Today’s edition of the Overwatch League Rundown takes a look at the frontrunners of the heated MVP race, the Best Brigitte Plays from last week, and this week’s Top Matches!
1) MVP Frontrunners: Glass(es) Half-Full
We’re more than three quarters through the Overwatch League’s regular season and there have been a number of standout performances so far. From Fleta’s DPS shenanigans and Muma’s stalwart tank play to Sayaplayer’s top-tier Widowmaker and Nevix’s timely self-destructs, the league is full of MVP candidates. However, among all of these players, three bespeckled stars standout among the rest: NYXL’s Zenyatta player Sung-hyeon ‘JJoNak’ Bang, the Boston Uprisings Tracer specialist Nam-joo ‘Striker’ Kwon and the L.A Gladiators main-tank Chan-hyung ‘Fissure’ Baek.
Starting with the most obvious choice, JJoNak has impressed this season with his extremely aggressive and precise Zenyatta play. Not only does he provide some clutch healing and insanely quick ultimates, but JJoNak consistently leads his team in damage done, which is incredible for a support player. As a result, teams playing against JJoNak have an extra layer of difficulty to overcome and with NYXL’s talent across the board, it’s often too much to handle. Then again, since NYXL is so talented overall it’s fair to argue that he doesn’t mean as much to his team as other players, and shouldn’t win the MVP award.
That very much isn’t the case with Striker, as he often solo-carries the Uprising and is very much the most prominent reason for their success thus far. Striker was our pick for the Stage 3 MVP as he gives it all that he’s got in every match, and to put it bluntly, he is currently the best Tracer in the Overwatch League. The issue going forward for Striker is that the new meta isn’t very Tracer friendly and he’s not quite at the same level on the other heroes in his hero pool.
As for Fissure, he is an interesting case because he started off the year as a bench player, before being traded to the L.A. Gladiators in Stage 2. Since joining the Gladiators, he has taken the leadership role on the team, and his aggressive tank play oftentimes overwhelms the teams he’s playing against. What makes Fissure extra ferocious is that he’s out to prove that the Spitfire was wrong to drop him, and he has continued to improve in every Stage that he’s played in. However, it’s hard to win MVP when your team doesn’t make the playoffs, and as it stands now the Gladiators are still a win out of a playoff spot.
Regardless of who wins, they will no doubt be deserving and fans can cast their votes by following the instructions here. Voting runs until June 17th and the MVP will be decided by combination fan and analyst vote.
2) Get Used to It: Brigitte Sizzle Reel
Brigitte’s first week in the Overwatch League was an action-packed one, as many teams made use of her unique support/tank abilities. There were a number of great plays made by Brigitte users but the following three stand out from the rest.
1) Jake plays with his food.
2) Mickie slaps some Dragons.
3) “Poke”- Muma.
3) Can’t-Miss Matches: Outlaws vs. Gladiators
Wednesday: L.A. Gladiators vs. Houston Outlaws, 11:00 PM EST
We’re finally getting to the time of year where matches hold serious playoff implications. The Gladiators and Outlaws are currently tied heading into week two and the winner of this match could very well be the one to make the end of season playoffs.
Thursday: Shanghai Dragons vs. Philadelphia Fusion, 11:00 PM EST
While it was disappointing that the Dragons weren’t able to pick up their first win last week against the Dallas Fuel, the dream continues on Thursday against the Fusion. The reason being is that the Fusion has actually dropped some maps to the Dragons in the past and with a new meta anything is possible.
Friday: L.A. Valiant vs. Boston Uprising, 7:00 PM EST
Another match that has serious playoff implications, the Valiant and Uprising are both looking to shore up their positions going forward. The Uprising is searching for their first win all season, while the Valiant is looking to further stake their claim on the Pacific Division crown. This will no doubt be a close one and be sure to keep an eye on Stanislav ‘Mistakes’ Danilov on the Uprising side and Terrence ‘Soon’ Tarlier for the Valiant.
Saturday: Seoul Dynasty vs. London Spitfire, 4:00 PM EST
Both of these teams are searching for their first win of Stage 4 and have been slumping lately. This match features a juicy DPS showdown between Fleta and Munchkin and Birdring and Profit, and its safe to say that the team whose duo performs the best will take this one.
Who is your pick for League MVP? And which team is most impressive in Stage 4? Let us know in the comments below!
Liked this article and want to read more like it? Check out the Overwatch League Stage 4 Power Rankings and a look back at the Best Moments From Stage One.
Want to see more videos? Subscribe to our YouTube channel and check out the First 15: Fe, Monster Hunter World Beta: the Insatiable Nergigante, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, Star Wars Battlefront II, Sonic Forces + Episode Shadow, and Super Mario Odyssey!
Don’t forget to tune in every Friday the Pixels & Ink Podcast to hear the latest news, previews, and in-depth game discussions!
Never miss when new CGM articles go out by following us on Twitter and Facebook!
CGMagazine is Canada’s premiere comics and gaming magazine. Subscribe today to get the best of CGM delivered right to your door! Never miss when a new issue goes live by subscribing to our newsletter! Signing up gives you exclusive entry into our contest pool. Sign up once, you’ll have a chance to win! Sign up today!
