Overwatch League, Week 3: Shanghai Dragons fought well but fall to Seoul Dynasty

This Overwatch League matchup pits the highest of the high with the lowest of the low.

Prior to the season starting, this matchup would have excited fans. It would have been seen as a brilliant slugfest between the best and the second best team in the Overwatch League.

Two weeks into the season, only half of that statement is true. One of the best teams in the League, the Seoul Dynasty, was part of this matchup. But instead of being the second best, the Shanghai Dynasty has ended up being one of the worst teams in the League, owner of a winless record. Despite a rigorous practice schedule — so rigorous, in fact, that it has drawn criticism from fans — the Dragons have struggled with teamwork and communication. Some of the losses they’ve suffered have been almost painful to watch.

And now they open their third week against Seoul, an unfortunate scenario for any team but even more acutely for Shanghai. Did this end up as the complete blowout that most would be expecting? Or would history point to this matchup as the one that started the Dragons down a road to improvement?

Map One: Numbani

Shanghai took the role of attacker first. After a good first charge that saw Xushu laser-focused on eliminating XepheR, Seoul reared back with Wekeed cleaning house on Soldier 76. Subsequent Shanghai pushes faltered sadly, with ryujehong and Wekeed continuing to make the picks to keep the Dragons at a man disadvantage.

With 30 seconds remaining, the Dragons were able to down Tobi but were not in position to immediately capitalize. With overtime in play, the Dragons started using ultimates in desperation. Xushu chucked a Self Destruct into the point, and suddenly the Dragons’ respawns were there to gain point control. At the last possible second, Shanghai took point A, even forcing out Seoul’s Valkyrie in the process.

More from Gaming

• John Madden on the Madden NFL 23 cover
• Madden 22 adds 10 college football teams in ‘Campus Legends’ limited time event
• Look: Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes share the Madden 22 cover
• FanSided250: Overwatch League fan groups are bridging the digital divide
• Some creative genius made Street Fighter characters out of NBA legends

Shanghai proceeded to fight for every inch that the payload moved forward. With the map in overtime again and the payload just inches from the second checkpoint, ryujehong threw himself onto the payload with Transcendence. It was ultimately for naught, as Shanghai’s entire team was there to easily take him out when it ended.

In the last section of the map, with the payload about halfway from the checkpoint to the end, the Dragons started their last ditch hold in overtime. First using the Primal Rage, then depending on Diya’s Tracer and Xushu’s D.Va, the Dragons were able to put up a fight for quite some time. The inevitable did finally come, but much later than everyone expected.

On attack, ryujehong moved onto Pharah while Tobi on Mercy was their solo support. However, Undead was able to pick him off to push Seoul’s initial push back. After another failed attempt, ryujehong switched to Soldier 76. Ultimately it was Wekeed on Genji that sliced the point wide open with his Dragonblade.

Shanghai and Seoul traded blows as the payload moved down the road. With ryujehong back on Zenyatta, the Dynasty was able to keep up a slow sustained attack as their way to keep constant pressure on the payload. The Dragons were able to heave the Dynasty completely off the payload just before the second checkpoint, but Bunny’s Tracer was able to wear the Dragons down while ryujehong landed orbs and eliminations.

With a minute and 30 seconds left to push it to the end, Shanghai once again pushed Seoul off the payload. In overtime, Seoul came in with their final attack. Seoul’s Miro immediately went down first, but it was one final Wekeed Dragonblade that solidified Seoul’s extremely close win.

Map Score: Dragons 2, Dynasty 3

Match Score: Dragons 0, Dynasty 1

Map Two: Temple of Anubis

On defense, Seoul took on the traditional high ground defense with Orisa as the anchor. Shanghai’s first attack was able to scatter them from that location, but too many of them went down in the fight for them to continue. In the end, the Dragons were able to secure point A thanks to their containment of Bunny on Widowmaker paired with a Diya Dragonblade.

Shanghai and Seoul freely traded ultimates in the early fight for point B. The Dragons had some great individual moments and efforts, but they never had enough people alive to take advantage. Shanghai threw everything into their push prior to time ticking down, investing both support ultimates but not getting the picks needed.

Shanghai set up on the low ground right in front of the archway on there defense. Rather quickly, Seoul Dynasty was able to break through the ranks and take point A. Right during their first attack, Wekeed unleashed Dragonblade onto point B. Fortunately for Shanghai, Freefeel was able to trigger Transcendence before Wekeed was able to kill him, moving to protect the rest of his team from the blade as well. After a Xushu Self Destruct, Altering was able to come in and support the Dragons with his Valkyrie. What looked like a lost cause suddenly became a won fight.

