One of the Overwatch League’s most powerful teams just lost their first game in months to a team that has the complete opposite overall record. Today, in the opening match of Week 2 in Stage 3 of the 2019 OWL season, the Houston Outlaws manages to defeat the San Francisco Shock.
Coming off of the only existing Golden Stage in competitive Overwatch, the San Francisco Shock maintained their momentum through Week 1 of Stage 3. Unfortunately for fans of the youthful franchise, that would all come crashing down in what has to be the greatest example of underestimating one’s opponent in recent OWL history.
The Shock are a fiery and brazen group. Rightfully so, they have been one of the most feared teams in the entire league almost all season long so far. Now, the Stage 2 Champions will have to ensure that they maintain composure moving into the rest of the stage and avoid falling apart after facing a large looming loss on the back of a gigantic upset.
For the Houston Outlaws, this moment might be the hook that they hang their whole season on. Something has been amiss in the Outlaws camp all season, and no matter how talented their roster is they seem to fall short of executing on their opportunities.
Today was different, however, and Texas-based squad will hopefully be able to take a huge stride with the confidence they’ve gained today.
In the overall standings, the Houston Outlaws are now 4W - 12L on the season and the San Francisco Shock is 12W - 4L. The Shock will likely be in contention for at least another Stage Championship this season and will be a major factor in the end-of-season playoffs, while the Outlaws will need far more upsets like this one to bring any grander hopes to their fans.
Week 2 Stage 3 of the Overwatch League continues tomorrow, June 13th, when the Paris Eternal take on the New York Excelsior at 4:00 PM Pacific Time.
