Overwatch has been around for a while now. Granted, four years might not sound like much if you’re drawing comparisons with established esports titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or League of Legends or Dota 2. But during the past four years’ countless lineups have tried their luck at OW esports. And among all those teams, these 10 squads stand out as the best Overwatch teams of all time. BettingTips.gg explores the top 10 teams in Overwatch.
10. Element Mystic
Element Mystic rose to prominence in late 2017 after dominating the Overwatch APEX Season 4 offline and online qualifier. The squad went on to win SURGE 2017 and has continued to be pillar of the Overwatch Contenders Korea scene since its inception. They completed the 2019 season with either a 1st or 2nd place finish in all Phases and were ultimately crowned The Gauntlet Champions after beating ATL Academy in the Finals.
What earns Element Mystic a place among the “Top 10 Overwatch Teams of All Time” is their capacity to scout and produce amazing talent that goes on to grace the rosters of Overwatch League powerhouses like the London Spitfire, Atlanta Reign and Shanghai Dragons. In a further twist, every time Mystic releases players or a coach to an Overwatch team they come back with an even stronger lineup in the following season.
During the 2019 post-season Mystic once again released their players to various Overwatch League organizations. For the Overwatch Contenders 2020 Season created a whole new roster and once again proved they are the premier talent scouting team in Overwatch. 2020 was a mediocre year for this strong contender for the title of best Overwatch League team. Interestingly enough, Element Mystic decided to take a break in 2021, as it announced a hiatus at the beginning of the year.
9. Dallas Fuel (Team EnVyUs)
How can the same Team EnVyUs that turned into the disastrous Dallas Fuel lineup even deserve a spot on this list, you may ask? Fair point. But if you go back in time, EnVyUs were once kings of the Western Overwatch scene. In that era, Taimou took over games on hitscan heroes, Mickie wreaked havoc on D.Va, and EFFECT dismantled enemy squishes on Tracer.
Back then, EnVyUs was the best Overwatch team on the Western scene, securing first-place finishes at events like OG Invitational, Operation Breakout, BTS Overwatch Cup, and 2016 MLG Vegas. That’s not all, though. As one of the best teams in the world, EnVyUs were invited to participate in APEX Season 1. There, they tore through South Korean teams, going all the way to the finals to 4-0 Afreeca Freecs Blue and claim the trophy. And while their later APEX showings weren’t as dominant, EnVyUs remained strong enough to make deep runs in the seasons 2 and 3 of the league.
After the Inaugural Season of the Overwatch League both the Dallas Fuel and EnVyUs as their academy team have made solid runs in their respective leagues. Dallas Fuel made an amazing run to get down to the 2019 Stage 2 Playoffs and was stopped by the Vancouver Titans. EnVyUs made it all the way to the championship in the North American West: Contenders league and to the finals in The Guantlet.
Dallas Fuel started the 2020 Overwatch League season slow and never found a way of reaching their true potential. This happened to many other teams and considering global events plaguing all of esports, it wasn’t a shock. They are still one of the core Overwatch contender since Day 1 of the competitive scene and is always going to be among the top teams of all time. We like them a lot as underdogs in 2021 and think that they are a great choice if you bet on Overwatch.
8. London Spitfire
London Spitfire is the Overwatch royalty being one of the first competitive teams to grace the league. Before there was a Spitfire. there were Cloud9, Cloud9 EU and Cloud9 KongDoo. The team finally took its final form when franchising was announced. From the first iterations of the GosuGamers Overwatch Weekly back in 2016 throughout the entire growth of the competitive Overwatch world, this organization has been at the pinnacle of competitive play and among the top teams in the world.
Once the franchising system was implemented, Cloud9 became London Spitfire and dominated the Inaugural Season Playoffs of the OWL becoming the first-ever team crowned Overwatch League Champions. In the following season Spitfire did not show a dominating performance like in previous seasons, yet still remains one of the most sought out organizations on the planet.
For the 2020 season, Spitfire reloaded their entire roster and are prepared to rebuild and climb to the top of the standings. The first part of the season was slow and without much success and the team was unable to achieve much at the OWL finals. They need to improve their performance to earn a better spot on our list of best Overwatch teams. For the time being, they sit in the 8th place.
7. Vancouver Titans
The Vancouver Titans were the new kids on the block, but have since emerged as one of the best Overwatch League teams. Created in September 2018, the Titans were formed with one goal in mind: Dominate the world of Overwatch. The entire roster was formed from the lineup of Korean Contenders 2018 champions Runaway, and went on to set records in Overwatch League shortly after.