But in the end, Wekeed got the last laugh. With both Shanghai support ults used and Wekeed near another Dragonblade, Seoul attacked. As soon as Freefeel’s Transcendence was finished, Wekeed turned that last Dragonblade loose and secured the Dynasty’s win.

Map Score: Dragons 1, Dynasty 2

Match Score: Dragons 0, Dynasty 2

Map Three: Oasis

Starting at the University, Shanghai took the point with an anti-dive composition in the form of Orisa, Junkrat and Roadhog. After solidifying the hold, the Dragons moved their shield and set up farther forward to better be able to deliver poke damage. Finally with 99 percent on the meter, Seoul invested almost every single ultimate they had to take the point.

Shanghai was able to regain the point, and with it immediately going into overtime, Seoul had to move fast. Bunny used his Deadeye to get a huge ultimate, but it just wasn’t enough. The Dynasty were not positioned well to move in and contest the point, conceding the point to the Dragons.

Going to the Gardens, Shanghai’s composition was ground based whereas Wekeed switched to the Pharah. That Pharah was all the difference when it came to locking down the point first. But the Dragons were able to take the point for themselves after getting picks on Bunny and others. Shanghai wouldn’t hang onto the point for long, as Seoul barged in and won the next fight.

With Wekeed in control of the skies, Shanghai’s attack started to falter. Because his Pharah rockets rained directly down outside of both doorways to the point, the Dragons found themselves caught in the fire again and again. One Rocket Barrage as the map ticked into overtime was enough for Seoul to lock up the second point.

On City Center, Tobi switched over to Lucio, which helped Seoul win their first fight. In the end, the Dragons only mounted one long drawn out attack in which they invested all of their ultimates. Just when it seemed that their investment would pay off, Seoul was brought back into the conversation with their own support ultimates. With the Dynasty now sustained, the Dragons started to fall one by one. There was no opportunity for Shanghai to regroup, and with the map in overtime, the most they could do was send in players as they spawned to stall. That tactic could only last so long before Seoul called the point their own.

Map Score: Dragons 1, Dynasty 2

Match Score: Dragons 0, Dynasty 3

Map Four: El Dorado

Shanghai jumped out of the gates with an aggressive attack but they were immediately repelled. After some adjustments, they made a much more cautious approach next;. But Seoul’s defense was so strong that Shanghai found themselves unable to make any headway for a very long amount of time. It wasn’t until overtime that Shanghai was able to get to the first checkpoint.

An extremely effective Deadeye by Undead that sniped Tobi from out of the air was able to keep the payload moving for the Dragons. And without meeting too much resistance, Shanghai found themselves at the second checkpoint. But one enormous heave from Seoul pushed the Dragons back. With time running out, Shanghai made one final desperate leap onto the payload. As he’s done before, Wekeed chose this most to unleash his Dragonblade, felling multiple members of Shanghai and ending their forward progress.

Seoul’s very first attack was effective, mostly because of a strange setup from Shanghai where they had different members of their team actually on top of the payload to stall it. This tactic did not work, and neither did the Dragons’ attempt to contest prior to the first checkpoint. The Dynasty took it easily.

Shanghai was able to brush Seoul off the payload as it passed under the archway. But soon the Dynasty was rolling again. As has had many times already during this series, the Dnyasty was able to outlast both Dragon support ultimates before using one of their own. This time, however, the Dragons were able to outlast the Dynasty as well, especially helped by Undead as Widowmaker getting two big picks.

Next: Overwatch League, Week 3: London cruises to victory over San Francisco

As Seoul started in on their next push, Wekeed immediately went in on Undead, cornering him in an alcove and slashing her out of the competition. He then turned around and unleashed his Dragonblade on the payload. It seemed like once again the Dynasty would cruise ahead on the back of Wekeed’s blade but suddenly, things were different. Diya charged forward and managed to take out Wekeed. With no one else near the objective and the map in overtime, it became Seoul desperately throwing themselves on top of the payload to keep it alive. Miro leapt onto it with a Primal Rage, but the follow up was not there when the ult petered out. Somehow, the Shanghai Dragons walked away with a map win.

Map Score: Dragons 2, Dynasty 1

Final Match Score: Dragons 1, Dynasty 3

Player of the Match: ryujehong, Seoul Dynasty