Shanghai still failed to win this week in Overwatch esports

This week in Overwatch League played out mostly as we suspected. Very few of the matchups were competitive on paper. The one surprise was really the degree to which some of these matches played out. Yes, the numbers before the match would suggest NYXL would be the clear victors, but they shut out both the Boston Uprising and the Houston Outlaws, which was a bit unexpected. The Uprising have been in a bit of a slump recently, but the Outlaws have been on a roll otherwise.

The Shanghai Dragons continued their disappointing run, with zero map wins for their trouble this week, and the visas for their new talent nowhere in sight. Their performance in the match against the San Francisco Shock was notably poor, especially the final point of the Control map Nepal. Among other issues, two of their players essentially wasted ults immediately after a big fight to claim the point, leaving the Dragons at a huge disadvantage. Misfires do happen to everyone at times but those two blown ults likely cost them a win. That would have been their sole map taken — they come away with a goose egg this week.

Watch Game 2 SHD @ SFS | Stage 2 Week 2 from OverwatchLeague on www.twitch.tv

Though they usually perform poorly, the Florida Mayhem showed some signs of life this week, taking Volskaya off the London Spitfire. Logix used Tracer to great effect, both with high-impact pulse bombs and using her slippery nature to stall those defense points. The Mayhem has a lot of catching up to do, but they seem to be making solid decisions with staffing to help them do so.

Next week Shanghai goes up against Boston, which may be their last chance to eke out a match win this stage. Their dance card in weeks four and five are packed with teams at the top of the leaderboard. Even non-Shanghai fans have their fingers crossed that the underdogs get their first win. The match we’ll be watching most closely is the Philadelphia Fusion versus the Seoul Dynasty at 6 p.m. Thursday. The Fusion’s star is rising, while the Dynasty continues their established dominance. This match will be a great test for both.