Week 4 has always been the quiet week, the calm before the storm that is week 5 and the stage finals. No big ranking shake ups, no big upsets. The matches won or lost here determining who needs to win, and by how much, in order to grab a coveted Finals spot. With that being said, let's dive in.

Week 4 Day 1

Match of the Day


None

Today’s matches were hard to watch. There is no doubt that talent and heart is equally distributed across all the Overwatch League teams: from first to worst. But sometimes that talent manifests or it doesn’t, leading to the one-sided routs we saw today.

Shanghai went down 0-3 to the undefeated Boston before eeking out a hold on Route 66 to secure them a single map. Dallas similarly was only able to secure a single, final map against Florida.

The Los Angeles Valiant against the Houston Outlaws should have been the match of the day, but it wasn't (though it might have some consequences for Valiant down the line). As in the Boston vs. Shanghai and Florida vs. Dallas match, Los Angeles went down three straight maps before winning the Outlaws favored Junkertown 2-0. The loss wasn’t enough to topple the Valiant from their spot in the Stage 3 Finals running, but I have a feeling the loss will put their chances in jeopardy when they face Philadelphia and Boston next week.

Week 4 Day 2


Match of the Day

Los Angeles Gladiators vs. London Spitfire

The Spitfire were 2-4 and were looking to avenge their surprise Stage 2 loss to the Gladiators. The Gladiators lost both their games last week and were trying to stabilize the downward spiral in hopes of staying in the running for a playoff spot. The result: this match.

With Bridring still out with a sprained wrist, London looked to DPS player Hooreg to fill the star sniper’s spot. Problem is, he doesn’t gel too well with London’s top squad. He put up the damage aided by Profit, Gesture, and Fury but it just wasn’t enough to overcome sniper savant Surefour.

Week 4 Day 3


Match of the Day

Houston Outlaws vs. Los Angeles Gladiators

Don’t watch this match looking for fancy plays or impressive ultimate usage, watch this match for the strategy. This is just plain good Overwatch. These two teams, evenly matched in skill and standings, played a game that was less about flashy kills and more about observing, adapting, and evolving on the fly. That sounds boring if you like your Rip-Tire quad kills, but the same could be said about watching two teams with the same composition throw themselves at each other until one of them breaks.

Houston almost went home with a loss in map three if not for a very late offensive push on match point. From there they went on to win Route 66, their worst map, thanks in part to the Gladiators’ inability to check their corners for sneaky Tracers.


But surprise Pulse Bombs weren’t enough to carry the Outlaws to a win. They lost to the Gladiators in a very close map five.

Week 4 Day 4


Match of the Day

Philadelphia Fusion vs. Shanghai Dragons

The 0-26 Shanghai Dragons forced a tiebreaker against the almost Stage 2 champions the Philadelphia Fusion. Everyone predicted that if Shanghai were to get their first win with their new roster additions it’d be against either Florida or Dallas, teams in the same bottom quarter of the standings. But that win was very nearly against Philadelphia.

Why?


One day teams are going to fully respect the Dragons and they’re going to stop going into matches against them with a 4-0 expectation. The Dragons haven’t been 4-0’d in their last five games, and neither Boston nor Seoul beat them 4-0 when they played them earlier in the Stage. Taking a match to five maps is something Shanghai hasn’t done since Stage 1 (ironically against Philadelphia). They’re winning maps that favor other, better teams and while their offense can be disjointed, a consequence of their not-quite-there communication, their defense is truly impressive. The Fusion dashed Shanghai's hopes for a win this time, perhaps finally understanding the Dragons are not to be taken lightly.

Final Thoughts

Boston remains undefeated at the top of the Stage rankings, setting a League record for the most consecutive games won. Now, at the close of week 4, the Uprising has their sights on two more achievements: the first team with a perfect 10-0 stage record and a Stage Championship Title.

But New York is close behind them looking to snatch Boston’s top spot and with it, the right to choose their first round opponent in the Stage Finals. New York has a lighter schedule next week facing Dallas and Shanghai while Boston faces the two LAs, both of which have a good chance to spoil their perfect stage run. It should make for some great Overwatch.

Ash, the first of her name, keeper of Zenyatta lore, protector of Hanzo mains and Mother of Shanghai Dragons, is a content writer for the Overwatch section of MMO-C and Gamepedia.