Dragons favored, but Fuel and Shock in chase

BY RYAN RUTKOWSKI / VN STAFF WRITER

Four months of storylines, victories, losses and heartbreak have culminated into one weekend. 

The 2021 Overwatch League Playoffs begin Sept. 21 in Hawaii between the top eight teams in the league, three from the East Region and five from the West. 

“Overwatch” is a six versus six, team-based first-person shooter from developer Blizzard Entertainment.

The Overwatch League consists of the top players from around the world.

The East Region is headed by the league-leading Shanghai Dragons who boasted a 12-win and four-loss record. 

The Dragons, led by reigning MVP Byungsun “Fleta” Kim, are looking to redeem themselves after falling short as the one-seed in the 2020 playoffs.

Shanghai’s first opponent, however, will be the reigning champions.

The San Francisco Shock has seemingly lost a step during the 2021 season. After claiming the back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020, many fans expected the Shock to pick up where they left off.

However, with the departures of support player Grant “Moth” Espe and damage star Namjoo “Striker” Kwon, they have stumbled into the eighth and last seed in the playoffs. 

But as every Overwatch League fan knows, you can never count out the Shock.

The Dallas Fuel has taken the league by storm, charging to the best record in the West and the second overall seed in the playoffs.

This was not an easy journey for the Fuel. 

After finishing in the bottom half of the standings last year, the Fuel revamped their roster bringing in MVP favorite Euiseok “Fearless” Lee and high-octane damage player Kim “Sp9rk1e” Yeong-han.

With their new additions, the Fuel has certified themselves as one of the best teams in the league, even winning the $100,000 May Melee tournament earlier in the year. 

Dallas has one task ahead of them to keep their streak of success going.

When all is said and done, one team will crown itself as best team in the world.

Time will tell if it goes to the heavy favorite Shanghai Dragons, underdog San Francisco Shock, fan-favorite Dallas Fuel or one of the other five teams chasing victory and glory.