Missed part 1? Let's get you up to speed.

In the last edition of  OWL Twitter rivalries, I highlighted the most brutal social media takedowns, burns, and callouts leading up to the OWL pre-season. Since no matches had been played back then, teams were relying on 100% bravado to stoke rivalries and win over the social-media crowd eager to figure out which team to root for when the season officially started.


Fast forward to January and the start of the OWL league is upon us. 

The league's pros have been busy grinding Overwatch matches and honing their team's synergies, but outside of the game, a different type of battle has been waging among the social media departments of each OWL team. Meme specialists were hired, graphic designers were scrutinized, and the art of GIF selection has proven to be absolutely vital.

LA Valiant, Dallas Fuel, and NYXL were the heaviest hitters leading up to the pre-season and their Twitter game has only become more lethal with time. Thankfully, the rest of the league seems to have woken up and joined in on the 24/7 battle for Twitter supremacy.

Now, let us feast upon all of this delicious beef.

1. Houston Outlaws walks right into Dallas Fuel's single image fatality.

To get the obvious out of the way, flashing the scoreboard is an almost unbeatable check-mate when it comes to Twitter rivalries. Outlaws did the right thing by not responding and chalking this one up to a loss--you simply can't come back from something like this.

Meanwhile, you have to give credit to the restraint  Fuel showed by replying with just an image and no text. This speaks volumes. Words would have made the burn weaker and, as it stands now, this is a prime example for how to execute a near perfect Twitter takedown.

More re-tweets and likes than the original tweet? 

Hi-jacked another team's positive tweet?

Immune to counter-attack?

Check, check and check. 

2.  London Spitfire's BM prediction against Florida Mayhem and Philadelphia Fusion.

London Spitfire has always been a relatively quiet and well-behaved Twitter account. This makes their high-jacking of NYXL's Tweet clearly meant for fan interaction all the more hilarious. It's a call out that no one expected and, on top of that, doesn't even burn NYXL!

Fusion tried to respond back with a standard "we fixed that for you" reversing the scores, but by that time it was too late and Spitfires tweet had already won, getting more re-tweets and likes than any other tweet in the thread combined.

Well played, Spitfire! You hijacked the Tweet while essentially calling your next opponents freelo. 

3. LA Gladiators roasts NYXL's Thanksgiving tweet for no reason.

Some of the most effective Twitter take-downs involving taking a self-congratulatory tweet and derailing it's focus towards some small or awkward error. Case in point, LA Gladiators wasted no time in pointing out how unappealing this image while also sarcastically playing along with it's primary call to action.

Don't get me wrong, NYXL's graphics are usually on point, but what were they thinking with this image? Even if we ignore how unappealing the shiny turkey looks across a jet black background, the image is so busy we forget that the intended call-out is actually Boston Uprising. NYXL is known to flame the other OWL teams in subtle ways, but this is just a miss.

LA Gladiators won the round and their simple retort was more popular than the original NYXL tweet; the tell-tale sign of a Twitter beating.

4. LA Valiant's dripping with sarcasm New Year's Resolution says "nice things" about OWL teams.

I had plenty of praise for LA Valiant's Twitter game in November and they have yet to disappoint.  Whoever is behind their account has a razor sharp eye for the most mock-able aspects of their fellow OWL teams and has successfully branded @LAValiant Twitter as the most vocal, outspoken "troll" of the league.

With all that said, this Tweet may be their greatest work. Filled with hearts and angel emotes, Valiant starts the year off straight flaming other OWL teams under the guise of a New Year's Resolution to say only "nice things." If it isn't already obvious, each of these compliments are actually insults:

- Valiant mocks Fusion for their memes constantly, especially the fact that they hired a Meme specialist.

-Spitfire represents London, but Valiant is reminding us that none of their players are actually from London. In fact, they probably have never even been to London.

-No, Valiant doesn't think Uprising's logo is beautiful.  It's widely considered the ugliest logo of the league. Oh, and Tom Brady isn't the most popular figure in sports right now.

- Valiant is mocking how harmless Dynasty appears. The team's presence on Twitter is the opposite of spicy-- it's mild and that is being generous.

This may be the most savage OWL tweet of the year.  A master-class of of trickery and trollery.

5. NYXL positions themselves as a yeti in a world of tiny OWL teams.

This type of Tweet is what NYXL is best at. Simple, clean, and positioning themselves a cut above the rest of the OWL teams.  Not only is this image a sure way to fire up NYXL fans, it doesn't leave room for other teams to retort back without looking unoriginal in comparison. NYXL's social media is at it's best when it shows off a clever and topical visual gag that makes everyone chuckle.

Like their brilliant "No legendaries" tweet from Halloween.  Short, simple, and funny.

