The Rivalries In The Overwatch League Return
The second season of the Overwatch League is just over a month away. Eight new franchises are finishing up their preparations to take on the original twelve in what promises to be an exciting 2019 season. The regular season play starts on February 14th and there’s talk that preseason games are coming as well. It’s a good time to think about the rivalries already present in the league, and some new ones that could form. With this in mind here are the top matches we want to see.
Philadelphia Fusion vs. London Spitfire
Rematch. These two teams defied expectations not only to make it into the playoffs, but to advance to the finals. At New York the show was all London, all the time and the Spitfire claimed a hard earned trophy. The entire off season the Fusion are sure to have been reviewing the tape from that game. Philadelphia in season one was inconsistent, but had higher peaks than nearly any team in the league, so if they can figure out their consistency they have a bright future ahead of them. London on the other hand may have cracked the code for their roster. From a Frankenstein combination of two winning teams this time last year they have refined themselves into a strong competitor. This rematch is going to be fast, brutal, and very fun to watch.
Houston Outlaws vs. Dallas Fuel
The battle for Texas has the potential to be better than ever this year. Houston has finally found someone who can play the DPS hero Tracer in Danteh. Add to that Houston players Muma and Rawkus made a big impact in the 2018 Overwatch World Cup. 2019 could be the year the Outlaws move up from middle of the pack. Dallas however is not the same team the Outlaws have been beating up on. With new coach Aero the team started to look like the powerhouse we were promised last season. Aero has an incredible eye for the game and players, bringing up DPS ZachaREEE from his old contenders team, and under his guidance Dallas is poised for a great season.
Los Angeles Valiant Vs. Los Angeles Gladiators
Throughout the last season the Gladiators were plagued by inconsistent perfromance. They’d beat teams that were on paper better than them, then stumble on matches that should have been in their favor. This pertained the whole season. Well, except for their bouts with the other LA team. The Valiant looked good all season, not the best team in the league but often in the discussion. Each time they faced the Gladiators though the boys in purple made them fight hard for the win. Always an entertaining match-up, this is my favorite rivalry in the Overwatch League.
Toronto Defiant vs. Vancouver Titans
Two new teams, both representing the same country. A country which has consistently turned out exceptional Overwatch talent. The Canadian National team has also made deep runs in every Overwatch World Cup. It was high time that our northern neighbors got some teams. On paper these teams aren’t that close. Toronto has talented players from both LA teams and Boston along with some Contenders talent in the form of O2 Team players. The Vancouver Titans however are the now famous Team RunAway, bringing their talent and cohesion straight from their championship run in Season Two. We expect that, with the title of King Of The North on the line, Toronto will be bringing their A-Game when they face Vancouver to be the best team in the Great White North.
Are their any other rivalries we missed or a match up you want to see? Let us know in the comments. The pulse bombs and nano-boosts fly on Valentines day, you won’t want to miss any of it.
