Overwatch League Six Pack: xQc You Later

This week the Six Pack features a look at the departure of xQc, Hydration’s stellar Doomfist play, as well as some good, old-fashioned, Power Rankings. We also look forward to the best matchup of next week! 

1) Departure: Dallas Fuel Releases xQc

It seems like every week there’s a new scandal that pushes the Dallas Fuel to the forefront of the Overwatch League conversation, but this week’s news is by far the most recent. The team has officially parted ways with Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel after a season that can only be described as tumultuous. xQc was signed with great promise, as he shot up the Overwatch ranks and earned the recognition of being one of the top tank players in the Overwatch scene. His addition to the Dallas Fuel lineup was supposed to put them over the top and provide their EnVyUs core with top tier tank depth. Unfortunately, that plan didn’t work out. xQc ended up only playing six games with the team, and was given two separate suspensions, as the Fuel languished through an extremely disappointing Stage 1 and beyond.

As a Canadian Overwatch fan and owner of an xQc jersey, it’s been tough watching the xQc drama play out these past few months. The fact is, he’s not one for holding in his emotions or holding back on thoughts before he speaks, and that is a dangerous combination for a member of a pro esports team.  As a result, streaming every day for long stretches of time while also representing the Overwatch League and Dallas Fuel, has become a disastrous combination. It’s no doubt stressful streaming as often as xQc does while also being responsible for representing his team and brand. At the same time, there is no excuse for his actions and in the end, there doesn’t seem to be much more than the Fuel could have done in this situation given the tools at their disposal.

As it stands now, it’s not clear if xQc will be given another chance by an Overwatch League team, but in the meantime, he has committed to focus heavily on streaming going forward. Hopefully, xQc can learn from his Overwatch League experience and grow as an individual as well as a streamer. One thing that is fairly certain is that the Dallas Fuel should have less drama going forward with him gone.

2) Boldest Strategy: (Doom)Fist to the Face

So far in the Overwatch League Doomfist has been cemented as a last-ditch hero that is really only used to get back into the battle at the last minute. His powerful punch makes it possible for him to kill an enemy player in a single blow, but his lack of defence makes him extremely vulnerable after delivering his punch. That being said, it seems like nobody told João Pedro ‘Hydration’ Goes Telles that Doomfist isn’t in style because he often and eagerly used the character in his team’s match against the LA Valiant last week.

On Hanamura, after taking point ‘A’ in quick fashion, Hydration switched off of Genji and onto Doomfist for the second half of the map. With his health constantly teetering below 100, Hydration ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding the rockets of a charging D.Va until he delivered the decisive blow on the enemy’s main healer, Mercy. With Mercy out of the game, the Gladiators were able to eviscerate the Valiant from the point and capture Hanamura with over 5 minutes and 11 seconds left in their time bank. The time advantage ended up being significant in the end, as the Gladiators took the game by a score of 5 to 4. On Lijiang Tower, Hydration started off as Doomfist (of course) and was killed four straight times to start the round. He didn’t let that setback get to him though and only died once more during the entirety of the map, carrying the Gladiators to a map one win with the play featured below.

The Gladiators, led by Hydration, have stood out with their bold player picks and uncanny team play, have left the other teams behind as they still try to adapt to the new meta and craft new strategies. After last week’s play by Hydration, we could very well see an emergence of top-tier Doomfist play going forward.

3) Top Plays Week 3: Basketball, Sushi, and Family

a) Ark Pulls up From Downtown

Have you ever seen a basketball player make a full court shot? It’s an extremely impressive feat and last week NYXL support Yeon-joon ‘ArK’ Hong managed to show off the Overwatch League equivalent. Goodnight Winston.

b) A Sushi Buffet ft. Chef Jake

With their backs up against the wall and facing a potential loss to the Florida Mayhem, The Houstons Outlaws’ Jacob ‘Jake’ Lyon managed to pull off a miracle play.

c) One Big Happy Family

After being traded away at the end of Stage 1, Chan-hyung Fissure Baek and the London Spitfire showed that their friendship transcends competition.

