Virtus.pro on the brink headlines this week’s top 10 OWCS stories

Another OWCS week is in the books, and the regular season is entering its final stretch. Japan has crowned its regular season winner, China’s round robin is underway, and the playoff races in Korea, EMEA and North America are going down to the wire.

So, here are the top 10 things that went down across OWCS this week.

Hotfix barely dents the D.Mon and Doctrine meta

The midweek hotfix that targeted the overperformers did very little to shift things around. D.Mon and Doctrine are part of almost every single composition. Sombra, however, has taken a stark nosedive in pick rates after the nerfs to her overall damage and Cyberspace’s cooldown. Zarya is now also in the mix in EMEA, but that may be mostly because D.Va is proving particularly effective in the hands of Saudi tanks Ziyad “ZIYAD” Alkathiri, Abdulaziz “TVNT” Altmimi, and Ahmed “amdp” Balateef.

Virtus.pro on the brink of playoff elimination

Virtus.pro had one of their worst weekends since their 2025 Stage 3 playoffs weekend. They lost back-to-back to 1234 and Team Risk, two teams expected to hold the bottom two places in the standings, and that leaves the Stage 2 champions in an almost impossible situation. VP stand at 1-3 with a single game remaining against Twisted Minds. Twisted Minds continued their warpath this weekend, although they are a far cry from their dominant Stage 1 selves. VP will have to win and hope that Geekay Esports and Team Peps both lose. Highly unlikely.

1234 show up in style with GoldenPants’ new Zarya

1234 looked inspired this weekend, beating Virtus.pro and putting up a competitive performance against Twisted Minds. Harry “GoldenPants” Cawthra debuted a brand new and impressive look on Zarya, giving the team a new dimension heading into the final stretch. 1234's new flex DPS, alvicate, also went viral (despite claims that he always had) with his performance against VP, netting 90 eliminations across four maps (vast majority on Tracer and a very impressive Vendetta). The final week of the EMEA regular season is next, and with every team looking competitive, it’s going to be an exciting end to the season. Tiebreaker shenanigans are almost certainly going to come into play.

Team Liquid rediscover their winning ways

Team Liquid had a very positive match week, defeating both The Kafe and the Dallas Fuel. The two wins put Liquid in the driver’s seat for playoff qualification, with only NTMR and Disguised left to play. Liquid now control their own destiny heading into the final week. Both teams need a win over Liquid to keep their own playoff hopes alive, so Liquid’s results could decide more than one team’s fate.

Disguised rediscover their losing ways

Disguised, on the other hand, rediscovered their form from past stages, losing 3-0 to both NTMR and Spacestation Gaming. They now face almost certain elimination from playoff contention unless they beat Team Liquid next week. NTMR are in a similar spot. They have to win both of their remaining games to secure a playoff spot, but those games come against Team Liquid and Spacestation Gaming, arguably the toughest run-in of any team in North America.

Sweeps galore as Korea’s top four take shape

Over in Korea, sweeps were the norm, as every team (bar one) expected to win did so in dominating 3-0 fashion. With a single week left in the regular season, the top four look mostly set in stone, barring a surprise Team Falcons appearance at the expense of Cheeseburger or T1. The final week will also decide which of the bottom four teams end up on the chopping block, as a ninth-place finish does not come with a Last Chance Qualifier spot.

O2 Blast cancel fan meeting after Poker Face loss

The only non-sweep in Korea this week was the five-map clash between O2 Blast and Poker Face. With the loss, O2’s chances of a Last Chance Qualifier appearance are starting to dwindle. The team cancelled their scheduled fan meeting after the loss to hold an internal meeting, and apologised shortly after. O2 will need results to go their way next week to avoid finishing ninth.

OU Gaming spoil All Gamers’ revenge in China

Coming off the end of the Swiss stage last week, OWCS China kicked off its round robin, with the six remaining teams facing off over three weeks for four regional playoff spots. All Gamers’ only loss of the Swiss stage came against JD Gaming, and they avenged it with a 3-1 victory in the first matchweek. The celebrations were short-lived, however, as OU Gaming upset All Gamers 3-1 on the second day.

Weibo Gaming reverse sweep Huneng Gaming

The undisputed kings of Chinese Overwatch came within a hair’s breadth of an upset of their own. Huneng Gaming put Weibo Gaming on match point before Weibo reverse-swept them for a 3-2 win. Weibo breezed through the Swiss stage with a 3-0 record, so the scare is a sign that the round robin may not be the procession many expected. Huneng, meanwhile, showed they have what it takes to trouble anyone in the region.

VARREL top OWCS Japan as regular season wraps

The Japanese region has officially concluded its 2026 regular season. After four weeks of competition, the top four teams (VARREL, 99DIVINE, MURASH GAMING, and ENTER FORCE.36) are heading to the Stage 3 Regional Playoffs. The top three teams there will go on to the Stage 3 Asia Playoffs for a chance at one of four LAN spots at the World Finals in Guangzhou. Longtime staple VARREL, who finished the regular season 7-0, currently seem like a lock for the top spot, but anything is possible in OWCS.