An extended break between Stage 2 and Stage 3 has separated this power rankings from the last one by nearly a month.
In case you forgot what happened last time, here's a short summary: the Shock took the top spot, the Spark made it to the top five, the Spitfire fell to eighth and very little else changed.
Now that you're up to speed, we can shift the conversation over to this most recent week.
The top of the pack had some close calls. Still, the league's best held on to win the games they're supposed to. The only team from last week's (and this week's) top six that lost was the Gladiators -- and that was to the undefeated Vancouver Titans.
There were some surprises, however, from teams toward the middle and bottom of the pack. How did that shake up this week's rankings? Find out in this edition of Scrub's Power Rankings.
The Overwatch League celebrated Pride Day during this week of matches. Image credit: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
1. (-) San Francisco Shock (12-3)
Their match against the Atlanta Reign was a little closer for 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
than they'd like, but they won anyway. The Titans looked better against the Reign than the Shock did, but the Shock will retain the top of the rankings as a nod to their still recent Stage 2 title.
2. (-) Vancouver Titans (16-0)
Now that 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
have lost in the stage playoffs, it's time to ask when (if ever) they'll lose in the regular season. It looks like we're still a ways away.
3. (-) New York Excelsior (14-2)
It seems like 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 fully committing themselves to Sombra-based compositions in Stage 3. It's a good thing they tried this against the Outlaws first so they could give
Saebyeolbe
a chance to learn the character without actually losing a match.
4. (-) Los Angeles Gladiators (10-6)
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
stomped on the Fuel and were then stomped on by the Titans. It's concerning that the Gladiators' recent matches against the league's very best teams haven't been closer, but they still look better than almost every team in the league. Perhaps with the inclusion of
Surefour
in the lineup they can improve and compete with the league's best.
5. (-) Hangzhou Spark (9-6)
Despite going 9-6 in matches, 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
are 31-32-2 (W/L/T) in maps. What does it take to achieve such contrast? A 4-0 record in map fives and a 1-3 record in matches where a team won zero maps. This is even after the Spark's map record was boosted by sweeping the Fusion this past week.
6. (-) Seoul Dynasty (9-7)
You don't need an article about strength of schedule to figure out 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
have had tough opponents to start the season, but it certainly helps. The Dynasty took the rare opportunity to flex their muscle over weaker opponents this week when they swept the Mayhem and Charge. What's impressive about this week's 8-0 map record is they used two different sets of six players to achieve it. It would be quite a feat if
KDG
manages to make two different lineups work consistently for the Dynasty.
7. (-) Shanghai Dragons (8-7)
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
have ended a week with a winning record on the season for the first time in team history. Now they have an opportunity to add to it with upcoming matches against the Reign and Valiant.
8. (-) London Spitfire (10-6)
If we're going to talk about the difficulty of the Dynasty's schedule, we should also talk about just how easy 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
have had it this season. Their Stage 2 was the easiest single stage of the young season and the Spitfire took advantage of it to go 6-1. This week was a good example of where the Spitfire truthfully sit: they swept a Boston Uprising team that has been looking weak but were swept by the New York Excelsior.
9. (-) Dallas Fuel (10-6)
What was said about the Spitfire can be repeated 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
. They were swept by the Gladiators but didn't lose a map to the Justice. Their next week could produce similar results: they're playing a freefalling Chengdu Hunters squad and the still-undefeated Vancouver Titans.
10. (-) Atlanta Reign (7-9)
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
have proved their two victories over the Excelsior weren't flukes by taking the Shock to map five and taking a map off the Titans. One question remains about the Reign: can they play against weaker teams at the same level they play against the league's top teams?
11. (+2) Los Angeles Valiant (4-12)
While 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
don't necessarily look great, neither does anyone behind them. They are now 2-1 in this stretch of matches that see them play against Chinese teams five straight times.
12. (-1) Philadelphia Fusion (8-7)
The problem isn't that 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
are losing to good teams, the problem is that the Fusion are failing to even remain competitive with those teams. Something needs to change fast for them unless they're content watching a season slip away while they prepare Fusion University's players for promotions to the Overwatch League next season.
13. (+3) Guangzhou Charge (6-10)
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
have rebounded nicely from their abysmal start to Stage 2 to look like a respectable team once again. Their next opponents are not particularly tough -- they're the Valiant and the Defiant -- giving the Charge an opportunity to continue improving their record.
14. (-2) Boston Uprising (7-9)
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
's defeat to the Eternal raises a huge red flag and their decision to experiment with their support duo is now looking questionable. The Uprising are likely one of the better teams to have a losing record, but a three game losing streak that includes matches against the Justice and Eternal is alarming.
15. (+2) Paris Eternal (7-9)
Despite going 2-0 on the week, I'm not quite sold on 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
just yet. Regardless, the Eternal may have put themselves in a good position to make the playoffs. Their next four matches include games with the Mayhem and Outlaws, as well as a rematch against the Boston Uprising.
16. (-1) Toronto Defiant (7-8)
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
's new recruit did not look stellar in their debut week. It's up to the Defiant just how long they want to give
Gods
and
sharyk
a chance before they decide on the lineup they're going to try to make playoffs with. They can't afford to wait too long, given their record.
17. (-3) Chengdu Hunters (6-10)
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
have now lost six of their last seven matches. While it is disappointing to see a fan-favorite team fall off like this, it's not all that unexpected. The Hunters are now resembling the team they were believed to be by many pundits before the season started.
18. (-) Washington Justice (2-13)
It would be an incredible feat if 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
win just one of their next three matches given they're playing the Spark, Gladiators and Spitfire. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.
19. (-) Houston Outlaws (3-12)
With Infinite's sale to Immortals now complete, the Outlaws are one step closer to being able to make the necessary changes to grow and improve. Once 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
are sold, no player or staff member will be safe. New ownership won't have the same loyalty and ties to the players and staff Infinite did.
20. (-) Florida Mayhem (1-14)
It's hard to believe
Revival
Revival
Inactive
Tr33
dps
are better than both 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
AND
Mayhem Academy
Mayhem Academy
Inactive
!
Weekly Wrap-up
Many of the teams wore alternate jerseys this week. Image credit: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
This space will be used this week to talk about the new alternate jerseys the Overwatch League debuted in the first week of Stage 3.
While there were several jerseys that didn't look good, all of them were better than their default jerseys since teams were given the freedom to make their own designs unique from other teams.
For the first time all season, the Mayhem were able to surround their team with positive conversation as many people fell in love with their Miami Vice-themed alternate jersey. Other teams also played into geolocation for their designs, such as the Reign's jersey based on the famous Georgia peach.
Despite all of the creativity that went into creating unique jerseys for every team, some teams really dropped the ball and those teams are the Dallas Fuel. Surely they could have created something that didn't use the default jersey design as the base, right?
Still, the diversity of the jersey designs were a breath of fresh air and hopefully were a taste of something that becomes permanent when teams move to their home cities in 2020.
In the meantime, let's pray they're a mainstay of Stage 3. There were seven sweeps this past week and only two matches that went to map five. We need something interesting to look at when top teams start rolling over their competition.