Overwatch League Stage 2 begins with big meta changes

The second stage of Overwatch League has begun and the changes we’re seeing are both huge, and in line with what we expected — for the most part. As always, there are surprises and last-minute stunners to talk about.

Meta changes were evident pretty much immediately, particularly in the Support lineup. Lucio turned up the beat this week, while Ana and Moira were also picked far more frequently than in Stage 1. Mercy was still occasionally chosen, but mostly as a complement to other heroes. Meanwhile, Zenyatta is still right clicking everything to death in most matches.

The biggest changes in team strength this week were exemplified in the match between the Philadelphia Fusion and the Boston Uprising, both of whom were at the middle of the pack last stage. Philadelphia ends week one with the best record in the league, not dropping a single map so far. Meanwhile Boston was trounced in each of its sets and is now at the absolute bottom of the standings with zero maps taken so far.

Of course, with just one week gone standings aren’t exactly set in stone. Besides Philadelphia, Boston also had to take on the Houston Outlaws, who seem to be even stronger in this new tanky meta, while the Fusion took on the Florida Mayhem. The Fusion has a new DPS player, eqo, who specializes in Genji and Soldier:76, the latter of which is a key pick in the new meta. NeptuNo, also known as the “battle Mercy” for the Fusion in Stage 1, is now playing his comfort pick, “battle Lucio” most of the time.

Watch Game 1 BOS @ PHI Stage 2 Week 1 from OverwatchLeague on www.twitch.tv

Also improving in week one was the Dallas Fuel. xQc is back at the tank position after a lengthy suspension. Meanwhile, their acclaimed hitscan player Taimou seems to have been learning to tank in his couple weeks off, adding Winston and Reinhardt to his hero pool. Their offseason roster additions, aKm and Rascal, have also posted some really good numbers. aKm’s turn as Soldier:76 in particular has made the Fuel a team to keep an eye on going forward.

The absence of the elephant from the room since the beginning of the League continues to make itself known, as Geguri, the first woman signed to an Overwatch League team, didn’t take the stage this week. However this time, it was due to a different fixture of international esports: visa issues. The Shanghai Dragons are more than eager to get her to the States, starting off with just one map win this week.

If Geguri and company make it past customs, we’ll be watching both Dragons matches this week very closely. They take on the Gladiators Wednesday at 10 p.m. CST, and the Shock Saturday at 7 p.m. CST. Otherwise, we’ll be stocking up on popcorn for all Saturday’s matches. The Fusion vs the Spitfire start the day at 3 p.m. CST and the Outlaws vs NYXL at 5 p.m. CST should be entertaining.