Heading into Week 10 of the 2020 Overwatch League there are many anticipated match-ups, Overwatch League betting is thriving as teams continue their fight for a spot in the postseason tournament. The playoff race is still young, as conference play is starting to pick up. This weekend there are many conference matches that can go a long way in determining the playoff picture. Two of the top three teams will be playing back-to-backs, as a result this weekend also serves as a showcase for top contenders. This analysis and breakdown of each Week 10 Overwatch League Odds match will serve as a guide for those placing bets, and as a preview for each match occurring this weekend.
Overwatch League Weekend Matches Preview April 10th EditionWeek 10 of Overwatch features 10 matches over Saturday and Sunday. The weekend kicks off with a 4:00 am EDT matchup between the Hangzhou Spark and Chengdu Hunters. This match is important for the Spark as they try to work their way up the seeding while keeping their play-in hopes alive. They are currently tied with the Guangzhou Charge for eleventh in the league, which puts them just above the play-in cutoff. A win could put them above the Charge and the San Francisco Shock, depending on other match results this weekend. Meanwhile, the Hunters will be attempting to spoil the Spark’s play-in seeding, while making an effort to turn their losing season around. This is a match between a play-in contender and a team on the outside looking in. Considering the Spark’s Map 5 success, a 66.7% win-rate, and the ability they have shown to dominate the later parts of a match, they are my pick to win this match over the Hunters. The Hunters have shown the ability to be competitive, so expect the match to be a 3-2 Spark victory.
Following the Saturday morning duel between the Spark and the Hunters, another early match between the Vancouver Titans and the Guangzhou Charge will take place at 6:00 am EDT. This is a matchup between an elite Titans team and a struggling Charge team that is barely qualified for play-ins in the current standings. The Charge are currently on a two-map losing streak while the Titans have caught fire en-route to a 4-map winning streak. This season the Titans have been dominant and clutch when needed. A key weakness, though, is that they have not played since Week 1, but they have shown that an extended amount of time away has not had a negative impact on their performance. In the two matches they have played, they have a map W-L-T of 6-2-0. The Charge have the advantage of matches played and team experience but they have been mediocre so far with a map W-L-T of 8-10-0. The Titans are coming off an excellent season and a Grand Finals appearance; so far they have kept the momentum they had from last season as they attempt to avenge their disappointing finals loss. With all of this in mind I predict that this match will be the first 4-0 match this season, in favor of the Titans.
The next Saturday match will be among the best as it is between two top-10 teams, the Philadelphia Fusion and the Paris Eternal. The match begins at 4:00 pm EDT and has the potential to shake up the early-season playoff race. The Fusion have had a very strong start to the season, as they have propelled to the top of the Atlantic conference behind a 6-1 W-L record, and a 20-7-0 M-L-T record. They have the highest map differential with a +13 Diff. Their opponent, the Paris Eternal, have had a good season as well. They have a 5-2 W-L ratio, and a M-L-T record of 16-11. The Eternal have had more close matches than the Fusion, but they have shown the ability to pull off wins. Meanwhile, the Fusion are tied for first-place in 3-0 victories this season, they have taken over match after match. Considering these statistics and the match history of each team this season, it will be a tightly contested match but the Fusion will take it 3-2.
Following the afternoon match, there are two evening matchups, the first is between the Houston Outlaws and the Boston Uprising at 5:00pm CST. This is a matchup between the two worst teams in the league this season, as they are the bottom two teams of the Atlantic Conference. But the season is still early, and Houston has a chance to move up the ranks if they can improve their M-L-T record. This is going to be a close match between desperate teams that are making an attempt to work their way back into the mix. Boston has the worst M-L-T in the league with a 5-17-2 record. On the other side, Houston has a below average M-L-T record of 11-19-2. Overall, Houston has had more success than Boston, though that is not saying too much. This battle of the bottom-tier teams will go to Houston, they will win a 3-1 match against Boston Saturday night.
