With the start of the Overwatch League comes an influx of high-quality games every week. After a relatively quiet end to 2017 it is a welcome change, but with this flood of footage it can become quite hard to catch everything. This series will aim to streamline the viewing experience by selecting a Game of the Week, and several other notable games that were either particularly entertaining or important from a narrative standpoint.
Game of the week: Seoul Dynasty v Dallas Fuel
Our first Game of the Week comes from two teams who were both expected to place highly in the inaugural season and was the most anticipated game going into Week 1, and it did not disappoint. There was everything you’d expect from two talented rosters: sick shots, well-executed plays, and an abundance of individual talent. However, what made this match stand out was the level of adaptation we saw from both teams as they strived to outmatch the other.
Dallas Fuel are known for their creativity while Seoul Dynasty are known for their adaptation, and neither team failed to meet expectation. No other game this week truly matched the level of competition that these two teams displayed as each made adjustments in composition and strategy throughout. Seeing a game of this calibre so early in the season is incredible and suggests a promising future. This is a must watch for anyone remotely interested in Overwatch.
Other notable games
Houston Outlaws v Philadelphia Fusion
The Philadelphia Fusion debut was bound to be an intriguing watch, especially up against a Houston Outlaws squad who performed well in the preseason. What we saw was a scrappy back and forth series that had both teams taking rounds and maps off each other. Carpe and ShaDowBurn looked like they haven’t missed a beat since their time in FaZe Clan and were a great matchup for the talented Outlaws side.
This match also featured a standout performance from Poko, who demonstrated his ability to go toe-to-toe with the best in the world. While not as polished as the Game of the Week, an intriguing watch and filled with plenty of highlights to keep everyone entertained.
Los Angeles Valiant v Dallas Fuel
It was an explosive start to this series with two of the craziest maps ever to be seen in Overwatch, filled with big plays and multiple overtime pushes. In particular, So0n hit the sort of highs we saw from him at the peak of Rogue's dominance. The Frenchman went blow for blow with EFFECT in an almighty clash as each tried to carry their team to victory. This series is worth watching for the opening two maps alone, and while it did pitter out towards the end it was still a high-quality game, and an important one as both teams vie for results early on.
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