The Summer Showdown featured some of the most exciting matches of the 2020 Overwatch League season. Upsets, disappointments, and electrifying Genji play reigned supreme during the tournament with each region crowning a new champion. Let’s take a look at how the teams stack up in their regions.
Asia
The Guangzhou Charge are the top team in the Asia region for the first time this season after taking down the dominant Shanghai Dragons in the finals. The Charge have looked unstoppable as of late and their excellence in the Genji meta helped propel them to the top spot. They are serious title contender this year as they ride a hot streak.
The Dragons looked like they were about to work their way back into the match for another reverse sweep after falling behind early to the Charge 3-0. Unfortunately, the magic wasn’t there for Shanghai this time as the premiere Asia team had to settle for second place this time around. They are still amazing and in almost any other meta, should be considered arguably the best team in the entire league.
The New York Excelsior are frustrating because of the talent they have on their roster. They are definitely a good team but they can’t seem to break into that upper tier needed to challenge for the top anymore. This was seen after getting taken down badly against the Charge in the semi-finals despite playing in a meta that should have been great for them.
You never know what you are going to get with the Seoul Dynasty. One minute they look like the best team in the league and another they fall apart doing the simplest things. It’s hard to place them due to their lack of consistency but if something ignites the Dynasty, they could still be a scary opponent. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen as often as it should.
The London Spitfire looked a lot better for the Summer Showdown but still don’t seem to have what it takes to stand with the best of the best in the Asia region after losing to the Dynasty 3-1 early. They are a young team that has been improving throughout the course of the season. It seems like they are trying to catch their stride and when they do, they can cause some headaches for other teams.
The Hangzhou Spark are better than they have been playing recently but they have looked awful. Adding Minho “Architect” Park to the roster looked like the boost they needed but have since trended down. Maybe they are still adjusting to the new roster moves, but the Spark should be way better than they have been.
How do the Chengdu Hunters barely run Genj in a dominant Genji meta with a player like Yi “JinMu” Hu on the roster? The Hunters looked hit or miss earlier in the season but have since sank to the bottom of the Asian region. They just aren’t that good and saw an early exit from the Summer Showdown with a loss to the Charge.
North America
The Paris Eternal faced the toughest opponents on their way to the Summer Showdown victory. Inspired team play and an insane Genji helped push Paris past the Shock and the Fusion where both games went the distance. The Eternal shined in two instant classics and if Genji remains meta, Paris is the best team in North America.
The Shock are essentially the only team to find success running Tracer over Genji in the tournament. Still, the lack of a top Genji player held San Francisco back as they failed to reach the finals after losing a heartbreaking five-map series to the Paris Eternal. They still might be considered the best team in North America but the cracks in the armor were apparent during the Summer Showdown.
A heartbreak ending for the Philadelphia Fusion as they come up just short the incredible seven-map final against Paris. They looked sharp, though, with coordinated counterplay and a shining performance from Josue “Eqo” Corona on Genji. His overtime heroics to clutch point A for the Fusion on Rialto wasn’t enough to lead them to victory but will go down as one of the best plays of all time. The Fusion are title contenders for sure but just can’t seem to push themselves past that final hurdle and win a finals.
The Toronto Defiant were the biggest surprise of the Summer Showdown after making it to the semi-finals before bowing out to the Fusion. Brady “Agilities” Girardi shined on Genji and was the driving force to Toronto’s success. Still, the rest of the roster filled their roles well and helped enable him to make insane plays. The Defiant can be a solid team when everything is working for them.
The Houston Outlaws took it to the Florida Mayhem to get some momentum out of the gates. Then they were met with an insane performance from the Philadelphia Fusion. Their reliance on Tracer over Genji held them back a bit, but they still outperformed a lot of the expectations placed on them heading into the Summer Showdown.
The Dallas Fuel looked pretty solid in their single tournament match. The problem was they faced the Paris Eternal but stood their ground with an impressive showing. The Fuel struggled with internal issues throughout the past month which landed them a bad placement in the tournament. When everything is clicking for Dallas they look really good. That just doesn’t happen all the time.
The Atlanta Reign almost took down an underdog Toronto Defiant squad but didn’t have enough in the end as they went one and done during the Summer Showdown. They have disappointed all season and losing right away as the second seed just adds to that. They looked alright, though which is an okay sign.
The Florida Mayhem had a disappointing Summer Showdown following an explosive May Melee. They just didn’t seem equipped to adjust to the meta and found themselves exiting the tournament early after losing to the Houston Outlaws 3-1. The Mayhem are a good team but dropped the ball this time around.
When the Los Angeles Valiant DPS players struggle to adjust to the meta, the Valiant as a whole struggle. They looked out of sorts in their match against the Toronto Defiant for an early, disappointing exit. The Valiant have relied a lot on their star players to lead them to victories but this time it backfired.
The Vancouver Titans looked pretty decent in their qualifying matches which landed them a nice fourth seed for the tournament. Unfortunately, they were quickly dispatched by the Paris Eternal. The Titans have definitely gotten better since the disastrous issues earlier in the season but their lack of a great Genji player hurts them.
The Washington Justice are indeed getting better. The problem is they had to face the Shock after upsetting the Gladiators in a convincing victory. Though their Summer Showdown ended at the hands of San Francisco, the Justice looked more comfortable in the Genji meta and their recent additions are starting to show why they are key pickups. Hopefully, the Justice continue their upward trend.
The Los Angeles Gladiators are in a free fall and their immediate exit from the Summer Showdown tournament at the hands of the Washington Justice looked uninspired. Things just aren’t working for the Gladiators and have disappointed most of the year but let everyone down with for the qualifying matches and tournament.
