In 2016, Jae-mo "Xepher" Koo was part of the Korean Overwatch team that wrongfully accused Kim "Geguri" Se-yeon of cheating. Just two years later, Xepher is a flex tank player for the Overwatch League's Seoul Dynasty, while Geguri is the league's first woman.
The Seoul Dynasty has had a rocky conclusion to its Overwatch League run. Despite an early start that made them look all but unstoppable, this squad has struggled in the twilight hours of stage 1. And while it started to recover and look more like itself against San Francisco last night, it was too late to salvage the Dynasty's playoff hopes.
The clash between the Houston Outlaws and the Seoul Dynasty in the Overwatch League was dire for both teams. One was trying to keep a streak alive, another recovering from two straight losses, and both still posturing for a playoff berth.
After eking out a thrilling 2-1 opening win over Dallas, the Seoul Dynasty found their footing in the Overwatch League and started rolling; in the last couple weeks, they have seemed basically unbeatable. The Dynasty are the rebranded iteration of Lunatic-Hai, long considered one of the best Overwatch teams in the world, so it makes sense that they entered the League as favourites. And yesterday, they got rolled.
The Houston Outlaws extended their 16-map unbeaten streak to 18 before the San Francisco Shock finally snapped it in the third map, but that was just a blip en route to a fifth straight match win. Their 3-1 win moved them to 5-2 on the season and could give them a chance to move into first place if they beat the Seoul Dynasty on Saturday.
Overwatch League's first season is only a few weeks old, but already, a pecking order has begun to form.
The Overwatch League's first day of competition kicked off with hundreds of thousands tuning in on Twitch to watch a slightly tuned up broadcast; OWL's experienced commentating crew; and two boring, lopsided opening games. Both the Los Angeles Valiant and the Los Angeles Gladiators steamrolled their opponents (San Francisco and Shanghai, respectively) without much resistance or flair, save for some nifty Doomfist play from the Gladiators' Hydration. With the mighty Seoul Dynasty (formerly known as Lunatic-Hai) closing out the day, there was reason to worry that the League's first day might go by without a single close game or at least some tactical intrigue.
