Stage 3 of the Overwatch League Season 2 is coming to an end. The Stage Finals will take place in two weeks, with all teams dreaming of participating so they can show just what they can do and chanse glory. What is most interesting is that for some teams, there's still everything to play for — and can still hope to take part in the Playoffs.
Here we take a look at all you need to know before the final week of the Stage 3 regular season, hosted at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, July 6-7.
Teams already qualified for the Playoffs
The first thing to note is that Vancouver Titans are Pacific Division leaders, with a total of six victories and just one defeat. This means they are already confirmed for the Playoffs, and will be hoping to put in some great performances. The Atlantic Division leader is still to be determined, since New York Excelsior have two more games to play this week. It's likely that the conference winner will be between them and Houston Outlaws. However, regarding their records and the two teams the Exelsior will face — Florida Mayhem (15th place) and Toronto Defiant (19th place) — we can assume that NYE will claim the title.
In addition to Vancouver Titans, Hangzhou Spark qualified rather easily in losing only one game. Meanwhile, San Francisco Shock, Seoul Dynasty, Houston Outlaws, and (surprisingly) Los Angeles Valiant have all won five of their seven games, also all confirming their spot in the Playoffs.
However, there are still two places left!
Teams still hoping to reach the Playoffs
Five teams are still in with a shout of Stage 3 Playoffs. Most unlikely among them, Guangzhou Charge must win their next two games against Shanghai Dragons and Washington Justice with as many maps won as possible, or it will be over for them during this stage — and even then they need other results to go their way. The Los Angeles Gladiators just have to wait and see what happens, as they no longer have any games to play but are still mathematically able to progress.
In fact, there is one truly decisive game during this last week, one that could change everything — the match between Philadelphia Fusion and Shanghai Dragons.
Realistically, Shanghai Dragons only need to win one game to qualify as they have a superior record over any of their rivals for the slot. Lose both, and they risk missing out.
However, the real juicy set of results is this (assuming NYXL win) — if they lose to Guangzhou on Saturday and Philadelphia win against Washington, then the match between the two on Sunday could very well be a straight shootout for the final slot.
The final week of Stage 3 gets underway on Saturday, July 6 with Florida Mayhem against New York Excelsior in the opening match.
Season 2 Stage 4 is now almost finished and the last matches will be held in Los Angeles with the Valiant as hosts. Almost all teams qualified for the Playoffs are known, but the final battle will be tough in California.
