7 moments you shouldn't have missed during the Katowice qualifier

Aug 6, 2017

▲Winston tricks, incredible predictions and...emotes?

The Overwatch World Cup brings the best players in the world against each other iand this weekend brought the end of Groups E and F of the Katowice qualifier. South Korea, Canada, Russia, Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Singapore and Turkey each had their chance to make it into the playoffs, but some teams proved far more prepared for international competition.

South Korea, Netherlands, Canada, and Russia each won their rounds in a clean sweep, defeating the competition with 4-0 records. Here are some of our favorite moments from those matches featuring incredible maneuvers, clever outplays, and a few laughs as well.

1. The Earth Shatter heard across the world.

Genji has a tendency to dominate the highlight reel, but it takes a play like this to remind the world how much of a playmaker a Reinhardt can be. Immediately in response to the enemy Reinhardt being struck by Ana's Sleep Dart, Mano of team South Korea wastes no time in decimating the enemy team.

2. Min-maxing with Winston.

It isn't the flashiest of plays, but Setrox of team Poland pulled out a cool trick as Winston on Dorado. By leaping to a rooftop area that Winston can stall on, the cooldown of leap is able to recharge while Winston is still in his mid-air leaping state. This means that, after landing and causing AoE damage, Winston will be able to immediately leap again for more damage or an escape

Take notes, Winston players!

3. Tracked, predicted, executed.

If you are a fan of Overwatch clips, you have heard of Surefour before. His Widowmaker is battle-hardened with countless hours poured into understanding her correct usage and the above 20-second clip highlights subtleties of his playmaking abilities. Using mapwareness, prediction, and insane reaction times, Surefour's message is clear to every Tracer player in the world: do better.

4. Payload protected for mother Russia

D.Va's Self-Destruct isn't the most precise ultimate to land, but that is for good reason. It's damage is aboslutely devastating and can wipe entire teams all by itself. Of course, that is precisely what happens in the above clip.

But keep in mind, this is during a tournament featuring the best players in the world. Landing a D.Va ultimate in this context is incredibly difficult and requires the type of precision only a pro can offer. Forsak3n free-throws the Mech directly on top of the payload with expert timing and the caster reaction is priceless.

5. Fire in the hole!

Flow3r of team South Korea clearly knows something we don't. Junkrat is among the least popular heroes in competitive Overwatch, and yet, his use during South Korea's match against Austria was extremely effective. Effectively creating a "no-passge" zone with Junkrat's grenades, this clip is a cool reminder that the meta always has room for niche hero picks in the right setting.

6. All together now...

Team Russia was already winning the match and this comical display of team unison gives us a hint as to why. Without skipping a beat, each team member knew exactly where to go and where to stand in response to the enemies D.Va Self-Destruct. As a purely visual gag, this works, but the commentators reaction really sells this moment.

7. Emote at your own risk.

Surefour graces our top clip list again, but it's not his amazing play that makes this clip hillarious. It's the enemy Tracer that, inexplicably, decides to emote while walking back from the spawn room. With a friendly wave, Tracer warns the waiting McCree of her arrival and is promptly murdered.

Just another reason to invest in good headphones capable of surround sound: Surefour likely knew exactly where the Tracer was thanks to both footsteps and the foolish emote!

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