Why You Should Watch The Overwatch League Playoffs
Long season, many hurdles, long strides. Overwatch League season 3 both showed the unrelenting nature of the competition in this league - especially during a global pandemic - and revealed the steeled character of our professionals. Everyone in their own right contributed to a full experience from which everyone will be able to take something away, no matter how invested or casual.
Why should you watch the Overwatch League Playoffs?
#1 For the story
The narratives coming out of this season are epic tales of redemption, comebacks, grit, team spirit, process, and unadulterated joy.
Take the chase for the Shock for instance. Many teams have tried to beat San Francisco in a playoff series and the list of those that achieved this feat is short. Having won two out of the three tournaments this year, they are once again the team to beat. Over in the Asian region, the Dragons have been on a similar streak of dominance, but come with the uncertainty factor of not knowing how good their region really is. As the titleholders and almost perennial bullies, the Shock have a target on their back which almost every team takes aim at.
Despite Shock’s dominance, the competition is still perceived to be close, given the wide range of team that had high peaks during the season and have displayed a potential to through strong curveballs at the kings. Take the Los Angeles Valiant for instance, a team that has been formed with one of the lowest budgets in the league, were overall ranked in the bottom three by league experts in the pre-season power rankings, but managed to climb into the top five just by the power of their process.
The aforementioned Shanghai Dragons have a similarly incredible comeback story, having been one of the worst teams at the top-tier level in esports history with a staggering 0-40 score in season 1. After a rebuild in season 2, in which they managed to win a stage title, they are now the uncontested top team in Asia, and possibly the best team in the world. Rarely has the esports world seen such a turnaround.
The story of the Florida Mayhem and the Paris Eternal is similarly inspiring, having turned their teams around from some of the worst performers in season 2, to one of the best teams in season 3. On the back of stellar rookie performances of South Korea's finest talents, both teams had the ability to punch up on several occasions. Look no further if you like rooting for dark horses.
Moreover, there’s the story of the perennially second, the Philadelphia Fusion. Whether in season 1 or in season 3, the team has always been good for a trophy, but has yet to wrap their hands around a cup. Spear-headed by one of the most explosive and consistently top performing players Jae-hyeok "Carpe" Lee, who himself has not won a meaningful trophy, the team’s hunger for glory is at an all-time high, with everyone on the team giving it their absolute all.
While the storybooks have yet to be written, we can be sure that the pens of choice will be diverse. If initial practice reports are to be believed, teams have kept their strategies close to their chests, and have refined their individual meta choices. On top of idiosyncratic attributes of each team, even the “meta” composition around Roadhog and a second off tank are an almost entirely new flavour, promising a strategical melting pot of ideas.
Due to COVID-19 complications, the league decided to allow every team to participate in playoffs with significant advantages given to those that finished higher up in the regular season. Nevertheless, it’s still everyone’s game, and your team of choice is still in it for the ultimate price.
#2 For the show
Throughout the season, the Overwatch League has refined the flavour of their broadcast, counting on the innate talents of their broadcasting and production crew. From sophisticated stats to hype-inducing commentators, to fun video production to highly entertaining jesters, the tone of the league has shifted towards providing an enjoyable experience for everyone, casual or hardcore fan.
Looking for battle cries and witty wordplay? Mitch "Uber" Leslie and his partner in crime Matt "Mr X" Morello are the casting duo for big moments, elevating the experience for many. Comic relief and the dumbest geniuses in the room? The British duo Josh "Sideshow" Wilkinson and Brennon Hook have made even the most dragging series a delight to listen to, while snapping out of their tomfoolery to deliver razor-sharp analysis when needed. Bren has grown in his ability to hype a crowd to the size of his on-stage persona’s ego, at a breath-taking pace. Event horizon of Overwatch esports witness and creator Andrew "ZP" Rush and former professional player Jacob "JAKE" Lyon offer the sharpest insights into what’s happening any given moment. Andrew "Wolf" Avola and Seth "Achilios" King are the specialists for the Asian region and bring a great cultural understanding of the South Korean player base, which half of the league is made up of. Last but not least, Robert "hexagrams" Kirkbride and Jack "Jaws" Wright pair extremely posh and royal insights with deep knowledge about the story of each player they talk about.
The desk made up of Jonathan "Reinforce" Larsson and Scott "Custa" Kennedy, two former professional Overwatch players, has honed their comedy and analysis chops, cutting the full plate of action in bite-sized chunks. While desk host Salome “Soe” Gschwind Penski can’t make it to the playoffs, esports host Frankie Ward is a highly experienced and capable stand-in.
Throughout the show, Ben “CaptainPlanet” Trautman and Matt Mersel will be bringing statistics to your screens, providing context to player performances and likely also highlighting when one of the sneaker bonuses have been reached.
#3 For the soul
The attention is focused on these next weeks to make your season whole. As the New York Excelsior will tell you, dominating the regular season is a fine achievement, but it isn’t an Overwatch League title that people will talk about for the next couple of years.
Led into the virtual gladiatorial arena, competitors have sacrificed a lot this year to make it, and we stand to gain from the fruits of their labour, hoping to have some of their conviction and willpower rub off on us by osmosis. Players and coaches alike have devoted the vast majority of their waking hours to reach for the crown, with 70 hour work weeks being the average, but spiking even higher during tournament and playoff preparation. In fact, the Overwatch season this year was so strenuous and the game had changed so much that it broke quite a few competitors, with mid-season retirements even claiming last year’s MVP Jay “Sinatraa” Won.
Overwatch played at the highest level is a thing of beauty, an aggressive dance of excellence against the other team when executed at the highest level. Rotating to gain an advantage, taking the map terrain into account, accounting for the available abilities of their opposition, while considering various win conditions to outwit or outmuscle their opponent.
While the medium appears to be just silly video games, it is clear when talking to these young professionals that they have transcendent the confines of a simple game and have made Overwatch the focal point of their life. There’s no doubt that while the battlefield is virtual, the grit, determination, sacrifice, and unrelenting hunger is real in these young professionals. The level of abstraction makes no difference in the evaluation of their genuine efforts.
Moreover, nothing short of their career is on the line, and Overwatch League professionals hardly earned retirement money once their career is over. With a league minimum of $50,000, a last year’s average of $114,000 ($97,000 base salary, $17,000 in prize-pool winnings and signing bonuses), and the median at $80,000, - the 2020 salaries are expected to be higher - Overwatch League players will all be trying to make the best case going into contract negotiations directly after the season concludes. With a bunch of contracts running out, the market is projected to be wild and a lasting impression in the playoffs adds even more incentive to do well.
#4 For the pocket
On top of all the aforementioned aspects, you can also fill up your pandemic-stricken wallet with up to $100,000 if you predict the perfect bracket going into playoffs. Even if your predictions aren’t correct down to the finals score, the best brackets will still be rewarded with $10,000. However, you have to move quickly! The Perfect Bracket Contest is only open for a couple more hours. By the way, players will be competing for a total of $4,000,000 this weekend too!
Image via Blizzard Entertainment
