Stage 1 has been defined by inconsistency in almost everyone.

As a result, very few teams actually look good. A team could seem unstoppable one week and then show an excess of weakness in the next. The only teams that have shown any semblance of consistency have been the Excelsior and the Titans, and even the Titans could be questioned after last week.

On the bright side, very few teams will be leaving Stage 1 in dire straits. With eight matches left in the stage, nine teams are guaranteed to finish the stage within one game of .500. That number can still grow: only six teams are guaranteed to finish with a record at least multiple games detached from an even split in the win and loss columns.

While I held onto the hope that the teams would become easier to rank as the weeks progress, Stage 1 has confounded me at every turn and it has in fact only gotten harder.

Still, I put in my best attempt to make sense of the results so far with the newest edition of Scrub's power rankings.

Image credit: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

1. (+1) New York Excelsior (7-0)

After securing an undefeated Stage 1, the New York Excelsior New York Excelsior OWL Rank #0 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 proven to be the most consistent team in the league and perhaps the only team getting more consistent with time. After starting the season with three matches that were closer than they likely should have been, the Excelsior have lost only two maps in their last four matches. This includes last week's 4-0 over a Shock team that consistently made maps close. That match was a statement win -- the Excelsior are out to prove they should be just as feared as they were last season.

2. (-1) Vancouver Titans (6-0)

After three maps against the Chengdu Hunters, the Vancouver Titans Vancouver Titans OWL Rank #0 Aspire Luka Rolovic dps MirroR Chris Trịnh dps False Nick Wiseman tank Masaa Petja Kantanen support Aztac Park Jeong-soo (박정수) support were down 2-1. They managed to win the final two maps to close out the series but the fear of losing to a Hunters team that has been routinely routed by stronger opponents was certainly there.

3. (+1) San Francisco Shock (4-3)

Despite a 4-3 start, the San Francisco Shock San Francisco Shock OWL Rank #0 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 have met the expectations placed on them in the preseason as one of the best teams in the league. Their three losses have been to the league's two undefeated teams plus a close loss to a Gladiators team that has looked strong when at their best. The Shock are pretty solid.

4. (+1) Philadelphia Fusion (4-2)

The Philadelphia Fusion Philadelphia Fusion OWL Rank #0 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 's only quality win this stage was a Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Reign. In fact, they've probably had the easiest schedule of all of the league's top teams. Nonetheless, the Fusion are 4-0 when Boombox is in the lineup. That counts for something, right?

5. (+4) Toronto Defiant (5-2)

When the Toronto Defiant Toronto Defiant OWL Rank #0 Twilight Lee Joo-seok (이주석) flex support Heesu Jeong Hee-su (정희수) dps Finale dps MuZe Kim Young-hun (김영훈) tank Ch0r0ng support first secured their 5-2 Stage 1 record, I began making excuses to dismiss them. However, they've done their job and consistently beat weaker teams. That's more than what most of the league can say. So I'm sorry to the Defiant. They've done well and deserve their spot in the stage playoffs.

6. (-3) Atlanta Reign (3-2)

While the Atlanta Reign Atlanta Reign OWL Rank #0 Kai Kai Collins dps nero Charlie Zwarg dps Hawk Xander Domecq tank UltraViolet Benjamin David support Ojee Christian Han support are victims of a Gladiators team that transformed into a totally different team last week, the team previously ranked third shouldn't have let themselves be swept. The Reign are one of only three teams that play two matches next week, meaning a finish outside of the stage playoffs is still a very real possibility despite the strong start.

7. (+6) Los Angeles Gladiators (3-4)

Did I mention the Los Angeles Gladiators Los Angeles Gladiators OWL Rank #0 Shu Kim Jin-seo flex support kevster Kevin Persson dps Patiphan Patiphan Chaiwong dps Reiner Corey Scoda tank FunnyAstro Daniel Hathaway support looked like a totally different team last week? If they played like that one week earlier than there's a chance we could be talking about them as a threat in the stage playoffs. Alas, the Gladiators will be on the outside looking in. On the bright side, the next stage looks like it will be considerably easier for the Gladiators, so they should be in pretty good shape by the halfway point of the season.

8. (+2) Dallas Fuel (4-2)

The Dallas Fuel Dallas Fuel OWL Rank #0 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 didn't need anyone to step off of the payload to beat the Shanghai Dragons last week. Instead, they cruised to an easy 4-0 victory. They seem to have found their stride with aKm becoming a permanent fixture in the lineup as the team's Zarya player. They may even leave Stage 1 with a 5-2 record if they can beat the Boston Uprising this week.

9. (+5) Shanghai Dragons (3-4)

Ranking teams from 9-13 was like throwing darts on a board. I redid these rankings several times and I'm still unsatisfied with it even in finalizing it. No team in this range feels like they're good enough for ninth, however none of them feel quite like a 13th ranked team either. The Shanghai Dragons Shanghai Dragons OWL Rank #0 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 get the ninth spot for now because they beat the Spitfire. It is unlikely they hold the spot during their off week.

