We are back again with this week’s questions that need answering. Let’s get straight to it. But before that, let’s have a quick look at this week’s round of matches:

Will Seoul Survive the Korean Gauntlet?

They have back-to-back matches against all-Korean teams – NYXL and Spitfire – this week and the two only good things from these two matches are the fact that they have two days rest in between the games and will have to prepare for only six maps this week, considering both Hanamura and Gibraltar will be played in both matches. Having lost to both teams in Stage 1, the Dynasty will be keen to set the record straight starting with the NYXL who are arguably the most complete team in the Overwatch League. However, they are not without flaws.

The key for a Seoul Dynasty victory over the NYXL is to catch their opponents off-guard with a false sense of invulnerability as they tend to lose focus when victory seems certain. Both NYXL’s losses against the Spitfire came from a winning position as they were reverse-swept despite having a 2-0 lead. In their loss against Philadelphia Fusion in Stage 1, the NYXL were leading the series 2-1 before crumbling the second Fusion mounted a comeback to tie the score 2-2, forcing a tie-breaker map. Most teams tend to attempt in out-duelling the best Tracer in the league, Saebyeolbe but we feel that in order to maintain a perfect record and denting the NYXL playoff hopes, the Dynasty will have to shut down the Support duo in Jjonak and Ark.

Their match against the Spitfire is more of a straight battle of mechanical skill as both teams are similar in style. The match may lack the rich backstory as previous engagements as most of the former KongDoo Panthera players are no longer with the team but make no mistake about it; this match still carry significant value as of which team occupies the more favorable spot in the stage playoffs.

Who Will Start As Fuel’s Main Tank?

Just when everyone thought that the weekly Overwatch League drama which is the Dallas Fuel has finally concluded with the removal of Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel, another issue crops up relating to their new acquisition, Min-seok “OGE” Son. Signed as a solution to the main tank issue plaguing the Fuel, he may not even get to play for his new team even once if the accusations against him turns out to be true. Rod ‘ Slasher’ Breslau tweeted earlier today about an accusation against OGE that he’s been taking part in account-boosting activities in Korea, an offense that may land him a 30-match ban, effectively making him ineligible for the whole of Season 1. This story comes right following rumors (also leaked by Slasher) that the Fuel are looking to offload two of its players who play as main tanks, Cocco and more recently Taimou.

This leaves only Mickie the sole tank player who fills the off-tank slot and Seagull, whom many believe have been training on D.va. It certainly is muddy on the Dallas side of things and we can’t see them digging themselves out of this hole any time soon. They play against highly coordinated and aggressive sides in Boston and Philadelphia this week and it’s hard to see them come out victorious in both of these matches.

Will Gladiators March On? 

No one expected them to come out of Week 3 with two big wins and here they are – two wins on the trot and third in the Stage standings. The Gladiators next face the floundering Outlaws and the recovering Mayhem; both which appears to be favorable matchups that lean to the Gladiators’ favor.

The Gladiators’ hyper aggressive approaches will be too much for Outlaws to handle and they can bank on Fissure to lead them to roll over the Mayhem. Expect Hydration who have been on fire these few weeks to continue his impressive form against the Outlaws who have been a pale shade of themselves since the start of Stage 2. The Gladiators are looking much more efficient since the addition of main tank Fissure, who gelled so well with the Korean-speaking players such as Asher and Bischu. We are calling it – a 3-1 win for the Gladiators here who will, for the second week running chalk up a 2-0 record.

How Will the Shock Shape Up?

Mention the San Francisco Shock and everyone’s focused on the impending arrivals of Jay ‘Sinatraa‘ Won and Matthew ‘Super‘ Delisi but based on the recent performances by Danteh and BabyBay – is Sinatraa guaranteed a starting slot on Tracer? Danteh have been very impressive of late and his partnership with BabyBay is starting to look like among the most synchronized duos in the league.

Also, with the addition of three new players lately, the Shock are finally starting to take shape and we expect to see a totally different team not just personnel-wise, but team philosophy altogether soon. Will the new players feature this week? Only time will tell but we would cast special attention on current mainstay Danteh who’s been lighting up the league in recent weeks. He’s fighting to secure his starting spot and we trust him to not give it away that easily.

Will the Outlaws Still Play Tracer?

Of all the teams who performed relatively well in Stage 1, no team other than the Houston Outlaws transitioned to the post-Mercy meta in such miserable manner. Unlike their near-impenetrable sextet in Stage 1, the Outlaws in Stage 2 looked like half the team they were as other similar-strength teams decimated the boys from Texas. Most of the blame have been attributed to the team’s absence of a Tracer as the team looked toothless on the DPS front.

Unlike when on Junkrat in Stage 1, JAKE isn’t as effective and his performances on Tracer is almost comical when compared to Tracer players from other teams. According to Winston’s Lab, he’s ranked 25th out of 29 players on Tracer, as opposed to ninth when on Junkrat. The Outlaws have til the first week of April to remedy this issue by bringing in a Tracer specialist and guess what? The team has gone one slot left for that.

Is the Worst Over for Boston Uprising?

Compared to where they were in Stage 1, the Uprising’s fortunes in Stage 2 are nowhere near. Maybe it’s a case of peaking too early, the meta just doesn’t suit the team well or even internal turmoil involving the likes of main tank and shot-caller, Gamsu and their coach, HuK.

Whatever it is, this week should be the rebound week for the talented Uprising squad as they face the out-of-sorts Dallas Fuel and the inconsistent Los Angeles Valiant. They may not be pushing for a Stage playoff berth this time around but we are expecting the young team to rally and finish Stage 2 on a high, starting with this week’s winnable matches.