The Overwatch League returned to the status quo during the Countdown Cup, as the Shanghai Dragons and San Francisco Shock reclaimed their titles as the best teams in their respective regions. The season playoffs are coming up soon, and the hopes are that the collision between the two giants will eventually happen. Until then, let’s take a look at how the teams stack up post-Countdown Cup.
1. Shanghai Dragons (26-2)
Well that was a beat down for those who had to face the Dragons in the tournament. Shanghai lost no maps on the way to their finals victory, going 7-0 and looking completely unstoppable. The Sombra/Winston meta was the perfect storm for a team that has continuously been at the top of the standings all season. They are the team to beat for the season playoffs.
2. New York Excelsior (15-7)
The New York Excelsior are looking better after more time with Hyojong “Haksal” Kim on the roster. Still, when New York strayed from Genji comps in the Countdown Cup they struggled a lot and almost allowed Guangzhou to reverse sweep them. There are still issues with who the team wants to actually play around. Hopefully they can figure it out before the playoffs begin.
3. Guangzhou Charge (18-7)
The Charge were a disappointing one and done for the Countdown Cup after becoming the Champions of the Summer Showdown. They have a talented roster, but with their hot streak over, Guangzhou might struggle to make it out of the Asia region playoffs and into a final four spot. They almost ran it back against New York, but came up just short.
4. Hangzhou Spark (11-11)
Genji and Winston being meta worked really well for the Spark as it allowed their best players to play their best heroes. They were able to reverse sweep the Seoul Dynasty to stay alive early in the tournament and took down a hot-handed Hunters squad to reach the finals. They did lose to Shanghai 4-0 in the finals, but that’s more a testament to the Dragons’ dominance than anything else.
5. Chengdu Hunters (8-14)
The Hunters had an incredible run during the Countdown Cup qualifying matches with their crazy, on-brand comps. Unfortunately, the magic ran out for Chengdu in their match against the Spark, but the shift in head coaching has made them into a competent team. If the Chengdu magic comes alive for the rest of the season, they could be fun in the playoffs.
6. Seoul Dynasty (8-11)
Are the Seoul Dynasty woes mostly due to their coaching? Yes. The Dynasty were up 2-0 against the Hangzhou Spark and just threw away the match by switching to Reaper/McCree comps for some reason. It backfired big time for Seoul and perfectly encapsulated everything about their season. It’s frustrating seeing the potential of the team continue to be undercut by poor decisions. Who knows if they can get it together for the playoffs.
7. London Spitfire (6-10)
The London Spitfire had a poor showing against the Chengdu Hunters in their first match of the Countdown Cup. They are a young team, but have shown some signs of life throughout the season. It always felt like 2020 was a building season for London, but they have looked better than many thought. They won’t make many waves for the rest of the season, though.
1. San Francisco Shock (22-2)
The San Francisco Shock were able to take home the victory after falling short in the Summer Showdown. They adapted to playing Genji perfectly even though they seemed to struggle with it when others teams were utilizing the hero. They have few weaknesses and their diverse range of comps helped them reach top status in North America once more.
2. Philadelphia Fusion (23-2)
Another heartbreaking second place finish for the Philadelphia Fusion who looked prime to finally become champions of a major tournament. It’s gotta hurt for Philly to continue to be so close but never reach the top. They are still an amazing team and seem to be the only team (maybe Paris) that can actually stand up to the San Francisco Shock. So close, yet so far away. Always.
3. Paris Eternal (17-6)
The Paris Eternal are still an incredibly scary team heading into the season playoffs. There damage dealers were largely shut down by the Fusion in the semi finals which led to a 3-1 loss. They seem to be squarely in that third position in North America, but if a favorable meta emerges for the playoffs, the Eternal have the firepower to make a spectacular run.
4. Florida Mayhem (15-6)
The Florida Mayhem bounced back pretty well in the Countdown Cup after a lackluster showing in the Summer Showdown. They have been a surprisingly good team all season and their DPS duo is one of the best in the league. Who knows if the Mayhem have what it takes to make a deep run in the playoffs, but they have turned around the entire franchise which is incredibly important.
5. Atlanta Reign (10-7)
Oh, Atlanta Reign. They are the team that has moments of brilliance but look largely average the majority of the time. The talented roster they put together this season hadn’t worked out the way many thought and even though they looked decent in the Countdown Cup, Atlanta doesn’t really have enough there to compete with the best teams in the league.
6. Los Angeles Valiant (10-9)
The Los Angeles Valiant looked decent in the Countdown Cup but fell short after facing off against a tough Paris Eternal team. They have defied all expectations this season and look like they could build to be a great team going forward. Their damage dealers are top-tier and even though they won’t compete at the top in the playoffs, the future looks promising.
7. Los Angeles Gladiators (7-9)
The Gladiators did alright in the tournament despite the roster playing some of their best heroes. That’s all you can really say about the results, though, just fine. It’s the perfect way to summarize the Gladiators season who have been a big disappointment after being one of the better teams throughout the first two seasons of the league.
8. Toronto Defiant (8-12)
The Defiant went out early in the tournament after losing 3-2 to the Los Angeles Gladiators. It’s a disappointing result for a team that utilized Genji extremely well in the Summer Showdown. They never were really much of a contender this year (much like last season) unfortunately, but there is still some talent left on the roster.
9. Dallas Fuel (7-10)
The Fuel’s ship is sinking after losing DPS star Decay and parting ways with an assistant coach and the head coach. They managed to squeak out a win against the Washington Justice before getting dismantled by the Shock. The season is pretty much a done deal for the Fuel as they should look towards trying to build a winning team culture heading into 2021.
10. Houston Outlaws (6-15)
The Houston Outlaws continue to find ways to lose maps and matches. It’s both infuriating and heartbreaking at the same time. They have a few incredible players on their roster, but their early 3-0 exit against the Valiant doesn’t bode well for a team that continues to struggle in big moments.
11. Washington Justice (4-16)
The Justice haven’t been very good all season, but they have had moments of being decent. The Genji resurgence has worked wonders for Washington and the new additions to the roster have done well enough. They don’t really have a chance in the playoffs but they might be able to give a lower seeded team a run for their money.
12. Vancouver Titans (4-11)
The Vancouver Titans haven’t been the worst team in the league, but they have been pretty close all season. Their 2020 campaign was over when the team released the original roster despite a few moments where they looked alright. The Titans were rolled by Atlanta for an early exit in the tournament and it’s nearly impossible to see Vancouver make a miracle run for the season playoffs.
13. Boston Uprising (2-17)
It has been just an abysmal season for the Boston Uprising, who have never looked that great. They didn’t even make it into the Countdown Cup bracket after losing to the Vancouver Titans in a play in. It’s the second tournament the Uprising haven’t even participated in. Honestly, the season has been over for Boston since it started.
