profit doing well. His return date is still unknown.
London could be destined for another rough start with their first match being against their kryptonite, the Houston Outlaws, before they end the week against New York.
San Francisco unlikely to Shock this time
This stage is a chance for the San Francisco Shock to prove themselves after coming on in leaps and bounds in Stage 3. A group of new additions and subsequent improvement from the likes of Danteh helped propel the Shock to a narrow playoff miss, as they were just lacking in the tiebreaker category of round differential.
San Francisco have continued to impress with their young core, with multiple flexible DPS players complimenting their solid team coordination and shot-calling. San Francisco should continue to improve as the young guns adapt to the stage environment, but a real concern is that teams are likely to take them more seriously this time around.
The Shock will not be catching anyone off-guard moving forward, especially since a majority of their strategies appear to be fairly linear in nature. For San Francisco to make the next step and achieve a playoff spot, a win is needed in the opening week when they square off against both the Los Angeles Gladiators and Seoul Dynasty.
Conclusion
Heading into this final stage of the inaugural season there is still a lot to play for as the teams battle to qualify for the Championship Playoffs in July.
The two Division winners, plus the next top four finishers in the entire league, will make the Playoffs. New York lead Boston by five games in the Atlantic, but Seoul Dynasty, Los Angeles Valiant and Los Angeles Gladiators are all tightly packed in the Pacific. Week 1 immediately brings that Pacific battle into focus as the Valiant and Dynasty meet in their opening match.