10. (-3) London Spitfire (3-3)

The London Spitfire London Spitfire OWL Rank #0 Landon flex support SparkR William Andersson dps Backbone Jamie O'Neill dps Hadi Daniel Bleinagel tank Admiral Oliver Vahar support lost in a close match to the Dragons in their only match of the week. Despite the loss, they're still in the stage playoff picture and play another bubble team this week in the Seoul Dynasty. The winner of the match will at least leapfrog the Dragons in rankings if not also secure a playoff spot.

11. (-) Seoul Dynasty (3-3)

The Seoul Dynasty Seoul Dynasty OWL Rank #0 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 are probably the biggest reason why this group of teams is so hard to rank this week. They played their bench against the Justice in a 3-1 win. It's hard to rate how a team looks when they don't put forth their normal lineup -- a normal lineup that has shown great levels of inconsistency so far. At least we know their bench is better than the Justice by a considerable margin.

12. (-) Guangzhou Charge (3-3)

The Guangzhou Charge Guangzhou Charge OWL Rank #0 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 were another victim of the resurgent Gladiators and loss in a 3-1 match. As disappointing a defeat that was, the Charge didn't look terrible. They currently sit in the eighth and final playoff spot for Stage 1, but their odds of holding onto it aren't great. They play the Titans next week.

13. (+2) Boston Uprising (3-3)

After cleanly putting away the Mayhem, the Boston Uprising Boston Uprising OWL Rank #0 Valentine Kim Byoungju dps punk Leyton Gilchrist tank Faith Hong Gyu Kim support Crimzo William Hernandez support are in pretty good shape for a team that has gone through a stage of wild roster ups-and-downs. In fact, if they can beat the Dallas Fuel this week, they might sneak into the stage playoffs.

14. (-8) Paris Eternal (2-3)

The Paris Eternal Paris Eternal OWL Rank #0 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 have won one of their last 12 maps since starting 2-0. It's not a good look for a team that showed so much promise at the start of the season. They should end their losing streak when they play the Washington Justice first next week. Then they'll have their most defining match of Stage 1 when they enter a showdown with the Philadelphia Fusion.

15. (-7) Hangzhou Spark (3-4)

After starting the season 2-0, the Hangzhou Spark Hangzhou Spark OWL Rank #0 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 have looked consistently less than stellar. Fortunately, they are still within a game of .500 and thus are just one good meta away from a reversal of fortune. They can also take comfort in the fact none of their four losses were 4-0s, although the Defiant came close by 3-0ing the Spark.

16. (+1) Chengdu Hunters (2-4)

The Chengdu Hunters Chengdu Hunters OWL Rank #0 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 almost beat the Vancouver Titans. That's by far their best result of the season, even better than their two wins. That match has also propelled Ameng into the spotlight and has made him the talk of the league for the past week. Hopefully they can take the momentum from this match into next week and then the next stage.

17. (+1) Houston Outlaws (3-3)

A very forgiving Stage 1 schedule has the Houston Outlaws Houston Outlaws OWL Rank #0 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 somehow in reach of a stage playoffs spot. If they can manage to upset the Reign, they may actually sneak into the playoffs. That is unlikely to happen, however, if the abysmal match between the Outlaws and the Valiant was any indication of how good the Outlaws are.

18. (+1) Florida Mayhem (1-5)

The Florida Mayhem Florida Mayhem OWL Rank #0 SirMajed Majed Alrashied flex support Checkmate Baek Seung-hun dps Hydron Isaiah Rodriguez dps someone tank ANAMO Jeong Tae-seong (정태성) support have won a match this stage, and may even win two. They play the Justice in their final match of Stage 1. We could be in for a match even worse than the one between the Outlaws and Valiant last week.

19. (-3) Los Angeles Valiant (0-7)

The Los Angeles Valiant Los Angeles Valiant OWL Rank #0 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 have let go of their head coach in the short time since they ended Stage 1 winless. They have nearly a month before their next match, and thus have time to adjust, restructure, find a new head coach, and do anything else necessary to play closer to their preseason expectations. The season isn't over yet for the Valiant -- they just need to finish 12th or higher to make it to the play-in tournament for the final two playoff spots -- but they don't have a lot of room for error. They will need to improve quickly to recover from this dismal Stage 1.

20. (-) Washington Justice (0-5)

One of the Washington Justice Washington Justice OWL Rank #0 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 's Week 5 matches will be against the Florida Mayhem. Just as the match will be an opportunity for the Mayhem to get their second win, it will also be an opportunity for the Justice to get their first. The penalty for the loss is the worst one imaginable: last in the rankings for the near-month before the Overwatch League begins regular season play again.

Weekly Wrap-up

A rollercoaster Stage 1 comes to an end this week in eight matches all played on Saturday and Sunday. Expect a fun set of matches as teams jockey for spots in the stage playoffs.

After the stage playoffs, there should be even more unpredictability going forward. A new patch should hit sometime between Stage 1 and Stage 2. Will GOATs continue to dominate the meta or will the most dreaded team composition be killed for good? How will Baptiste work into team strategies, if at all?

Stay on the lookout for teams who can best adapt to the changes Stage 2 may bring.