4)Can’t-Miss Match: Seoul Dynasty (6-0) vs. NYXL (5-1)

Date: Wednesday, March 14th Time: 9:00 PM EDT Shoutcasting Team: Uber + Mr. X

If you can only watch one Overwatch League match this week, make sure that you make it Wednesday’s clash between the NYXL and the Seoul Dynasty. Simply put, this is a matchup between the league’s top two teams and while you can argue over which deserves the top spot, you can’t argue with the talent level of these teams.

NYXL’s is comprised of a lethal top six consisting of Jong-yeol ‘Saebyeolbe’ Park , Tae-hong ‘MekO’ Kim, Joong-hwa ‘Janus’ Song, Sung-hyeon ‘JJoNak’ Bang, Yeon-joon ‘Ark’ Hong, and Dong-gyu ‘Mano’ Kim. Saebyeolbe is widely regarded as the best Tracer player in the world and JJoNak’s play on support hero Zenyatta often outshines even the most aggressive of DPS players.

On the Seoul side, their top six comprises of Byung-sun ‘Fleta’ Kim, Je-hong ‘Ryujehong’ Ryu,  ‘Munchkin’ Jin-mo ‘Tobi’ Yang,  Joon-hyuk ‘Zunba’ Kim, and Jin-hyuk ‘Miro’ Gong. Fleta is one of the most exciting players to watch and holds a mastery over Pharah, Genji, and Widowmaker while Ryujehong is the team’s leader who often blends into the background but is instrumental in the teams’ success thus far and ongoing.

Their match in Stage 1 is one of the most exciting in the Overwatch League so far with NYXL pulling off a closely contested 3-2 win. Expect even more pulse-pounding action from Wednesday’s match, with Seoul gaining some revenge and taking the game 3-2.

5) Stage 2 Power Rankings (1-6)

1) Seoul Dynasty (6-0)                             (Change NA)

Once again the Seoul Dynasty find themselves at the top of the power rankings and once again the team remains undefeated in Stage 2. The Dynasty has simply looked unstoppable this Stage and after their collapse at the end of Stage 1, they are a team with something to prove which is no doubt a scary prospect for their opponents. This team is led by Ryujehong and he is for my money the best captain in the Overwatch League. Their match against NYXL is going to be a crucial one for the team and a win would all but cement their spot in the Stage 2 playoffs.

2) NYXL (5-1)                                            (Change +2)

The team with the best record and point differential in the Overwatch League overall, NYXL has had a masterful last couple of weeks in which they went undefeated. They’ve shown that they have what it takes to make the playoffs, but have thus far fallen short in key matches

Leading the way for the team is, well, the whole team. They have been a unified and deadly force so far and their depth is second to no team. The fact that NYXL plays as well as they do without utilizing Do-hyeon ‘Pine’ Kim is a feat in and of itself, although it would be nice if they featured his sick DPS play more often. Similarly to Seoul, a win in their match tonight would go a long way in staking their claim as the league’s top team.

3) L.A. Gladiators (4-2)                             (Change +5)

Holy heck the L.A. Gladiators have looked good these past couple weeks. The team capped off their week two wins with two stunning upsets against the L.A. Valiant Gladiators and London Spitfire. In Stage 1 this team lived and died based on their Canadian captain Surefore’s play, but the team has grown heavily since. The addition of Fissure, coupled with the emergence of human-swiss-army-knife, Hydration, and Aron ‘Bischu’ Kim’s work as a translator has propelled the Gladiators to the upper echelons of the league. The Stage 2 Championships are a serious possibility for this team, and if they keep this up, so too are the end of season playoffs.

4) London Spitfire (4-2)                             (Change -1)

London falls slightly in the rankings due to a couple of losses in their last two weeks. We all know that the team has immense talent, but the loss of their coach, Bishop, and some perplexing underestimations of rival teams have left the Spitfire reeling a little. If they can deploy Ji-hyeok Birdring Kim and Yeong ‘Profit’ Park on a more consistent basis then this team will no doubt soar. But with the teams around them improving London needs to show that they are not fading and quickly.

