Los Angeles Valiant are a team no one expects to shine this season, which to some degree holds true for Guangzhou Charge as well. Both sides enter this match with a 0-2 record, but the Valiant hold a slightly better map differential due to their four-map series against Chengdu Hunters (1-3).

LA have not looked as bad as we thought they would, but that doesn’t mean we believe they’re a good team. The Charge are in the same boat, but they have as higher ceiling despite going 0-6 on the season.

We would have sided with the Charge at more appealing odds, but at this price, it makes more sense to take the Valiant with a map handicap.

New York Excelsior looked awful in their 0-3 loss against Chengdu Hunters, but they seemed much improved in their 3-1 win against the Spark. Seoul Dynasty, on the other side, had a solid performance against Guangzhou Charge (3-0) but disappointed in their 1-3 loss against Philadelphia Fusion.

What might make the Dynasty a more appealing pick is that they forced the Fusion to match point on all four maps. However, there is something about their playstyle that leads us to believe this one could end in favour of the Excelsior.

At the offered OWL betting odds, you have to take a shot with the outsiders.

The OWL betting odds suggest this will be an extremely one-sided affair, but we have reason to doubt that. On paper, Hangzhou Spark look extremely weak, but they did not perform too poorly in their bout with Philadelphia Fusion last week.

Even though the Spark lost 1-3, they still took the series lead and held the Fusion to match point on all maps. They followed that up with a very poor showing against New York Excelsior (1-3), so they might not be a very consistent team.

It will all depend on which version of Hangzhou we get here. Shanghai Dragons aren’t as good as last year, so there is a world where the Spark steal at least two maps.

Boston Uprising are priced as -188.68 favourites for this match, which may seem fair, but we weren’t convinced with their recent performances.

Both of these teams faced Los Angeles Gladiators last week, and they both lost 0-3. Boston won four rounds (4-7), whereas London Spitfire won only two (2-7).

Regardless of what those results might suggest, it’s the performances these two sides have shown on the final day of the week that makes us trust the Spitfire more. This could be a close one, but there is no denying London are more consistent.

Florida Mayhem are a weird team. Even though they are winning games (2-0), they are also showing weaknesses – most notably in their 3-1 win against Vancouver Titans.

San Francisco Shock are an entirely different story. They played well in their 2-3 loss against Houston Outlaws, and it was ultimately a poor coaching decision that lost them the game.

Florida might steal one map, but they seem far too shaky for us to believe they can achieve much more. Expect a straightforward win for the reigning OWL champions.

The post OWL May Melee 2021 betting tips & odds – Friday 30/4/2021 appeared first on Esport Bet.

HANGZHOU SPARK vs SEOUL DYNASTY OWL BETTING & MATCH DETAILS

HANGZHOU SPARK vs SEOUL DYNASTY OVERWATCH LEAGUE 2020 BETTING PREVIEW

Hangzhou Spark and Seoul Dynasty will meet this Saturday during the 24th week of Overwatch League (OWL) Season 3 in a rematch of their May Melee quarter-finals bout, where Dynasty came away with a clean sweep.

Seoul Dynasty enter the second-to-last month of the 2020 Overwatch League season following a rather disappointing performance at the Summer Showdown, where Jinmo “tobi” Yang and co. had no issues taking down London Spitfire in the quarter-finals but had to admit defeat to Shanghai Dragons (0-3) in the semi-finals. While it’s hard to be surprised with that loss, fans of the Dynasty will have expected more after their run to the grand finals at the May Melee.

Seoul’s next opponents are Hangzhou Spark, who they have met several times this season, most recently at the May Melee. The Spark won only two rounds out of eight in that series, both in a 2-3 loss on Hybrid, as the Dynasty claimed straightforward wins on Control on Oasis (2-0) and Assault on Temple of Anubis (1-0).

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Despite their poor record against Seoul, Hangzhou Spark have the right to be optimistic for Saturday’s clash since they have enough individual quality on the roster to compete against the likes of Seoul. The addition of 2019 Overwatch League World Cup bronze medalist Minho “Architect” Park in May and Sungjun “QoQ” Yu in June were big moves, but only time will tell if they pay off.

Hangzhou Spark struggled in June, finishing the regular matches with a 1-3 record and 5-11 round differential to sit in sixth place. Their run through the Summer Showdown ended relatively quickly, as they crashed out in round one with a humiliating loss (0-3) to New York Excelsior.

It was much the same in May, when the Spark ended the regular matches with a 2-2 record but lost the aforementioned quarter-final against Seoul Dynasty.

HANGZHOU SPARK vs SEOUL DYNASTY OVERWATCH LEAGUE – JULY 2020 BETTING PREDICTIONS

Even though Seoul Dynasty are the undisputed favourites, they must do their best to control the tempo of the match from the get-go by shutting down Hangzhou Spark early on. The Dynasty have a tendency to be too passive at the start, so they have to avoid that here.

