Why Overwatch Esports Are a Great Spectacle
When it comes to underrated esports games, Overwatch leads the pack. It has grown into the mainstream because of the support from Blizzard devs.
Why Overwatch Esports Are a Great Spectacle
When it comes to underrated esports games, Overwatch leads the pack. It has grown into the mainstream because of the support from Blizzard developers. While CSGO, Dota 2 and League of Legends are the top esports, Overwatch looks to close the gap.
Blizzard is a top-tier organization in game development. You may be familiar with some of their games like StarCraft, Warcraft, and Diablo. They were known for their top-down RTS games but they had a big change in late 2015 when Overwatch was released.
It was dubbed a ‘hero shooter’ which is a combination of mechanics from the FPS genre which is a classic one. However, the big part of the uniqueness that it had was the characters had skills to match the FPS mechanics. This was a combination of a MOBA like Dota and a shooter like CSGO which was an innovative genre. It even adopted some mechanics from the latter with weapon cosmetics which are similar to free CSGO skins.
Many have followed suit with games like Apex Legends serving as the battle royale genre’s hero shooter while Valorant has taken over for the tactical FPS sub-genre. However, Overwatch remains as one of the top games in the world because of the innovative mechanics that it brought to the table and its esports scene.
Why Overwatch esports is amazing
Overwatch’s esports scene was created so that it can showcase the best players in the game. This led to many players around the world participating in many events which determined the best team in the world. However, everything changed when Blizzard decided to create the Overwatch League.
It was a league similar to LOL’s system with a big time sports feel. There were drafts and franchises in OWL and there were also professional broadcasters brought in to commentate and analyze the matches.
While they never reached the heights of esports’ big three, OWL is a fun league to watch. Many have said that the game is hard to follow as there are 12 players in the field. However, Blizzard has made it a straightforward game and the casters help with that as well on the live streams.
OWL is split into two conferences which includes the Atlantic and the Pacific. There are teams that are based around the world including China, South Korea, France, the United Kingdom, and of course, the United States.
It is a great league with elite production value and they are an exciting esports to bet on. Overwatch became a strong contender in esports betting as there are many teams in OWL that turned out to be strong which is just like any other sport.
Who are the best teams to bet on?
While Overwatch does not have something like free CSGO skins betting, there are still some sites that provide betting on this game.
In the past three seasons of OWL, there have been only two teams that have won the entire event.. The first event was won by London Spitfire with a great run in the league. They managed to beat the Philadelphia Fusion who finished as the runner-ups for the 2018 season.
In the last two seasons in 2019 and 2020, the San Francisco Shock took over as the best team in the world. They beat runners-up Vancouver Titans and Seoul Dynasty in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
If you are betting on OWL, it will be the best bet to make to support Shock. However, there are some teams that can surprise you when you see them play. The Fusion are always a good pick to play well because they have remained consistent over the years. However, they have just not secured the big wins that they need.
You can also take a look at the Shanghai Dragons which is a well-performing team back in 2020 but they were unlucky at the end of the day as they lost in the playoffs. If they can play better, you can expect them to remain in the conversation for contenders in OWL.
What do you need to win on bets?
Just like in any other sport, you need to do your research to win your bets. As opposed to other sports, there are limited stats pages that you can look at but if you have the time, you have the whole tournament at your fingertips. You just need to go to Twitch or YouTube and you will find the replays of previous matches.
You have to trust analysts as well because they watch the game for a living and they know what they are talking about. However, the eye test matters in Overwatch because if you see a team playing well against every team, that is the squad that you should bet on.
It does take some time, but your commitment will be rewarded with your wins. It is a hard bet to make but it is worth it when you reap the benefits of the rewards.
Is Overwatch on the same level as the other top esports?
It is not yet on the same level as the big three esports but it does have the potential to reach them. Even if Overwatch is not as popular of a game as the other three, as long as Blizzard is connected to the project, you can expect fans to follow.
The quality of the game is similar to the other games but there is something special about Overwatch that just makes it work. The gameplay is its best asset and comparing it to the other games, it is really fun to watch when the other games have the tendency to be boring.
If you are looking for an esports game to get into, Overwatch is a great choice. You can trust the players to perform well in events but you can also have fun while playing it. This is because it does have a high skill ceiling but it does not punish you for being bad at the game when you are first playing it.
Enjoy Overwatch and its esports scene because it will still get bigger in the future.
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Words: Pocholo Magsino
