What more could viewers want from the first tournament in 2022. The Overwatch League made sure to put on a show for the Kickoff Clash, and there is plenty left to talk about even a few days after the event. Teams had such different takes on the meta. Plenty of players got their first taste of on-stage play, and a few found themselves hoisting a trophy for the first time.
[Related: Los Angeles Gladiators Are Kickoff Clash Champions]
The Western bracket was a wild ride for viewers, as no one really knew how strong some of these teams would be. The San Francisco Shock came in undefeated, but didn’t look as fearsome as they had in previous weeks. The Fuel had the home crowd energy, but shockingly found themselves fighting in the lower bracket. There was a lot to going on during the tournament weekend, but here are just a few takeaways from the western Kickoff Clash.
Every Team Needs a Great Zarya to Succeed…
When Overwatch removed the off-tank role, fans had no idea of what would become of the role. OWL fans were worried that off-tanks would simply be cut from the team, since one tank player could figure out how to play everything. Others thought that with one less tank, Dive would be the definitive composition for competitive play. People were all just guessing leading up to the Overwatch 2 PVP Beta. Even then, players did not see the true terror that is Zarya in a 5v5 format. At the Kick Off Clash, everyone received a first hand account on just how important a strong Zarya is in succeeding in today’s meta.
Courtesy of the Dallas Fuel
The Dallas Fuel weren’t the first to give Zarya a whirl, but they easily became one of the most dominant teams on the comp. Han-Been “Hanbin” Choi was the stand-out Zarya player in the Kickoff Clash. The Dallas tank player rolled over the competition, and often times single handedly pulled fights in the Fuel’s favor.
Xander “Hawk” Domecq was another player that highlighted the strength of Zarya in the hectic environment that is Overwatch 2. Hawk and company busted plenty of brackets thanks to their high-impact Zarya play. For a team that many considered to be highly reliant on Doomfist compositions, the Atlanta Reign found a way to be just as competent on Zarya/Reaper comps as well.
[Related: The Stars Align: The Seoul Dynasty Kickoff Clash Champions]
Teams that struggled to get their Zarya player going exited the tournament rather quickly. Washington and Toronto never got their Zarya comps off the ground and suffered two back to back losses that ended their run. Houston almost found their groove but met up with San Fran in the lower bracket, where they found out their Zarya comp couldn’t find a way to break through.
A lot of teams opted into Winston or Doomfist mirrors for plenty of the early round games. It wasn’t until Dallas forced teams to mirror Zarya that viewers saw how important it was to have a strong Zarya game plan. Teams forced the mirror lost to the Fuel. The Glads on the other hand found the real solution – avoiding the mirror at all costs.
…Unless You’re the Gladiators
The Los Angeles Gladiators were almost perfect throughout the Kickoff Clash. The Glads lost just a single map through the tournament, and did it all without playing Zarya. Corey “Reiner” Scoda put on a main tank clinic as he tore through the opposition on Doomfist, Winston and Reinhardt. Off tank Indy “SPACE” Halpern came in only to play Sigma on Circuit Royal, a common strategy for most teams looking to play a more Poke-style composition.
In reality it just had seemed as though the Gladiators had completely solved the Zarya threat. In several maps the Glads played far and separated from the opposing Zarya, making it difficult for someone like Hanbin to find value on the hero.
Los Angeles might be the only team that can juggle three different types of compositions in the West at the moment. Their flexibilty was the key to their success. The could match any composition, or play something wildly different in hopes to get their opponent off balance. They even borrowed London’s Reinhardt compositions for King’s Row. Los Angeles was never held back by player limitations, and it meant the difference between them and the rest of the field.
Teams Can’t One-Trick Tanks
Gone are the old days where a team can just lock in Dive and call it a day. The Kickoff Clash was a learning experience for teams, even though they pretty much already knew the material. Organizations have known for quite a while now that a team can’t succeed if they are only good at one thing. Well, as long as that one thing isn’t GOATS they won’t succeed. However, audiences still saw some fan-favorite teams default to one strategy and fail to pose as a threat on something different.
The main culprit this time around was the Houston Outlaws. The revamped Outlaws roster has plenty of tools to be one of the top teams in the league. Their only problem is their predictable reliance on Dante “Danteh” Cruz’s Doomfist play. In the opening weekend of the Overwatch League, Danteh and the Outlaws impressed viewers with a clean 3-0 sweep of the Dallas Fuel, and it feels like they have been riding that high ever since. They’ve shown to be rather middling on every other composition, especially when the map or match demands a Winston over a Doomfist.
