Overwatch World Cup 2019 Power Rankings » The Top 5

Overwatch 2
September 18, 2019
Nicolas Vera

This year’s Overwatch World Cup will be one of the most inclusive international tournaments in esports history with a record 45+ nations competing for international supremacy. With all of the Overwatch World Cup 2019 rosters announced, the stage has been set for another tournament filled with drama and national pride.

While it is slightly difficult to rank all the smaller nations against one another until the Qualifiers have been played, the markers for success for the bigger nations involved have already been put in place as several national teams have made their staff and player picks with plenty of time to spare. In this tentative Overwatch World Cup 2019 Power Rankings, we will take a look at the most historically accomplished national teams at this World Cup stage, and what unique challenges each side will need to overcome if they deem themselves worthy enough to be Overwatch World Cup 2019 champions.

Overwatch World Cup 2019

#5 – United Kingdom

Team United Kingdom find themselves on this list purely for the fact that this team made interesting enough roster changes to put France’s chance for dominance up for debate in Europe. While individually not every player on Team U.K. performed this year within the Overwatch League, the angst felt at a disappointing season for several players like Fusions and Kyb will be the necessary fuel they need to prove the doubters wrong and raise their stock irregardless of regular season form.

The ambitious additions of Kai “KSP” Collins and Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway are the wildcard additions that made last year’s rosters from China and Team U.K. so potent. Sometimes, the element of surprise can prove vital in the scouting department when you can’t accurately gauge a certain player’s skill just off the tape that is available. For these reasons, United Kingdom have a slight advantage over the other more established teams coming out of Europe this year in the form of France and Finland.

Team UK Overwatch World Cup 2019 Power Rankings

© 7lions.co.uk

#4 – China

China had one of the more interesting roster announcements when the news first made headlines back in July. Head Coach Wang “RUI” Xingrui has come under fire for a heavy slant in favor of the Chinese players he already coaches as a part of Chengdu Hunters. Four of the seven players on the roster are also coached by RUI at Chengdu, and one can only wonder if a possible conflict of interest could have been at play here. Of course, the big problem for China is that once again some of their best Overwatch talents are underage still and not utilizing their abilities has been a hindrance to their overall chances.

No matter the hangups, a Tank frontline of Luo “Elsa” Wenjie and Xu “guxue” Qiulin will prove hard to deal with for any team they face along the way. The talent and ability to pop off will always be there for China, but one has to wonder if the roster picks could have been a little more diversified to give us the best view of Chinese Overwatch talent at the moment. For those following the Chinese OW Contenders series closely, not having any of their talent represented seems like a slight to the same chances that got them to second place just a year prior.

#3 – United States

The United States’ 2018 World Cup run was considered a dumpster fire for all intensive purposes. Riding sky high off one of the biggest years of exposure and praise for lifting the Dallas Fuel to a respectable finish, Head Coach Aaron “Aero” Atkins had his work cut out for him as he put together a roster with little synergistic flair. A young and experimental U.S. roster were simply outclassed by Team United Kingdom with relative ease. This year, standout players Matthew “super” DeLisi and Corey “Corey” Nigra are the must-see talents that will surely get their chance at stardom for the stars and stripes when given the opportunity.

This roster for the United States is once again experimental given the team’s lack of veteran presence, but the changing of the guard to more flexible meta players across a variety of strategies might be the key to Team USA finally having a World Cup outing they can hold in high regard. The two Assistant Coach additions for Team USA will bode well for their scouting work during qualifiers and so on. Jae “Junkbuck” Choi and Harsha “Harsha” Bandi will give Aero a great second look within the coaching staff when drafting up strategies each and every set.

The improved resources mixed with a roster full of promising yet unproven talent makes the United States an interesting gamble at this Overwatch World Cup 2019 Power Rankings. The pieces are all in place, every part of the equation makes sense on paper, but a collapse on stage with a roster that green is definitely possible if Team USA are not too careful.

Team USA Overwatch World Cup 2019 Power Rankings

© Blizzard Entertainment

#2 – Canada

Canada are opting for a complete reset of last year’s roster as the six man contingent remains untouched heading into the 2019 World Cup. In recent scrim leaks and videos from his stream, Felix “xQc” Lengyel has looked downright scary on his Main Tank comfort picks as he prepares for competitive action once again for international duties. While Canada may lack that x-factor player that can turn games on its head, they excel in not having an obvious weak link that brings the team level down in harmful ways.

Consistency for Canada has always been their biggest virtue through qualifiers and previous World Cup group stages. If they don’t start strong, Team Canada have always had a solid approach to the game mentally that has enabled them to gather steam in the face of mechanically superior opponents. Teamwork, solid fundamentals, and trust in the system has always gotten Canada farther than expected in international tournaments, and this year is no different. While other rosters on this list face synergy issues and lackluster roster picks, Canada have stuck to the plan with good faith that this group of players can make their country proud once again.

#1 – South Korea

Surprising no one at number one of our Overwatch World Cup 2019 Power Rankings, South Korea’s dominance at the Overwatch World Cup has been a spectacle to watch for several years running now. The country’s abundance of success across several esports is a testament to the high pedigree of gaming culture that the country has as a whole. When it comes to Overwatch, there is no shortage of talent for South Korea, and this year will test their player depth more so than the previous years.

Several players representing South Korea whilst also playing in the Overwatch League have pulled their names from the running in an effort to rest more adequately in the offseason. Due to this trend, South Korea are entering this tournament similar to how Team USA entered the 2019 FIBA World Cup, resorting to second, third and even fourth string options to field a roster to compete at the tournament.

Irregardless of notable absences, South Korea has fielded a prominent seven man roster with a few familiar faces as well as unproven quantities as they look to continue their country’s streak of dominance at the World Cup. Players such as Park “Architect” Min-ho, Kim “Haksal” Hyo-jong and Choi “Bdosin” Seung-tae have been impressive for their respective OWL teams throughout the season, under the same banner as a part of Team Korea, there is a chance for this trio and the rest of the solid supporting cast to have another dominant sweep if they can all coordinate effectively.

Team South Korea Overwatch World Cup 2019 Power Rankings

© OWWC Team Korea

 

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