?Even though the Overwatch betting odds on this match seem absurd, there’s no denying that Shanghai Dragons are vastly superior to Guangzhou Charge, who enter the OWL Summer Showdown with a 5-13 record. In contrast, the Dragons have won 15 of 18 series and are on a six-game winning streak.

Over that stretch, Shanghai have swept Seoul Dynasty, Los Angeles Valiant, Chengdu Hunters, Hangzhou Spark and their next opponents, Guangzhou. But we have to note that the Charge have looked better lately and have won four of their last five outings, defeating the Valiant (3-2), Fusion (3-2), Hunters (3-0), and Spark (3-1).

Form-wise the Dragons are still in a much better spot, but due to the improvement Guangzhou Charge have shown, you have to start believing that they can do some damage on Friday. Esports betting sites have priced the Charge at $2.25 to win a map and thus cover the +2.5 line, which is hard to pass on, even though the Dragons should come out on top in this contest.

?Philadelphia Fusion are expected to struggle against Seoul Dynasty, which sounds reasonable considering the Dynasty won this bout less than a week ago. However, it was an extremely tight affair (3-2) that was eventually decided with a closely contested fight on Control-Busan, where Seoul won 2-1.

It’s worth noting that it marked the Fusion’s fourth-straight loss, following defeats against Chengdu Hunters (0-3), Shanghai Dragons (1-3), and Guangzhou Charge (2-3). Regardless, Philly won two maps against Seoul Dynasty and have since crushed Hangzhou Spark (3-1), so things aren’t as bleak as they may seem.

The offered betting odds on this match seem to be a bit of an overreaction to Philadelphia Fusion’s 1-4 run, and even though Seoul Dynasty should win, we’re not backing them at $1.25. The Fusion won two maps against Seoul less than a week ago, and there is no reason to believe they can’t do it again.

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It’s hard to feel excited about Los Angeles Valiant, who have been struggling in this meta, particularly with their DPS lineup. Although Kim “Becky” Il-ha on Genji is solid, that’s about the only good thing about this team.

Philadelphia Fusion are 3-1 ahead of this match and are enjoying a good season largely thanks to Yoon “MN3” Jae-hee and Kim “ZEST” Hyun-woo, who are in solid form. Also, the Fusion’s support line is pretty solid and we have nothing bad to say about tank Kim “Fury” Jun-ho either.

Across all positions, Philadelphia Fusion are better, and even though Valiant have their strengths, there’s nothing about this team that would suggest they can upset the Fusion. And knowing that Philly are strong in the same areas as Valiant – but better – there’s a real possibility this match ends in a 3-0 sweep.

Houston Outlaws picked up a huge win against Los Angeles Gladiators last weekend, which was exactly what they needed to get more footing in the standings. That win did not turn the Outlaws into one league’s top teams, but they proved that they can potentially contest the title with it.

Still, Houston Outlaws have been consistently good this season, so it’s not too shocking to see them defeat a stronger team even. Now the question is: how will the Outlaws do against a lesser squad in London Spitfire?

The Spitfire are weaker and have achieved far less than the Outlaws this season, but they seem to thrive in the current meta. They have had some good games, namely their 3-0 sweep against Boston Uprising, but London also lost against Florida Mayhem (1-3) on day one.

As they’ve shown this season, London Spitfire can be competitive, and it wouldn’t be a complete shock if they win this match. But Houston Outlaws look much more stable heading into this match. Unless you believe the Spitfire will overperform and catch the Outlaws by surprise, betting on the favourites to close it out by at least two maps is the right play.

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?Atlanta Reign have been solid in OWL events so far, in contrast to Boston Uprising, who have yet to qualify for a tournament this season. However, the Reign have been up-and-down for most of the campaign, struggling to find consistency with their results.

This could be a problem as the Reign also need to adapt to the new meta, which could lead to shaky showings. They’re still better than Boston and should win, but we wouldn’t expect to see a clean sweep.

The Uprising are by no means one of the title contenders, but the new meta might give them a chance for a fresh start, perhaps finally find some traction, and take a bite out of the current fifth-best team in the West division.

?Washington Justice and San Francisco Shock last met at the start of June, when Shock edged out a 3-2 victory, but according to the latest OWL betting odds, this affair should go much smoother for the two-time OWL champions. There is no denying that the Shock are much stronger than the Justice, even though it wouldn’t be fair to say that the Justice are bad.

They’ve won seven series this season (7-5), which isn’t terrible, but they also dropped two maps against Vancouver Titans at the start of July, which only shows that the Justice are not at the same level as the Shock.

The offered betting odds on this match are as fair as it gets. San Francisco Shock shouldn’t be losing games like this, and they shouldn’t be giving up too much either. Expect a 3-0 sweep.

