Overwatch League fans are eagerly awaiting the fifth season kickoff on May 5, which will include an early build of Overwatch 2 and the likely return of live events.
To get there, though, fans have to deal with the competitive drought that is March and April. Enter the San Francisco Shock, ready to give the league’s viewers a little taste of both the present and future of competitive Overwatch.
The 2019 and 2020 Overwatch League champions will be hosting a showmatch against their recently-acquired Overwatch Contenders team, O2 Blast, on March 11 at 6pm CT.
While it’s not exactly as hype as opening weekend will be, the series will be the first time Shock fans get to see their newly-reconstructed roster in action. Here’s how to enjoy a little bit of Overwatch League competition in the doldrums of spring.
Teams
After the 2021 season ended, the San Francisco Shock made the surprising decision to drop most of its players, leaving only main tank Matthew “super” DeLisi and support Park “Viol2t” Min-ki as the remaining members of the two-time championship roster.
The team quickly rebounded, though, looking to rookies from O2 Blast to bolster its ranks. San Francisco acquired support Oh “FiNN” Se-jin as well as DPS players Jung “Kilo” Jin-woo and Kim “Proper” Dong-hyun, all of whom were present for O2 Blast’s dual Contenders Korea championship wins. Rounding out the team is flex DPS Samuel “s9mm” Santos, another Contenders champion from North America.
All six of the San Francisco Shock’s players will be participating in the showmatch. While they seem like an easy bet to take home the win, don’t count out their talented opponents.
Most of O2 Blast’s active roster will be throwing down with the Shock for the showmatch, including phenom DPS Chae “Heesang” Hee-sang. Here’s the full list of players who will be squaring up with San Francisco.
- Heesang (DPS)
- Jung “Probe” Jun-young (DPS, in training to join O2 Blast)
- Park “Junbin” Jun-bin (Tank)
- Choi “Max” Su-min (Tank)
- Lee “Aiden” Seung-jun (Support)
- Jeon “Ho1” Ho-won (Support)
Schedule
The showmatch will be aired at 6pm CT on March 11. Though it’s a pre-recorded series—that means no pesky tech interruptions will happen—some trusted faces will be bringing fans through the action. Casters Brennon “Bren” Hook and Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson will return to the Overwatch League side of things after publicly announcing they would likely not be a part of the fifth season.
You can catch all the action on the Shock’s YouTube channel and kick off your weekend right.
