A lot is currently happening, and so it has become increasingly hard to keep track of everything that happened in a week. To help with that, we have compiled this Competitive Recap.
Released every week we will try to congest every tournament and important news that has happened since the last recap. Whether you are interested in the bigger news, or want to stay updated on changes in teams, you can always tune in on Thursday to see if you missed anything.
Important News:
Valve issue cease and desist papers to twenty-three gambling websites
After last week's statement by Valve clarifying their dislike of skin gambling, this week cease and desist papers surfaced showing just how active Valve will be in shutting down such surfaces. Valve is currently focusing on CSGO-based websites, but also included Dota2Lounge for example.
Patch Notes: Ana arrives today, alongside major balance tweaks!
The biggest Overwatch news this week was the arrival of Ana, and other tweaks from the same patch. Most people were expecting a PTR period of weeks, but Blizzard surprised all. Ana will be playable in our GosuGamers Weeklies this weekend because of it!
Optical Broadcast charity tournament - Sign ups open
Optical Broadcast is organizing a weekend of events aimed at helping the German cancer foundation “deutsche Krebshilfe e.V”. Due to the casual nature of especially the Saturday event, all players should feel comfortable signing up (with their friends). Registrations are handled on our website here.
ANZ: The Zowie Gamestah Overwatch League is heating up?
The ANZ is lucky enough to have supporters like ZOWIE and Gamestah, who have been organizing consistent tournaments for Overwatch. Currently, the biggest tournament around is their Overwatch League, which will be going into Week 4 soon.
[Community Spotlight] BlameTheController shows the probability of a Stealth Hero
The discovery of specific voice lines in the game has started up some discussions. There are clear hints that the mechanic of stealth will get added to Overwatch. Stealth is one of those mechanics that people either hate or love, just like freezing effects. BlameTheController explains the situation in his video.
Unique GosuGamers Content:
Short Cuts #1: Volskaya Industries
In this new video series, we compile useful shortcuts in the game as well as the ways to make use of them. Some heroes can easily move around the maps, like Pharah and Genji, but even Soldier: 76 and Junkrat can really get around with some trickery. The video format really highlights the actions required to get the most out of your hero.
Overwatch as an esport - Part 1: The Beta period
Overwatch has been out since May 24th, but has been playable since late October. Since then, the scene has grown a lot and many of the fans around now missed the formative beta scene. Luckily for those people, we decided to take a look back, and will do so in several more articles to come.
How Pharah emerged as a premier pick in the previous metagame
Pharah was one of the characters that gained a lot of value over time, due to certain hero nerfs and format changes. This lead to the rise of the Sky Queen. We highlighted this whole process, and identified her position in the last meta, in order to get insight into what is to come for her in the future.
Tournament Recap:
GosuGamers EU Weekly #16 - VODs
The EU scene continues to be entertaining, in big part due to their highly competitive top division. Creation eSports did not play this weekend, which gave other top teams the opportunity to reach later rounds.
GosuGamers NA Weekly #16 - VODs
Due to the absence of teams like C9, LG and EnVyUs in our Weeklies over the last weeks, several other talented rosters have really have the chance to take the spotlight. nubris is still going strong, without a sponsor, and 1SHOT also surprised last weekend. Sea Algae (say it out loud and you might catch the joke) also continues to stick together and get results. That last team is also rumoured to get some sponsor backing soon.
The BEAT Invitational finished this weekend, and provided great entertainment for all (but mostly the NA crowd). As we stated in our recap, this event included one pretty surprising finalist. That's all we will say, check out the VODs if you haven't already!
iBUYPOWER Summer 2016 Overwatch Invitational:
Where Beyond The Summit left off last week, iBUYPOWER picked up this weekend: Another NA invitational with all the best American teams. The big 3 (EnVyUs, Cloud9, Luminosity) played some great matches, but nubris NG Red and especially Code7 provided plenty of resistence as well.
Qualifiers for the ESL Atlantic Showdown continue these weeks, leading up to the grand GamesCom offline event. NA Qualifier #3 is still going on, and the important matches will be played today and tomorrow.
Minor Transfers & Team News
1SHOT is recruiting a ladder grinder, and it could be you!
1SHOT, one of the mid tier with a lot of potential, is looking to reinforce their roster with a new DPS/flex player. The team has decided to open up applications to all players with an in-game skill rating of 76, and thus provide a great opportunity for ladder players wanting to turn pro.
Sea Algae is looking for a Flex player
Earlier today on Twitter, Sea Algae shared their desire to find a God Tier Flex player. Promising 'sponsorship coming very soon', the SA roster offers a mature and educative environment for players trying to go pro as well. We advise anyone interested in trying out Competitive Overwatch to apply for Sea Algae as well as 1SHOT.
For more competitive OW news, follow @GosuOverwatch.
