This announcement surfaced less than 24 hours following the conclusion of what might be the sixth and final season of the Overwatch League (OWL), with it won by Florida Mayhem in a scintillating grand final.

“With the completion of the 2023 Overwatch League season, we will be focusing on building our vision of a revitalised esports program,” read a post on the official OWL Twitter account.

“We’re eager to share more with you as details are finalised.”

Simultaneously, there was a subtle, yet poignant farewell from members of the broadcast team as they signed off the stream, further fuelling speculation regarding the future of the Overwatch League.

The above statement adds to a series of announcements and reports over recent months that collectively sketch a grim outlook for the OWL. Back in July, amidst whispers of change, Activision Blizzard released a financial dossier. This report disclosed that franchise owners were slated to cast their votes on an “updated operating agreement” once the curtain fell on the current season. For teams choosing to bow out of the league, a termination fee of $6 million would be their parting gift.

In the shadow of this imminent vote, OWL officials reportedly initiated dialogues with various participants within the Overwatch esports landscape last month. According to a report by GGRecon, the survival of the OWL under the revamped operating agreement hinges on the approval of two-thirds of the existing franchises.

However, the narrative unfolding does not necessarily spell the doom of Overwatch esports. Instead, it might signify a pivot towards a distinct model and structure, possibly echoing the open system that highlighted Overwatch esports in its early days, pre-dating the inception of the OWL.

As of now, with limited information available, the trajectory of Overwatch esports remains shrouded in uncertainty, while fans remain in the dark.

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Sauna is an 18-year-old Finnish player who commenced his Overwatch pro career journey in 2020. The DPS has since been signed by different esports outfits. Some of which are VASTA Gaming, International Golf Star, Shu’s Money Crew EU, Ex Oblivione, The Ultimates, In Control, and more recently, Young and Beautiful, which he got signed into in October 2022.

Sauna spent a handful of his career, which just kicked off with Shu’s Money Crew EU, representing them in tournaments such as the 2021 Contenders EU Season 1 March, in which they soared to third place, although they lost to Ex Oblivione. The team made a better run at the same tournament in April of the same year, emerging in second place only behind the European team New Kings. With Young and Beautiful, Sauna was able to garner a third place alongside his other teammates in the 2022 Overwatch Contenders: Run It Back: Europe.

On the other hand, CH0R0NG is a 19-year-old South Korean rookie who has been building his career since 2019. The support player has been able to grace a handful of esports outfits to showcase his skill sets. Some of the teams that CH0R0NG has represented include GZA, BATTLICA, Talon Esports, Mono Frog, WGS Armament, GGTC, and Toronto Defiant.

CH0R0NG has been in a number of domestic tournaments, which has portrayed him as a potential star player and an asset to any team. Last year at the Overwatch League Summer Showdown, CH0R0NG and Toronto Defiant were able to secure a third-place finish. Although advancing to the Overwatch League Playoffs, the team dropped to a disappointing 9th–12th place finish, losing to the Chinese team Hangzhou Spark in a high-tension match that closed on a 2:3 score line.

CH0R0NG and Sauna will be joining the rest of their new teammates, which includes Tank Ham “Someone” Jeong-wan, 21-year-old South Korean DPS Baek “Checkmate” Seung-hun, and support Rupal Zaman and Korean DPS Choi “MER1T” Tae-min, who recently joined the team about three weeks ago.

The team will be led by their returning Australian head coach Jordan “Gunba” Graham and American assistant coach Caleb “McGravy” McGarvey.

“And to wrap up our announcements we’re running it back with the dynamic duo! @McGravy @GunbaOW,” the team tweeted.

With this selection, Florida Mayhem is hoping to put up a good fight in this year’s season, having had a median rating at the last season and ending their run in the 2022 Overwatch League Playoffs with a seventh-eighth place finish.

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In 2023, the iconic pink jerseys of the Mayhem will not include damage dealer Isaiah “Hydron” Rodriguez, hitscanner Jung “Xzi” Ki-hyo, support players Jung “Anamo” Taesung, and Majed “SirMajed” Alrashied.

?”Thank you, @KingHydron for being the cultural leader of the team and bridging the gap between our Korean and Western players,” the announcement read.? ?

“Thank you, @xzi_ow for being the stoic, dependable teammate anyone can count on. We wish you both the best on what comes next.

?”Thank you @Anamo_ow and @SirMajed9 for joining us on this wild OW2 journey together. We’re going to miss your leadership and positivity and we hope you both find success in whatever comes next.”?

?While some teams’ roster changes have come as surprises, the Florida rebuild was expected following a difficult season. They finished seventh-eighth in the just concluded 2022 Overwatch League Playoffs, having been knocked out by the Hangzhou Spark in the second round of the lower bracket.? ?

The Mayhem started their 2022 campaign with a full roster rebuild, only retaining one player from the previous season, Baek “Checkmate” Seung-hun. The roster created thereafter was considered to be the league’s most diverse lineup, with young talents from Overwatch Contenders and the knowledge base of veterans.?

