In the wake of Blizzards announcement of their brand new Overwatch League, a Blizzard led and community focused, effort to make the Overwatch eSports scene less fragmented. You can read more about that, here, the unofficial season of the first world cup came to steamrolling conclusion midday yesterday in Anaheim.
Several times throughout the final match it was stated that this year’s world cup was nothing more than an exhibition match and that it wasn’t until next year that team would be able to compete for the honor of holding aloft the truly huge trophy that Blizzard have crafted for this game.
Despite the less serious nature of the competition both Russia and South Korea came into the final match ready to win it all. Both teams confident in their own way, although the Korean captain was significantly more relaxed during his pre-game interview. Both teams played well, and in the opening minutes of the first match it was looking like Russia might truly pose a threat to the dominance that South Korea had shown throughout the whole competition.
Any worry about South Korea losing was quickly demolished though, as were the hopes of the Russian team, as South Korea showed that a team full of players who would each be superstars, in their own right, will easily outshine and outperform a team with only a couple of big names in its roster.
The valiant efforts of Shadowburn and Unfixed were quickly and brutally shut down by the South Korean team compositions. Showing that it is a 6v6 game, not a 2v6 as it often appears to sometimes be. The team work and support that the Korean team displayed was just another level above what Russia could bring to the field.
Despite the overwhelming curb-stomp of a 4-0 victory, the way the teams held themselves speaks well for the culture already beginning to develop around the Overwatch community and shows signs of very positive things to come as it continues to grow further.
You can find more from Phill on Twitter right here @Moritynz and also more of his work on his website Mildly Awful Gaming right here.