For the first time since midway through Stage 1, it's not clear who should be atop the power rankings.
The New York Excelsior lost the Atlanta Reign twice in the latter weeks of Stage 2. The San Francisco Shock lost to the Houston Outlaws last week. The Vancouver Titans lost to the Los Angeles Valiant this week.
The most recent of these losses -- the Titans' defeat at the hands of the Valiant -- was part of a day of upsets. The same day saw the once mighty Fuel continue their losing streak to the Hunters, the struggling Uprising reverse sweep the Eternal, the surging Outlaws get halted by the Mayhem and of course the game between the Titans and Valiant.
While these results mean some narratives begin to lose their luster, it also means other narratives begin to take shape.
What are this week's narratives? Find out in this edition of Scrub's Power Rankings.
Image credit: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
1. (+1) San Francisco Shock (15-4)
After one week away, 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
have returned to the top spot in these rankings. Their matches this week weren't particularly challenging, but it does look like they have began winning like the Stage 2 Shock. They have swept their opponents in each of their last three matches.
2. (-1) Vancouver Titans (19-1)
It would be a mistake to say 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
are in trouble this stage. However, it's fair to say that the Titans are weaker in Stage 3's Sombra-heavy meta. It's harder to keep
Bumper
alive and sustained through his aggression without a D.Va's Defense Matrix and
JJANU
's Zarya doesn't look as sharp as
SeoMinSoo
's. With all of that being said, the Titans should still win their final Stage 3 match and should continue to be a threat to every team in the playoffs.
3. (-) New York Excelsior (16-2)
Despite looking rough in their first attempt with it, 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
committed early to a lineup, composition and style they wanted to play with for Stage 3. Their early commitment to how they want to play Stage 3 could prove beneficial in matches against the league's other top teams in the stage playoffs.
4. (+1) Hangzhou Spark (12-7)
A close victory over the Dynasty proves 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 a legitimate threat and here to stay near the top of the standings. We'll see how they fare against the up-and-coming Valiant squad, as well as against the top three in the stage playoffs should they make it far enough in the bracket.
5. (+4) Los Angeles Valiant (7-12)
Last week, I challenged the Valiant by stating, "All four of their remaining opponents have a winning record. Their chance to earn their ranking will certainly be there." It's fair to say they've already earned it. While their four map victory over the previously-undefeated Titans is justifiably the focus of the league this week, it should also be noted that they defeated a very good Dragons squad. The new additions to the roster are looking very good and Packing10 is beginning to make a case for the league's coach of the year.
6. (-) Seoul Dynasty (10-9)
The comeback 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
pulled of against the Spark was incredible to watch, even if it stopped short of coming to completion for a victory. Still, you can't help but wonder if the match would have been different if the Dynasty started with the lineup they used in the third map. More time is needed to tell whether the utilization of the team's two lineups within matches hurts the team or helps them.
7. (-) Shanghai Dragons (10-8)
Losing to a surging Valiant team and beating a strong Gladiators squad is a solid week for 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
. Their next two matches are both against the Guangzhou Charge, which means they should be in pretty good shape by the end of Stage 3.
8. (-4) Los Angeles Gladiators (12-7)
Last stage, it felt like there were four, maybe five or six, squads that could really distinguish themselves as top teams within the Overwatch League. 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
' drop to eighth this week is a clear sign that there are more teams near the top of the heap this stage.
9. (-1) London Spitfire (12-7)
Of all the moments, maps, matches and singular plays that made this weekend one of the best the Overwatch League has had this season,
Fury
's DPS play is up there as one of my favorites. He and
Profit
made several exciting plays in 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
's close loss to the Excelsior, and Dorado was especially fun to watch. Despite that, the Spitfire's close victory to the Justice wasn't a good follow-up. If they play other opponents like they did against the Excelsior, they will be in good shape. If they play other opponents like they did the Justice, things may get a little tougher.
10. (+1) Philadelphia Fusion (10-8)
It's honestly hard to figure out what to expect from 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
week after week. The Fusion might begin to look better if they nail down their DPS compositions though.
Carpe
's Zarya has not been inspiring this season and the team should be excited at the recent meta shift that gives them the opportunity to put him back onto DPS.
11. (+1) Houston Outlaws (6-13)
Speaking of teams hard to rate and playing inconsistently, 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
extended their win streak to three games in a match against the Eternal only to lose to the Mayhem later in the weekend. It wasn't a good showing, but they should be able to right themselves again with matches against the Justice and Defiant to end the stage. To be fair, though, it would have been more surprising for teams to lose to the Mayhem entering this past week than either of those teams.
12. (+3) Guangzhou Charge (7-11)
In recent weeks, 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 beaten lower tier teams by healthy margins and lost to the league's top teams by similar margins. By that logic, they should be somewhere around the middle right now. Having
Happy
on Widowmaker should continue to be a boost to the team and provide
Shu
with some help.
13. (-) Paris Eternal (8-12)
Losing in a reverse sweep to a Boston Uprising team that was struggling entering the match must be heartbreaking for 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
, but they have no time to wallow in self-pity. Their next match is against the Seoul Dynasty, meaning they need to pull an upset for any chance at making their first stage playoffs.
14. (+2) Chengdu Hunters (8-11)
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 two wins in this stage, but they were both against the Dallas Fuel. Should that really count? It's hard to say at this point, but at least the Hunters are earning just enough wins each stage to remain in the hunt for the top 12.
15. (+3) Boston Uprising (8-12)
Just when we thought all hope was lost for 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
,
Kellex
resurrected
blasé
's Doomfist on Eichenwalde and he brought the team back from the brink of defeat. All of the players on the team deserve credit for coming back when faced with the possibility of a seventh straight loss.
16. (-6) Dallas Fuel (10-10)
Stage 3 has only gotten uglier with time 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
and it's not over yet. Their next match is against the Excelsior and thus they will exit Stage 3 with a losing record unless they can miraculously find their magic.
17. (-3) Atlanta Reign (7-12)
It cannot be stressed enough how disappointing it is to see 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
lose week after week despite playing their opponents so closely. Matches against the Defiant and Mayhem should be enough to net them a couple of wins in theory, but the Outlaws should be used as evidence that it's not always that easy.
18. (-1) Toronto Defiant (7-10)
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
are looking lost and quickly slipping out of the playoff picture. It doesn't look like they've figured out who they want to play on main tank either. Their 5-2 Stage 1 feels like it happened in an entirely different season at this point.
19. (+1) Florida Mayhem (2-16)
For once, 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
didn't look bad. In fact, at times you could even say they looked... good. Their most recent additions haven't even been integrated into the lineup yet. If this isn't just a flash in the pan, the Mayhem may win a couple more games before their season ends. However, I'd like to see them play that way at least one or two more times before I believe they have the ability to play well consistently.
20. (-1) Washington Justice (2-16)
Alas, 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
are once again last in the rankings. They were close to getting their third win this week when they were ahead of the Spitfire at halftime. Perhaps they can earn that win another week and wiggle their way up the rankings.
Weekly Wrap-up
As difficult as it is to rank teams after an upset filled week like this last one, it makes for exciting Overwatch. Hopefully this next week proves just as exciting before eight teams travel to the east coast to play Overwatch in Atlanta.