After three weeks of Overwatch League action, teams are—in some ways—beginning to distinguish themselves and find their places in the field.
In other ways, however, it is only getting hard to pick out where teams should be ranked. There are currently 13 teams within one game of .500. Of those teams, one team has played six matches, 10 have played five matches, one has played four matches and one team has played just three times.
The map scores for the teams in this range do not always match their record. The Seoul Dynasty are 10-10 in maps despite a 2-3 record while the Dallas Fuel are 9-12 in maps with a 3-2 record. In a more extreme example, the Chengdu Hunters have a 6-12 map score on a 2-2 overall record.
This next week will be critical in determining the stage playoffs and where the teams rank in the overall standings entering Stage 2. For several teams, this will be their final week of regular season play this stage.
Other teams, like the Paris Eternal, have two more matches this stage following Week 4. The variance in schedules—both in the number of games played each week and the strength of schedule—make the prospect of placing teams in their rightful spots week-by-week both challenging and exciting.
Here are Scrub's Overwatch League power rankings following three weeks of league play.
Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment
1. (-) Vancouver Titans (4-0)
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
ripped apart the Los Angeles Valiant before slowing down on Rialto and giving up the last map. It doesn't look like the Titans will miss a beat this stage and there is no reason as of now to move them down any places.
2. (-) New York Excelsior (6-0)
Even after dominating the regular season last year, 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
have yet to go undefeated in a stage. If they are able to beat the San Francisco Shock next week, they will finish Stage 1 7-0. That's no easy task as the Shock look like formidable opponents thus far. Regardless of the result, the Excelsior will be in the stage playoffs. They became the first team to clinch a spot this past week.
3. (+3) Atlanta Reign (3-1)
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
didn't just look good in their victory over one of the league's three remaining unbeaten teams in the Paris Eternal, they looked great. The Reign swept the series, becoming the first team to sweep two opponents this season. Despite looking miles ahead of the rest of the league thus far, neither the Excelsior nor the Titans have swept two opponents thus far.
4. (+1) San Francisco Shock (3-2)
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
followed their 0-2 week with a 2-0 roll over their two opponents by a combined map score of 7-1. The Shock secured their place as the second team with two sweeps just two matches after the Reign became the first. They play tougher competition this week with matches against the Excelsior and Eternal. They'll have earned their place in the playoffs if they can beat both teams.
5. (-1) Philadelphia Fusion (3-2)
The only match 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
played this week was a 3-1 victory against the last place Washington Justice. Despite a concerning first map, the Fusion closed out the series without dropping another map. While a team shouldn't be penalized for a win, the Fusion didn't look as good as the Shock did this week and thus the Shock have leaped over the Fusion. They play the league's other winless team this week.
6. (-3) Paris Eternal (2-1)
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
may be the hardest team to place each week because of their scarcity of matches thus far. That changes in the final two weeks of Stage 1 as they play twice both weeks. They will need to bounce back from a pretty lopsided loss if they hope to make the stage playoffs. Three of their final four matches in Stage 1 are against teams ranked higher than them in these power rankings.
7. (+3) London Spitfire (3-2)
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
defeated a free-falling Gladiators squad this week to put themselves over .500. While the Spitfire look improved with
Guard
starting over
birdring
, a bigger factor to their rise in the rankings was the fall of some of their competitors. Of course, the Spitfire partly contributed to that by beating the Gladiators.
8. (+1) Hangzhou Spark (3-3)
It's hard to place 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
. They started the week with their third consecutive 3-1 loss in a match with the San Francisco Shock where they looked outclassed. However, they rebounded with a 3-1 victory of their own over the Los Angeles Gladiators. While there are still concerns about the form of the Spark, it's tough to pick out teams that should be above them. Their match against the Defiant in Week 4 should help place them.
9. (+3) Toronto Defiant (3-2)
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
lost, as expected, to the Excelsior but then beat the Uprising—also as expected. In fact, looking back on their five matches so far, the Defiant may be one of the more predictable teams in the league. Their two losses are to top teams and their three victories are over teams at the lower end of the league standings. They don't lose to bad teams and have yet to earn any huge upsets. On top of that, they have yet to be involved in any sweeps one way or another.
