Back with another power rankings to complete the bottom half of the league. One of these rankings may surprise you, but I assure you there is a good explanation for my ranking. Let's not waste any more time and get to the next five teams.
#14 - Chengdu Hunters
Last season, this team was one that ran the most obscure strategies for each map. The fans did not know what to expect. You could expect a bastion comp in one game, then a hitscan comp in the next. In Stage 4 last season, they gave us a tease of their true potential. With DPS heroes back in the game, you can finally see what Lo "Baconjack" Tzu-Heng and Yi "JinMu" Hu are all about.
This season, these Hunters might be a team to be feared. The Hunters have another DPS that holds a lot of hype behind him. He is Huang "leave" Xin. These DPS players, plus a team comprised of players from Team China (minus Xu "guxue" Qiulin) in the 2019 Overwatch World Cup, have a lot to prove this season. What kind of inventive strategies can we see from the Hunters this season? We are not that far away from finding out.
#13 - Shanghai Dragons
I know many analysts rate the Dragons highly, as they should. However, it was hard for me to justify rating them anywhere in the top five. A lot of Shanghai's success last season was due to leadership by Young-jin "Gamsu" Noh. Gamsu's overall attitude towards the game and his teammates were unmatched. During press conferences, Gamsu was the glue holding this team together, being the leader who told his teammates kindly to answer questions and be professional. His past experiences definitely helped the Dragons become a dominant team in 2019. They also lost Young-Jin "YOUNGJIN" Jin and Kyungwoo "CoMa" Son during the offseason. However, they picked up notable players to fill in those holes this season.
Byung-sun "Fleta" Kim and Jae-gon "LeeJaeGon" Lee are players that can help take the Dragons to the next level. What I fear from the Dragons is the lack of leadership needed to keep this team together during their highs and lows. Gamsu was that key piece. Fleta can certainly be the player to replace Gamsu in the leadership role. He has that experience with Seoul over the past two seasons, under Jehong "ryujehong" Ryu's watchful eye. Also, fans forgot that Shanghai finished 1-6 in Stage 4. Shanghai does have the pieces to be a top five team, but they need to overcome obstacles in their leadership and adapting to meta changes. This season is a test for the Dragons to see if they can rise up or falter.
#12 - Dallas Fuel
Dallas had more lows than highs over the past two seasons. They had a great team in Season 1 coming from Team EnVyUs only to disappoint. In Season 2, they had moments of brilliance but were unable to be consistent throughout the year, giving another underwhelming performance. During the offseason, they added pieces with Young-jin "Gamsu" Noh and Gui-un "Decay" Jang, which can (hopefully) turn their fortunes around.
As previously stated above, they added Gamsu for his experiences and leadership with previous teams, and Decay to be the superstar DPS that was sorely missing last season for the Fuel. With growth expected from players like Ashley "Trill" Powell and Zachary "ZachaREEE" Lombardo, hopefully they will blossom into all-stars. It's do or die for the Fuel and their fanbase this season.
#11 - Guangzhou Charge
The Charge are one of those teams that surprised many people last season. They started 2019 from the bottom then started to rise up throughout the season. Stage 4 is when we saw the Charge for who they are. They were finally able to show off how good they truly are. Hong-joon "HOTBA" Choi and Jung-woo "Happy" Lee were players that are able to take advantage of Stage 4's meta shift. HOTBA became one of the best Sigmas in the league and Happy was a one-of-a-kind sniper among players.
This season, the Charge is going to start without HOTBA, as he left for New York Excelsior. That will not stop the Charge though as they kept the core that achieved success in Stage 4 last season. As the meta continues to shift, we do not know what team compositions we will see. For the Charge, though, they need to continue focusing on playing around their DPS players, as they are the strengths of that team.
#10 - Seoul Dynasty
For a historic team like the Dynasty, it is difficult to see them ranked as low as they are here. The Dynasty should be a team that is consistently at the top of the standings, but they have their struggles. Particularly, towards the end of the season. They had a player who's been in the professional Overwatch scene since it started, Jehong "ryujehong" Ryu. They also had one of the best DPS players in the league, Byung-sun "Fleta" Kim, but the Dynasty still cannot get over the hurdle.
During the offseason, they renovated their roster. They added former London Spitfire players and Season 1 champions, Joon-yeong "Profit" Park, Jae-hee "Gesture" Hong, and Seung-tae "Bdosin" Choi. These three will be the soul of the Seoul Dynasty (pun intended) moving forward and are keys to their success.
Images via Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
Follow me on Twitter @itsjustchris for more coverage on Overwatch League and various games.
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