The last Saturday match is between the Washington Justice and Dallas Fuel at 8:00 pm EDT. This matchup is between two teams fighting to move up the ranks to qualify for play-ins. Each team has an uphill battle, but Dallas is at the bottom of the Pacific Conference while Washington is hovering around the bottom of their conference. Dallas currently has a record of 1-3, while Washington is 2-6. These two teams have had around the same amount of success, Washington just has more matches played than Dallas. Dallas edges Washington in M-L-T differential by +1, as Dallas is sitting at -6 while Washington sits at -7. This will be a very well contested match, ultimately Dallas will win because they have caught fire and are on a two-map winning streak, while Washington has lost their last 5 maps and are playing like the worst team in the league at this moment. Dallas will win this match 3-2 as they add another Map 5 victory to their resume.
The action picks back up Sunday morning at 4:00 am EDT as the Vancouver Titans fight the Chengdu Hunters. Again, this is the first set of matches Vancouver has played since Week 1. With that said, in Week 1 they played back-to-back matches, and after struggling the first match they dominated the second match. Chengdu has not been very good so far, with a record of 1-3 while Vancouver is 2-0. So while Chengdu has played two more matches, they have not found themselves. Meanwhile Vancouver has proven they can win right out of the gate, and they have a 6-2 M-L-T record, which includes a 3-0 sweep in their last match. Vancouver will repeat history and dominate Chengdu on Sunday. They will have their second 3-0 victory of the season.
Sunday has matches throughout the day as Saturday did, there are four that follow the early morning match. The second match immediately follows the first one, it is between the Shanghai Dragons and the Guangzhou Charge, they will face off at 6:00 am EDT. Shanghai has been very good this season, and currently they qualify for a playoff spot, completely avoiding play-ins. The last time these two teams faced, Shanghai swept Guangzhou 3-0. Both teams have played in two sets of back-to-backs this season, each team has a good amount of experience for this stage in the season. But Guangzhou has not been an elite team like Shanghai, but they have improved since their last meeting. Shanghai has one of the highest map differentials in the league with a + 5 while Guangzhou has been average with a -2 differential. This is a match-up between an elite team that will be a fresh, and a mediocre team that will be in yet another set of back-to-backs, as the Charge play the Titans the day before. Because the Charge have been inconsistent in back-to-backs, and Shanghai is on a two-game winning streak, Shanghai will win 3-1. The Charge will provide an early challenge, but Shanghai is just too talented and on-fire for the Charge to have a real chance at victory.
The third match of the day kicks off at 4:00 pm EDT and is between the Houston Outlaws and Toronto Defiant. This will be the second match of yet another back-to-back weekend for Houston, and Toronto will be coming into this match fresh. Sometimes playing back-to-backs can be good for teams, but Houston has been horrible in back-to-backs this season. The last time these two teams played, Houston beat Toronto as both teams played back-to-backs that weekend. Toronto has shown that if they are fresh they can win, they have shaken off their early season struggles and are on a two-game winning streak. Houston enters this weekend on a three-map losing streak on the tail end of a 2-2 record. These teams are in opposite places, as Toronto is making a run while Houston is struggling. Toronto will avenger their early season loss to Houston in a 3-1 victory.
The Philadelphia Fusion and Atlanta Reign begin evening matches with a battle at 6:00 pm EDT. This is a battle between two top 5 teams in the league, with the fifth-ranked Reign taking on the third-ranked Fusion. The Fusion have almost double the matches played and have the best M-L-T differential in the entire league. But the Reign have had a large amount of success in their own right, they have a 10-3-0 M-L-T record with a differential of +7, which is elite. Atlanta has been dominant the last two matches as they have a 6 map win streak, which is the best in the league. The Fusion have been dominant all season, and are tied with Atlanta and New York for the most sweeps this season. This match will come down to experience and team chemistry, as most battles between elite teams in any sport come down to that. And right now the Fusion have more experience, this will help them take a 3-2 Map 5 victory against the Reign to further solidify their status as a contender.
The last match of Week 10 is a battle between the San Francisco Shock and the Los Angeles Gladiators. Both of these teams are top 10 teams. These two teams both qualify for play-ins as of right now and are on map-winning streaks. They have the same number of matches played and identical records. The Gladiators edge the Shock in M-L-T differential with a +1, compared to the Shock being right at 0. In their Week 8 meeting the Gladiators won 3-1, since then each team has gone 1-1. This match will be a very closely contested match, but the Gladiators will edge the Shock 3-2 with a Map 5 victory. They will not win by as much because the Shock will be more prepared this time around, but the Gladiators’ play style and familiarity with the Shocks will serve them well.
