📝 OWCS Japan Stage 1 week 1 review

With the start of the OWCS Japan on March 16th, the Overwatch Champions Series is officially back in full swing. Japan becomes the first region to see true, unforced gameplay of the five new heroes, along with a myriad of other gameplay, map, and meta shifts that have arrived with them.

As a region, Japan made some major strides last season. VARREL became the first Japanese team to qualify for an international major and win a match in a LAN. OWCS Japan Stage 1 will run from March 16 to April 14, with the top three teams qualifying for the OWCS Asia Stage 1 Championship for a chance to qualify for the OWCS Champions Clash in Tokyo.

Game of the week: TOKYO TAIYOs vs. Nyam Gaming

Even though the competition had just started, this game certainly held some early stakes. Both of these teams came into the season with well-constructed rosters and a mix of veteran Korean talent and OWCS Japan experience. The TOKYO TAIYOs came into this game after getting routed by VARREL. That being said, the roster consists of former OWL talent in Lee “ans” Seon-chang and Sean “ta1yo” Henderson, who were DPS partners on the 2021 San Francisco Shock. To fill out the roster, Rrmy came in as a third DPS, Kim “PEPPI” Noah is in on tank (this is now his fourth different region in four stages), with Ukihasu "Mihawk" Sho and Takumi "epic" Ohta rounding out the support line. Important to note, this team is a streamer powerhouse, as four of the players on this roster are full-time content creators (ans - VARREL, Mihawk - VARREL, ta1yo - ZETA DIVISION, and Rrmy -REJECT).

For Nyam Gaming, this is nearly a full roster rebuild from their previous rosters, with the exceptions of Sagesaka "orca" Mitsuki, who made his debut with the organization in Stage 3 last year, and Korean import Park "Roxy" Si-heon on tank. Nyam’s roster features a stacked Japanese DPS duo of Shiono "Daisy" Hiromu and Shunsei "Undersea" Fujii, and former VARREL support making his return to competitive play, Shiono "Daisy" Hiromu. For their final imports, Nyam added Kim "APDO" Min-soo. This event is APDO’s first as a starter since Overwatch Contenders 2020: The Gauntlet: Asia, where he played for WGS Phoenix (under the name ACE). These rosters are expected to perform well in the tournament, so these games could factor into seeding tiebreakers by the end of the regular season.

Nyam started the game off by banning PEPPI’s signature Sigma and sent Map 1 to Lijiang Tower. The game opened with a thrilling 99%-99% on Night Market. TT came out the gate with an interesting Bastion/Sym/Ram composition, with a Lúcio/Baptiste backline for speed and brawling power. Nyam had similar strengths, with Roxy on Zarya and APDO on Vendetta. When round two forced TT to play inside on Control Center, ta1yo’s teleports lost most of their value. ans’s Bastion did prove to find value by wanting Roxy’s Zarya, and it allowed TT to push round two to a final score 95%-100%. Despite the 0-2 scoreline, Map 1 was very close, and Nyam held on to take an early lead.

TOKYO TAIYOs wanted to play to their strengths on Map 2 and took the match to Havana. The large sightlines would play directly into ans’s strength as a sniper with incredible accuracy. To double down on this, TT banned Daisy's Emre (and protected ans’s Widowmaker). They would also sub the titular ta1yo out for Rrmy. who had more flexibility and OWCS experience. Unfortunately for TOKYO TAIYOs, this modern era of Overwatch is very different from 2021, and a Widowmaker simply does not have the carry potential she used to have. Daisy quickly switched off the Widowmaker mirror, and Nyam started to roll on the attack. They finished with a full cap and 3:32 in the timebank, an extremely impressive feat. They followed up this attack with a stalwart defence, and TT failed to claim a single point. Any pick that ans could muster was easily traded out, either by a grade snipe by Daisy’s railgun or a swift dive by APDO’s sword. Nyam Gaming took Havana 0-3, putting them on match point.

With TOKYO TAIYOs forced onto match point, they decided to use their bans for counter-play, eliminating Roxy’s Zarya and picking Aatlis. Nyam struggled on Aatlis against ENTER FORCE.36, and it was clear that TT watched the VODs. Nyam banned Symmetra to amend the mistakes of their previous game (E36 ran circles around them with smart teleport plays the previous day). Unfortunately, they banned the wrong DPS. The real threat they should have worried about was ans on Cassidy. Once TT got out of the tight-knit station flashpoint, ans was able to re-ignite his prime 2021 form, taking over the lobby with headshot after headshot. Rrmy pulled out a rare Mei sighting to complement the brawl comp, and epic’s Lúcio played ferryman. Together, this comp from TOKYO TAIYOs showed that they are more than just streamers playing for fun and can be a legitimate force to be reckoned with. After a 3-1 win for TT, the ball was now in Nyam’s court.