Also working against Seoul are the unfavourable bans. Both Orisa and Ana are out of the rotation, which could be an issue since they have been heavily used in the Korean team’s compositions. On a more positive note, no Widowmaker means they don’t have to worry about the Spark’s long-range threat.

Both sides have problems, but Seoul Dynasty are the better team overall. It would be a surprise if the Spark walked away from this match with anything more than one map, so get on the favourites to cover their handicap.

The post Hangzhou Spark vs Seoul Dynasty betting predictions – OWL 2020 appeared first on Esport Bet.

Since the start of the year, the Chinese esports team have now acquired five new members in a bid to improve on their fourth-place finish in the 2019 Overwatch League.

In January they signed supports Tong “ColdesT” Xiaodong and Liu “M1ka” Jiming from Bilibili Gaming, while former Washington Justice DPS Gi-hyeon “Ado” Chon joined in February.

More changes followed in May, when Jun-Ki “Bazzi” Park retired and was immediately replaced by 2019 Overwatch World Cup bronze medalist Minho “Architect” Park.

Last Thursday, Hangzhou Spark doubled down on their roster rebuild project when they parted ways with Shilong “Krystal” Cai to make room for QoQ. The newest addition replaces Sungwook “Ria” Park, who recently stepped down from active duty due to a wrist injury.

By joining Hangzhou Spark, QoQ is set to make his first appearance in the Overwatch League. The 19-year-old Korean pro began his career in 2016 with IX, before moving to EHOME Spear, MVP Space and RunAway.

During his one-year stint with RunAway, QoQ saw a lot of success with multiple titles in both Overwatch Contenders and NetEase Esports tournaments. He left RunAway in November 2019 and continued his illustrious career with T1, who he helped win Contenders 2020 KR Season 1 – Week 1 and take second place at NetEase Esports X Tournament – Spring 2020.

With all the signings Hangzhou Spark have made so far this year, they are looking like a serious OWL title contenders. They have fixed their DPS issues with the acquisition of Architect and gained one of the best off-tanks with QoQ, who has proven to be very efficient on D.Va and Zarya.

While QoQ seems a perfect fit for Hangzhou Spark, it remains to be seen how much playing time he will get when Ria returns from his medical leave.

The post Hangzhou Spark sign QoQ to Overwatch roster appeared first on Esport Bet.

HANGZHOU SPARK vs SHANGHAI DRAGONS OVERWATCH LEAGUE BETTING & MATCH DETAILS

HANGZHOU SPARK vs SHANGHAI DRAGONS OVERWATCH LEAGUE SEASON 3 BETTING PREVIEW

Hangzhou Spark will look to restore some balance and claim their first win over Shanghai Dragons since last August when the two sides meet in the 2020 Overwatch League season this Sunday.

After a tough start, the Spark secured their first high-profile win last Sunday when they took down Seoul Dynasty 3-0. It was a shock result, seeing how Seoul ran out 3-0 winners when they met a week prior, but there was one big difference in their second meeting – the newly released Overwatch hero Echo.

There have been times this season when the Spark have played too slowly and failed to take advantage of their strengths. That is certainly true of their loss to the Dynasty two weeks back, and of their two 3-0 defeats to Shanghai Dragons this season.

However, it seems like Qiulin “guxue” Xu and co. have found their ace in the hole with Echo. In their rematch with Seoul, everything started to click once Spark DPS Jaehwan “Adora” Kang pulled out the new hero. Echo’s Duplicate was Spark’s catalyst, leading them to a remarkable win against a team that crushed them only a week earlier.

Despite Hangzhou’s sudden surge in form, Shanghai Dragons won’t be too worried about their next bout. Weida “Diya” Lu and his crew have manhandled the Spark twice this season, so they should have the mental edge.

The OWL 2020 ladder highlights the gap in quality between these teams. While Hangzhou are languishing in 13th place with a 5-5 record, Shanghai have won nine of 10 games to sit second behind the 10-1 Philadelphia Fusion.

A closer look at those records shows just how dominant the top two sides have been this season. Seven of Shanghai’s nine wins have come in clean sweeps – a tally bettered only by the Fusion with eight.

HANGZHOU SPARK vs SHANGHAI DRAGONS OVERWATCH LEAGUE SEASON 3 BETTING PREDICTIONS

For anyone wondering how much of an impact a single hero can have on a team’s composition and performance, you just have to look at the Spark’s recent results. Now the biggest question that needs to be answered is: Can the evolutionary robot help them defeat one of the best teams in the competition?

In their previous meetings, Hangzhou looked lost and unorganised. That, however, won’t be the case here, since they have found the final puzzle piece and established a more solid team composition.

