The Stage 2 finals brought us an epic match between the Shock and Titans. Between the Shock's 28-0 map record in Stage 2 and the Titans' undefeated record at that point in the season, both teams looked unstoppable.
Stage 3 brought us a final between the Shock and the... Dragons? Yes, the eighth seed in the stage playoffs made it to the stage finals a mere week after losing to the Guangzhou Charge. And not only did they make it to the stage finals, the Dragons won it.
While this is the very same franchise that went 0-40 last season, the team is entirely different. Only Geguri and Diya remain on the team from last year's roster, and neither player played once this stage.
Their victory is surprising, but maybe it shouldn't be. The base of their roster is the Kongdoo Panthera team that finished second to the roster that became the Vancouver Titans in Contenders last year. The other two members of their starting lineup, diem and Gamsu, are upgrades over Panthera's Decay and rOar (as talented as they both are). They have talent in their lineup.
Regardless, few would have predicted the Dragons winning Stage 3 at the start of the stage playoffs and their Cinderella run should be celebrated.
They currently are the best team in the Overwatch League... or are they? Here's how the teams stack up in this addition of Scrub's OWL Power Rankings.
Image credit: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
1. (+6) Shanghai Dragons (12-9)
Yes, the
Shanghai Dragons
Shanghai Dragons
OWL
Rank #5
Izayaki
Kim Min-chul (김민철)
flex support
Void
Kang Jun-woo (강준우)
off tank
Fleta
Kim Byung-sun (김병선)
dps
LIP
Lee Jae-won (이재원)
dps
Fate
Koo Pan-seung (구판승)
tank
LeeJaeGon
Lee Jae-gon (이재곤)
support
are the best team in the Overwatch League, at least for right now. I wouldn't typically bring a team from seventh up to first for one weekend of matches that don't count to their overall record, but it's hard to keep the Dragons down after they beat the Titans, Shock and Excelsior. They may not be on top for long, but they're on top for now.
2. (+2) San Francisco Shock (16-5)
I doubted the
San Francisco Shock
San Francisco Shock
OWL
Rank #2
Viol2t
Park Min-ki
flex support
Finn
Oh Se-jin (오세진)
flex support
Proper
Kim Dong-hyeon (김동현)
dps
s9mm
Samuel Santos
dps
Coluge
Colin Arai
tank
entering the stage playoffs and they came out and put on a show. They dispatched the Dynasty, dismantled the Valiant and pushed the Dragons closer to the edge than they had been all weekend. Most importantly, we were treated to the
ChoiHyoBin
Roadhog, which was an absolute joy to watch.
3. (-2) Vancouver Titans (20-1)
For the first time this season, the
Vancouver Titans
Vancouver Titans
OWL
Rank #19
Aspire
Luka Rolovic
dps
MirroR
Chris Trịnh
dps
False
Nick Wiseman
tank
Masaa
Petja Kantanen
support
Aztac
Park Jeong-soo (박정수)
support
watched the stage finals from home. Despite their disappointing end to Stage 3, they are still the favorites to take home the best record in the league and will likely be strong in Stage 4, regardless of what the meta brings.
4. (-1) New York Excelsior (19-2)
The
New York Excelsior
New York Excelsior
OWL
Rank #18
Gangnamjin
Gang Nam-jin (강남진)
flex support
Myunb0ng
Seo Sang-min (서상민)
flex support
Flora
Lim Young-woo (임영우)
dps
Yaki
Kim Jun-gi (김준기)
dps
Kellan
Kim Min-jae
tank
are forgiven for losing in the first round because the team they lost to, the Dragons, eventually won the stage title. Still, they are a combined 1-3 in stage playoff games this season. That's not a promising sign heading into the postseason later this year.
5. (-) Los Angeles Valiant (8-13)
Despite never playing D.Va previously in his professional career,
Shax
made the game-winning play for the
Los Angeles Valiant
Los Angeles Valiant
OWL
Rank #15
Molly
He Chengzhi (何诚智)
flex support
Diya
Lu Weida (陆炜达)
dps
innovation
Oh Seok-hyun (오석현)
dps
Becky
Il-ha Kim (김일하)
dps
Ezhan
dps
Marve1
Hwang Min-seo (황민서)
tank
Lengsa
Chen Jingyi (陈婧逸)
support
on the hero when he ate GodsB's Graviton Surge. The Valiant will be scary in Stage 4, especially if Shax continues to look good on every hero he touches.
