Hawk returns and NTMR concerns: OWCS NA regular season week 1 summary
Week 1 of the Overwatch Champions Series Stage 3 has wrapped up, and the region has shown an interesting transformation early on. With a new host of roster changes and a new patch, this week has given us a taste of what’s to come for the bookend of 2025.
Game of the week: NTMR vs Spacestation Gaming
“Every match we give 100%, no matter who the opponent is.” - Joseph "Lep" Cambriani
The headline Match of the Week in North America took place on Sunday, Sept. 7. While it may have been the final match of the day, it certainly didn’t disappoint. Heading into this match, both rosters had essentially traded core players. DPS Alex "seeker" Taylor and support Ryan "squid" Ruffell were dropped from Spacestation and picked up by NTMR, while Joseph "Lep" Cambriani and Rocco "Kronik" Iacobacci were signed by SSG from NTMR. This match wasn’t just about standings— it was an early litmus test for how both teams' campaigns for Stockholm would fare.
This match wasted no time getting explosive and exciting. NTMR holds a unique advantage with two tank players who complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses—while Spacestation relies on a single elite tank in Xander “Hawk” Domecq, who notably lacks meta-defining picks like Winston and Wrecking Ball. NTMR aimed to exploit this throughout their match by rolling out Michael "RhynO" Willoughby on his signature Wrecking Ball, using superior mobility to pressure Spacestation’s backline and expose gaps in Hawk’s off-tank hero pool.
But Hawk utilised Zarya, D.Va and Hazard to prove he was more than up to the challenge. He matched RhynO’s tempo and anchored SSG’s defence, forcing NTMR to either adapt their playstyle mid-map or swap out RhynO for their secondary tank player. On maps like King’s Row, Hawk went head-to-head with Ryan "Painkiller" Cooper in the Zarya mirrors—engaging as the better of the two and justifying why Spacestation put their trust in Hawk to lead them in high-pressure moments.
Cjay gets a clutch 4K that ends NTMR’s push on New Queen Street
While NTMR’s DPS duo held their own —especially on Tracer-Reaper comps—SSG’s DPS rotation became a game-changer. Kronik, Scissors, and Kamden "Sugarfree" Hijada rotated seamlessly, providing flexibility that all paid off. Sugarfree, in particular, demonstrated exceptional performances on his trademark Tracer, often outdueling both Seeker and Julian "Rokit" Pizana. This dominant pressure on the DPS line also allowed him to be a massive menace against NTMR’s support line, as both Luke "Lukemino" Fish and Ryan "squid" Ruffell struggled to contest Sugarfree.
While Hawk and Sugarfree gained a lot of the plaudits for this result. Cjay’s 4 kill highlight at the end of New Queen Street to seal the map was a pivotal moment. Giving Spacestation the lead in the series and beating NTMR on a strong Wrecking Ball map.
The match reached a climax in the final five-point brawl on Suravasa. Despite NTMR nearly reversing the map with a bit of help from a Spacestation C9, Spacestation was ultimately able to make the crucial swap to Mauga and secured the map and series win, closing it out 3-1.
This match between two of North America’s strongest teams delivered on all fronts. Sugarfree continues to justify why he was ordained with the nickname “Sugarbron,” and Hawk dispelled any doubts about his return to OWCS after a break from competition. With fire in their eyes, Spacestation Gaming sets their sights towards the rest of North America —and beyond to the international sphere. For NTMR, however, two losses in Week 1 push them deeper into the standings and raise concerns about whether they can repeat their previous highs.
Player of the week: Xander "Hawk" Domecq from Spacestation Gaming
While explosive DPS plays and standout Wuyang performances garnered much attention this week, one veteran tank player stood out against the rest—Hawk.
Returning to top-tier competition after a noticeable break, Xander “Hawk” Domecq hasn’t missed a step. Any lingering doubts from the community about his readiness for the OWCS competition have been put to rest. This performance against NTMR wasn’t just a comeback—it was a statement.
Whether facing relentless pressure from enemy Wrecking Balls or absorbing constant fire from Wuyang Tidal Blasts, Hawk delivered world-class performances on his signature Zarya and D.Va picks, even showing a strong new addition with Hazard. He consistently outperformed some of North America’s most promising up-and-coming tank talent, anchoring Spacestation with elegance and rigidity.