Florida also parted ways with their assistant coach, Woo “Dae1″ Dae-won, who spent about 11 months with the team. Prior to joining the Mayhem, he had coached Talon Esports and Team CC.?

?”Thank you, @Dae1_ow for always being cheerful, insightful, and a kind member of this team,” the franchise announced.? ?

“As we part ways we wish you nothing but the best.”?

?In the 2022 season, Hydron was the standout player for the team, taking on some of the league’s most dangerous damage dealers and succeeding. Another special mention goes to DPS Xzi, who overcame visa and health issues to put up an impressive performance.?

?SirMajed had quite a run himself, being a familiar face to any fan of the EMEA Contenders. He was often the saving grace of the Mayhem, using his Zenyatta plays to great effect during close team fights.?

?Anamo was often referenced for his consistent healing as well as his backline leadership. Being one of the league’s most experienced main supports, the depth of his leadership qualities come as no surprise.?

?The Mayhem are currently left with three remaining players on their roster — Ham “SOMEONE” Jeong-wan, Rupal “Rupal” Zaman, and Checkmate. However, as the status of their contracts remains unknown, it is not certain if the 2023 roster will be built around them, or if they will be released at a later date.

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Los Angeles Valiant are a team no one expects to shine this season, which to some degree holds true for Guangzhou Charge as well. Both sides enter this match with a 0-2 record, but the Valiant hold a slightly better map differential due to their four-map series against Chengdu Hunters (1-3).

LA have not looked as bad as we thought they would, but that doesn’t mean we believe they’re a good team. The Charge are in the same boat, but they have as higher ceiling despite going 0-6 on the season.

We would have sided with the Charge at more appealing odds, but at this price, it makes more sense to take the Valiant with a map handicap.

New York Excelsior looked awful in their 0-3 loss against Chengdu Hunters, but they seemed much improved in their 3-1 win against the Spark. Seoul Dynasty, on the other side, had a solid performance against Guangzhou Charge (3-0) but disappointed in their 1-3 loss against Philadelphia Fusion.

What might make the Dynasty a more appealing pick is that they forced the Fusion to match point on all four maps. However, there is something about their playstyle that leads us to believe this one could end in favour of the Excelsior.

At the offered OWL betting odds, you have to take a shot with the outsiders.

The OWL betting odds suggest this will be an extremely one-sided affair, but we have reason to doubt that. On paper, Hangzhou Spark look extremely weak, but they did not perform too poorly in their bout with Philadelphia Fusion last week.

Even though the Spark lost 1-3, they still took the series lead and held the Fusion to match point on all maps. They followed that up with a very poor showing against New York Excelsior (1-3), so they might not be a very consistent team.

It will all depend on which version of Hangzhou we get here. Shanghai Dragons aren’t as good as last year, so there is a world where the Spark steal at least two maps.

Boston Uprising are priced as $1.53 favourites for this match, which may seem fair, but we weren’t convinced with their recent performances.

Both of these teams faced Los Angeles Gladiators last week, and they both lost 0-3. Boston won four rounds (4-7), whereas London Spitfire won only two (2-7).

Regardless of what those results might suggest, it’s the performances these two sides have shown on the final day of the week that makes us trust the Spitfire more. This could be a close one, but there is no denying London are more consistent.

Florida Mayhem are a weird team. Even though they are winning games (2-0), they are also showing weaknesses – most notably in their 3-1 win against Vancouver Titans.

San Francisco Shock are an entirely different story. They played well in their 2-3 loss against Houston Outlaws, and it was ultimately a poor coaching decision that lost them the game.

Florida might steal one map, but they seem far too shaky for us to believe they can achieve much more. Expect a straightforward win for the reigning OWL champions.

The post OWL May Melee 2021 betting tips & odds – Friday 30/4/2021 appeared first on Esport Bet.

?When we talk about teams that aren’t built for success, the first one that should come to mind are the 2019 OWL finalists, the Vancouver Titans. There aren’t many things that would get you excited about this team besides Min-gi “Teru” Kim, Abtin “ShRedLock” Shirvani, and Nathan “frdwnr” Goebel, who still need to prove they’re better than everyone expects them to be.

The Titans’ first opponents of the 2021 season are the Toronto Defiant. They seem capable of great things this year, but a lot will come down to the performances of Su-min “SADO” Kim, Hee-su “Heesu” Jeong, and Jung-won “Lastro” Mun.

The problem with the Defiant is that while they have the talent, most of their star players aren’t exactly reliable, and fielding three rookies won’t help their consistency either – especially early in the season. Despite their relative lack of quality, the Titans should be capable of winning one map; however, until they prove otherwise, we wouldn’t expect much more from them.

?This might seem like a hot take, but we view the Florida Mayhem as one of the top five teams in the league. They might not have the high ceiling of some other squads, but their flexibility and stability are two big reasons why we trust the Mayhem to shine. That said, Florida’s success will greatly depend on Min-seok “OGE” Son and whether he can perform as well as he did in the early days of his OWL esports career.

