Seoul Dynasty 3 - Shanghai Dragons 1
The Seoul Dynasty earned a 3-1 victory in the Overwatch League against the Shanghai Dragons on Wednesday in the opening game of Week 3 at the Blizzard Arena in Burbank, California.
Seoul entered this series with four wins in a row and looked much-improved in a meta where Mercy isn't a necessity, while Shanghai has yet to get a win in the league. Despite the on-paper disparity, the last time these two teams faced off ended with Shanghai stealing a map against Seoul's substitute players in a shocking turn of events on Dorado.
The Dragons continued that trend in this series with a sensational stomp on King's Road. After getting rolled in the first half of the series against Seoul's potent dive composition, Shanghai adapted and put forward a triple-tank lineup that full-held the Dynasty off the first point on Map 3.
Dragons tank Dongjian "MG" Wu decimated the Dynasty as Roadhog on King's Row and Route 66, but Seoul's subs held strong and took the latter map to secure the series win. Starting support Yang "tobi" Jin-mo was the only starter in the game for the Dynasty during Game 4.
Next up, Seoul aims to take down the Philadelphia Fusion at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. Shanghai will face off against the Boston Uprising at 11 p.m. ET that same day.
-- Steven Nguyen
San Francisco Shock 3 - Dallas Fuel 0
The San Francisco Shock took a commanding 3-0 win against a struggling Dallas Fuel on Wednesday at Blizzard Arena in Burbank, California.
San Francisco bounced back after a sloppy Game 1 on Volskaya Industries ended in a draw, and the Shock took control of the series from there. The Shock showed several different playstyles, from pick compositions to dive lineups, but two things stayed consistent throughout the series: the fragging power of DPS Dante "Danteh" Cruz and support Nikola "sleepy" Andrews.
Danteh's Tracer and Sombra play has been stellar over the last few weeks, and Wednesday was no exception, with the Fuel unable to slow him down as he freely dove Dallas' backline. The Shock star posted 27 eliminations and no deaths on Route: 66 in Game 4. At the same time, sleepy's Zenyatta was as lethal as any DPS in the league, sniping down the Fuel with the healer's orb attacks while keeping the Shock healthy.
While the Shock showed its strength, the Fuel showed off its plethora of weaknesses.
From switching the main tank role between tank Felix "xQc" Lengyel and flex Timo "Taimou" Kettunnen, to returning support Sebastian "chipshajen" Widlund having a terrible outing in his Stage 2 debut, nothing seemed to go right for the Fuel. In the wake of constant controversy and a winless Week 2, the Fuel seemed highly disorganized.
The perpetual bright spot for the Fuel was DPS Hyeon "EFFECT" Hwang, who did everything he could to carry his team as Genji and Tracer throughout the series, but his efforts alone weren't enough to stave off the loss for Dallas.
The San Francisco Shock look to keep this momentum heading into its next match against the Season 1 standings leader, New York Excelsior, at 6 p.m ET on Saturday, followed by the Fuel taking on the Florida Mayhem at 8 p.m ET that same day.
-- Noah Waltzer
Los Angeles Gladiators 4 - Los Angeles Valiant 0
The Los Angeles Gladiators surged to a 4-0 sweep over the Los Angeles Valiant in the latest installment of the Battle for Los Angeles to close out Wednesday's action in the Overwatch League in Burbank, California.
Ever since the Gladiators picked up main tank Baek "Fissure" Chan-hyung, it was only a matter of time before this team started to come together and break through to the next level. While beating a Valiant squad still trying to figure things out isn't necessarily the toughest test for the Gladiators, this series showed that the Gladiators must be taken seriously.
The man of the night wasn't Fissure, though, but DPS Joao Pedro "Hydration" Goes Telles, who helped carry the Gladiators to a clean sweep.
The prodigal projectile player did whatever he wanted all night long and made it look good. From his pocket Doomfist to his ever-lethal Genji, to other explosive picks like Junkrat and Pharah, Hydration was a huge threat throughout the night. It wasn't just Hydration's ability to pick up kills that made him stand out, though, as he enabled the rest of his team to shine with the eyes of the Valiant fixed on him. Hydration might have only played in the first three maps, but he got the job done in style, securing a big win for the Gladiators.
As for the Valiant, this loss comes after going 2-0 in the previous week, showing that the great roster experiment is still underway for this side. It might be easy to look at flex player Park "KariV" Young-seo starting over some of the Valiant's other proficient DPS players, but KariV stepped up and did what he could to help the Valiant tonight.
Instead, the Valiant faced a different problem in its frontline, struggling to keep up with Fissure as he swatted the Valiant's tanks around all series long. With the future unclear, the Valiant will have to wait for the next Battle of LA for redemption, while the Gladiators will enjoy a surge in confidence as it works towards becoming a top-tier threat.
The Valiant doesn't have much time to rest before taking on the Houston Outlaws at 9 p.m ET on Thursday, while the Gladiators prepare for a huge test in the London Spitfire at 4 p.m ET on Saturday.
-- Noah Waltzer