The Overwatch World Cup is a popular gaming event hosted by Blizzard, the creators of the game Overwatch, to showcase the best players of their game that can represent their country to take the glory. The event is in its third year in 2018 and the group stages, where the teams are thinned down to the top 8, are already over. Blizzcon, Blizzard’s annual convention held in LA, will host the finals matches where it will be streamed on Twitch, a live streaming website that provides a platform for broadcasting or streaming video games or events. Blizzard even likes to explain their game to new viewers so they can better understand the game and not require to own the game to understand.
Many Logan students who watched every match in the group stages have chosen teams to root for, but not many of us have that time, and even then we’re not all walking encyclopedias on every team in the event. So for those of you interested in watching this event, this overview will help you understand the teams and give you a team to root for in the epic matches on November 2nd!
Here are the final 8 teams that have survived to Blizzcon, what they have shown us, and who they are facing in order by their first final matches:
Match 1
United States: This team has been a juggernaut for this year’s group stage, decidedly defeating the team that made them second seed from their group stage last year. However, during the group stage, they’ve shown moments of arrogance that have cost them a few map victories. Nonetheless, this team has the potential to take down even the current champions of the World Cup: South Korea. Only time will tell how well they perform.
Vs.
United Kingdom: Although the UK team has come out of their group stage 2nd place after a crushing defeat in their match against France, they are still beaming with confidence, although maybe overconfident in some cases. Their main tank and caller, ChrisTFer, has become the main source of the confidence of the team, and always has a cheeky attitude to help the team. Still, the United Kingdom has proved time and time again that they can take the distance against any foe, big or small.
Match 2
France: The French team has always been a scary team to go up against, and this year is far from different. They have no time to fool or boast around and have been crushing their competition in the fourth group stage by directly countering the characters the opposing team chooses to use against them or the opposing team composition. France’s goal is to have a rematch against the team that beat them in the semifinals last year: South Korea. So far, France shows no sign of being stopped.
Vs.
Canada: Team Canada is packed with the most well-known NA (North American) Overwatch players since the beginning of professional Overwatch with the tournament Apex in held in South Korea. The team got 2nd place last year and their players rocked the first season of the Overwatch League, a sports-like event to showcase the best of Overwatch, period. within their respective teams, earning places in fame. Of course, this is for a good reason, their crushing performances in the group stage show much more depth in their strategies compared to many other teams and showing intuition that equivalent of South Korea. They will not be a team to be taken down easily.
Match 3
China: China’s roster has only one player with Overwatch League experience, but that didn’t stop them in their group stage a bit, as they took 1st seed with ease. Their play in the group stage has been fairly restricted and lackluster, which means that they used their time to hide strats (or strategies for you non-gamers)and be ready to surprise their opponents with tactics in the final matches. China has always been a tough and fierce opponent, so you can bet they will show no mercy to any enemy they face.
Vs.
Finland: This may be their first year at Blizzcon, they may have only come in 2nd seed, but they have proved that they are no force to underestimate. As a full team of Overwatch League players, they have the stage experience and confidence to take on any team and emerge victoriously. Finland proved in their match against South Korea that they can and will bring any opposing team they face to their limits.
Match 4
South Korea: The reigning two-time champions of the World Cup, South Korea consists of a full team of some of the very best of the Overwatch League players in the world. Their country has shown time and time again that they are THE BEST at competitive Overwatch and once again has shown from their group stage that they are not afraid to toy with their weaker challengers to test their new strats. Their massively skilled line-up is once again the favorite in this year’s World Cup, but the team encountered a close match against Finland, the game ending in a game five-match instead of the normal four games for a 3-2 score. The question grows ever nearer: Will they keep their title for the third year in a row, or finally be forced down?
Vs.
Australia: Australia lineup has had an impressive showing, taking no game lightly and crushing almost every enemy they face. They took China to game five in their match, showing their strength to persist against any tough enemy. Just like they do every year, the Aussie team has shown from their group stage that being the underdog will never mean anything to the odds of their victory.
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The competition is packed with uncertainty, giving people a wide variety of teams to root for. Logan students have many reasons for rooting for their teams;
Some root for the underdogs: “It would be so funny if the UK beat America out in that first round!” – Jaden Sanders, Class 2021 Sophomore
Some root for the favorites: “South Korea still looks like they are going to win again, they were just teasing the enemy teams.” – Jimmy Zamora, Class 2020 Junior
And some root for the overtakers: “Finland was close to taking South Korea down, it would be epic seeing a rematch in the grand finals.” – Victorius Meras, Class 2019 Senior
Some root for their ancestral countries, some root for the teams with their favorite players, and some just root for whatever everyone is rooting for. No matter the reason, Colts are starting to pick their teams to root for!
Blizzcon along with the matches start on November 2nd in LA and can be viewed on Twitch or the Overwatch World Cup website. The stream is friendly to newcomers and explains most of the confusing game objectives to the viewers so that people who do not know much about it can still enjoy it, so don’t forget to tune in and bring a friend to watch the action!
Which team are Logan students rooting for the most? Vote for your team(s) and give feedback on what you want to see next! And don’t forget to leave a comment for the feedback!
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