The Atlanta Reign’s biggest strength is their stacked DPS position with Kai “Kai” Collins, Se-hyun “Pelican” Oh, and Tae-hoon “Edison” Kim, who will be the driving force behind how far this team can go. The problem is that the Reign don’t look too solid in other positions, which will be a huge roadblock for them this season.

Even though there are a few ‘what ifs’ with the Mayhem, we don’t believe they should be considered as an underdog against Atlanta. The latter are definitely capable of a few upset wins if their DPS players perform well, but due to weaknesses elsewhere, it’s hard to take the Reign’s side as slender favourites with Overwatch betting sites.

The post OWL May Melee betting tips & odds – Saturday, April 17 appeared first on Esport Bet.

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Stage 4 standings table

1st place: Los Angeles Valiant (9 V – 0 D)
2nd place: Los Angeles Gladiators (8 V – 1 D)
3rd place: New York Excelsior (6 V – 2 D)
4th place: Philadelphia Fusion (5 V – 3 D)
5th place: Houston Outlaws (5 V – 3 D)
6th place: Dallas Fuel (5 V – 4 D)
7th place: San Francisco Shock (4 V – 5 D)
8th place: London Spitfire (3 V – 5 D)
9th place: Seoul Dynasty (3 V – 6 D)
10th place: Boston Uprising (2 V – 6 D)
11th place: Florida Mayhem (1 V – 7 D)
12th place: Shanghai Dragons (0 V – 9 D)

Betting predictions for June 14

Houston Outlaws (5 V – 3 D) vs. Philadelphia Fusion (5 V – 3 D)

Houston Outlaws has had a fairly good run so far in Stage 4, defeating teams like London Spitfire and Dallas Fuel in the process. Its defeats came against the current top 3 teams in the league (Los Angeles Valiant, Los Angeles Gladiators and New York Excelsior), so no surprises there. Overall, Outlaws looked capable of holding its own against most adversaries, but still got completely crushed by the really strong teams.

Philadelphia Fusion had a fairly poor run in Stage 3, finishing 8th with a record of 5 W – 5 L. In Stage 4, the team has had a slightly better run so far, losing against Los Angeles Gladiators, Dallas Fuel and New York Excelsior and winning against the likes of San Francisco Shock and Seoul Dynasty.

In terms of overall performance throughout the Overwatch League and recent form, these two teams are of similar strength. However, in their previous 3 direct encounters, Philadelphia Fusion won every time (score 3 – 2).

Betway puts the odds at 2.55 – 1.45 in favor of Philadelphia Fusion, clearly expecting a victory in their favor but still giving Houston Outlaws a lot of respect. I believe this assessment is almost precisely correct, but the odds should have been higher on Fusion’s part. That’s because the chance of a Houston Outlaws victory is higher than what these odds reflect.

Betting prediction: Philadelphia Fusion to win, paying $1.44 at GG Bet.

Florida Mayhem (1 V – 7 D) vs. London Spitfire (3 V – 5 D)

Apart from Dragons, Florida Mayhem is without a doubt the second weakest team in OWL. Its abysmal 7 V – 31 D record, which is actually a 3 V – 31 D record (because 4 of those victories were against Shanghai Dragons) clearly suggests that it has absolutely no chance against the stronger teams. And London Spitfire is definitely one of them, in spite of its poor recent form.

London Spitfire is the Stage 1 champion, but the team has lost a lot of its prowess since then. In Stage 3, Spitfire finished in 6th place with a record of 5 W – 5 L. Stage 4 hasn’t been any easier for this team, which is now standing at number 8 with 3 victories and 5 defeats. The only important team defeated by London Spitfire in Stage 4 was San Francisco Shock. At the same time, Spitfire’s defeats came against key opponents such as New York Excelsior, Houston Outlaws, Dallas Fuel, Los Angeles Valiant and Los Angeles Gladiators.

Every type of indicator points towards an easy London Spitfire victory in this match.

Betway puts the odds at 7.00 – 1.07 in favor of London Spitfire, and this is practically free money to be made.

Betting prediction: London Spitfire to win, paying $1.07 at GG Bet.

New York Excelsior (6 V – 2 D) vs. Boston Uprising (2 V – 6 D)

New York Excelsior is easily the best team in OWL in terms of overall performance, sitting on a record of 33 V – 5 D. Two of those 5 losses took place in Stage 4, against Los Angeles Valiant (2 – 3) and Los Angeles Gladiators (2 – 3), but Excelsior is still one tier above almost every other team in the league right now. So a defeat against Boston Uprising in this match is very unlikely.

Boston Uprising has suffered the most shocking drop imaginable in the last 5 weeks, going from a 10 V – 0 D record in Stage 3 to a current 2 V – 6 D record in Stage 4. I’m not sure how that was even possible for a team that seemed unstoppable for the entire duration of Stage 3, but apparently the loss of its head coach has played a significant role in this.

Recent form, overall form and head to head statistics all favor New York Excelsior to win this match.

Betway puts the odds at 1.10 – 5.75 in favor of Excelsior, giving Uprising a lot of undue respect.

Betting prediction: New York Excelsior to win, paying $1.10 at GG Bet.

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