5) L.A. Valiant (4-2)                                  (Change +2)

The L.A. Valiant are having a pretty remarkable season and are the top non-Korean team in the overall league standings. That being said, they had a bit of a mixed week and their sweep at the hands of the Gladiators has to sting even more than a regular sweep. Terence ‘Soon’ Tarlier and Benjamin ‘uNKoe’ Chevasson have emerged as a lights-out french combo and are getting better with every passing game. However, similarly to London, they need to show some more improvement in their Stage 1 efforts, or risk being overtaken by other teams. As it stands now, Valiant fans should feel pretty happy, but not satisfied until they show they can make it far in the playoffs.

6) Houston Outlaws (3-3)                         (Change -4)

Speaking of rough weeks, the Houston Outlaws have crashed down to earth since starting Stage 2 at 2 wins and 0 losses. It seems like teams are finally figuring out the Outlaws’ strategies and the usual dynamite play by DPS giants Jiri ‘LiNkzr’ Masalin and Jacob ‘Jake’ Lyon, just haven’t been there recently. Houston even found themselves down 2 to 0 against the one win Florida Mayhem and looked like they would lose the match until their dormant DPS duo of Linxr and Jake went off and saved the day. Consider these last couple weeks a wake-up call for Houston and the team will need to bring their ‘A’ game this week against the surging L.A Gladiators.

 6) Stage 2 Power Rankings (7-12)

7) Philidelphia Fusion (3-3)                       (Change -2)

The Philidelphia Fusion have had to fight through a rough schedule these past few weeks with games against the Houston Outlaws, London Spitfire, and Seoul Dynasty. While they only managed to win against Houston, it’s hard to call their play a disappointment, but at the same time, it’s hard to place them in the conversation with the league’s top tier teams. As it stands now the Fusion are a wildcard who is in the second bracket of this week’s power rankings because of their unpredictability. With Jose ‘Eqo’ Corona looking like a permanent fixture they could very well rise and wins in their games against The Shanghai Dragons and Dallas Fuel look rather probable and would go a long way to help this team establish themselves.

8) Boston Uprising (2-4)                          (Change +2)

Boston will have a chance to show the league what they’re made of on Wednesday against the Fuel and a win there could help reignite the fire they showed earlier in the season. They overperformed in Stage 1, which makes their play in Stage 2 disappointing, but also not overly catastrophic in the bigger picture. They’re currently sitting in 7th, one spot away from claiming an end of the season playoff spot. It’s not over for Boston, but they need to pick it up or it may soon be.

9) San Francisco Shock (2-4)                   (Change NA)

After a convincing win against the Dallas Fuel and a step back against the Seoul Dynasty, the Shock are looking better then they have in a long time. Oh, and phenom player Jay ‘Sinatraa’ Won is coming next Thursday. Check out his top ten plays right here!

10) Dallas Fuel (2-4)                                  (Change -4)

Dallas has had a tumultuous Stage and a half full of losses, suspensions, and overall questionable conduct. Now with xQc leaving the team they’re down a top tier tank player but should show improvement with less drama surrounding them. They’re not going to make the Stage 2 Playoffs and will have to pick their game up substantially in order to qualify for the end of season playoffs. Still, this team has a great amount of skill and if they can figure out how to unleash Brandon ‘Seagull’ Larned, then anything’s possible.

11) Florida Mayhem (1-5)                         (Change NA)

Florida finally got a win!! Wooot!! Cwooooosh!! They’ve always been an exciting team to watch, but now they’re starting to show some actual progression. While the playoffs are all but over for Florida, the team has improved immensely and should continue to do so.

12) Shanghai Dragons (0-6)                     (Change NA)

Can the Shanghai Dragons win a game? Can their new signings get their visas in time to save the team? Will the Geguri jersey ever go on sale? There are many question marks involving the Shanghai Dragons, a team that has the weight of an entire nation on their shoulders. They recently fired their coach and have shown improvement in the last couple of weeks. As for getting your own Geguri Jersey, they’re currently not available yet, but hopefully soon.

What matches are you excited for this week? And would you be happy with your team signing xQc? Let us know in the comments below!

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Liked this article and want to read more like it? Check out the Overwatch League Six Pack  Hard Truths Edition and the article on the Best Moments from Stage 1 of The Overwatch League.

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