The champions stumble on the starting block while newcomers stamp their mark on the competition.
Our Overwatch League 2019 Stage 1 Week 1 match report contains results, standings and match-up details from the first week of OWL 2019.
The first full week of play in this year’s Overwatch League has now concluded, and all twenty teams in the roster have had their chance to lay down a marker for the full season ahead.
In these very early stages of the competition, last year’s runners up Philadelphia Fusion and newcomers Hangzhou Spark share the top spot with two wins out of two each. They both share an impressive map performance as well, with six wins, three loses, and no ties.
Even more interesting developments can be found at the bottom of the table, where last year’s winners London Spitfire are currently ranked 19th out of 20, and perennial underdogs Shanghai Dragons take the bottom spot.
Both teams lost their two opening matches this week, with only a slightly better map performance keeping the champions off the very bottom of the league.
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Standings – Week 1
Before we take a look at each day’s play from the weekend just gone, here’s a look at the overall Stage 1 standings.
| Position | Team | Won | Lost | Matches Played | Map (Won-Loss-Tie) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia Fusion | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6-3-0 |
| 1 | Hangzhou Spark | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6-3-0 |
| 3 | New York Excelsior | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5-2-1 |
| 4 | Vancouver Titans | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4-0-0 |
| 5 | Paris Eternal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3-1-0 |
| 6 | Chengdu Hunters | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3-2-0 |
| 6 | Toronto Defiant | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3-2-0 |
| 8 | Atlanta Reign | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6-3-0 |
| 8 | San Francisco Shock | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6-3-0 |
| 10 | Boston Uprising | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4-4-1 |
| 10 | Seoul Dynasty | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4-4-0 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Gladiators | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4-5-0 |
| 13 | Dallas Fuel | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3-5-0 |
| 14 | Guangzhou Charge | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2-3-0 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Valiant | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2-3-0 |
| 16 | Washington Justice | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1-3-0 |
| 17 | Florida Mayhem | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0-4-0 |
| 18 | Houston Outlaws | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4-6-0 |
| 19 | London Spitfire | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2-6-0 |
| 20 | Shanghai Dragons | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1-7-0 |
Here’s how each day of Week 1 played out:
Thursday 14th February 2019
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Fusion | London Spitfire | 3-1 |
| New York Excelsior | Boston Uprising | 2-1 |
| Seoul Dynasty | Los Angeles Gladiators | 3-1 |
| Shanghai Dragons | Hangzhou Spark | 1-3 |
A notable match last Thursday saw the Shanghai Dragons put up a spirited fight to claim the first match, but ultimately newcomers Hangzhou spark were able to consistently go the extra distance in each of the four matches.
Before that match, however, came the showdown between last year’s finalists London Spitfire and Philadelphia Fusion.
Although Fusion came out on top in the first two matches on Ilios and Hollywood, Spitfire put up a tough fight to claim Volskaya Industries 5-4. They struggled to capitalise on the momentum, however, and Philadelphia Fusion were able to nick the series overall with a 1-0 win on Rialto.
Friday 15th February 2019
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto Defiant | Houston Outlaws | 3-2 |
| Atlanta Reign | Florida Mayhem | 4-0 |
| Dallas Fuel | San Francisco Shock | 0-4 |
| Chenddu Hunters | Guangzhou Charge | 3-2 |
Newcomers Atlanta Reign wasted no time in setting out their stall with a remarkable 4-0 thrashing of the more experienced Florida Mayhem.
As with Thursday’s encounter between London Spitfire and Philadelphia Fusion, it was Volskaya that provided the stickiest moment – one that ended 5-4 in Atlanta Reign’s favour.
There was another routing of the competition by San Francisco Shock against Dallas Fuel. Shock put in a truly dominant display throughout the series, taking a total of 11 map points to Fuel’s four.
More newcomer fun came from the encounter between Chengdu Hunters and Guangzhou Charge. While Charge managed to take the opening match on Busan cleanly with a 2-0 victory, the lead passed back and forth in a pair of 3-2, 2 -3 results.
Chengdu Hunters eventually took the series with 2-1 wins on Dorado and a tie-break on Nepal. A great statement of intent by both teams, however, who both clearly feel they have something to prove.
Saturday 16th February 2019
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Result |
|---|---|---|
| London Spitfire | Paris Eternal | 1-3 |
| Washington Justice | New York Excelsior | 1-3 |
| Los Angeles Valiant | Hangzhou Spark | 2-3 |
| Vancouver Titans | Shanghai Dragons | 4-0 |
Suffering another defeat, London Spitfire struggled to find the form that had served them so well in the 2018 season, and lost 1-3 to Paris Eternal.
Despite losing their first two games against New York Excelsior 0-2 and 0-1 respectively, new team Washington Justice proved their mettle by bouncing back with a hard-won 1-0 victory on Horizon Lunar Colony.
The Excelsior’s experience under pressure proved insurmountable however, with a final 2-1 victory sealing the series.
Once again, Hangzhou Spark took no prisoners in their second encounter, claiming another 3-2 victory – this time against Los Angeles Valiant – and bagging more table points. Let’s see if they can keep this run of form up and give the “veterans” something to think about in the long run.
The Shanghai Dragons, however, suffered yet another defeat at the hands of another new League team. The Vancouver Titans fought hard for their 4-0 win, bagging consecutive wins across Busan, Hollywood, Temple of Anubis and Dorado.
Sunday 17th February 2019
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Outlaws | Boston Uprising | 2-3 |
| Philadelpha Fusion | Atlanta Reign | 3-2 |
| San Francisco Shock | Los Angeles Gladiators | 2-3 |
| Seoul Dynasty | Dallas Fuel | 1-3 |
It was a tighter affair on Sunday overall, with Atlanta Reign struggling to dominate Philadelphia Fusion in the same manner with which they’d dispatched Florida Mayhem earlier in the week.
Boston Uprising bounced back from their first defeat to take their second match following a series of tight matches, and it was a similar story for the Los Angeles Gladiators in their 3-2 victory over San Francisco Shock.