6. (-4) Hangzhou Spark (14-7)
The
Hangzhou Spark
Hangzhou Spark
OWL
Rank #6
BERNAR
Shin Se-won (신세원)
off tank
irony
Kim Hyeong-woo (김형우)
flex support
Shy
Zheng Yangjie (郑杨杰)
dps
AlphaYi
Kim Joon (김준)
dps
guxue
Xu Qiulin (徐秋林)
tank
superich
Wu Gengtuo (吴梗拓)
support
's fall to sixth isn't so much a punishment for their loss as it is a result of this weekend's successes of the Valiant, the Dragons and the Shock. While they ended up short this weekend, they can feel some comfort when looking ahead at their Stage 4 schedule. Assuming they adapt to Stage 4's meta well, they should be able to win enough games to secure a spot in the top six of the standings.
7. (-1) Seoul Dynasty (12-9)
The
Seoul Dynasty
Seoul Dynasty
OWL
Rank #3
Ir1s
Kim Seung-Hyun (김승현)
FITS
Kim Dong-eon (김동언)
dps
Profit
Park Joon-yeong (박준영)
dps
smurf
Yoo Myeong-Hwan
tank
Vindaim
Junwoo Park
support
's match against the Shock felt winnable throughout, but several mistakes during the course of the match cost them potential map wins. They disappointed in their first and only match of the weekend, but they should remain competitive with the league's top teams entering the season's final stage.
8. (-) Los Angeles Gladiators (13-8)
For the second time this season, the
Los Angeles Gladiators
Los Angeles Gladiators
OWL
Rank #4
Shu
Kim Jin-seo
flex support
kevster
Kevin Persson
dps
Patiphan
Patiphan Chaiwong
dps
Reiner
Corey Scoda
tank
FunnyAstro
Daniel Hathaway
support
have sat at home and watched the stage playoffs while being ranked ahead of at least one team in those playoffs. Their schedule in Stage 4 isn't any easier than their Stage 3 schedule, so they'll need to put up better performances if they want to secure a place in the top six.
9. (-) Houston Outlaws (8-13)
The
Houston Outlaws
Houston Outlaws
OWL
Rank #7
Lastro
Moon Jung-won (문정원)
flex support
creative
Kim Young-wan (김영완)
flex support
Danteh
Dante Cruz
dps
Pelican
Oh Se-hyun (오세현)
dps
Mer1t
Choi Tae-min
dps
Piggy
Shin Min-jun
tank
' match against the Titans went as expected. While they didn't take a map off of the Titans, it is unlikely anyone below them in the rankings would have either.
10. (-) London Spitfire (12-9)
The
London Spitfire
London Spitfire
OWL
Rank #12
Landon
flex support
SparkR
William Andersson
dps
Backbone
Jamie O'Neill
dps
Hadi
Daniel Bleinagel
tank
Admiral
Oliver Vahar
support
are salivating at the chance to put
Profit
and
birdring
back on DPS and to take
Gesture
off of Reinhardt. They may get their chance next stage.
11. (-) Guangzhou Charge (9-12)
Assuming the 2-2-2 lock does actually come to fruition in Stage 4, the
Guangzhou Charge
Guangzhou Charge
OWL
Rank #9
Cr0ng
Nam Ki-cheol (남기철)
off tank
Farway1987
Cao Jiale (曹家乐)
flex support
choisehwan
Choi Se-Hwan (최세환)
dps
Develop
Chae Rak-hoon (채락훈)
dps
Rio
Oh Seung-pyo (오승표)
tank
Unique
Yoo Dong-hyun
support
may finally have an opportunity to use their plethora of talented DPS players to their full potential.
12. (-) Philadelphia Fusion (12-9)
The
Philadelphia Fusion
Philadelphia Fusion
OWL
Rank #11
AimGod
Min-seok Kwon
flex support
MN3
Yoon Jae-hee
dps
ZEST
Kim Hyun-woo (김현우)
dps
Belosrea
tank
FiXa
Kwon Young Hoon (권영훈)
support
should get some credit for helping propel the Dragons to their Stage 3 title. The Dragons' win over the Fusion in Atlanta elevated the Dragons' confidence and gave them the momentum needed to beat the league's three best teams.
