The rankings near the top for this week will look a bit different, mostly because of the Fusion's second win over the Outlaws this season. The bottom half of our rankings remain similar, with teams providing little reason to be moved up or down.
Only one set this week went the full five maps while five sets had 3-1 scorelines. Six sets, half of all matches played in the week, were clean 4-0 sweeps. With only one upset and few close matches, the past 12 matches mostly served to reaffirm the lost rankings of the week before.
1st: London Spitfire [-]
The Spitfire walk to the stage. Image Credit: Blizzard
The London Spitfire first rose to the top of our rankings after defeating the New York Excelsior despite falling to Houston in the same week. London followed that week with a solid 7-1 map score to retain their top spot.
birdring, Fury, NUS and Bdosin sat in the match against Mayhem but, all four took back their places in the starting lineup against Fusion, the team that was coming fresh off a win over the Outlaws, who had beat Spitfire just one week ago. The Spitfire took their game to another level and prevented any opportunity for Fusion's second reverse sweep of the week.
While the top two teams seem neck-and-neck with each other, we'll continue to give London the edge, for now.
2nd: New York Excelsior [-]
Saebyeolbe poses for the camera. Image Credit: Blizzard
The New York Excelsior went 8-0 this week against two of the stronger western Overwatch League rosters. Their play remains stellar, and while their results seemed to be better than Spitfire's for the week, the previous week's loss to them is preventing Excelsior from retaking the top spot in the rankings.
Excelsior really shined this week in their match against the Outlaws, where they overcame the Outlaw's comeback attempts multiple times with clutch moments throughout. They have lost to only two teams all season, and this match made the reason apparent.
Excelsior will play one of those two teams this week in their match against Philadelphia Fusion. Look for the squad representing the Big Apple to get revenge for their sole Stage 1 loss.
3rd: Seoul Dynasty [+1]
tobi answers questions following a victory. Image Credit: Blizzard
After ending Stage 1 outside of the playoffs and 6th in our rankings, Seoul Dynasty rebounded in the first week of the Stage by defeating the Los Angeles Valiant and a Boston Uprising squad that struggled to find its footing at the start of the stage. The Seoul Dynasty are now the only team left undefeated in the Stage 2, and have thus leaped over the Outlaws as well.
However, Dynasty's schedule to start the stage has been easier than that of other top teams, and thus find themselves still trailing behind their fellow Koreans in rankings. Week 3 will see Seoul likely retaining their winning streak, with Shanghai and Philadelphia on their upcoming schedule. However, the last two weeks will be a true test for the Dynasty, as all three Stage 1 playoff teams are among their last four opponents of the Stage.
4th: Houston Outlaws [-2]
LiNkzr shares a laugh with teammates. Image Credit: Blizzard
The Houston Outlaws lost both games this week but remain the top Western team in our rankings. While the Philadelphia Fusion appear to be their Achilles' Heel, the inconsistency of the squad keeps them below the Outlaws in our rankings.
The Outlaws went winless this past week for the first time since the opening week of the season. At that time, the team looked uncertain of which lineup it and team compositions it most wanted to run, and once again the Outlaws appear to be struggling with their compositions. Their dive currently looks weak, and will need to improve if the team is to rebound and reach the stage playoffs once again.
5th: Philadelphia Fusion [-]
Fragi raises his fists in victory. Image Credit: Blizzard
After a 3-1 start to Stage 2, the Philadelphia Fusion are a team looking to burst into the top third of the league and join its elite. They had the opportunity to do so this past week, and almost did by starting it off with a reverse sweep of Houston. However, they followed up by being swept by London, ending their perfect run in Stage 2.
The Fusion face a tough week ahead as they play both Seoul and New York this week. A strong performance could see Philadelphia jump ahead in the rankings, while a poor showing could prevent the team from seeing any place higher than its current rank for the foreseeable future.