The fourth map started with Nyam rectifying their mistakes, and ripping Cassidy away from ans. They also chose Numbani, a map with so much high ground that it makes Rrmy’s Mei nowhere near as effective. Roxy stuck with the D.Va he ran the previous map, and Daisy took alternate high grounds to hold strong angles, going 18-1 on the defense. Interestingly, mint ran Mizuki the entire map and found great value poking with the Spirit Glaive. Nyam was able to mount a very successful defense, holding TT to only claiming 91.5% of the first point. Nyam’s attack had them pull out the same comp, and TT attempted to respond with a similar poke-oriented composition, running Ashe/Sigma/Illari. It was all for nothing, as Nyam was able to charge ultimates faster and use the raw power to force themselves onto the point. All in all, Nyam Gaming won Numbani 0-1, and took the series 1-3. This game, while not a five-map affair, was a great view into the intricacies of OWCS Japan. Every team has some very interesting players, whether it’s former OWL veterans in ans and ta1yo, players five years into retirement in APDO, or rookies looking to break out into the wider scene, such as orca. To the layman, this game looks like a regular 3-1, but looking deeper showcases the beauty of Overwatch, and a perfect microcosm of why OWCS Japan - and OWCS as a whole has been so exciting to follow.

Player of the week: APDO

APDO wins the inaugural honors as OWCS Japan’s player of the week for one shining reason: Incredibly consistent Vendetta gameplay despite over five full years away from the professional scene. When Nyam Gaming announced their roster for Stage 1, the general assumption was that Daisy and Undersea would be the DPS duo, and APDO would be an option for flexibility/emergency substitution. That expectation was shattered when APDO entered the lobby against ENTER FORCE.36 at the start of the week.

Despite the loss, APDO was a shining light on Tracer, and especially Vendetta. He was able to take over fights on Aatlis and was a large part of how Nyam recorded their only point of the series. (APDO Highlights vs. E36). APDO’s real breakout was the final game of the week, TOKYO TAIYOs vs. Nyam Gaming. This game was broken down into much more depth above, but the takeaway is clear: when APDO is given freedom, he can and will take over the lobby. With no Vendetta ban coming out from TT, APDO was able to feast in the frontline. There were multiple fights where APDO would dive in, kill multiple, and escape with his life. If this is the level of play we can expect from APDO, then Nyam Gaming can make some noise come the playoffs. (APDO Highlights vs. TT)

Hero ban and map picks report

Data sourced from: OWCS 2026 Hero Bans / Metas

With OWCS Japan being the first tournament of this new season, it's hard to know what the data means yet. As the season goes on, we can use this data to see what teams and regions favor which maps. That being said, the 20 maps of Overwatch played this week can be used to parse some key takeaways:

• Least important first, that one map of Numbani will be the only game held prior to the map getting some light changes in the aftermath of the Conquest in-game event. Future games played on Numbani will feature the citizens of Numbani celebrating Overwatch’s heroes with confetti, fireworks, and new banners.
• Aatlis was the only Flashpoint map picked, which is very odd. Normally, Suravasa dominates the flashpoint gamemode, and Aatlis went unpicked in the OWCS Bootcamp (New Junk City was picked four times, and Suravasa was out of the map pool). Maybe teams have finally started to adjust to Aatlis’s addition, eight months after its release.
• The Talon-destroyed Watchpoint: Gibraltar was the escort of choice, while teams experimented with various different hitscan-focused comps. The only Havana was picked by TOKYO TAIYOs in an effort to get ans on Widowmaker.
• Finally, Control and Push show a very healthy split, although with an incredibly small sample size.

Similar to what's mentioned above, there were only 40 heroes banned this week, and that limited sample size will make it hard to make any definite conclusions. Once again, as the season goes on, we can use this data to see what teams and regions favor banning certain heroes. Some key takeaways from Japan’s week 1 dataset:

• Vendetta… Despite the recent nerfs, she is still a very easy ban target for teams. She was the highest-banned hero during the OWCS Bootcamp, and that trend is seemingly continuing during the regular season
• Support continues to be the highest-banned role, with nearly 13 total bans - and more shockingly, 9 unique bans.
• Jetpack Cat’s two bans were both targeted, one against Kim "Sley" Jae-hwan (VAREEL) and the other against Mitsutoshi "Supreme" Sato (99DIVINE).
• Despite the general consensus of D.Va domination, the bans were relatively light. She does lead the tank role, but not by much. This could be due to many of Japan’s tanks being comfortable on D.Va, or maybe no one wants to ban the gamer girl.
• Finally, Emre’s use in pro-play is interesting, as he was very absent in the OWCS Bootcamp outside of mandatory maps. His recent damage buff has thrust him into the limelight, and we’ll see how teams adjust to another new hero hitting the meta.

