The Stage 2 finals brought us an epic match between the Shock and Titans. Between the Shock's 28-0 map record in Stage 2 and the Titans' undefeated record at that point in the season, both teams looked unstoppable.
Stage 3 brought us a final between the Shock and the... Dragons? Yes, the eighth seed in the stage playoffs made it to the stage finals a mere week after losing to the Guangzhou Charge. And not only did they make it to the stage finals, the Dragons won it.
While this is the very same franchise that went 0-40 last season, the team is entirely different. Only Geguri and Diya remain on the team from last year's roster, and neither player played once this stage.
Their victory is surprising, but maybe it shouldn't be. The base of their roster is the Kongdoo Panthera team that finished second to the roster that became the Vancouver Titans in Contenders last year. The other two members of their starting lineup, diem and Gamsu, are upgrades over Panthera's Decay and rOar (as talented as they both are). They have talent in their lineup.
Regardless, few would have predicted the Dragons winning Stage 3 at the start of the stage playoffs and their Cinderella run should be celebrated.
They currently are the best team in the Overwatch League... or are they? Here's how the teams stack up in this addition of Scrub's OWL Power Rankings.
Image credit: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
1. (+6) Shanghai Dragons (12-9)
Yes, 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 are the best team in the Overwatch League, at least for right now. I wouldn't typically bring a team from seventh up to first for one weekend of matches that don't count to their overall record, but it's hard to keep the Dragons down after they beat the Titans, Shock and Excelsior. They may not be on top for long, but they're on top for now.
2. (+2) San Francisco Shock (16-5)
I doubted 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 entering the stage playoffs and they came out and put on a show. They dispatched the Dynasty, dismantled the Valiant and pushed the Dragons closer to the edge than they had been all weekend. Most importantly, we were treated to the ChoiHyoBin Roadhog, which was an absolute joy to watch.
3. (-2) Vancouver Titans (20-1)
For the first time this season, 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 watched the stage finals from home. Despite their disappointing end to Stage 3, they are still the favorites to take home the best record in the league and will likely be strong in Stage 4, regardless of what the meta brings.
4. (-1) New York Excelsior (19-2)
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 forgiven for losing in the first round because the team they lost to, the Dragons, eventually won the stage title. Still, they are a combined 1-3 in stage playoff games this season. That's not a promising sign heading into the postseason later this year.
5. (-) Los Angeles Valiant (8-13)
Despite never playing D.Va previously in his professional career, Shax made the game-winning play for 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 on the hero when he ate GodsB's Graviton Surge. The Valiant will be scary in Stage 4, especially if Shax continues to look good on every hero he touches.
6. (-4) Hangzhou Spark (14-7)
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 's fall to sixth isn't so much a punishment for their loss as it is a result of this weekend's successes of the Valiant, the Dragons and the Shock. While they ended up short this weekend, they can feel some comfort when looking ahead at their Stage 4 schedule. Assuming they adapt to Stage 4's meta well, they should be able to win enough games to secure a spot in the top six of the standings.
7. (-1) Seoul Dynasty (12-9)
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 match against the Shock felt winnable throughout, but several mistakes during the course of the match cost them potential map wins. They disappointed in their first and only match of the weekend, but they should remain competitive with the league's top teams entering the season's final stage.
8. (-) Los Angeles Gladiators (13-8)
For the second time this season, 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 have sat at home and watched the stage playoffs while being ranked ahead of at least one team in those playoffs. Their schedule in Stage 4 isn't any easier than their Stage 3 schedule, so they'll need to put up better performances if they want to secure a place in the top six.
9. (-) Houston Outlaws (8-13)
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 ' match against the Titans went as expected. While they didn't take a map off of the Titans, it is unlikely anyone below them in the rankings would have either.
10. (-) London Spitfire (12-9)
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 are salivating at the chance to put Profit and birdring back on DPS and to take Gesture off of Reinhardt. They may get their chance next stage.
11. (-) Guangzhou Charge (9-12)
Assuming the 2-2-2 lock does actually come to fruition in Stage 4, 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 may finally have an opportunity to use their plethora of talented DPS players to their full potential.
12. (-) Philadelphia Fusion (12-9)
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 should get some credit for helping propel the Dragons to their Stage 3 title. The Dragons' win over the Fusion in Atlanta elevated the Dragons' confidence and gave them the momentum needed to beat the league's three best teams.
13. (-) Chengdu Hunters (9-12)
How will 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 fare when they aren't the only team playing DPS heroes? A 2-2-2 lock would mean we're about to find out.
14. (-) Paris Eternal (8-13)
ELLIVOTE was on the market until July 14 and 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 still managed to let him slip away. Is it too late to trade for Nevix?
15. (-) Atlanta Reign (9-12)
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 's Stage 4 schedule might be just easy enough to allow them to sneak into the postseason play-in tournament. It will be up to them to capitalize on the games they should win.
16. (-) Dallas Fuel (10-11)
The worst possible meta 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 was one that called for both Brigitte and Sombra to be played at the same time since ZachaREEE is their best option on both heroes. With that meta now in the past, maybe the Fuel can make some kind of rebound.
17. (-) Boston Uprising (8-13)
At this point, it's hard to think of something to say about 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 in two consecutive weeks which they don't play.
18. (-) Toronto Defiant (7-14)
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 in a race against the clock. Can they overcome their language barrier issues in time to save their season and qualify for the play-in tournament?
19. (+1) Washington Justice (2-19)
Now that 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 have a formidable tank-line in LullSiSH and ELLIVOTE , they should at least be competitive with much of the league. It's a shame the team's roster at the beginning of the season was so weak because the Justice have made nothing but good additions since the season has started.
20. (-1) Florida Mayhem (2-19)
Speaking of new additions, 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 's newest players played in few maps in Stage 3. Watch for the Mayhem to try and integrate them more in Stage 4.