Overwatch – A Look Back at the OWL 2021 Grand Finals

It was an exhilarating moment on 25th September 2021 as the Shanghai Dragons clinched their first-ever Overwatch League Championship title after trashing Atlanta Reigns 4-0 in a fiercely vigorous battle. They’re the first APAC team to win the championship. Apart from claiming the $1.5 million grand prize, the Dragons will also have customized Overwatch skins made in their honor by next year.                            

We will all recall that the Dragons had a humiliating first outing in 2018 when they finished 0-40 and played through 120 maps without winning a single match. With time, the team grew stronger, and by 2020, they became one of the strongest Overwatch teams in the world. Fast forward to 2021, these lads have become the world champion, proving to the world that they, indeed, came to dominate.

Many believe that Byung-sun “Fleta” Kim, who many argue to be ranking among the best Overwatch players ever, has played an important role in making their team this strong. While this assertion may not be ruled out completely, we believe that the entire Shanghai team has so far shown extraordinary talent, so their victory stems more from group expertise than from one person’s influence.

Their opponents, the Atlanta Reign, also deserve some accolades for having a fantastic season. They earlier eliminated one of the greatest teams in the game, Dallas Fuel, to clinch a place in the final match. They also showed excellent skills throughout the season, but as we all know, there could only be one champion.

The Gameplay

Ilios

The grand finale started off with the Dragons taking Reign to Ilios. Just like a terror group that laid ambush for their prey, the Dragons immediately unleashed fire on Atlanta Reign. The Reign did put on a good fight, but their moves and rush-style gameplay couldn’t faze the Dragons aggressive dive. Thus they kept the Reign subservient all through both rounds, clinching a sweet 2-0 victory in Ilios.

Hanamura

Atlanta hoped they’d get the much-needed comeback at Hanamura, considering that it was one of their favorite maps, and they had disseminated many teams right inside that dungeon. But then, little did they know that the Dragons were super-ready to thrive regardless of what they threw at them. Both teams went toe-to-toe, and it almost ended in a draw until Kim “Fleta” Byung-sun unleashed several incredible firecracker moves that got the Dragons a narrow 3-2 win, thereby taking the tie to 2-0.

King’s Row

If they wanted to stay in the game, Atlanta were in desperate need of a win on King’s Row. They fought like a bunch of wounded lions, but they couldn’t crack the skin of the Dragons. Mounting and unleashing Tracer, Ashe, Sigma, Wrecking Ball, Baptiste and Zenyatta at different spots of the long map, the Dragons clinched a 6-5 victory on the map bringing them to an overall 3-0 lead.

Havana

 Immediately after the break, Atlanta took the Dragons to Havana. There, Jae-won “LIP” made magic with Sombra that won him the MVP of the Grand Finale. Atlanta was able to grab two points in this map but, trust Fleta to unleash a catastrophic Pulse Bomb that shot his team to a 3-2 win, making them the undeniable champion of the 2021 Overwatch League.

LIP Wins the MVP of the Grand Final

At the end of the match, Shanghai Dragon’s player Lee Jea-Won, also known as LIP, was crowned the most valuable player (MVP) of the grand finale. LIP is a Korean national who plays for the Chinese team. The nineteen years old player who many Esports lovers refer to as an Overwatch Warlord walked home with a $100,000 cash prize for this fantastic play.

LIP was absolutely unreal during the grand finale game and throughout the entire season. He played the hero Sombra so phenomenally that he was named “The Best Sombra in the World.” With lots of hacks and amazing tricks at his fingertips, LIP uses Sombra to wreck unforeseeable damage, pummeling the enemy frontlines and halting them in their tracks.

You may recall that this iconic Overwatch damage dealer broke into the competitive scene in 2018 and quickly became famous, riding on the success of his signature Reaper play and excellence at the Contenders series. He soon got signed to the Shanghai Dragons, and as expected, his skillfulness played a significant role in making the team win the championship of the Asian region.

While responding to questions after receiving the award, LIP admitted that he wasn’t surprised about this, obviously because he worked for it. He said, “Honestly, I had some hope that I would be MVP for this Grand Finale up until yesterday.”

This victory and award bring LIP up the power rankings to become the number 5 best Overwatch league player globally. He is only being trumped by Habin of Dallas Fuel, who is currently number one; his teammates, FATE and VOID, who are sitting in second and third place respectively; and Dallas Fuel’s FEARLESS, who occupies the number four position on the power ranking.

We say a big congratulations to Lee Jea-Won and the entire Shanghai Dragon squad, and we hope they continue to solidify their position as the team to beat in the coming seasons.