His Zarya play, in particular, may shape the meta moving forward. In a region short of off-tank players, Hawk’s ability on these heroes gives Spacestation a unique approach that other teams will struggle to match.
With a dominant performance across many heroes and a critical role in Spacestation’s 2-0 start to the season, OWTV is proud to name Xander “Hawk” Domecq as this week’s Player of the Week.
Meta summary: Reaper fades in, and Wuyang makes his splash
Stage 3 coincided with the introduction of the Season 18 balance changes, which meant characters that previously dominated the meta last stage are now much weaker.
Since the armour bug was patched — along with several nerfs to his own armour and a new one-second cooldown on his block — Ramattra went from dominating the meta to now being one of the weakest tank choices. In his place, Winston, Wrecking Ball, and D.Va have seen massive jumps in playtime, a trend amplified by the introduction of Overwatch’s newest support hero, Wuyang.
Most interestingly, in North America specifically, there’s been a noticeable uptick in Zarya playtime, as evidenced by NTMR and Spacestation Gaming, both of which have players specialising in former off-tank heroes.
Hitscans like Sojourn and Cassidy also saw impactful HP adjustments, resulting in less playtime when OWCS Stage 3 kicked off in Korea. That trend continued when the stage began in North America this weekend. However, while overseas teams gravitated towards the classic Genji-Tracer combo, players here found great use with Reaper-Tracer and relied less on Genji.
Reaper hasn’t been meta since the 2024 World Finals in Stockholm, but he did receive some perk tweaks to his Shadow Step, letting him manoeuvre around small sections of the map faster. Notably, this pick counters tank players who choose Wrecking Ball and Winston, prompting some players to swap over to Zarya to better synergise against and with Reaper.
Of course, the star of the show is the newest support hero Wuyang. Wuyang falls into the same support classification as Juno — blurring the lines between the traditional main and flex support characters. This new water-based hero has seen playtime alongside Lucio on smaller maps, while being more prevalent combined with Ana and Kiriko.
Results summary: Spacestation soars, NTMR falls
NTMR 1 - 3 Team Liquid
“Watching the Korea games, Crazy Raccoon pulling out the Ball-Genji-Tracer, that just fits us perfectly. We’re the only team in [North America] that can do it.” -Boston "Infekted" Fine
The first match of Stage 3 kicked off with a heated clash between the 2nd and 3rd seeded teams from Stage 2, setting an intense tone right out of the gate. NTMR entered the match with many questions—notably how their retooled roster would fare against such a heavy titan in the region.
Although they started off with a strong win on Illios, NTMR couldn’t punch through the competition as they had in the last stage. The team also seemed lost in their execution of the meta, constantly swapping between their tank and support players from map to map and not really leaving a consistent lineup. Some credit needs to be given to Michael "RhynO" Willoughby, who, after spending the majority of Stage 2 on the bench, has appeared to be the real bright spot for NTMR.
The highlight player of this match was Boston “Infekted” Fine, who utilised his signature Wrecking Ball to give Team Liquid the edge over RhynO and NTMR. There had been speculation that Team Liquid would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Season 18 patch—and this match certainly supported that. This team was very fluid in both executions of their compositions and the variety of them, consistently showing dominant performances across different heroes and meta picks.
Not only did this team excel in executing the Ball-Genji-Tracer compositions, but their star support player, Diego "Vega" Moran also delivered a standout performance on the Wuyang, consistently shutting down NTMR and helping secure the win 3-1. This match delivered on the excitement and intensity, but it highlighted a clear difference in strength and cohesion between NTMR and Liquid.
Sakura Esports 0 - 3 Spacestation Gaming
“Right now, our comforts fit the meta kinda perfectly.” - Christopher "Cjay" Smith
Sakura Esports retooled their roster to help them punch their way up towards the competition. While the newest additions—“xomba” and Carson “pdk” Terry — showed flashes of strong DPS play, the team ultimately remains outgunned on the battlefield.
Some credit does go to the DPS duo, as well as Alexander "Zeb" Shepard, who delivered a serviceable performance on Zarya. Still, Sakura has plenty of work ahead if they hope to secure a win against a top-tier opponent like Spacestation Gaming.
