The Vancouver Titanic and the Fusion Iceberg - Week 15 Preview
The Overwatch League is heading into its 15th week with twelve matches of which some could turn out to be highly competitive. Seoul Dynasty has stocked up their support lineup with Slime and it remains to be seen if he'll be worked into the starting roster immediately. The Vancouver Titans are matched against one of the weaker teams in OWL but do they have a chance? Moreover, there are potentially great matches between the Shock and the Reign and the Eternal vs the Fuel. Let's look at the meta forecast first.
Meta predictions
With Tracer, Mei, Orisa and Moira banned, the meta forecast for a composition for each region is tough. The likely archetypes are Double Shield and Dive compositions with the Asian and the North American region likely coming up with different DPS and support lineups. Potential compositions are Rein/Sigma/Sombra/Echo(or McCree)/Zen/Ana with flanky DPS trying to find openings while Echo and Zen try to race shields in the mirror or Winston/D.Va/Sombra/Echo/Zen/Brig with a dive strategy, trying to split the enemy against double shield. Some teams might also shy away from Echo completely and may play a lot of McCree to zone Echo compositions.
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Match of the week: San Francisco Shock vs Atlanta Reign
3 AM CET // 9 PM ET // 6 PM PT (May 17th)
San Francisco Shock (3-1): How good are the Atlanta Reign really? Their score of 5-4 is deceptive as only one of their losses (vs. the Valiant) was against a team in the bottom half. Otherwise, they've kept it close against top teams and were arguably unlucky in the metas in which they met them in. The profiles of these teams suggest that this will come down to a double shield mirror. Here the Shock should have the upper hand, though not to the extent that we should expect a stomp. The Reign have often failed to find compositions in which ErsteR gets to put on his carry pants. Having their best Reinhardt and Sigma in personal union on Gator is another problem for them. Dive could be a solution, though a half-hearted attempt at it won't be enough here. Many of the top teams still consider Shock the team to beat, and if this match delivers is likely only up to the Reign.
Seoul Dynasty vs Chengdu Hunters
10 AM CET // 4 AM ET // 1 AM PT (May 16th)
Seoul Dynasty (3-1): It's a meeting of the two most inconsistent teams in the Overwatch League and it's not the Double Shield week that the Dynasty want. With Orisa banned, Gesture will have to play his weak-to-average Reinhardt. Playing Profit on Sombra instead of Echo and Fits on McCree could be their best shot. The last time the team had tried Echo dive, it ended in a thrashing against both the Charge and the Spark. Unless they've levelled their dive, it is unlikely to help them against the Hunters. Chengdu themselves have been looking off the mark, unable to find the unorthodox but effective compositions we admire them for.
London Spitfire vs Shanghai Dragons
12 PM CET // 6 AM ET // 3 AM PT (May 16th)
Shanghai Dragons (3-0): The London Spitfire have improved during their long break, but not to a point where they can threaten the Dragons. This should be a clean sweep with the Dragons showing off their qualities and styling on their opponent.
New York Excelsior vs Hangzhou Spark
2 PM CET // 8 AM ET // 5 AM PT (May 16th)
New York Excelsior (3-1): The Spark had an average start to the season given their projected power level. Recently, they've dipped a little and seemed to have lost the quality that once made them a team that could punch up. This week might help the team, as dive is on the menu once again. It's clear the best version of their tank line is Guxue on Winston and Sasin on D.Va. Adora looked serviceable on Echo, too. Going for the dive mirror against the NYXL is a bold move but likely the best option for the Spark. It's unlikely to be close.
Click to enlargeVancouver Titans vs Houston Outlaws
9 PM CET // 3 PM ET // 12 PM PT (May 16th)
Houston Outlaws (3-1): If there is a toilet bowl this week, it's this match. The Outlaws have everything to lose here, as a victory should be expected but a defeat is not out of the question. Nobody wants to be the first to lose to this Titans roster. The Texans have tried to go for curveballs in their last matches against top teams like the Shock and the Reign and it will be interesting to see if they will try this against a lesser opponent too.
Florida Mayhem vs Washington Justice
11 PM CET // 5 PM ET // 2 PM PT (May 16th)
Florida Mayhem (3-0): The Mayhem is on the rise and they seem to have escaped the pattern of requiring Brigitte compositions to work. If you are racing the Mayhem, it's now time to take them seriously. The Justice are weekend by the retirements of Stratus and Corey to which they still don't have a replacement announced.
Los Angeles Gladiators vs Boston Uprising
1 AM CET // 7 PM ET // 4 PM PT (May 16th)
Los Angeles Gladiators (3-0): At this point, the only question a Boston Uprising match should pose is if they'd lose against the Titans. The answer might frighten you.
Guangzhou Charge vs Chengdu Hunters
10 AM CET // 4 AM ET // 1 AM PT (May 17th)
Guangzhou Charge (3-2): The Charge appear to have found their groove despite the absence of neptuNo and Wya. On a three-match win streak not least due to a clean victory against the NYXL, they look like they finally caught up to their potential. Their record against the Hunters is not the best, currently at 1-1 match score and 3-5 down in maps. That said, the Hunters themselves are struggling. If the Charge wants to be a top team, they have to make it decisive here.
Hangzhou Spark vs London Spitfire
12 PM CET // 6 AM ET // 3 AM PT (May 17th)
London Spitfire (3-2): How the mighty have fallen. Last year, the Spark directly qualified for playoffs but this year they might be the second-worst team in Asia. Spitfire has also improved in their break, putting them ahead in this match up. Although showed a lot of promise and the rest of the team looked much more cohesive than before their break. It'll be a close match, but the Spitfire are favoured.
Dallas Fuel vs Paris Eternal
9 PM CET //3 PM ET // 12 PM PT (May 17th)
Paris Eternal (3-1): The Fuel have accelerated their pace and are on route to be a mid-tier team in 2020. Decay doesn't seem to stop delivering world-class performances even against strong opposition. While Paris still have to make due with their skeleton crew, they still are a crisp team that should be the favourites here. If Reign vs Shock doesn't deliver the goods, then this match is likely our second-best choice.
Philadelphia Fusion vs Vancouver Titans
11 PM CET // 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT (May 17th)
Philadelphia Fusion (3-0):
Click to enlargeToronto Defiant vs Los Angeles Valiant
1 AM CET // 7 PM ET // 4 PM PT (May 17th)
Los Angeles Valiant (3-2): A very hard match to call based on the strong improvement of performance by the Defiant against the Shock. Kruise might have given this team the shot-caller that they have been waiting for but we have to see more. The Valiant have also rallied and looked like a solid team despite their lack of resources. It's likely to be a good match.
Images via Blizzard Entertainment
