Are you ready for the Overwatch League play-offs?

The play-ins for the post-season of the Overwatch League have just finished and the surviving teams are gearing up for what promises to be an exciting play-off event.

The teams

The play-ins for the post-season of the Overwatch League ended yesterday and we now have the full list of teams that are in with a chance of taking home the top prize at the Grand Finals. As of writing, these are the teams that we will be watching when the play-offs start on September 21st:

1. Shanghai Dragons: The Dragons are one of the top teams competing in the Eastern Region. They ended the regular season at the top of the leader board. They came in first in the June Joust and the Summer Showdown and second at the May Melee. They are highly favoured to win the entire event.
2. Dallas Fuel: The top ranked team from the Western Region. Dallas Fuel has been around for three years but have only started to get into gear in 2021. Prior to that, they had been finishing in 5th to 8th place in most Majors, but they have improved significantly.
3. Chengdu Hunters: One of only two teams from the Eastern Region to make it to the play-offs. The team used to be operated by Royal Never Give Up but that deal ended in late 2020. It was a good thing too, because they have grown in skill ever since.
4. Los Angeles Gladiators: For a team with such serious financial backing, we are surprised that the Gladiators have done better this season. Despite being owned and operated by the owners of franchises like the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, and Arsenal, their biggest win this year was at the Countdown Cup.
5. Atlanta Reign: A decent team hailing from the Peach State, Reign have had an admirable run in the regular season. They may not win the event, but their games are always fun to watch.
6. San Francisco Shock: A shockingly low seed for perhaps the greatest Overwatch team of all time. They won the Grand Finals of the Overwatch League back in 2020 and 2019. They are the only team in the league to have achieved a “golden stage”, meaning that they won a stage without losing any map at all. They are not at the top of their game but do not count them out.
7. Philadelphia Fusion: One of the founding members of the Overwatch League, Fusion have had a decent season, but we suspect that their recent victories may not translate into world domination.
8. Washington Justice: A Western Division team that finished third in the North American play-offs last year. Their run was ended by Fusion, and we can’t wait to see these two teams face off at the play-offs again.

The event

The play-offs start on September 21st in Hawaii. The eight teams will duke it out for a grand prize of $1,500,000. The Grand Finals will be held on September 25th. The first match of the play-offs will be between Dallas Fuel and Washington Justice.