If Adora can show up once more and if his team can follow up, who is to say Hangzhou Spark can’t make Shanghai Dragons sweat? While betting against a massive favourite is often risky, the outsiders should prove worthy opponents on this occasion.

The post Hangzhou Spark vs Shanghai Dragons betting tips – OWL 2020 appeared first on Esport Bet.

Hangzhou Spark unveiled the arrival of Ado on Thursday, February 13, in a Twitter announcement that read: “We are delighted to announce Gi-hyeon ‘ADO’ Chon has joined us as projectile DPS! His skill and professionalism impressed us during his 2-month try-out and we believe the OWL veteran will be a great addition to our team!”

Ado started his career as an Overwatch esports pro in April 2017, when he joined South Korean Overwatch Contenders squad MVP Space. He remained with the team until February 2018, when he was acquired by Shanghai Dragons for the inaugural Overwatch League season.

Ado did not see much success with Dragons, who were undisputedly the worst team in the inaugural OWL season. Shanghai failed to win a single game and finished the season in last place with a 0-40 record.

In a bid to rebuild their team and chase better results in Overwatch League Season 2, Shanghai Dragons released the majority of their squad in September 2018. Ado was among the casualties and remained a free agent until December 2018, when he was signed by Washington Justice.

While his venture with Justice was not particularly successful, Ado ended his 36-game losing streak when he picked up his first Overwatch League win on March 17, 2019. Although Washington finished OWL 2019 in 17th place with a 8-20 record, they showed some promise with a fourth-place result in Stage 4.

Ado will now be chasing success at Hangzhou Spark, who finished last season in fourth place after losing to the eventual champions, San Francisco Shock, in the Loser’s Round 3 of the OWL playoffs.

This is but one of several roster changes for Hangzhou heading into the 2020 OWL season. An “Revenge” Hyeong-geun, Daun “NoSmite” Jeong and Shilong “Krystal” Cai have all left the team, with Tong “Coldest” Xiaodong, Liu “M1ka” Jiming and now Ado coming in as replacements.

Hangzhou Spark’s first fixtures of the season were initially planned to take place on February 15, 2020. However, due to coronavirus concerns, all fixtures scheduled to be played in China in February and March have been cancelled.

Due to the changed schedule, Hangzhou Spark will play their first match of the season during Seoul Dynasty’s homestand series on March 7 at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. There, they will face off against the defending champs, San Francisco Shock.

The post Ado joins Hangzhou Spark in Overwatch League appeared first on Esport Bet.

The departure of Revenge was unveiled on Hangzhou’s official Twitter page, where the Chinese Overwatch League team thanked the 21-year-old support for all his hard work and dedication as a player and streamer.

Revenge played for Hangzhou Spark throughout Overwatch League Season 2, where he helped his team claim a third-fourth place finish in stage two playoffs, a fourth-place finish in the regular season and fourth-place finish in OWL S2 playoffs.

Unfortunately, he could not aid Spark in winning their first OWL title, as they had to admit defeat to the eventual champions San Francisco Shock in the third round of the losers’ bracket (0-4).

Revenge’s results with Hangzhou Spark in the OWL S2 playoffs are also his career-best, far surpassing what he achieved with Seven in the Overwatch Contenders league.

That said, Revenge’s departure from the team is not viewed as a shocking move, as he was often benched in favour of Yoon “BeBe” Hui-Chang, who soon became the regular support in the starting lineup alongside Park “iDK” Ho-jin.

The news surfaced on the official end date of all 2019 Overwatch League contracts and was followed by Hangzhou Spark’s announcement on the future of Park “Bazzi” Jun-ki.

In the post, Hangzhou praised Bazzi for his contribution to the team and his excellent performances in the 2019 Overwatch esports season, where he finished ranked eighth in eliminations per 10 minutes (15.82) and 15th in least deaths per 10 minutes (5.85).

Bazzi is signed as a two-way player for Hangzhou Spark and their academy team Bilibili, meaning he can compete in both Contenders and Overwatch League as long as he and his team follow the league rules, which state:

“The designated two-way players will lose their Contenders eligibility for a 60-day period if they appear in more than two Overwatch League matches within any 30-day period.”

Unlike most other Overwatch teams, Hangzhou Spark have kept most of their old roster intact, with Revenge being the first player to leave the team this offseason.

Spark also announced in October the departure of their assistant coach Han “Sup7eme” Seung-jun, who left to take up a development coaching role at Washington Justice.

The Hangzhou Spark roster for the 2020 OWL season will look as follows:

Tank: Qiulin “guxue” Xu, Daun “NoSmMite”Jeong, Sungwook “Ria” Park

DPS: Jaehwan “Adora” Kang, Kyeongbo “GodsB” Kim, Park “Bazzi” Jun-ki

Support: Park “iDK” Ho-jin, Yoon “BeBe” Hui-Chang

Flex: Sanghyun “SASIN” Song

The post Hangzhou Spark part ways with Revenge and re-sign Bazzi appeared first on Esport Bet.

