The red-hot Atlanta Reign earned their fourth straight sweep to open West Region qualifying for the Overwatch League’s Spring Stage Knockouts when they beat the Los Angeles Gladiators 3-0 Sunday.
Atlanta fended off the Gladiators in three close maps, winning 2-1 on Antarctic Peninsula, 3-2 on Blizzard World and 2-1 on Havana.
The Florida Mayhem moved into sole possession of second by sweeping the Toronto Defiant 3-0. Florida won 2-0 on Nepal, 2-1 on Hollywood and 3-1 on Junkertown to improve their map differential for this period to plus-7.
The other match of the day was yet another 3-0 sweep, with the Vancouver Titans taking down the previously unbeaten Boston Uprising. Vancouver notched wins of 2-1 on Oasis, 1-0 on Blizzard World and 3-0 on Rialto to shock Boston.
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.
The Spring Stage will be followed by the Midseason Madness event, while the Summer Stage will be followed by the season-ending playoffs, but the makeup of the events will be different for the East and West regions.
Spring Stage qualifying matches will determine how the West teams are seeded in the Spring Stage Knockouts and which West teams make Midseason Madness.
West Region qualifying will resume Friday with three matches:
–Vegas Eternal vs. London Spitfire
–Los Angeles Valiant vs. Florida Mayhem
–Houston Outlaws vs. Atlanta Reign
Overwatch League Spring Stage Knockouts, West Region qualifying with match record, map differential:
1. Atlanta Reign, 4-0, plus-12
2. Florida Mayhem, 3-1, plus-7
T3. Boston Uprising, 3-1, plus-5
T3. Washington Justice, 3-1, plus-5
5. Houston Outlaws, 2-0, plus-6
6. Vancouver Titans, 2-2, plus-1
7. Los Angeles Gladiators, 2-2, minus-3
8. San Francisco Shock, 1-1, minus-2
T9. New York Excelsior, 1-3, minus-5
T9. Toronto Defiant, 1-3, minus-5
11. London Spitfire, 0-2, minus-4
12. Vegas Eternal, 0-2, minus-6
13. Los Angeles Valiant, 0-4, minus-11
–Field Level Media