📝 Geekay's first true test: OWCS NA Stage 3, Week 5 Preview

A tepid Week 4 makes way for a more competitive Week 5. With only two weeks of the regular season remaining, all is still to play for at the top, where Geekay, Spacestation Gaming, and Team Liquid are all still in with a chance of taking the top seed.

NTMR are favourites for the fourth spot with the most favourable final fixtures, but below them, it's anyone's game (Except the DhillDucks) to secure the final two playoff births. If you missed any of last week's action, you can read all about it in the Week 4 summary.

NA Week 5 - Day 1 (October 4, 2025)

Sakura Esports vs Team Z

This matchup will be important for what it reveals about the middle-of-the-pack teams. With Team Liquid, Spacestation Gaming, Geekay Esports, and NTMR forming the top 4 (in no particular order) and the DhillDucks comfortable at the bottom, whoever wins this game will likely be seen as the “best of the rest”. As such, both teams will surely be eager to get the win and prove that they’re here to stay.

The tank matchup between these two teams will be crucial. On the one hand, Sakura tank Alexander “Zeb” Shepard has shown us a lot of Zarya. On the other, we have Colin “Astro” Czulinski for Team Z, who has played a lot of the Hazard and Wrecking Ball where possible. It will be crucial to observe how these two players interact and play around each other, as gaining the upper hand in the tank matchup will prove crucial in determining who will emerge victorious in this match.

Besides the tank matchup, both teams have tended to opt for similar heroes in their recent games, showing how they both want to lean into Kirko, Lucio, and Tracer to form the core of their comps. There tends to be a slight deviation in the other DPS hero in play, with Devin “peace” Vasquez leaning more into the Genji for the side of Team Z and Carson “pdk” Terry showing a lot more Cassidy and Reaper for Sakura. It will be interesting to see how this matchup unfolds and if the dive of Team Z or the Zarya brawl of Sakura will be victorious.

Game of the Week: Geekay Esports vs Team Liquid

Fantasy heads rejoice! Two undefeated titans clash in what has the potential to be the best game of the season, let alone the week. Team Liquid has defeated all other top contenders in Spacestation Gaming and NTMR, whereas Geekay Esports are currently cruising with a flawless record, having lost zero maps.

Benjamin “UltraViolet” David is quickly proving to be the best Wuyang player in North America, and if he can show dominance against his biggest contender to the title, Diego “Vega” Moran, he will solidify himself as the king of the hero within the region. In fact, this matchup will be extremely interesting as we see Geekay’s innovative Lucio Wuyang comp come against Elliot “TR33” Chu and Xavier “zeruhh” Zambrano, the best double flex DPS lineup in the region.

Both teams are clearly comfortable playing these fast style Ball/Wuyang compositions that we are seeing a lot at the moment, but if there’s something we know about Geekay, it's that they’re more than comfortable pivoting to unconventional composition if they think it gives them an advantage (just think back to their lifeweaver comps last stage!). As such, this matchup has the potential to surprise us, leaving us with a big question: Will Geekay square up in the mirror, or will they innovate the game yet again?

Extinction vs Spacestation Gaming

Another week, another hard game for the Extinction squad. After last Saturday’s loss to Geekay, this team finds themselves facing another one of North America’s most formidable opponents in Spacestation Gaming.

While the result is likely to skew heavily in Spacestation’s favor, this could be the opportunity for Extinction to truly experiment with their lineup, and possibly utilize new emergency player Stevie "sniper" Rivera. While Coraline “Hitori” Engler has been a solid option on the tank herself, sniper could help bring much-needed off-tank options to the lineup.

For Spacestation, while this is likely to be another win under their belts, this is the chance to truly hone their compositions and define what their style will be as we inch closer towards the playoffs. While last Sunday’s game against the DhillDucks was entertaining, facing a more structured squad like Extinction is the perfect time to get in a few more reps on Kamden “Sugarfree” Hijada’s Symmetra.

NA Week 5 - Day 2 (October 5, 2025)

NTMR vs Team Z

After their dominant sweep against Sakura, NTMR has made a clear statement: the top four in North America are in a tier of their own. This squad is looking to end Stage 3 on a high note, recovering after disappointing losses against Liquid, Spacestation, and Geekay.

Team Z, on the other hand, are coming off a lopsided loss to Team Liquid last Sunday. At the start of the stage, Devin “peace” Vasquez and Ryan "ryan" Lawless looked to be a serviceable mid-table DPS duo capable of keeping games close and competitive. But after losing to all previous opponents apart from the DhillDucks, their chances against a revitalized NTMR appear slim.

Still, NTMR is not quite on the same level as Team Liquid, and upsets are always possible in Overwatch. That said, Team Z will need to lock in hard against a squad that seems to be back on their A-game.

Geekay Esports vs DhillDucks

In what is most likely to be the silliest game of the week, the currently undefeated Geekay Esports takes on the winless DhillDucks. From a pure competitive standpoint, there is very little reason to expect the Ducks to take down the squad who has yet to drop a single map this stage.

But if the game against Spacestation Gaming is any indication, the DhillDucks are not ones to shy away from playing in the mud. Creative compositions are this team’s bread and butter, and they will execute them to find even the slightest opportunity to throw their opponent off balance.

The only question that remains: will Geekay meet the Ducks on their terms, or will they simply play to win? Either way, don’t be surprised if the DhillDucks are singing pop songs in the comms as they dive headfirst into battle.