Volamel
2017-01-16 08:15:44
The Winter Premier finished its first phase of round robin play this past. Eight of the best teams in North America competed in a grueling 2 week online round robin style groups. Few placings were predicted with ease, while others exceeded all expectation. Some notable placings come from Kungarna in at second, Renegades tied around third through fifth, with Luminosity Gaming and Team Liquid. And Faze rounding out the group, being eliminated at 7th.
This tournament has been a brief peek under the veil of the ever evolving meta of Overwatch. We’ve seen morea Phara then we’ve gotten since early 2016. Tanks are still doing well, just not as dominant. And the newly reworked Symmetra being a nice spice that teams can add in for defense. Moving forward it's nice to see the meta not stagnate and continue to flow. With that continuous flow, let's take a trip down river and look at our standings for far.
One of the newer teams in the scene, Citizen 7 got their shot in the Winter Premiere as C9 and Fnatic left to travel to Korea. They looked to make a name for themselves as an up and coming team in North America. Their overall match score leaves much to be desired, but rest assured, a good sum of those games lost were close. Close enough to see that they do have potential as a team. With a bit more strict leadership we could see Citizen 7 actually do well. Their mechanics were actually pretty good, as well. Lyna, Sypeh, and Kayuun all have shown that they are very good at their respective heroes. But, as a team, they need a bit more cohesion to see any success.
As highlighted players, Sypeh destroyed on Genji, Lyna’s Ana is on point, and Kayuun’s Soldier 76 is solid. But as that sentence reaches its end, we see a harsh delta in the mechanical skill and decision making. Kayuun is a big question mark on the team, as the other dps player, Citizen 7 needs him to create a ton a pressure on the enemy team to allow Sypeh to work his magic. This is their first major and is it technically online, so take these criticisms with a grain of salt. I do not think this will be the last time we see Citizen 7, so look for them come when it comes time for the Overwatch League to start crashing down around us.
Some of their problems mirror our next time in the list. Their playstyles are similar but one definitely shines brighter than the other. That team being Faze.
2nd place at MLG Vegas and now out at 7th at the Winter Premiere, Faze Clan definitely has some explaining to do. To their defense, Shadowburn has had ping issues, as this is an online qualifier tournament that does travel to lan. But, there were large question marks raised with the departure of Twoeasy and some odd decision making.
The one man army style of play can work. We’ve seen it shock everyone breaking part quad tank setups during MLG Vegas, but we have also now seen it crash and burn during NGE’s Winter Premiere. If Shadowburn is not playing up to snuff, Faze does not have a good alternative. mainstay is very solid and doesn’t have many off days, but when and If he does, the team falls apart. On their search to find a 6th player, perhaps they look for a hitscan dps player to complement Shadowburn’s dominant projectile role. Maybe they move zombs to a strict dps role? Perhaps Fctfctn takes up the reins? Lots of question marks for this team as they departe the tournament at 7th.
Coming in at 6th and retains their spot in the Winter Premiere, is Complexity Gaming. One of the most creative and innovative teams in North America and perhaps the world, Complexity are so interesting and exciting to watch. Using their own style and flair to catch enemy teams of guard. Pocket picks such as Sombra and Torbjorn, they do not skimp on interesting takes on what the community find standard.
Housing powerhouses like the TJO brothers, Nicholas and Tork, and Harbleu, a very dominant Roadhog specialist, it comes down to whether or not this flashy creativity is impacting their games enough. Should they toss in more standard play? It’s possible. I would have to lean towards a “yes”. I would see Complexity and either Team Liquid or Luminosity Gaming switch positions on the list, If I had to give a prediction coming into the Winter Premiere.
Complexity has some questions surrounding the, but rest assured they are insanely good at what they do, and look to break apart any meta that stands in their way.
Now we get to tackle everyone's favorite 3 way tie. Luminosity Gaming, the Detroit Renegades and Team Liquid all lockdown spots 3-5. Each time showcasing their own myriad of plays in their own prescribed playbook. This race to the finish at the end of the month, can only see 4 teams make it out of the top 6. Let us take a brief look at the 3 teams that all have semi-equal shots at taking home a part of the $100,000 prize purse.
