After a 28-0 Stage 2 Shock Drop Very First Map of Stage 3
By Wyatt Fossett ·
It was a surprising start to what is destined to be an odd stage in the Overwatch League 2019 season, as undefeated San Francisco lose their very first map of Stage 2.
No one would have predicted that Stage 3 would begin with a map loss for the San Francisco Shock -- a team that didn’t drop a single one in seven games during Stage 2 -- especially considering that their first matchup was against the Atlanta Reign.
(Courtesy Robert Paul, Blizzard Ent.)
Dogman and company from the ATL are no laughing matter, though. The 7-7 completely even Reign make fine work of Stage 2, defeating one of the perceived best teams in the league in the New York Excelsior twice.
It would be easy to chalk up the Reign’s not completely dominant stage to a rough schedule and not a whole lot of time to figure out team chemistry. Now, the Atlanta squad comes into Stage 3 as a team with a lot of playing together under their belt, and a whole lot of individually talented players.
In their first series against the Atlanta Reign in Stage 3, it looked like they might lose the whole thing at multiple occasions. In the end, it would be the difference of milliseconds and the tiniest of margins that would secure the overall match win for San Francisco after forcing a deciding Game 5.
Why is any of this important? Well, it could mean one of two things. Either the Atlanta Reign are going to be a whole lot scarier of a team in Stage 3, or the San Francisco Shock are rusty. There’s room for both to be true, but we have a shocking suspicion that it’s going to be a strong stage for Atlanta.
With the kick-off of Stage 3, we’re officially into the latter half of the 2019 Overwatch League season. The champions of the first two stages, both Vancouver’s Titans and the SF Shock are pleased with their stages, but it’s the season playoffs that are the main goal of every team taking the stage at the Blizzard Arena.