Once of the Overwatch League (OWL)’s most intense rivalries in will play out in on the league’s biggest stage. The Vancouver Titans will face their deadliest rivals, the San Francisco Shock, in the Grand Finals on September 29 in Philadelphia.
Over the course of Season 2, these two teams were evenly matched, each winning and losing two games against each other, including a Stage 1 championship win for the Titans, and a Stage 2 championship win for the Shock. Both had two players nominated for MVP -- Twilight and JJANU for the Titans; Super and Sinatraa for the Shock. Although Sinatraa was named MVP, the Titans have the league’s Rookie of the Year with their star DPS player Haksal.
This organic rivalry made for a compelling story in Season 2 of OWL rather than a manufactured geographical feud (see Battle For Texas). Future matches, including a home game in Vancouver at Rogers Arena on May 17, 2020, will build upon this rivalry.
Through Season 2 of OWL, the Titans and the Shock were the teams to beat, and viewers and commentators expected to see these two unstoppable forces clash in the Grand Finals.
The Titans fought and won their way through the upper bracket, albeit with some rough spots, while the Shock faced a more perilous journey after a brutal upset loss to Atlanta that sent them into the Loser Bracket. That meant fighting their way through four opponents to climb back into the Grand Finals – but stomped every team they came across with relative ease, winning each game 4-0.
With equal stats across the board, plenty of star players on each team, and a Grand Finals prize of $1.1 million up for grabs, it should be an intense clash.
Tickets are sold out, but the game will be livestreamed at 12:00 p.m. PST on Sunday, September 29, at twitch.tv/overwatchleague, the ESPN app, ABC, or on overwatchleague.com.
Full videos of the match will be available online following the event.
Jonathan is a video game enthusiast and fan of the Overwatch League esports scene. By day, he’s a graphic designer and communications specialist in Burnaby, but at night he plays main tank as Orisa in Overwatch.
SWIM ON:
- Jonathan McGill covered the Titans' first playoff clash, against the Seoul Dynasty.
- He also previewed the Titans' first playoff encounter - and in hindsight, pretty much nailed it.
- Finally - or rather, originally, Jon set the stage for eSports in The Orca with a first look at the Titans - Vancouver's best team you may not know about.
