Previous Stage 4 power rankings | Week 1
The role lock is in place, and it shook up the Overwatch League power rankings substantially. Take a look at how things turned out.
1. Vancouver Titans
Overall Record: 22-1 | Map W/L/T: 77-17-0 | Map Diff: +60 | Change: +1
Say what you will about the Vancouver Titans, but it's clear to see at this point that they'll never let a loss get them down. The Titans reclaim their spot at the top of our power rankings after exacting revenge on the Shanghai Dragons, who defeated them in Stage 3 playoffs, and also put together a convincing shutout of a slowly improving Florida Mayhem. Most notably, the return of damage heroes has signaled the return of Kim "Haksal" Hyo-Jong's legendary Genji, the hero he first made his name on in 2016 and which remains a force to be reckoned with today. The recently implemented role lock doesn't seem to have affected the Titans in the slightest as they look eager to prove that they can be top of the league in any meta.
2. San Francisco Shock
Overall Record: 17-5 | Map W/L/T: 71-21-0 | Map Diff: +50 | Change: +1
Before the Stage 3 finals, San Francisco Shock DPS player Kim "Rascal" Dong-jun said that he wasn't at all concerned with a meta shift or the 2-2-2 role lock because their team had talented individuals and an entire second lineup. This turned out to be prophetic not only for the finals -- where the Shock started their other lineup, albeit for a control map loss -- but for Stage 4. In their match against the Seoul Dynasty, the Shock made the most of the talent on their team, swapping between Rascal, Jay "Sinatraa" Won, Kwon "Striker" Nam-joo, Yoo "Smurf" Myeong-hwan, and Park "Architect" Min-ho depending on map type and what types of DPS or tanks they wanted to play. It's a great look for the Shock, who initially struggled at the very beginning of the season en route to becoming one of the league's strongest triple-triple teams. We had expected the team to stumble a bit at the meta change, especially with swapping players in and out so freely, but they seem well-prepared to make a seamless transition into the role lock.
3. Shanghai Dragons
Overall Record: 13-10 | Map W/L/T: 47-46-2 | Map Diff: +1 | Change: -2
In their match against the Vancouver Titans, the Shanghai Dragons were not only outperformed by a stronger team, but looked unsettled in transitioning from their triple-DPS compositions that won them Stage 3 finals. Fortunately, the Dragons already look like they recognized a few of the team's issues, and adjusted by swapping between Lee "Envy" Kang-jae and Kim "Geguri" Se-yeon at the flex tank position while rotating between Bae "Diem" Min-seong, Jin "Youngjin" Young-jin, and Yang "DDing" Jin-hyeok at DPS. The Dragons have all of the pieces to be a successful team this stage and clinch a playoff spot, even if that means having to go through the play-in portion of season playoffs.
4. London Spitfire
Overall Record: 14-9 | Map W/L/T: 50-40-5 | Map Diff: +10 | Change: +7
After a season of unrealized potential and generally looking lost in the meta, the London Spitfire have skyrocketed back up our power rankings after a strong first week showing, where they defeated the Toronto Defiant and the Dallas Fuel with 3-1 score lines. The role lock has finally allowed the immense individual talent on this roster to shine, along with the patented synergy of longtime duo Park "Profit" Jun-Young and Hong "Gesture" Jae-Hui - two things that have always been key components of the team's success. If they can tighten up their play and do something about their chronic inability to win Control maps, it's entirely possible that we could see yet another miracle run out of the Spitfire this stage and in the postseason.
5. Guangzhou Charge
Overall Record: 11-12 | Map W/L/T: 47-46-2 | Map Diff: +1 | Change: +6
Thus far, the Guangzhou Charge has lacked a cohesive identity. They never looked comfortable in the triple-triple meta, opting to run DPS comps instead, but they also couldn't execute those DPS comps as well as teams like the Shanghai Dragons or Chengdu Hunters could. Now, with role lock in place, the Charge look much more solid already, snatching a narrow 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Fusion and a clean 4-0 over the Boston Uprising. The steady presence of veteran players Joona "Fragi" Laine and Aaron "Bischu" Kim combined with the raw talent of rookies Charlie "Nero" Zwarg and Lee "Happy" Jung-Woo has resulted in an explosive team that is finally delivering on its roster's potential and will be one of the most interesting to follow this stage as they make a push for playoffs.
