From worst to first: In stark contrast from their forty-two match loss streak that began in the inaugural season of the Overwatch League (OWL) back in 2018, the Shanghai Dragons of recent years have been a fiery-hot competitor. This year’s OWL format differs from the last with mini tournaments sprinkled throughout the regular season that see the top ten contenders (four from the East Region and six from the West Region) faceoff monthly. The top four (two from the East and two from the West) advance to a double-elimination winner’s bracket where the teams are flown to Hawaii to compete in a 3-day, in-person event.
Bracket breakdown: This month’s tournament, titled “Summer Showdown“, saw the Shanghai Dragons and the Chengdu Hunters qualify as the top two teams from the East, while the Dallas Fuel and the Atlanta Reign claimed the top 2 spots from the West. From start to finish the West teams were dominated by their Eastern brethren. Chengdu quickly dismantled the Dallas Fuel in a 3-1 victory in their first match before falling to Shanghai in the semi-finals. Shanghai on the other-hand started off strong and never slowed down with a 3-0 series win over Atlanta, a 3-2 win over Chengdu, and then an eventual 4-1 win in the Grand Finals against a Chengdu squad that returned as winners of the lower elimination bracket.
The Shanghai Dragons have now won two of the monthly tournaments in a row (the June Joust being the other) and are but a shadow of their poor form from years ago.