13. (-) Chengdu Hunters (9-12)
How will the
Chengdu Hunters
Chengdu Hunters
OWL
Rank #13
Mmonk
Zhou Xiang (周翔)
flex support
Daizi
Ni Yuandong (倪远东)
off tank
Jinmu
Yi Hu (易虎)
dps
Leave
Huang Xin (黄馨)
dps
GA9A
Qiu Jiaxin (仇佳鑫)
tank
Nisha
Tan Li (谭力)
support
fare when they aren't the only team playing DPS heroes? A 2-2-2 lock would mean we're about to find out.
14. (-) Paris Eternal (8-13)
ELLIVOTE was on the market until July 14 and the
Paris Eternal
Paris Eternal
OWL
Rank #20
Kaan
Emir Kaan Okumus
flex support
Glister
Lim Gil-seong (임길성)
dps
Wub
Cameron Johnson
dps
Dove
Jesse Palomo
dps
Malthel
Josh Gonzales
dps
Daan
Daniël Vincentius Paulus Scheltema
tank
Krawi
tank
dridro
Arthur Szanto
support
Lukemino
Luke Fish
support
Rakattack
Kyle Rakauskas
support
still managed to let him slip away. Is it too late to trade for Nevix?
15. (-) Atlanta Reign (9-12)
The
Atlanta Reign
Atlanta Reign
OWL
Rank #10
Kai
Kai Collins
dps
nero
Charlie Zwarg
dps
Hawk
Xander Domecq
tank
UltraViolet
Benjamin David
support
Ojee
Christian Han
support
's Stage 4 schedule might be just easy enough to allow them to sneak into the postseason play-in tournament. It will be up to them to capitalize on the games they should win.
16. (-) Dallas Fuel (10-11)
The worst possible meta for the
Dallas Fuel
Dallas Fuel
OWL
Rank #1
Fielder
Kwon Joon (권준)
flex support
Doha
Kim Dong-Ha (김동하)
dps
SP9RK1E
Kim Young-han (김영한)
dps
FEARLESS
Lee Eui-seok (이의석)
tank
ChiYo
Han Hyeon-syuk (한현석)
support
was one that called for both Brigitte and Sombra to be played at the same time since
ZachaREEE
is their best option on both heroes. With that meta now in the past, maybe the Fuel can make some kind of rebound.
17. (-) Boston Uprising (8-13)
At this point, it's hard to think of something to say about the
Boston Uprising
Boston Uprising
OWL
Rank #16
Valentine
Kim Byoungju
dps
punk
Leyton Gilchrist
tank
Faith
Hong Gyu Kim
support
Crimzo
William Hernandez
support
in two consecutive weeks which they don't play.
18. (-) Toronto Defiant (7-14)
The
Toronto Defiant
Toronto Defiant
OWL
Rank #14
Twilight
Lee Joo-seok (이주석)
flex support
Heesu
Jeong Hee-su (정희수)
dps
Finale
dps
MuZe
Kim Young-hun (김영훈)
tank
Ch0r0ng
support
are in a race against the clock. Can they overcome their language barrier issues in time to save their season and qualify for the play-in tournament?
19. (+1) Washington Justice (2-19)
Now that the
Washington Justice
Washington Justice
OWL
Rank #17
Decay
Jang Gui-un (장귀운)
dps
Happy
Lee Jung-woo (이정우)
dps
Mag
Kim Tae-sung (김태성)
tank
Krillin
Jeong Young-hoon
support
Opener
An Gi-beom
support
have a formidable tank-line in
LullSiSH
and
ELLIVOTE
, they should at least be competitive with much of the league. It's a shame the team's roster at the beginning of the season was so weak because the Justice have made nothing but good additions since the season has started.
20. (-1) Florida Mayhem (2-19)
Speaking of new additions, the
Florida Mayhem
Florida Mayhem
OWL
Rank #8
SirMajed
Majed Alrashied
flex support
Checkmate
Baek Seung-hun
dps
Hydron
Isaiah Rodriguez
dps
someone
tank
ANAMO
Jeong Tae-seong (정태성)
support
's newest players played in few maps in Stage 3. Watch for the Mayhem to try and integrate them more in Stage 4.