Updated as of Nov 19th

Overwatch League is just around the corner, with its preseason scheduled to start in December and the regular season to get underway in January. Following the 30th Oct 2017 registration deadline, twelve teams have confirmed their participation in the tournament which will see teams warming up to their competition via a series of pre-season matches in December before the main event time in January.

It’s hard to keep track for the uninitiated so starting today we are previewing the teams  set to participate in the upcoming premier Overwatch tourney and our initial predictions of their chances. Our focus in Part 1 would be the favorites within the Pacific Division – which we feel the more competitive of the two divisions. We would not be all surprised to see any of these three teams win the division and even go all the way to the finals come June.

1. Dallas Fuel

Lineup:

Essentially Team EnVyUs, Dallas Fuel is easily the strongest and most successful North American team at the moment. Known for their teamwork, adaptability and super effective DPS in form of Taimou and Effect, they are winners of the recently concluded Overwatch Contenders Season 1 North America and their lineup have been boosted with the inclusion of projectile specialist Seagull and North America’s #1 Winston, xQc. Needless to say, not only will they be the team to beat, but also the team with the biggest chance of defeating the trio of teams represented by a Korean roster; Seoul, London and New York.

2. San Francisco Shock

San Francisco Shock (NRG)

Lineup:

Formed off the backbone of NRG players, San Francisco is akin to the All-Star team in the current Overwatch League. Having drafted superstars in the likes of ‘Danteh’ from Arc 6, ‘nomy’ from Immortals, ‘dhak’ from Selfless and ‘sleepy’ from Tempo Storm, this move goes against the trend of most teams, who drafted in whole squads to compete in the OWL. An inspired move or a disaster waiting to happen? Only time will tell but we can’t wait to see the prodigious sinatraa wreck havoc.

3. Seoul Dynasty

Seoul Dynasty

Lineup:

The quintessential Korean team, Lunatic-Hai is one of the most storied Korean Overwatch teams in the world, having won back-to-back seasons (2&3) on the APEX circuit. With the likes of ‘Ana God’ ‘Ryujehong’ within their ranks, Lunatic-Hai carries the pride of Seoul on their shoulders to show the world that the Koreans are miles ahead of their NA and EU counterparts. While they had a disappointing season 4 on APEX – being eliminated by finalists GC Busan in Group Stage #2, the extra preparation time may be the blessing in disguise for these boys – and bounce back they did as they convincingly defeated their arch-rivals from APEX S3 finals, Cloud9 KongDooo 3-1 at the recent OGN Supermatch finals. They also boosted their roster with the inclusions of DPS specialists ‘Fleta’ and ‘Munchkin’ along with ‘xepheR’ on flex and the impact was apparent as they tore their opponents to shreds as seen below. Our pick for the champions of the first ever Overwatch League.

For Part 2 of the Overwatch League Teams Preview, read it here.

The inaugural Overwatch League season is set to kick off January 10, 2018, with preseason starting December 6, 2017. The regular season concludes in June 2018 and will be followed by a playoffs and finals. All regular season games will be played at the Blizzard Arena Los Angeles for the inaugural season.