For the past few weeks, Overwatch esports has been characterized by an oppressive Mauga rush meta, and the Pro-Chaser Association is no exception. The OWCS Finals in Stockholm made it clear that, for now, Mauga was the law of the land. Teams could either adapt to the Mauga meta, or — as Raymomo Fishball showed us last week — die trying.
Raymomo Fishball managed to get away with their off-meta Zarya pick earlier in the playoffs bracket, even bringing PCA juggernaut Team CC to seven maps, but they fell in a disappointing 0-4 defeat to Team XX in the Lower Bracket Semifinal. In dive-centric metas, Raymomo Fishball could rely on their individual skill to make clutch plays, but they struggled with the macro gameplay required in the Mauga rush composition.
Raymomo Fishball had tried and failed to play Mauga. Capere CAT, on the other hand, did something a little different.
Time for the Reckoning!
As Capere CAT advanced through the playoffs bracket, they began playing more and more Junker Queen to counter the ubiquitous Mauga rush composition, just as NRG Shock did in Stockholm. Capere CAT’s Junker Queen strategy centered on Junker Queen and Sombra’s ability to counter important aspects of the Mauga comp. Junker Queen’s Rampage can negate the healing from Juno’s Orbital Ray, while Sombra’s EMP can destroy Mauga’s Cage Fight. On certain maps, the team played hitscan heroes like Widowmaker to wreak havoc on the largely ground-based Mauga composition.
When Capere CAT first met Team CC in the playoffs bracket, Capere CAT tank Bilideng was still dividing his time between Mauga and Junker Queen, switching to one tank hero when the other wasn’t working. Team CC sent Capere CAT to the lower bracket in a decisive 4-2 victory, but Capere CAT clawed their way back, defeating Team XX and securing themselves a spot in the Grand Final.
By the time their second matchup with Team CC rolled around, Capere CAT had fully committed to the Junker Queen, betting it all on this possible Mauga counter. After the first map, however, a hole had appeared in their strategy: Apr1ta’s Sombra simply wasn’t able to make the plays necessary to deal with Mauga. Capere CAT chose Rialto as the second map, hoping that the increased verticality would give them an advantage, and put KIVIS on Ana for further healing negation with Biotic Grenade. Team CC quickly adapted to the Rialto pick by having LiGe switch to D.Va and bringing in Diya to play hitscan.
Ultimately, Capere CAT took Rialto, but that was their only map win in the series. Team CC had an answer for every off-meta choice they made. Apr1ta’s on Sombra? No problem, have Pineapple switch from Echo to Cassidy. Apr1ta has EMP? No problem, just use Mauga’s abilities in advance to survive. Bilideng is playing Junker Queen on King’s Row Point C defense? No problem, just put LiGe on Zarya.
It was a good effort from Capere CAT, but as the series progressed, Team CC’s victory felt inevitable. In the end, Team CC reclaimed their championship title without dropping a single match in Season 2.
Deeply Unserious Gameplay
Along with the final playoffs matches in the bracket, the PCA also broadcasted two more lighthearted competitions: a Widowmaker 1v1 tourney and a 6v6 Overwatch Classic showmatch.
Each PCA team was asked to send a representative player for the Widow 1v1 tourney. Team CC, who were busy preparing for the Grand Final, chose not to participate, so Shy from Once Again appeared in their stead. Several of the players competing in the tourney were not hitscan specialists at all. (P1g of Levi’s Squad and Dok1doki of Team XX are both support players, L3AF of Boys Help Boys plays flex DPS, and AK1 of Young Blood is a coach.) The Widow 1v1s were played on the Arena map Castillo.
Throughout the tourney, Jimmy showcased a variety of innovations in the art of Widow 1v1s. He rapidly fired off missed shots from different positions to disorient the enemy Widow, emoted to scout from a third-person perspective, and stood completely still in an attempt to play mind games. After losing two rounds to AK1, he switched to a Chengdu Hunters skin and won every following round, making a case for the existence of a Widowmaker Overwatch League skin meta. Jimmy truly earned the title of the Greatest Widowmaker of All Time (In This Specific Tourney).
Next, the 6v6 Overwatch Classic showmatch featured a motley crew of PCA players, plus Mmonk from Once Again and the caster and coach Muzi. The players formed two teams, 一流队 (“First-Class Team”) and 超充能器队 (“Supercharger Team”). Tournament organizer Chen said on his co-stream that he specifically placed Muzi with ex-Overwatch League pros Jimmy and Mmonk to balance the teams’ collective skill levels. The teams played two maps of 2CP. When the Supercharger Team lost Hanamura, Chen wondered whether to blame Muzi. He then joked about Muzi winning the NetEase Gold Series tournament as a coach in 2016.
The Supercharger team then won the second map, Temple of Anubis, proving to the world that 2016 NetEase Gold Series champion iG.Fire coach Muzi still has it in him — and that the defender’s spawn on Temple of Anubis is way too close to Point B.
Stats Corner
The PCA’s official Bilibili page shared three infographics ranking players’ performances on Ashe, Cassidy, and Widowmaker during the regular season. As always, thanks to WhiteClouddd from the PCA stats team for sending me the templates to make translated versions of these charts.
While Jimmy and Apr1ta are the standout players according to the regular season data, I want to give a shout-out to Diya for his hitscan play during both the regular season and the playoffs. He made a huge difference for Team CC in the Grand Finals, and while his team ultimately did not win Rialto, he pulled off some impressive Widowmaker snipes on that map.
What Happens Next?
The start date for Season 3 of the Pro-Chaser Association is not yet confirmed. Overwatch China will sponsor Season 3, though the PCA will remain a third-party community tournament. Once Again and Once Again Academy have been invited to compete in Season 3, along with the top four teams from Season 2 (Team CC, Capere CAT, Team XX, and Raymomo Fishball). Chen also has plans to invite Asian teams outside of China, such as Korean and Japanese teams, but nothing has yet been confirmed. He is still working with these teams to resolve scheduling conflicts.
The long winter of Chinese Overwatch may soon be over. Overwatch’s Chinese server will return, and with it, a springtime resurgence of new competitive talent. We will see what happens with time, but the future is bright. Rumor has it that China will compete next year as a separate region in the OWCS.
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