Though the Outlaws aren’t the only ones caught napping on their preparation. Everyone witnessed London’s reluctance to play anything but Reinhardt rush. It took some time for Atlanta to bring in Blake “Gator” Scott to shake up their tank rotation. Even the Fuel are struggling to play anything other than Zarya compositions. Teams can’t just rely on one strategy in Overwatch 2. If they can’t get at least two nailed down, they are in a whole lot of trouble.
Tracer Is Still the Most Fun DPS Character to Watch
There really isn’t anything better than watching a Tracer just run wild. When a player like Dong-Hyun “Proper” Kim is on a rampage, viewers can’t stop watching. Tracer has made her way back into the meta in a big way, and fans are thankful for that. The big play potential from Tracer is what keeps people coming back for more. The Pulse Bomb sticks, the insane point stalls, the Tracer duels; all of it is just incredible content for audiences to experience.
What if you wanted to take the point but @Ow_Proper said “no” 😳 pic.twitter.com/su5Tkmjlqp
— San Francisco Shock (@SFShock) June 4, 2022
This tournament was just a Tracer specialist showcase. Kevin “Kevster” Persson, Dong-keun “Venom” Lee and Yeong-han “SP9RK1E” Kim all came out to give the viewers some of the best Tracer play out there. It’s fast paced yet methodical. It’s stressful in the best way possible. When that Pulse Bomb sticks onto the Lucio mid-Beat, everyone holds their breath to see what ability goes off first. As Tracer recalls and Lucio explodes, the crowd goes wild. It is just something really amazing.
It’s unclear if Tracer will stay meta for long, but people should be happy to have a proactive playmaking character at the forefront of the league.
We Have Our MVP Frontrunners
Sure it could be too early to start calling some of these players MVP candidates, but why not talk about it anyway? Kevster and Reiner stand out from the Glads as the two obvious choices for MVP. Both players are not only performing at an extremely high level, but they are doing it on multiple different heroes in several different compositions. They help propel Los Angeles into the top of the standings and don’t look to be slowly down as well. Though it should be said that Jin-seo “Shu” Kim is once again proving to be the best support in the West. It wouldn’t be that crazy to saw Shu should be in the running as well.
For non Gladiator players, there are a ton of great options that are MVP hopefuls. Hanbin and Proper are two players that come to mind first as they could continue to perform well and start to build a case for themselves. If Atlanta continues to play well, it may be due to Hawk’s stellar performance in the front line.
With just one tournament in the books, there is still plenty of time for other players to find their rhythm and ball out. Until then, it’s these five that people will want to keep tabs on in the West as potential MVP winners.
While the Rookie of the Year Award is Super Close
It feels like we say this every year, but this rookie class is just utterly insane. Reiner, Proper and Jin-woo “Kilo” Jung have all been fantastic. The other San Francisco rookies, Colin “Coluge” Arai, Se-jin “Finn” OH and Sam “S9mm” Santos are all strong players that could easily continue to rise up the ROTY leader boards. After an amazing performance at the Kickoff Clash, Fuel’s Hyeon-Seok “ChiYo” Han made quite the case for himself heading into the Midseason Madness.
Though for Rookie of the Year, there are countless rookies that are performing well that didn’t make it to the final leg of the tournament. Florida’s main tank Jeong-wan “SOMEONE” Ham has significantly impressed analysts and fans alike. His teammates Isaiah “Hydron” Rodriguez and Majed “SirMajed” Alrashied have equally been a welcome surprise as they have all helped the Mayhem sit comfortably atop the standings.
Other players to keep an eye out for are Patiphan “Patiphan” Chaiwong, Tae-min “Mer1t” Choi and Altanta’s backline of Christian “Ojee” Han and Benjamin “UltraViolet” David. It’s great to finally see these names in OWL, and it’s even better to see them continue their success from Contenders. Or VALORANT if you’re Patiphan.
Seeing Players on Stage is Unmatched
Esports is best experienced on LAN. There isn’t anything quite like it. When it comes to Overwatch events, it all just gets turned up to 11. Players are so emotional and expressive. Fans can truly see it on their faces when things go there way or when it just slips out of their hands. The ups and downs, the triumph and the disappointment; watching players perform live is simply the best way to view Overwatch.
If the plan remains the same, fans will be able to witness some more live Overwatch soon enough. Toronto will be hosting the Summer Showdown where fans can experience the action in person once again. Hopefully more teams are able to host their own homestands, as both the Texas teams have welcomed in fans so far this season. Where ever the next homestand is held, it is sure to be an amazing experience.
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Featured image courtesy of the Overwatch League
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