Stage 4 brought a whole new meta with the introduction of Brigette and the deathball comp. Brigette is a hybrid tank and support character which allowed teams to play her in either / both roles in a single dps or even a no dps comp. This flip of the meta saw dive comp be less effective as Tracers were easily neutralized and so teams such as Boston and London saw their previous success go down the drain. They struggled early and basically eliminated themselves from Stage Playoff contention by Week 2 or 2. In a surprising resurgence, the Dallas Fuel came out swinging with Mickie on Brigette and Seagull on D.Va. They ended up sneaking into the Stage Playoffs with a 6-4 record and a better map different than Houston and Philadelphia. New York chugged along beating many of the lower teams with ease but showing signs of vulnerability dropping some maps and matches to finish at 7-3. It has been rumored that they have been toning down their practice schedule to avoid burn out and to pace themselves for the overall Season Playoffs and Championship. The Top 2 teams battling it out this Stage were the 2 Los Angeles teams. The Valiant were in the lead all Stage until their loss to Dallas in Week 5 that allowed the Gladiators to sneak by on map differential. In a surprising announcement, the 1st seed Gladiators picked the Valiant as their semifinals opponent even though there was the 4th seed Dallas Fuel, who were considered the worse team out of the Stage Playoff contenders. Everyone was shocked, but no one was really complaining as the Valiant had the clear head-to-head advantage over the Gladiators all season. New York were gifted the 4th seed Dallas Fuel but they were still a threat as their success has only been recent and so teams had a harder time reading them.
Last Week: 9-3
Total: 164-76 (.683)
The Stage Playoffs began with another Battle of LA, which has always been a fan favorite with the Overwatch League Stadium being in LA and both teams having a large, local following. The match lives up to the hype, going 5 games, but the Valiant came out ahead once again and the Gladiators were left to wonder if they made the right choice. The Valiant now had some time to reset and scout their next opponent, either New York or Dallas. New York came out and roled Dallas on the first 2 maps, but at half time Dallas made some adjustments and played a bit more aggressive, which took advantage of New York's split playstyle. Dallas brought the match to a 5th map, but their aggression got the best of them and they loss Dorado in a thrilling 3-2 match. This sets up a Stage Finals between the Los Angeles Valiant and the New York Excelsior. The Valiant came out ready for the Excelsior and took Map 1 easily. Map 2 was a bit different with the Excelsior taking control and tying the series at 1-1. Going into half time, you felt that the Excelsior were just warming up and would make their run very soon. The Valiant had different ideas as they doubled down on their focus and strategy and charged through the next 2 maps convincingly to complete the series 3-1 and taking the Stage 4 Championship. New York were looking for the 3-peat but fell just short; the one thing they did hold onto was being in every Stage finals. They are still the clear favorites going into the overall Season Playoffs, but other teams have emerged as serious contenders.
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