The Summer Showdown competition of the Overwatch League is resembling the 2021 season a lot. Even though the year is 2022, two of the top teams from the previous year have once again risen to the top despite shifting metagames that value the cooperation and coordination they are so well known for.
The Shanghai Dragons won the 2021 Summer Showdown as well as the Overwatch League title and two more competitions last year. The Dallas Fuel, champions of the 2021 May Melee, was their main rival at the time.
At the beginning of the 2022 season, both teams spent a fair amount of time on the struggle bus, and it wasn't until Junker Queen and a ton of collaboration that things really took off.
Despite the fact that an ocean (as well as regional laws) now separates them, Shanghai and Dallas each won their respective Summer Showdown championships.
Grand finals for the East Region: Shanghai Dragons vs. Seoul Dynasty (4-2)
The East Region portion of the Summer Showdown competition had to be finished before any of the LAN events for the West Region could begin. The Shanghai Dragons destroyed the Seoul Dynasty by a score of 3-0 early in the competition, but the Dynasty wasn't prepared to exit the grand finals in such a humiliating way.
Stars like DPS Fits and a seasoned veteran of the league, Profit, carried the heat for the Dynasty against the powerful Dragons in his Summer Showdown special of Brigitte.
The Dynasty was eventually unable to stay up with Shanghai despite following Profit's example into aggressive skirmishes and tying up the series by map four, unheard of for any other team who played the Dragons throughout the entire tournament cycle.
Shanghai's strength has historically been building momentum through extended games that exhaust other teams. By the last two maps of the tournament, Tank Void and DPS LIP appeared to be back to full strength, winning the Summer Showdown trophy.
Shanghai's Overwatch League squad is finally appearing as dominating as it did by the conclusion of its 2021 season thanks to this season's first tournament victory.
San Francisco Shock vs. Toronto Defiant, bottom bracket, West (3-1)
Yesterday, with the support of the raucous and ecstatic home crowd, Toronto fulfilled the aspirations of its supporters by easily advancing through the lower bracket. They were unfortunate since the Shock put an end to that streak.
Toronto was able to battle hard on the opening map, Nepal, thanks to support CH0R0NG and his teammates' aggressive play, but San Francisco appeared to wake up by the start of their chosen game, Hollywood.
The Shock were prepared to breeze through the following three maps with Dynamo DPS Proper back on his usual course of destroying the whole backline.
Although third place in the Summer Showdown is a franchise high for the squad and tangible evidence that a home crowd has more influence than many of us know, Toronto may be at the end of its road.
Finals of the West Region between San Francisco Shock and Dallas Fuel (4-0)
San Francisco, looking strong after defeating Toronto Defiant in a decisive lower bracket semifinal series, raced straight into the Dallas Fuel in a Junker Queen meta.
The Dallas Fuel are in the top half of the season rankings and are well-positioned for the postseason after winning the West Region and earning $75,000 and three League Points. Two League Points will be awarded to San Francisco. The Shanghai Dragons, on the other hand, received $50,000 and three League Points.
On September 22nd, the Overwatch League will return for the Countdown Cup.
