The Guangzhou Charge powered into first place East Region qualifiers for the Overwatch League’s Spring Stage Knockouts on Sunday with a sweep of the previously undefeated Hangzhou Spark.
The Charge won 2-1 on Ilios, then took King’s Row and Havana, each by a 3-2 score.
Meanwhile, the Shanghai Dragons captured their first win of the qualifiers, knocking off the Seoul Dynasty by a 3-1 decision. The Dynasty jumped out to an early match lead with a 2-0 win on Lijiang Tower, then lost on Hollywood by a 4-3 score, 2-1 on Junkertown and 1-0 on New Queen Street.
The OWL format is different this year, with lower-level teams getting the chance to compete with the top-level squads.
The season format will now see teams amass points based on their results in regional qualifiers rather than the standard league standings that were in place in previous years.
Overwatch League Spring Stage Knockouts, East Region qualifying with match record, map differential:
1. Guangzhou Charge, 3-0, plus-9
2. Seoul Infernal, 2-1, plus-5
3. Hangzhou Spark, 2-1, plus-2
4. Shanghai Dragons, 1-2, minus-4
5. Seoul Dynasty, 1-2, minus-4
6. Dallas Fuel, 0-3, minus-8
–Field Level Media