Spacestation Gaming, on the other hand, quickly demonstrated why their late-season roster changes were worth the gamble. Substitute DPS player Alejandro "scissors" Léon hadn’t seen significant OWCS playtime since 2024 with NRG Shock, but when meta shifts brought his comfort picks back into relevance, he played as if he hadn’t missed a step. His standout Reaper play showed exactly why Spacestation brought him off the bench and into the starting DPS line.
The newest addition to the DPS line, Rocco "Kronik" Iacobacci, also put in a strong performance. However, the team seemed to hold back some of their strategies when they subbed him in on Esperança, using him primarily to play the Bastion—adding a comedic spin to the meta while helping secure the match victory.
Another big question for SSG was the recent addition of former Atlanta Reign and M80 tank player Xander "Hawk" Domecq. Like scissors, Hawk hadn’t played in OWCS since 2024 — but his performance against Sakura proved he was still in top form. His dominant Zarya play helped power Spacestation to a clean 3-0 sweep over Sakura.
DhillDucks 0 - 3 Extinction
“STATIC AND FAN NOISES.” - Noah "alba" McTavish
The fan-favourite DhillDucks may have lost their star player pdk to Sakura Esports, but the team still showed clear improvements following their stint in the Promotion/Relegation tournament.
Antony “Karmez” Luna returned to the DPS line after helping manage the team last stage, and his presence was a welcome boost. Tank player Jackson “baz” Parker also delivered a solid performance on Hazard and Doomfist on Aatlis, and Brad “FrothyFilly7” Husk even showed off his signature Moira pick.
Although their performance on Flashpoint showed a step forward in gameplay, the Ducks were unable to secure a map win and suffered a reverse sweep on Aatlis. While they undoubtedly look more coordinated and improved compared to the last stage, they still have a long road ahead before they can secure a match victory at the highest level of competition.
Extinction tank player Coraline "Hitori" Engler said in a pre-match interview that her team would sweep the Ducks 3-0—and she didn’t misspeak. Despite having to retool their roster after losing two of their core members, their newest additions proved to be worthy pickups.
DPS duo Rene "k1ng" Rangel and Landon "Vision" Monteferrante leaned on their existing synergy from the 2024 Luminosity Gaming roster, delivering strong performances across a variety of DPS heroes. A special shoutout goes to the recent addition Noah "alba" McTavish. While his microphone leads something to be desired in interviews, his performance on the newest support hero Wuyang certainly did not. alba expertly coordinated with the DPS line and Hitori to secure a dominant 3-0 win over the Ducks.
Geekay Esports 3 - 0 Team Z
“[North America] is not really our focus. Our focus is to compete with the best, and the best is outside of NA.” - Riley "cuFFa" Brown
Although Team Z maintained their position in North America after winning the Promotion/Relegation Tournament, it would take a Herculean effort to topple the current defending champion of North America. DPS duo Devin “peace” Vasquez and Ryan "ryan" Lawless showed serviceable performances, however, they couldn’t secure more than a single flashpoint submap against Geekay Esports.
Some concerns also surfaced as recent additions, Valerie "cinnabar" Aseoche from Sakura Esports and Deitrick "Hanbei" Radford from Dreamland struggled to keep pace with Geekay’s support duo. Team Z struggled both running and countering the Wuyang-Lucio backline, often resorting to the more comfortable Lucio-Kirko. Even on their comfort composition, they were outmatched and couldn't make Geekay sweat. Although, to their credit, this team is not expected to be at the same calibre as Geekay.
Tank player Riley "cuFFa" Brown said in the post-match interview that their sights aren’t set on North America—Geekay Esports is focused on international competition. Their gameplay against Team Z backed that up, as Geekay cruised through the match without breaking a sweat.
While there were question marks around the Geekay lineup and their ability to thrive with the balance changes, cuFFa’s performance on Wrecking Ball, combined with Benjamin "UltraViolet" David’s breakout performance on Wuyang, answers some of those questions. It will be a while before this team is faced with a real challenge— their schedule remains relatively tame until their match against NTMR on Sept. 20.