Every match is now a must-win for the teams on the low road, as a single defeat results in elimination from the competition.

With a lot on the line and high expectations put on both sides, we are in for an exciting fixture between two well-matched teams.

Atlanta Reign

-138.89 at BetOnline

Following Atlanta Reign’s painful defeat in the OWL semi-finals against New York Excelsior, the upcoming fixture will be their shot at redemption.

Atlanta have performed well throughout the season, but we can’t help but wonder whether they still have enough strength to push through and go deeper into playoffs.

Despite those doubts, we can’t deny Atlanta looked mighty strong against New York on each map they player, which does make us believe they have enough quality to finish the season on a high.

Hangzhou Spark

+100 at BetOnline

Hangzhou Spark earned their spot in round two of the lower bracket by demolishing Seoul Dynasty in game one (4-1) and will now look to repeat that impressive performance against Atlanta Reign.

SEE ALSO: LA GLADIATORS vs SAN FRANCISCO SHOCK BETTING TIPS

While win over Dynasty looks fairly good and gives some morale boost ahead of their fixture against Atlanta, we have to remember Hangzhou lost to LA Gladiators 3-4 in the quarter-finals two days prior.

To say the Spark have failed to light a fire this postseason would be an understatement, yet they have made many fans proud by coming this far.

Atlanta Reign vs Hangzhou Spark betting predictions

Hangzhou Spark will enter the Thursday’s fixture with high hopes they can derail Atlanta Reign, which might be easier said than done.

The two sides met each other in stage four of OWL season 2, when Atlanta convincingly won 3-1 to secure a perfect 7-0 score on the standings. That result might not be a very good indicator of which team is stronger overall, yet it’s a solid indicator of which teams has an advantage here.

On the paper, the fixture seems fairly one-sided, with Atlanta emerging as clear favourites. That being said, Spark could prove to be a tough nut to crack if their star player Jun-Ki “Bazzi” Park performs up to par.

All things considered, Atlanta Reign are a stronger side and while we do believe they will encounter some resistance, which will make this fixture more entertaining, when push comes to shove, Reign should come out on top.

Atlanta Reign to win – -138.89 at BetOnline

The post Atlanta Reign vs Hangzhou Spark betting tips, odds & predictions appeared first on Esport Bet.

The Overwatch League Season 2 playoffs will commence this Thursday when Vancouver Titans take on Seoul Dynasty, but it is the clash between Hangzhou Spark and Los Angeles Gladiators a few hours later that promises to grab the spotlight.

Featuring the fourth and fifth seeds from the regular season, this is a fascinating fixture between two evenly matched teams and should not be missed.

Hangzhou Spark

-140.85 at BetOnline

Hangzhou Spark have produced remarkable results this season, which earned them a very solid fourth spot at the season end.

The problem, however, is that the bulk of their strong performances came from the middle of the season, whereas, their results towards the end of the regular season were mediocre at most.

SEE ALSO: OVERWATCH BETTING SITES

A lot of their success in the playoffs will come down to how well their star player Kyeong-bo “GodsB” Kim will perform.

GodsB can singlehandedly win a game for his team when he performs up to par. On the other side, if he underperforms, Spark usually struggle even against weaker opponents.

Los Angeles Gladiators

+106 at BetOnline

LA Gladiators have been very consistent throughout the season, to the point where, they almost always lost to teams above them in the standings and almost always defeated the teams below them.

With overall solid results this season, it should not come off as a surprise LA Gladiators found their way into the playoffs, yet there are concerns about how far can the team go.

Much like in the case of Sparks, LA Gladiators’ results will come down to the performance of their star players.

Lane “Surefour” Roberts and Junwoo “Void” Kang have been the driving force behind their team in season two and should they be on top of their game, we could imagine Gladiators go deep into playoffs.

Spark vs Gladiators betting predictions

There was very little to separate the two teams this season, which becomes rather obvious considering they finished fourth (Spark) and fifth (Gladiators) on the standings, separated by only one win.

Last time Gladiators and Spark meet was in week four of stage four fixtures when it was Spark who came out ahead 3-2, which is also why the Chinese team are considered the favourites to defeat Gladiators here.

Despite entering the fixture as the favourites, Spark could struggle against Gladiators, if both Sufefour and Void perform up to par.

With that in mind, this fixture seems like it can go either way, especially considering Gladiators are known to keep most of their matches close.

We expect LA Gladiators to push Spark to the limits on Thursday, meaning we are in for a long and exciting fixture. We also can’t exclude the possibility of Gladiators coming out on top and avenging their defeat from mid-August. Two bets for this match.

LA Gladiators +1.5 – -175.44 at BetOnline

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