Seoul Dynasty were supposed to be one of the best teams in the Overwatch League, but they’re outside of the playoffs right now and may need a miracle to make it in after last night.
In a match with massive playoff implications, the Dynasty blew a two-map lead. Philadelphia Fusion pulled out a reverse sweep in one of the most important games in either team’s season. If Seoul completed the series with a win, they would have vaulted above Fusion into the sixth and final playoff spot. Instead, Fusion jumps to 23-15, giving them a cushion against the 21-16 Houston Outlaws and 21-17 Dynasty.
Fusion benefited from clutch performances by their all-star DPS duo of Josue “Eqo” Corona and Lee “Carpe” Jae-hyeok, who added to his MVP case on Friday. In many ways, this stage has been a disappointment for Fusion, similar to Dynasty, but they’ve pulled out hard-fought victories while Dynasty seem to lose their close games. They’ve earned their current playoff standing by performing when it matters most.
Seoul were supposed to challenge for the OWL title. The core of their lineup won multiple titles in Korea. They field the legendary support Ryu Je Hong, often considered the best player in Overwatch. And then they added superstar DPS player Kim “Fleta” Byung-sun, making their weakest position a strength.
They almost played the part of champion in stage one when they posted a 7-3 record, but they’ve played worse and worse in every consecutive stage. In stage four, they rank among the league’s worst teams with a 2-6 record after an incredibly disappointing week.
This week, Dynasty surely hit rock bottom. On Wednesday, they lost to Boston Uprising, a team that had yet to win a match this stage. Seoul have playoff hopes on the line, but they couldn’t beat one of the league’s worst teams on recent form. Then Dynasty faced Philadelphia Fusion, giving them a chance to vault above one of their direct competitors. They were tantalizingly close to the win that could turn things around and make their slump seem like a thing of the past. But in the clutch, when it mattered most, Fusion won the match, and Seoul lost it.
Dynasty’s playoff hopes are nearly dead. They likely need to win both of their matches next week to even have a shot at playoffs, accounting for their poor positive 13 map differential. But they face off against Dallas Fuel, who are 5-3 on the stage and playing like one of the better teams recently, and then Los Angeles Gladiators, another squad shining in the current meta. That’s a tall order for this Dynasty team, especially after a loss as crushing as their defeat against Philadelphia.
The Seoul ownership group was confident enough to name their franchise Dynasty heading into the OWL season, and they had a roster that looked like it could live up to that lofty expectation. But they’ve disappointed more and more as the season has progressed, and they’re closing the season out with a whimper instead of the roar you’d expect from the tiger on their jerseys.
