The Overwatch League returned last week with stage three, offering even higher stakes, intense matchups, and more elaborate entrance routines. The week also saw some surprise upsets, with League titans London Spitfire and Seoul Dynasty losing to Houston Outlaws and Los Angeles Valiant respectively. We’ve compiled six of the best plays from Week One’s matches that showcase some of the best moments the League has to offer.
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Seoul Dynasty vs. San Fransisco Shock – Seoul commit a tragic C9
It’s not often a brilliant play is made by someone who isn’t in the thick of the action – scoring a team kill or otherwise dropping bodies. But San Francisco Shock’s Danteh deserves recognition for exactly that. He does something that’s difficult for even the most seasoned Overwatch players: play the objective.
The camera focuses on Seoul leading a successful defense against Shock on the final point of Junkertown. But look to the bottom-right corner and you’ll see a spry Danteh taking advantage of a distracted Seoul as he pushes the payload to victory. By the time Seoul notice and make a beeline for the point it’s too late. Danteh single-handedly leads Shock into a tiebreaker against Dynasty.
Florida Mayhem vs. New York Excelsior – JJonak’s ult shutdown
New York Excelsior’s JJonak is known for legendary Zenyatta plays and they are already making an appearance in stage three. For a taster, look to Excelsior’s match against Florida Mayhem, in which JJonak shows no remorse against Overwatch newbie Sayaplayer and Mayhem’s tank Menneten, who become the latest victims of his relentless orbs.
As Excelsior makes the final push on Route 66, JJonak eliminates an ulting Sayaplayer with a perfect right-click, wasting his Tactical Visor. He then turns his attention to Mayhem’s Winston and D.Va tank duo, breaking down their final defence in seconds, cementing another unrivalled victory for Excelsior.
Florida Mayhem vs. New York Excelsior – Sayaplayer’s sniping
It can be difficult to catch New York Excelsior off-guard, with their precision tactics and tight communication, which allows them to sit comfortably at the top of the Overwatch League table. Knowing that is what makes Sayaplayer’s Widowmaker shots so fantastic to watch.
Aligning himself far behind the payload on Route 66, Sayaplayer catches Excelsior unawares, taking out fellow Widowmaker Libero, support maverick Ark, and the deadly Saebyeoble. That leaves the other members of Florida Mayhem to push the payload to the first point unchallenged by Excelsior, gifting them plenty of time on a map they usually struggle on.
New York Excelsior vs. London Spitfire – Saebyeolbe’s incredible Pulse Bomb
Arguably the deadliest Tracer in the League, Saebyeolbe lives up to his reputation with a perfect Pulse Bomb ult as he faces off against heavyweights London Spitfire on the first point of Temple of Anubis.
Taking advantage of Spitfire letting their guard down as their D.Va unleashes a self-destruct ult on the control point, Saebyeolbe sneaks up to and stickies a lethal explosive on Bdosin, Birdring, and Gesture. This destroys Spitfire’s defense and allows Excelsior to take the map point.
San Francisco Shock vs. Los Angeles Gladiators – Sinatraa’s deadly Tracer
Another great stealthy Tracer play, this time from San Francisco Shock’s Sinatraa as they face off against the payload being pushed by Los Angeles Gladiators.
The clip starts with Sinatraa chasing nearly the entire Gladiators team, as a great EMP ult by Danteh halts their push, forcing them to change positions. Being a relentless assassin, Sinatraa manages to eliminate the enemy D.Va, Sombra, Mercy, and Zenyatta in a matter of seconds, forcing the Gladiators to regroup with only 40 seconds left on the clock.
Los Angeles Gladiators vs. Dallas Fuel – Seagull’s self-destruct
Despite only recently practising as D.Va for professional play, Dallas Fuel’s Seagull has proven that he has some serious tanking chops, impressing fans with his performance against New York Excelsior in the final week of stage two.
In the first week of stage three, Dallas Fuel faced off against Los Angeles Gladiators, and were struggling on the second map as they hit overtime while pushing the payload to the first checkpoint. Recognising that the Gladiators were grouped up and ready to attack, Seagull charges with a D.Va ult on the payload that knocks Gladiator’s Zenyatta and Winston out of play, and disperses the rest of the team. The move allows Fuel to revive Mickie and make a pivotal push to the point that keeps them in the running.