The Atlanta Homestand has come to an end, closing out Stage 3 with it.
As unpredictable as this stage has been so far, the games during the Atlanta Homestand turned out pretty predictable with some notable exceptions. New York dominated, Florida… did not, and Atlanta capitalized on the meaning of “home field advantage.”
Scores don’t do much to tell the stories of the games. The 3-1s and 4-0s don’t reflect just how close some of these matches were. The Atlanta Reign versus the Toronto Defiant is a perfect example of just how much gets left out when you only look at the scores. Both teams went into this weekend winless in Stage 3 and each with a good chance to defeat the other. But Atlanta took the energy from their fans and used it to power through the Defiant’s defenses, ending their stage in a bittersweet fashion — snagging their only wins the entire stage in front of their home crowd.
The last few spots in the Stage 3 playoffs were up for grabs this weekend. Guangzhou, Philadelphia, and Shanghai were all playing for a spot, making their games of particular importance. Even though Shanghai convincingly defeated Guangzhou during Week 4, the Charge out-sniped and outplayed the Dragons, knocking them down the standings from the comfortable fourth spot to a precarious eighth. The Philadelphia Fusion, at ninth place, were within striking distance of a playoff spot should they also defeat the Dragons. But Shanghai pulled out a shockingly close 3-1 victory over Philadelphia to remain in the playoffs, winning the dubious honor of playing New York in the first round.
Not all of the fun this weekend could be contained within the format of a standard match. The Widowmaker 1v1 and the Torbjörn Hammer beat down gave the memelords of the Overwatch League a chance to shine.
But the true winners this weekend, beyond Shanghai, Atlanta, and Torbjörn mains, were all the Overwatch fans that absolutely hate goats. The triple tank/triple support team composition known as goats has strangled the life out of competitive play. Players think so, casters think so, fans think so. With role lock rumored but yet to be announced for Stage 4, it seems like teams have already started to drift away from what was once an almost compulsory team composition. Off-meta heroes like Pharah, Widowmaker, Doomfist, and more became the hero picks du jour, lighting up the broadcast with plays like this:
And this:
And this:
No Widowmaker duel was more important than the 1v1 between the Philadelphia Fusion’s Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee and the Shanghai Dragons’ Min-seong “diem” Bae. These two players and longtime friends began their professional Overwatch careers together, choosing their complimentary handles at the outset of their journey. Through the Apex seasons and even into the Overwatch League, the two have never faced each other until this Homestand. Widowmaker kills are critical to softening up the opposing team’s defenses, and whichever Widow had the most picks against the other would see his team to victory. With a duel between old friends and a playoff spot on the line, the Dragons’ win over the Fusion proved the storylines of the Overwatch League can fit in with the best of shonen anime.
The Homestand is the best innovation of the new season, spreading the gospel of live professional Overwatch events outside of its Southern Californian bubble and bringing new experiences and memories to teams and fans alike. Though the league will pack up and head back to the Blizzard Arena for the Stage 3 playoffs, this won’t be the last time the show will go on the road. Fans will have one last opportunity to see the game outside its Blizzard Arena home at the Kit Kat Rivalry Weekend this August.