6. Los Angeles Valiant
Overall Record: 9-13 | Map W/L/T: 45-48-3 | Map Diff: -3 | Change: --
The new role lock has made for a lot of shaky series and the Los Angeles Valiant's 3-2 win over the Paris Eternal was no exception. While Johannes "Shax" Nielsen on Sombra was a significant boon for the team in Stage 3, his Widowmaker was outpaced by Paris and former Valiant DPS player Terence "SoOn" Tarlier. Going forward, the Valiant will need to find out how they want to play around their three DPS players of Shax, Kyle "KSF" Frandanisa, and Brady "Agilities" Girardi. While we've used previous weeks to call out the prowess of flex support Park "KariV" Young-seo, this week we'd like to draw attention to Russell "FCTFCTN" Campbell who has been a fantastic addition to this team after the departure of Koo "Fate" Pan-seung.
7. Chengdu Hunters
Overall Record: 11-12 | Map W/L/T: 45-54-1 | Map Diff: -9 | Change: +1
Like a bulldozer, like a tank, like a soldier. Twice this week, Chengdu displayed its full artillery of DPS players in the Overwatch League's new 2-2-2 meta, making a strong first week breakthrough in the stage standings. The Hunters didn't bring anything fancy to the table -- in fact, they were quite the heart shaker this week, going to five games in both its wins against the Fusion and Uprising -- but the pandas are looking happy in a meta with damage aplenty. Among the fanfare of a new meta, Taiwanese star Lo "Baconjack" Tzu-heng also made his return to the lineup, lighting up the kill feed with Widowmaker and McCree. He's currently splitting time with fellow DPS player Zhang "YangXiaoLong" Zhihao, but fans of the pacific region can cheer up knowing their favorite breakfast boy is back as a hitscan DPS specialist.
8. NYXL
Overall Record: 19-3 | Map W/L/T: 67-23-3 | Map Diff: +44 | Change: -3
A baffling 1-3 loss against the Los Angeles Gladiators this week has the New York Excelsior dropping to 8th place in our power rankings, the lowest they've ever been. Though there's no shortage of talent on this roster, this week the NYXL looked uncharacteristically uncertain about how they wanted to play in this new meta, and their overall play lacked the decisiveness and fluid adaptation that has kept them at the top of the standings in previous stages. Still, it's only been one match, and the NYXL are not to be counted out so early. We'll have to see if they can adapt to the meta shift this time or if they'll falter just before the finish line again.
9. Houston Outlaws
Overall Record: 9-14 | Map W/L/T: 40-54-3 | Map Diff: -3 | Change: +1
You've got two choices, Houston: compete with the best or settle with the rest. After being overwhelmed by the low-tier Paris Eternal, Houston immediately turned around to upset a Gladiators team that started the week with a win over the New York Excelsior. Outlaws players made it known that they would perform better in a standard 2-2-2 meta, but consistency is still the name of the game if the team wants to make it big. Currently at 15th place in the league standings with a 9-14 record, big wins have to be supplemented by the smallest of victories as well if the Outlaws want a shot at the playoffs.
10. Los Angeles Gladiators
Overall Record: 14-9 | Map W/L/T: 54-40-5 | Map Diff: +17 | Change: -1
Knock knock, the meta change is here! The Gladiators were consistently great in the triple-triple meta for most of the year, but there might be a bit of work to be done with the role lock now officially running the league. One can appreciate the Gladiators' creativity, having João Pedro "Hydration" Goes Telles play the Wrecking Ball this week on Busan against both New York and Houston, but the team ultimately lacked flexibility when it came to answering the Outlaws this week. A win against New York is great, but when that team itself is struggling, it's a signal that more has to be done before you can just dance the night away into the league playoffs.