6. Dallas Fuel informs the public where they can find Houston Outlaw hoodies

I have a feeling that Dallas Fuel's Twitter manager has some form of filter that lets them know anytime someone posts something regarding their biggest rival, the Houston Outlaws. They never miss out on a chance to rag on the Outlaws for seemingly no reason, which only makes it more entertaining for the fans.

This Tweet isn't clever,  but the strong imagery of and funny accompanying text always makes me laugh. It's such a childish insult that is still so effective.

"Well, you wanna know where you can find your precious hoodie? IN THE GARBAGE."

Shout outs to the loyal Fuel fan that provides the set-up for this uncalled for burn. You da real MVP.


7. Seoul finally flexes, but still manages to end up lovable.

Not every team should aim for the same aggressive social media personality and Seoul Dynasty is a great example of a team doing their own thing. Widely considered to be the strongest team in the OWL, they still remain humble and literally never brag on social media. 

Seriously, I've checked every Tweet. They are only kind and nothing else.

However, this may be the closest we will ever get to seeing Dynasty add some bark to their considerable bite. After literally feeding the biggest rivals (I know, right?) they respond on Twitter with a killer gaming reference, labeling themselves as that one RPG boss that is so powerful, they heal you to full right before the big fight.

The re-tweets and likes are far and above higher than your average Dynasty tweet, so maybe the sleeping giants could benefit from adding a bit of spice to their Twitter from time to time.

8. Philadelphia Fusion gets into a sparring match with LA Valiant. It doesn't end well.

At this point, watching Valiant tease Fusion over Twitter is like going to a Harlem Globetrotters game. Try as they might, Fusion just can't seem to keep up with the jukes and jives on and I desperately want them to win many OWL matches so they finally have some clout to work with. In the meantime, they continue to serve as a virtual punching bag for the more savvy Twitter teams.

Case in point, Valiant decided to make a hilarious GIF that shows exactly where Fusion found a stock photo used in giveaway image. That's right, even a team's choice of stock photo will be mocked on Twitter. If this doesn't prove that Valiant sadistically enjoys banter to a startling degree, I don't know what will.

Fusion, not wanting to take this lying down, responds with their own tweet:

Indirectly acknowledging their image was "poorly thought out" (why do this?),  they fire back with a real zinger: Valiant's Mercy skin kinda looks like a piece of unshucked corn.  That is a bearly passable rib, but the weird image dimensions and poorly shopped thinking emoji makes it ineffective.

Then, Valiant goes for the throat and reminds Fusion of their greatest shame. Everyone knows the first rule of Twitter is if you are deleting tweets, you have already lost. So the fact that Fusion deleted a fully edited and produced video meant to be cool is just about the worst nightmare scenario you can imagine on happening to a team on Twitter.

The deleted video, for those out of the loop.

Fusion then responds with a Mariah Carey GIF (???) and Valiant is given the easiest check-mate in Twitter history.

How do you go from publicizing a T-shirt giveaway to posting a defeated Mariah Carey GIF? Here is a lesson for you Fusion: Valiant's entire goal was to highjack your thread and you did it for them. Do you want to know what the correct response to their original Tweet would have been?

"Yes."

That is it! You Googled an image of a blank black t-shirt because you needed one, big deal. Don't fall for Valiant's traps and stray away from your own message, especially when your response is graphically inferior in almost every way.

Also, I'm not sure the other OWL teams will ever let you forget about "This is how we do it in Philly". I suggest reading this helpful Wikipedia article on the Streisand Effect before you delete any more things on the internet-- it just doesn't work.

9.  aKm knows someone who could make those shots.

I usually stick to just OWL teams interacting with each other, but this clever response by aKm is among the greats. If you didn't know, aKm is notoriously absent from the first season of the OWL. He is among the best players in the world and his lack of inclusion in OWL was a big surprise to the entire competitive community. 

So when he innocuously tagged himself as "a friend who could make these shots", the message he sent was deafening.  It was an awesome reminder that aKm has his sights on the OWL while also making light of a sensitive topic facing the league.

10. Dallas Fuel and Houston Outlaw's jersey turf war.

The rivalry between these two teams is seemingly never-ending, but this moment during the OWL pre-season stands out as one of the more memorable clashes.  Dallas Fuel posts a video "fixing" a rack of Overwatch jerseys that happened to have Outlaws merchandise front and center. It was an immensely popular tweet because it was taken live at Blizzard Arena LA.

Then, Houston Outlaws immediately responds with their own video, trying to rectify the situation and place their jersey in front. Only when they try to, there is no Outlaws Jersey to be found.

"I guess someone bought ours." the speaker in the video proclaims.

Well played, Outlaws. Well played.