The organization currently holds the record for the longest regular-season match win streak in the history of the Overwatch League, winning a total of 19 matches in a row. Furthermore, their first season of the Overwatch League was crowned by a 1st place in the standings a victory in the Pacific Division finals and a trophy at the Stage 1 Playoffs. They came short in the OWL 2019 Finals against the San Francisco Shock losing 0:4 and missing out on the 2019 Season trophy. With showreel performances by Flex DPS Hyojong “Haksal” Kim on Genji and under the gentle in-game leadership by Sang-beom “Bumper” Park, the Titans were the dominant force Overwatch League for over 14 months.
The same slowdown plaguing all the teams in 2020, hit the Titans the worst. After playing the OWL final in 2019, they were unable to make the top 10 in 2021. Unable to compete due to travel restrictions and lockdowns, the organization was forced to release the entire roster on May 6th 2020 and create a whole new team in the middle of the season. Suffice it to say, the new roster is just paling in comparison to what the old roster could achieve and Titans drop from 3rd to 7th on our list.
6. RunAway
It’s hard to answer the “who is the best Overwatch team” question without considering RunAway. Their first showing at the season 1 of APEX left a lot to be desired, as the lineup crumbled in the group stage. However, this didn’t stop RunAway from striking back. They pulled out all stops at APEX Season 2, crushing names like Team EnVyUs, Team KongDoo Uncia, and LW Blue before falling in a close final against Lunatic-Hai.
After falling on hard times in APEX Season 3 the squad reformed and came in swinging in APEX Season 4 as they battled all the way to finals but once again fell short against GC Busan. Almost a year later this reformed squad finally won the Overwatch Contenders Korea 2018 Season 2 and achieved the recognition that was long overdue. Following this victory, the entire roster was shipped off to the Vancouver Titans, and RunAway was once again back to rebuilding their roster. Four months later, RunAway came out with yet another talented roster and absolutely dominated both 2019 seasons and made it all the way to 3rd in the 2019 Gauntlet event.
So far in 2020, Runaway once again rebuilt the entire roster and went on to win the Contenders Seeding Tournament and finished runner up in Contenders 2020 Season 1 Korea. They did not manage to beat O2 Blast in the final but did prove once again that they are able to create winning rosters from scratch every single season.
This is exactly what makes a Korean Contenders team the #6 team on this list. It seems RunAway has figured out a formula on how to scout best talent in the entire Overwatch competitive ecosystem. They used to be the best Overwatch League team and deserve to be around the top of our list year in and year out.
5. Atlanta Reign
One might wonder how does one of the younger franchise teams end up on the list of “Top 10 Overwatch teams of all time”. Atlanta Reign was one of the first two expansion teams added to the 2019 season in the Overwatch League. What makes them earn a place on the list is the sheer talent of the lineup they managed to put together in the Reign and ATL Academy teams since Day 1.
The Atlanta Reign reinforced with the Korean talent of Hyun-jun “Pokpo” Park, Joon “Erster” Jeong and Joon “Erster” Jeong has had a solid run in the Overwatch League 2019 Regular Season and ended up in 6th place right into Playoffs contention. Although their playoffs run was cut short by Hangzhou Spark, they did manage to end the 2019 Season in the 5th and net themselves a $300,000 slice of the pie. The ATL Academy squad has had an amazing season in the 2019 Overwatch Contenders NA East. They finished 1st in both the regular season and The Gauntlet tiebreaker and went all the way to The Gauntlet Finals against Elements Mystic.
As expected, Atlanta replicated its performance in 2020 and once again finished in the 6th palce. The team is at a constant .500 scoreline struggling to climb past the midpoint of the standings. But let’s not forget, the Cox Enterprises backed franchise has had solid back-to-back seasons and are likely to remain among the top squads in the Overwatch world for years to come. Atlanta is a much better team in 2021, but you can still expect excellent Overwatch odds when they play among the top squads.
4. New York Excelsior
When it comes to the Overwatch League Power Rankings, New York Excelsior have long since asserted their dominance. Their lineup is stacked with talent, and if you see names like Saebyeolbe, Libero and Mano it’s already clear that you’re looking at the best Overwatch team in the league. The most surprising thing, however, is that these players are often overshadowed by an up-and-coming support main JJoNak. Many of New York Excelsior’s game plans revolve around him, as the entire team works together to set up its Zenyatta for success.