10. (+1) Dallas Fuel (3-2)
It's hard to say whether or not 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
would have still beat the Shanghai Dragons if Youngjin did not walk off the payload on Dorado. Regardless, they deserve credit for seizing the opportunity the Dragons gave them by not only winning the map, but winning the next map to take the series. They won't have long to relish their victory over the Dragons—their very next match is a rematch. This will be the season's first rematch and could go a long way to the Fuel establishing a track record of consistency.
11. (-4) Seoul Dynasty (2-3)
The up-and-down nature of 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 season thus far is cause for concern. While a loss to the New York Excelsior isn't a knock against the Dynasty, a loss to the Uprising is. The Dynasty will hope that the additions of
Highly
and
ILLICIT
can keep them playing better on a more consistent basis.
12. (+3) Guangzhou Charge (3-2)
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
added to their win column this week by narrowly beating the Florida Mayhem and defeating a Los Angeles Valiant squad that can't crack the win column. If the Charge can defeat the other struggling Los Angeles team, the Gladiators, they can secure a winning record for Stage 1.
13. (-5) Los Angeles Gladiators (1-4)
The Stage 1 schedule for 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
has been rough, and it looks like it has taken a toll on the team. With their two losses this week, they've locked in a losing record for Stage 1 and may still lose one or both of their final games to end it. They play a surging Atlanta Reign team and a promising Guangzhou Charge squad. If they can't win either game next week, it may be time for panic.
14. (-) Shanghai Dragons (2-3)
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
remain in the 14th spot for the third straight week. A 4-0 over the Chengdu Hunters shows the Dragons are clearly better than the bottom of the league, but a close loss to the Fuel hints that they may not be at the level of the league's upper echelon. They have an opportunity tor redeem a heartbreaking loss this week as they play the Fuel once again. For those keeping track at home, the Dragons are now 2-43 all time.
15. (+4) Boston Uprising (2-3)
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
were penalized hard last week when it was believed
Fusions
would sit out the remainder of Stage 1. However, that quickly changed and Fusions was back on stage in Week 3. They showed their promise when led by their main tank star with a win against the Dynasty, but their flaws and limits were on full display against the Defiant.
16. (-3) Los Angeles Valiant (0-5)
In order to avoid a winless Stage 1, 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
need to beat either the Philadelphia Fusion or the Houston Outlaws next week. Between those matches, their chances of winning are higher against the Outlaws. Regardless, they haven't looked good so far and ending the stage 0-7 is a very real possibility. If there is one positive thing to say about the Valiant thus far, it's that they've yet to be swept, even when against the league's two undefeated teams. Regardless, they are at the bottom of the league table right now and the schedule doesn't get any easier to start Stage 2. The Valiant need wins and they need them quickly.
17. (-1) Chengdu Hunters (2-2)
In 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
's two wins, they needed five maps to come out on top. In their two losses, they were swept without so much as a whimper. That leaves the Hunters with a 6-12 map record. It's not a good sign for how they will perform as the season progresses.
18. (-) Houston Outlaws (2-3)
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
proved they're better than the Mayhem by beating them three maps to one. More notable than their match victory, however, was that they accidentally played
Bani
and won the map. How that happens is baffling, but at least they overcame the mistake.
19. (-2) Florida Mayhem (1-4)
My brief confidence in 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
appears to have been misplaced after they went 0-2 in Week 3 against two beatable opponents. The Mayhem have gone 0-3 in matches against the Hunters, the Charge and the Outlaws since starting the season 1-1. With matches against the Uprising and the Justice remaining this stage, it will be disappointing if the Mayhem manage only one win.
20. (-) Washington Justice (0-4)
After earning map wins in each of their first three matches, 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
finally succumbed to a series sweep when they were rolled by the Shock in Week 3. They can at least take comfort in the fact that they don't have the worst record in the league. The Valiant currently hold that title with a 0-5 record.
Weekly Wrap-up
Week 4 will be the final week of regular season play in Stage 1 for some teams. As a result, it should help distinguish where teams rank among each other. Almost every match will have an impact on teams' chances at the stage playoffs, and thus fireworks are to be expected.