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Florida Mayhem’s OWL Midseason Madness qualifier run left a lot to be desired, but they had a tough schedule, so we wouldn’t overreact to their 2-4 record. Moreover, the Mayhem showed up when it mattered the most and had some clutch games, so there are positives to take from their otherwise shaky run.

The Mayhem can be good, and while they won’t consistently show it, they are a joy to watch with their high-intensity playstyle and strong mentality, which has led to a few reverse sweeps this season.

London Spitfire are nowhere near one of the best teams in the league, but they’re moving up at a steady pace. They are 8-4 on the year, which is seriously impressive for a team that entered the season with no expectations. The Spitfire have shown more than the Mayhem, so it would be fair to expect London to win this bout, yet $1.33 is a high price to pay.

Even though London Spitfire look better than the Mayhem, this is a spot where you have to take a shot with the underdogs. Florida have won more challenging games this season, and even if they fail to overcome the Spitfire, they should be good for at least two maps.

The Midseason Showdown meta suited New York Excelsior, who impressed by forcing Houston Outlaws and Dallas Fuel to five maps. But Excelsior still finished the OWL Midseason Madness qualifiers in last place, without a single victory (0-6).

Moreover, Excelsior were very inconsistent in the previous tournament cycle – they had some good games, but those were pretty scarce. Some may say that Excelsior are making progress – which they are – but without any results, it is hard to believe anything will come out of it.

Houston Outlaws have not improved from the previous stage, but they have not gotten worse either. As a team that can produce impressive wins and a couple of headscratchers, the Outlaws might not be one of the most consistent squads in the league, but they usually get the job done when paired with a lesser opponent.

New York Excelsior are good enough to win a map, but there is an equal chance this game ends in a 3-0 sweep. And at the offered OWL betting odds, we don’t have to think twice about where to place our money.

Dallas Fuel took a notable dip since the OWL Kickoff Clash, but they are still one of the top-four teams in the West division. Unfortunately, there is a massive gap between the best teams and the rest, which shows in the Fuel’s results against top contenders, having consistently disappointed when faced with a stronger opponent.

There is still room for improvement, and once Dallas Fuel figure out how they want to play, they might return to the top. On a more positive note, this tournament cycle will introduce some meta changes, which will affect the Fuel – for better or for worse.

Los Angeles Gladiators are the best team in the league right now. They are 10-2 on the year with a +22 map difference, largely thanks to the team’s flexibility and ability to adapt to any meta the game throws at them.

The Gladiators are not untouchable, but they are very tough to beat. Moreover, they stomped Dallas in June, when the Fuel were at their best, so the only reasonable thing to expect is another clean sweep on Thursday.

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The Overwatch League community seems to be sleeping on New York Excelsior, who are a much stronger team than many give them credit for. Although they’re by no means OWL title candidates, the Excelsior have enough talent to compete for a solid mid-table finish.

Philadelphia Fusion are priced as $1.31 favourites for this match, which isn’t too shocking. They look like the better team and are generally very consistent against mid-table teams.

Philadelphia Fusion are a more well-rounded team and should come out ahead. Still, New York Excelsior field players with deep hero pools and are versatile enough to steal at least one map.

As the latest OWL betting odds would suggest, this match should end in an easy win for Chengdu Hunters, and we don’t have a reason to argue with that. Los Angeles Valiant are not a good team and are clearly not good enough to achieve anything this season.

Valiant are 0-10 on the season with a 2-30 map record, and while there are two other teams over in the Western Division that have been just as unconvincing – London Spitfire (0-10) and Vancouver Titans (0-12) – you could safely say that Valiant are worse than either of the two.

Chengdu Hunters are a much better team and should win 3-0. There’s not much more to it.

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?When predicting how OWL Summer Showdown games will go, it makes a lot more sense to look back at OWL May Melee instead of the recent June Joust tournament. That’s because June Joust introduced hero bans, whereas Summer Showdown – like May Melee – will have all heroes available.

Both teams have been playing well this season, which makes this match tough to predict. Seoul Dynasty are priced as betting favourites, which might make sense, but they can also have their moments where they fall apart.

Since these two teams are equally matched talent-wise, we have to give Chengdu Hunters an edge, and that’s mainly because the Dynasty aren’t consistent enough for us to trust them. There’s a world where Hunters win 3-1, but we’re happy with the OWL betting odds we’re getting on the moneyline market.

?Guangzhou Charge haven’t impressed anyone with their showings this season, but this team has a potential upside, and they surely haven’t shown what they’re capable of just yet. New York Excelsior, on the other side, seem a bit overrated.

The Excelsior might have qualified for OWL June Joust, but only barely, and it’s not like Excelsior showed anything of note outside of their 3-1 win against the struggling Hangzhou Spark.

Guangzhou Charge are a type of team that can cause an upset. However, it wouldn’t be a massive shock if they end up winning on Saturday, considering they are 1-0 up in the head-to-head with Excelsior on the season, with a 3-1 victory in May.

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