Their frontliners are also terrifying, and it seems like there’s nothing this squad can’t accomplish when Janus and Mano are on its side. With such a stacked lineup it’s hard to imagine NYXL hasn’t won a single stage Playoffs to date. The team is always just shy of the Championship trophy being almost always eliminated in semifinals by the would-be champions. But whilst some candles shine bright and fade quickly, Excelsior shines eternally as they have shown unparalleled consistency unmatched by any other Overwatch League squad.
The team further reinforced their superior roster with Haksal for the 2020 season. Currently, NYXL has one of the most stacked rosters in the entire Overwatch League and is committed to staying among the top Overwatch Teams of all time.
3. Shanghai Dragons
The Dragons have the best “Zero to Hero” story in the entire Overwatch circuit. They started the 2018 Inaugural Season with the worst score (0W-40L) in competitive sports and are currently holding the record for the longest losing streak in professional esports history.
Apart from being a non-traditional record holder, what earns SHD a place among the top Overwatch teams of all time is their rebirth and rise to dominance in the 2019 season. A single win against Boston Uprising in the OWL 2019 Season sparked a rise to power that ultimately crowned them as winners of the 2019 Stage 3 Playoffs. They went on to win the Esports Shanghai Masters at the end of the year and have not stopped their growth trend in 2020 either. They are among the top teams in the OWL and earned themselves a trophy at the Overwatch League 2020 – May Melee.
In 2020 they finished third in the OWL season after suffering a narrow defeat in the semi-final against Seoul Dynasty. With such unparalleled growth each consecutive season, we can expect the Dragons are likely to keep climbing the ladder all the way to the top of the Overwatch League in 2021 and beyond. They have what it takes to become the best Overwatch team.
2. Philadelphia Fusion
Philadelphia Fusion continues to be the fan-favorite and one of the most influential organizations in the Overwatch League. Their Academy team Fusion University dominate the NA Contenders scene so much they decided to try their luck in Korea and eventually partnered and rebranded to T1. Over the past three years, Fusion has gone from Season 1 Championship finalists to the middle of the pack to being a dominating team again in 2021. Regardless of performance, their fans are loyally cheering them on their path to claiming their first OWL Championship.
They are the second of our list, not because they have a trophy case to brag about but because they are the most consistent performer in the league. The one hallmark of the greatest team of all time is consistency in performance and commitment. And Fusion checks both of the categories rightfully earning their spot at the top of our revised list. in 2021 they finished 4th in the OWL, but we trust them to do better this year.
1. San Francisco Shock
The squad that shocked Overwatch in 2019 and 2020 deserves the first place on the all-time list and the title of best Overwatch League team. The NRG backed San Francisco Shock went on to battle The Vancouver Titans through the entire 2019 season. Almost every Stage Playoffs and ultimately the Championship was a battle between the two. In this grueling matchup it was the Pacific Division runner-ups that came ahead.
On top of a dominating season both Jay “sinatraa” Won and Hyo-bin “ChoiHyoBin” Choi were crowned MVP’s of the Regular Season and Grand Finals respectively. Furthermore, SF Shock is the first and only team in OWL history to complete a golden stage, not dropping a single map during a whole stage.
But the “shock” did not come out of the blue. NRG Esports has built the foundation for the SF Shock as far back as Overwatch APEX Season 1. Throughout the years the organization has slowly built up momentum and an infrastructure that finally paid dividends in 2019. Maybe this is why as a thank you note or simple recognition it was the Academy team of SF Shock that bears the name NRG Esports down at the North American Contenders.
The 2020 season was another SF Shock fiesta. Even though team superstars and OWL MVP Jay “sinatraa” Won shattered the hearts of fans with his announcement to retire from Overwatch and move onto Valorant San Francisco won the League. They lost the OWL sweetheart SF Shock but didn’t lose their momentum to claim a consequent trophy in the OWL. They still have the Number 1 player from our Best Overwatch Players list in ChoiHyoBin and are holding strong at the top of our list.
Honorable Mention: Seoul Dynasty
Even the best Overwatch League team needs time to prove its quality and earn a spot on the list of all-time greats. Seoul Dynasty players are yet to confirm their tremendous potential, but we have them in our sights. This honorable mention is certain to surge to the top ten by the end of the year and could even claim the first spot one day. They improved their game every year and caused major upsets in the OWL playoffs in 2020, before losing the final to San Francisco Shock. Seoul Dynasty is a team packed with talent and we strongly believe that they have a bright future ahead.