There’s a feeling I can’t quite shake after having some time to fully absorb and contemplate the results of the Overwatch League finals. I’ve settled on the idea that it all ended up being really quite weird.
One of the things I enjoy about watching Overwatch is how it’s incredibly unpredictable. Big shifts in the meta can change the game dramatically and will allow teams to swing from middle of the pack, to nearly unbeatable at different stages. One of the only things that remained truly consistent throughout the Overwatch League was the poor, poor fate of the Shanghai Dragons.
In saying that, the finals seemed to double down on this weird spirit of unforeseen outcomes. The official analysts were often split in their predictions and finding solid footing coming into a match-up was hard. I think personally, I managed to call just about every match incorrectly and I was far from alone.
If someone had said they predicted a London Spitfire versus Philadelphia Fusion final to be the ultimate outcome I wouldn’t have believed them, but it happened, and it was only because of some serious luck.
OverWatch Contenders finals crowd: Does it get better than Overwatch? (Supplied)
For London that came in their first match-up against the Los Angeles Gladiators. This was going to be one of the most heated matches to behold because these teams have history. The Gladiator’s main tank is formerly of London ilk and had been playing like he has something to prove, there was no doubt about how intense these games would be.
But then, he wasn’t there. Fissure (Chan-hyung Baek) has since denied claims that this was due to any attitude issues on his part saying that his replacement simply had better scrim results in this meta.
He said the Hanzo meta required more defensive team play which didn’t suit his aggressive style. Instead, his counterpart iRemix (Luis Galarza Figueroa) was better suited, in part due to speaking English like the rest of the team and that’s why we saw him in the playoffs.
I’m not one to spread rumours, this is probably true, but it was odd to suddenly see the main tank who’d brought them so close to glory be subbed out – especially given the history.
London then went on to wipe the floor with their opponents. One series against the Gladiators was all they were willing to give up and from there they had well and truly found their feet.
This was the team we saw become so dominant during the first stage but why wait until now to pull out all the stops, had they really just been holding back?
That idea is especially amusing to me given the fate of the New York Excelsior. This is the team that had a seed so much higher than any other team they openly admitted to not giving matches their all.
This team said they were saving their big moves for the finals and then were swiftly kicked out by Philadelphia, who had the lowest seed coming in and then made it to the finals where London, weirdly took the victory.
Philadelphia’s luck came from the meta heavily favouring their incredible DPS players. Nothing could work better for this team than double sniper and they used it expertly until they came up against London.
It almost seemed as though Eqo (Josue Corona) was unstoppable on Hanzo but when against the Spitfire he almost forgot how to play. Not only that but he was on Pharah far more than previous games when the archer is generally more favourable in the current meta.
Potentially because of this London ended up destroying Philadelphia in the finals. To not even see New York in the last match was absolutely mind-boggling but to have the two teams I’d have put as least likely to win brawl it out in the finals was true Overwatch levels of unpredictable. But it just got weirder.
London Spitfire are the Overwatch League champions for 2018. (Photo: Carlton Beener/Blizzard Entertainment)
Blizzard booked Dj Khaled to play on stage. A reasonably big name music producer who almost entirely relies on mixing bigger names into his songs. The display of this man trying to entertain a crowd that was equally as confused about why he was there as he seemed to be about the event was baffling.
As someone prone to experiencing second-hand awkwardness intensely from things like bad talent show auditions it was nearly unwatchable, even a whole ocean away.
This is a first-time event so there are bound to be some weirdness and wrinkles from all sides. The Overwatch League has proven to be incredibly popular and will continue to grow and establish itself with the Overwatch World Cup soon to come and help build the overall brand.
I don’t think Overwatch will ever stop being weird, it’s a fast-paced, ever-changing game and surprises are bound to pop up along the way.
I don’t mind getting predictions wrong and enjoy being surprised by players finding their feet in new situations and metas. Overwatch being a bit odd is part of the charm and excitement but it really doesn’t need any help from awkward celebrity performances.
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