11. Florida Mayhem gives London Spitfire a holiday gift.

I have to take away some points for how similar this gag is to NYXL's "No legendaries", however, the tweet is redeemed for being one of the few times Florida Mayhem has gone out of their way to provoke another OWL team.

This visual burn is a clever way to tell Spitfire "we are giving you a loss when we meet" on January 11th, which is essentially the purest form of stoking a rivalry. Spitfire, of course, didn't respond (as is their way), but this type of interaction is what Mayhem fans need to feel confident about the match and drum up some positive social-media momentum.

12. London Spitfire calls out Taimou for getting significantly outmaneuvered by a Tracer.

For the record, I am aware that Taimou is an incredibly skilled player and anyone can cherry pick hour long streams for one moment that makes them look less-skilled than they are.

But the thing is, that is exactly what London Spitfire did to hilarious effect. The Tweet is a loud call out against Dallas Fuel and their star player and it gets bonus points due to the Tracer in question wearing the closest skin resembling Spitfire colors. It's not very often an OWL teams entire brand calls out a specific player, so Spitfire made some waves with this one.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The rest of these Tweets aren't exactly epic flames or notable callouts. Instead, they are some of my favorite moments and interactions from the OWL teams on Twitter.


London Spitfire won't give you a free shirt and they don't care about your opinion.

What's not to love about this moment? Is it London Spitfire arbitrarily responding with the number 37 at what was meant to be a sarcastic question about their large roster size, or the linking of the Blizzard gear store when asked for a shirt? I can get behind more Spitfire tweets like this.


Zebbosai doesn't smile and neither should you.

What type of mind game is Florida Mayhem playing at with this tweet? This isn't the first time they have used this soul piercing image of their support player Zebbosai on social media, but never has it been paired with such a contradictory message of good will towards other OWL teams. 

Houston Outlaws decides your fate and gets a chuckle.

The "choose your fate" gimmick is pretty popular on Twitter and is a fun way to foster engagement in a particular tweet. Just upload a GIF that rapidly scrolls through different options, and ask your followers to pause it and share their result as if they just spun a roulette wheel.

Only Houston Outlaws made a GIF that only features their logo over and over again, implying your fate has already been decided for you. It earns a forcible exhale through the nose and a retweet if you are a fan.


NYXL turns a loss into a branding opportunity.

I've said it before, NYXL is currently ahead of the curve when it comes to their social media graphics. This GIF posted after their pre-season loss to Seoul Dynasty is a great example why. They aren't shying away from the loss or posting something forgettable, instead, they are owning the loss completely and using it as a way to further cement themselves as the team made up of champions.

Fan morale is at an all-time low after a loss, but the phrase "Grind Time" is a great way to rally the base and keep things positive. Everyone else, take lessons!

San Francisco Shock plays an endearing game with fans.

"Guess the Shock player" has been one of my favorite examples of fan interactions leading up to the start of the season. Each team is trying hard to introduce their players as likable, memorable individuals that OWL fans can rally behind, but Shock hit the perfect chord for the holiday season.

Posting baby pictures of their players is adorable, humanizing and makes me like their players more. Additionally, the "guess" format provides easy opportunities for follow up Tweets and more fan engagement. Good job, Shock!

PhazOW contributes the single greatest OWL flame by an individual person.

When Philadelphia Fusion had to pull out of the pre-season due to logistical issues, it was a pretty embarrassing situation that made it hard to remain a fan.  However, it made it very easy to be a critic and, in that regard, I must mention the currently unsigned PhazOW and his hilarious highjacking of an NYXL thread about some t-shirts being delayed.

Ouch, can Fusion ever catch a break on Twitter?

LA Valiant redeems themselves for their pre-season food recommendation snub

Last time I wrote about OWL Twitter beef, I felt compelled to include the above interaction. Dynasty specifically reached out to Valiant for burger advice and they were met with total silence.  More than a month ago, I wrote this about the situation:

"I get it-- competition is fierce and a true min-maxer would want the enemy teams to be eating bad hamburgers as opposed to good ones. However, there has got to be a limit to rivalry and I think helping the South Koreans enjoy the best American Burger in LA is a noble thing to do. 

Come on Valiant, get it together!"

I'm happy, no, thrilled to report that seven days after those words were published, Valiant had indeed got it together. In fact, they exceeded all expectations and provided Dynasty a fantastic food primer complete with colorful and accurate emojis.

Way to turn it around Valiant. You may make the other social media managers lose sleep, but you can be really helpful when you want to be.

The Overwatch Season officially begins January 10th

I can only imagine how these twitter rivalries will heat up once the league officially starts and we get real tournament results that matter. Right now, the tier list for Twitter strength is pretty clear but all of it is subject to change once the scoreboard becomes a factor.

RELATED: The most savage and entertaining moments from OWL Twitter rivalries - Part 1