6th: Los Angeles Valiant [-]
The Valiant enter the arena. Image Credit: Blizzard
The Los Angeles Valiant remain in the top half of the standings after a week that saw them go 2-0 against the San Francisco Shock and Dallas Fuel. Although the Valiant seem better than they were in Stage 1, their overall strength of schedule wasn't very difficult.
The Valiant will face their crosstown rivals and the Houston Outlaws this week. In their last battle with the Gladiators, the Valiant came back in the second half fiercely, ripping victory away from the purple squad's clutches. This week will also see their first encounter with Houston, and will be a good measure of the two teams' places in the ranks.
7th: Boston Uprising [-]
Mistakes competes in his first match of the season. Image Credit: Blizzard
The Boston Uprising have struggled at the beginning Stage 2, managing only a 1-3 record. Their upcoming matches this week are against the Shanghai Dragons, who will be playing without Diya, and the London Spitfire. Boston upset Spitfire in Stage 1 on a 3-2 scoreline, and can change their Stage 2 fortunes with another upset this week.
8th: Dallas Fuel [-]
xQc waves to the fans. Image Credit: Blizzard
The Dallas Fuel started Stage 2 with two victories, but followed them with two defeats. While the team does look better than it did in Stage 1, Dallas has only managed to replicate its results from the first stage.
This week should help Dallas go above .500 in the stage again, as they face San Francisco, who was the team's first win in Stage 1, and Florida, who they have yet to play. A sweep of this week's games would help Dallas already achieve more wins than they did in all of Stage 1, and would help the team find steady ground to reach for the success it had as EnVy before the Overwatch League.
9th: Los Angeles Gladiators [-]
BigGoose prepares for battle with his teammates. Image Credit: Blizzard
While the Los Angeles Gladiators have appeared to be soundly ahead of the league's bottom three, they lag behind everyone else. Their only victory over the top eight was against a streaky Philadelphia Fusion in Stage 1 and went to the fifth map. The only other five map set they've played was against their rival Valiant squad, in which the Gladiators ended up getting reverse-swept.
The Gladiators will have a chance to redeem themselves against the Valiant this week before taking on the Goliath London Spitfire. A win against either opponent could go a long way toward proving them as a serious playoff competitor.
10th: San Francisco Shock [-]
dhaK walks in with a smile. Image Credit: Blizzard
Much like the Gladiators before them, San Francisco seems to be a cut above Florida and Shanghai, but well below everyone else. Their one upset win was over the Boston Uprising early in Stage 1, a team that was often inconsistent at the start of the season.
However, the Shock are not pushovers by any means. While they rarely go to five maps, they also are rarely swept. Despite their 10 losses, they have only gone three matches without winning a map. The team is not far from trading matches with some of the stronger squads in the league.
11th: Florida Mayhem [-]
The Mayhem's one bright spot remains their entrances. Image Credit: Blizzard
The Florida Mayhem have looked far from good, and may be banking on the arrival of their new additions they signed before the beginning of Stage 2. The Mayhem do not play the Dragons in Stage 2, and thus will need a miraculous upset to notch their second win of the season.
This week they play both Texas teams, the Houston Outlaws and the Dallas Fuel. If the team is to pull off that much needed upset victory this week, they will need to capitalize on the Outlaws' struggles with dive or punish an inconsistent Fuel squad.
12th: Shanghai Dragons [-]
The dance king takes the stage. Image Credit: Blizzard
The Shanghai Dragons may have to hit rock-bottom before they can begin to climb in the standings. The team's head coach, U4, has left the team, and with former Miraculous Youngster head coach Rui out of the picture until the end of March, the team will have to operate with Kong as their interim head coach. To add to the team's problems, Diya will be returning to China for two weeks due to a family emergency, leaving the squad without one of its two DPS players.
Stage 3 will be the time to determine whether the Dragons can salvage their season and end up with a respectable record. The roster will welcome four new additions and a new head coach. Whether or not Shanghai will recover then remains to be seen, but a turnaround in the rest of Stage 2 unlikely.
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