L. A. Gladiators took out a titan this week in Overwatch League

Stage two of Overwatch League has been marked by a continued evening out of play.Though the Koreans maintain their signature esports dominance, because the other regions get to compete with them on a weekly basis rather than meeting in a once-yearly clash, the other regions seem to be catching up to them. While stage one was all about eastern domination, the matches this stage have been far more entertaining because they’re more competitive. That’s an overall statement, of course — rumor has it the players the Dragons hired to dig them out of the hole they find themselves in will finally have overcome visa issues by the end of the stage.

The biggest upset of the week was the L. A. Gladiators coming out victorious over the London Spitfire. The Gladiators largely owe their victory to their newest member: main tank Fissure didn’t get much playtime on his previous team, the Spitfire, so he left their ranks to join the Gladiators just before stage two began. The Gladiators have been performing remarkably well this stage. Though there are some communication barriers at play Fissure is really elevating their gameplay — as his former teammates, now vanquished foes, can confirm.

Watch Full Match | London Spitfire vs. Los Angeles Gladiators | Stage 2 Week 3 Day 4 from OverwatchLeague on www.twitch.tv

The Gladiators also dismantled the L. A. Valiant on Wednesday, making them the decisive winner of the second Battle for L. A. this season.

Only slightly less surprising than the Gladiators’ sudden marked improvement was the Mayhem’s performance. Though they began the stage floundering at the bottom of the heap, the Mayhem started off week 3 nearly defeating the Houston Outlaws, though the Outlaws came back with a reverse sweep. The Mayhem picked up their first match win in stage two against the Dallas Fuel, who have been embroiled in issues off the stage. Their Korean roster additions have helped, but so has the change to the meta. The former Misfits seem to be back to their old selves.

This week will be a tough one for the Seoul Dynasty as they face off against their two biggest rivals. They meet NYXL on Wednesday at 8 p.m. CDT, then the Spitfire on Friday at 8 p.m.