The first season of Overwatch League was full of amazing plays that defined excellence. Since the very beginning, it was clear that both Western and Korean teams were capable of pulling off the impossible when it counted most. With the season playoffs kicking off this week, let's look back at some of the most spectacular moments of Overwatch League's inaugural season. In no particular order, here are ten of the best plays from season one.
Pine's Widowmaker sneak attack
Stage 1 finals vs. London Spitfire, February 10
It's far too difficult to pick out any single jaw-dropping kill streak by Do-hyeon "Pine" Kim. He might not have played as much as we would have liked, but you knew when he was in, something spectacular was about to happen. This particular example showcases his skill as well as any other.
As usual, his positioning is perfect as he flanks London unopposed. Four kills later, London was probably still trying to figure out exactly how that was possible. But this is Pine—the Big Boss. He will always do what others are incapable of.
London Spitfire team fight
Stage 1 finals vs. NYXL, February 10
Stage one came down to a weird finish where four teams ended with a 7-3 record. New York had secured first place already, leaving second and third up to map differential. London and Houston would advance, with the Outlaws predictably being eliminated in the semifinals.
The grand finals started with New York securing two quick maps, but London responded with two of their own. Dorado was the fifth map, and London started out with this strong push to gain momentum. They would go on to hold New York at one point on defense, becoming Overwatch League's first stage champions.
TviQ's Tracer stall
Stage 2 vs. Dallas Fuel, March 10
The Florida Mayhem had a pretty miserable season, but despite that, they had many flashes of greatness. Kevin "TviQ" Lindström is one of Florida's veteran DPS players, and he's been with the roster since late 2016. Though he's prone to consistency problems, when he was on, he was difficult to stop.
Dallas was about to capture the final point of Gibraltar, having nearly wiped Florida with just inches to go. Somehow TviQ managed to stay alive with hardly any support, dashing around the payload for cover. Against all odds, he cheated death long enough for respawns to avenge him and win the match 3-2.
Hydration as Doomfist
Stage 2 vs. Florida Mayhem, March 16
Like Pine's Widowmaker, Joao Pedro "Hydration" Veloso de Goes Telles' Doomfist is one of a kind. So much so that people would anticipate a swap to Doomfist on certain maps or points where he's strongest. When it did happen, the crowd and Twitch chat would lose their minds.
This play was like so many of his others—precision bullying at its finest. With a little help from his support, Hydration takes out two tanks and drops a huge Meteor Strike right on Mercy's head. In classic form, Hydration showed how a good Doomfist can cause a lot of disruption in a short amount of time.
Fissure's Winston smacks Pharah to the ground
Stage 3 vs. Los Angeles Valiant, April 18
It seemed early on that the Los Angeles Gladiators were doomed to be a very average team, at best. When they acquired Chan-Hyung "Fissure" Baek from London, however, they became a very different team. Having secured fourth seed in the playoffs, the Gladiators will count on aggression like this to help them advance to the grand finals.
This play really speaks for itself. Having godly presence of mind, he pops Primal Rage and takes to the skies to battle the Pharmercy... off the edge of the map. He even stuffs the Barrage, killing Brady "Agilities" Girardi with his own splash damage. Not this time, Valiant.
Geguri and Ado's incredible stall
Stage 3 vs. NYXL, May 4
If Florida had a miserable season, Shanghai's was absolutely tragic, becoming the first team in traditional sports or esports to finish a season with no wins. The additions of Seyeon "Geguri" Kim as off-tank and Gihyeon "Ado" Chon as DPS made them more formidable, but it just wasn't enough in the end. Take this play, for example.
Geguri gives it her all on this one, getting a couple of kills with the D.Va bomb and following up with a big kill on Winston. After she dies, Ado picks up and keeps the push alive with a couple of huge kills of his own before support arrived. It's one in a series of bittersweet plays by these two that gave Dragons fans hope before the frustration set in once more.
NotE's massive D.Va bomb
Stage 3 vs. Los Angeles Valiant, May 3
Remember when the Boston Uprising were the best team in Overwatch League? Stage three was an excellent time to be an Uprising fan and witness their 14 game win streak as it was happening. Lucas "NotE" Meissner's D.Va might fly under the radar sometimes, but it can be nasty, and it was certainly one reason for their success under ex-coach Crusty.
Going up against the Valiant before the stage finals put their winning streak on the line, but this massive D.Va bomb gave the Uprising some confidence. Not only was it a clutch bomb in that set, but it was probably one of the best we saw in the entire season. NotE helped open the door to a 3-2 victory that kept their streak alive.
Jake executing the classic wombo-combo
Stage 4 vs. London Spitfire, May 17
Stage four loosened up the meta for tanks, giving Reinhardt and Zarya more opportunities to shine. That often resulted in mass crowd control and huge ult combos—something Jake "JAKE" Lyon of the Houston Outlaws always capitalizes on.
Though his infamous Junkrat is known throughout the world, he's also a really good Pharah. As soon as the Graviton Surge dropped on top of an encroaching London offense, JAKE knew what to do. That barrage helped a struggling Outlaws roster get back on track, obliterating the London Spitfire 4-0 in this week one match and setting them up as a serious stage four contender.
Agilities with the clutch Junkrat tire
Stage 4 vs. NYXL, June 2
The Los Angeles Valiant arguably turned into the best team in Overwatch League in stage four. Some roster changes helped, but the resurgence of Agilities was perhaps one of the best things Valiant fans got to witness. No In-N-Out jokes anymore—Agilities is once again one of the top DPS players in the game.
In their last regular season meeting, the Valiant and NYXL gave fans everything they had hoped for out of this match. Nepal was the fifth and final map of the set, and there was still no clear winner. Sanctum was still up for grabs in overtime, but Agilities landed this amazing Rip-Tire to help win the map and their first set against New York. They went on to defeat NYXL once more to become stage four champions.
Taimou clicks some heads
Stage 4 vs. Seoul Dynasty, June 13
The Dallas Fuel went from perennial disappointment to meeting expectations in stage four. A new meta and new coach helped, along with a more relaxed approach and better in-game leadership. Oh, right, and also the return of Timo "Taimou" Kettunen as one of the most dangerous Widowmakers in the world.
This push by the Seoul Dynasty was buried by a huge Minesok "OGE" Son Earthshatter. It was everything Taimou could have hoped for—an entire team on the ground while he had a perch to click heads from. Not the most conventional combo, but Dallas wasn't a conventional team in stage four, where they finally made a stage finals appearance thanks to plays like this.