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Luminosity Gaming coming off of the three team trade deal with spotlight Zenyatta player Hidan , they look to launch themselves into the forefront of North American Overwatch. They’ve come into the ring as young upstarts and have shown their metal. Taking maps off of IMT and beating Team Liquid on the last day of phase one, 2 - 1. Luminosity have a solid shot of making it to the LAN portion of the Winter Premiere. There are some concerns though, losing maps to Complexity and Faze, does Luminosity have what it take to beat the likes of Renegades and Immortals? A quick look at the set record may spell disaster for Luminosity moving forward. And what's to come with Ube? He has been an amazing staple this tournament, playing extremely well. Will we see another “cinderella story” with Luminosity? We shall see come come the end of January.
One of the brightest dark horses in recent memory, the Detroit Renegades exploded on the scene with some of the most dominant performances of the tournament. Spotlighting anyone specific on this team is impossible, but you have to give a special nod the their star carry: Mangachu. Breaking out some innovative pocket picks with Phara on attack and defense, he showed some amazing projectile play in phase 1. Another special nod to Sherlockey, being able to hit a high percent of Sleep Darts, he is also pivotal in this team's breakout performance. Call me a bit biased, but this team has something. Not only do they already have a leg up with pre-localization within Detroit, Michigan but they will only continue to grow. It is scary to think about what the landscape will look like in just a few months, as Renegades continues to train and improve. Once APEX Season 2 finishes C9 and Team Envyus will have some interesting competition as titans of North America.
Under leadership of Quake legend Rapha, Team Liquid looks like a solid contender coming into phase 2 of the Winter Premiere. Along with Rapha, AZK and crew have been playing very well, and they look to continue that trend moving forward. One of the most well balanced rosters on the market right now, not one person is an “all star” but they all are insanely cohesive and focused on team play. The only worry is their consistency. Taking a win over Immortals one day, then the next losing to Luminosity. Not to discredit Luminosity but, Immortals is looking very strong this tournament. It’s only slightly worrisome coming towards the end of January and towards the LAN section of the Winter Premiere. Will Rapha be able to rally the troops and push to capture the gold? Can Team Liquid live up to their own potential? Time will tell.
Coming to a photo finish, and tieing with Renegades as some of the strongest teams coming out of this tournament is Kungarna. Losing to Complexity and Luminosity early on in the Winter Premiere, they come back strong in week two of phase one with convincing wins over Renegades and 1st place Immortals. Another team stacked with talent. Rounded out by ConnorJ, one of the most prolific Roadhog mains in North America. Calling him “Evermore Jr.” is slightly an understatement. ConnorJ has shown that his Roadhog is road is definitely world class. Babybay on Solider 76 looks like a mini - Harryhook. He literally does not miss. With this level of performance top tier organizations cannot “miss” this opportunity to acquire a top level team moving into the Overwatch League. This team is not going to be on the market for long. A “hot commodity” is selling this team short.
Can Kungarna ignore the spotlight and focus on the continuous improvement moving forward? Will they settle well on stage coming into the LAN portion coming towards the end of January? The dominant dps duo looks to shake things up moving into phase two setting their sights on the 1st place team.
And coming in at number one, team Immortals looks to ascend to the top of the North American power rankings in the wake of the APEX Season 2 exodus. If I was a betting man, It would be impossibly hard to bet against Immortals moving into phase two. Fuzing the style of Complexity, the power of Renegades, and the teamplay of Team Liquid, Immortals looked impeccable during the entirety of phase one. Only dropping 1 set to Kungarna, they are poised to capture gold at the Winter Premiere.
With such a performance, it is no wonder that a few players stands out from the rest. The team as a whole is amazing, but Hyped and Verbo have shown they as well as their team are a package deal. Hyped showing some world class D.va play. It’s a close call, between Hyped and Micki as to who gets the title of “Best D.va in the West”. And Verbo showing us that not only can a support have a pocket pick, but Junrat is viable! To what degree? That remains to be seen, but rest assured he has set the standard to what a support brings to the team. Immortals brings an exciting flair to North American Overwatch and they have certainly cemented a place amongst top level talent in the scene.
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The Winter Premiere has done a fantastic job of showcasing some of the best and brightest from North America. Yet, many questions remain unanswered.Where do Faze go from here? Can Immortals remain untouchable? Is there anyone that can slow them down enough to surpass them? Will there be enough top level practice with APEX Season 2 starting up. Time to look alive in the outfield, and do your seventh inning stretch. Tuesday, January 17th marks the start of phase two. Be sure to tune in and find out who moves on to the LAN portion of the tournament, and who goes home.
Written by @Volamel
Images courtesy of Blizzard and Next Generation Esports.
