The Seoul Infernal jumped up the standings with a 3-2 defeat of the Guangzhou Charge on Saturday in the East Region qualifiers for the Overwatch League’s Spring Stage Knockouts.
In a back-and-forth match, the Charge jumped out to the lead with a 2-0 win on Ilios, but the Infernal came back to tie with a 2-1 triumph on Blizzard World. Guangzhou charged back with a 3-2 victory on Rialto, but the Infernal clinched the meeting with a 1-0 victory on Esperanca and a 2-1 win on Antarctic Peninsula.
Also Saturday, the Dallas Fuel won their second straight match, posting a 3-1 win over the Seoul Dynasty. Fuel started with 2-0 and 1-0 triumphs on Oasis and Blizzard World, respectively, but the Dynasty captured Shambali Monastery by a 4-3 score. The Fuel closed out the meeting with a 1-0 victory on Esperanca.
The OWL format is different this year, with lower-level teams getting the chance to compete with the top-level squads.
The season format now will see teams amass points based on their results in regional qualifiers rather than the standard league standings that were in place in previous years.
1. Guangzhou Charge, 3-1, plus-8
2. Seoul Infernal, 3-1, plus-6
3. Hangzhou Spark, 3-1, plus-4
4. Dallas Fuel, 2-3, minus-3
5. Shanghai Dragons, 1-3, minus-7
6. Seoul Dynasty, 1-4, minus-8
–Field Level Media