Week 1 match summaries

Please Not Hero Ban 3 - 2 Telomere

Please Not Hero Ban made waves last year running a revolutionary Torbjörn/Symmetra/Wrecking Ball composition. While the initial aura of that team is gone, this iteration of the roster still has a little bit of that swagger with Lee "Soae" Chae-woo hard-forcing Symmetra every map. Ky0n put on a highlight reel this match, proving why he deserves a spot in the OWWC Japan trials, and homerunball’s flexibility on tank made it hard for Telomere to adapt.

Speaking of Telomere, their limited flexibility - notably Keisuke "Leonopteryx" Yamamoto with his Winston/Reinhardt/Sigma hero pool made it hard for them to get anything done. pav2l was flashy at moments, and does give some hope for what could be a long season ahead.

ENTER FORCE.36 3 - 1 Nyam Gaming

ENTER FORCE.36 came out swinging in their first-ever matchup. This org put Japan on watch by signing the core from the REJECT 2nd-place roster and adding Lee "Heesung" Hee-sung on tank. Alongside Kim "Edison" Tae-hoon, the Korean imports showed why this team will be a force to be reckoned with, and the overall flexibility of this roster will shine wondrously throughout the season.

As for Nyam Gaming’s opening match, it is clear there is still a bit of work to be done. The team has the players to make greatness (specifically the Daisy / Undersea / APDO DPS line), but the team coordination is lacking, and this is an easy weakness to exploit. As these players get more comfortable together, I can see this roster becoming a dark house, but the pieces still need to be put together.

TOKYO TAIYOs 0 - 3 VARREL

VARREL is VARREL. For anyone questioning why VARREL got invited to the OWCS Bootcamp despite not being a partner team, this is why. Picking off right where they left off last year, VARREL look to claim their fourth straight Japanese Title (they’ve won four out of five stages). These players are very comfortable with each other, and it showed in the lobby. Sley was target-banned for his Jetpack Cat dominance, and Tomoharu "KSG" Inoue was putting on his best TVNT impression on D.Va.

TOKYO TAIYOs, being both a brand-new team and one made up of former OWL talent and Japanese streamers, looked lost out there. That is to be expected when going up against VARREL, but it is clear this team will need to push hard if they want to make it to the playoffs. Hopefully, they look better as the competition gets easier.

Lazuli 0 - 3 99DIVINE

99DIVINE kicked off Day 2 of OWCS Japan with a dominating performance. Ichiro "ICHI” left his staple Wrecking Ball for D.Va, and looked like a natural. Lee "SORI" Jin-uk was cracked on the Emre and Cassidy, earning him a well-deserved Player of the Match. There are still questions about how 99DIVINE can perform against high-quality opponents, but this was a great start to the season.

Lazuli did not inspire confidence in their debut. Kim "DOX" Jun-seo was insistent on running Doomfist for the first two maps, and Mizuki was a mandatory pick, even when Yuto "NHZ" Yagami was swapped out for umi. umi and smash are rookies running the support line, so their inexperience could contribute to the odd team comps. Overall, this Lazuli roster will need time to get accustomed to the level of play in OWCS, and hopefully that will help avoid getting 0.00 meters on push.

Please Not Hero Ban 0 - 3 VARREL

The battle of the two undefeated teams from day 1, this game was much closer than the scoreline suggests. Specifically, Map 2, Esperança, was an amazing map to behold, where the teams traded blows in what ended up being an incredibly close push map (142.41 - 131.18 for VARREL). That being said, VARREL made the necessary adaptations and scored another 3-0 victory. Despite the loss, Please Not Hero Ban showed a lot of good signs, and now have their hardest match out of the way. This match featured a lot of Mizuki and Jetpack Cat, so if you are a fan of the newest support heroes, this is the match for you.

With week one in the books, every team got to go out and put on a show. Looking at the overall standings, there aren't many shocking moves just yet. VARREL is in their expected number one spot, yet to drop a map. ENTER FORCE.36 is sitting pretty in second, understandable after taking the core of REJECT’s 2nd place team. TOKYO TAIYOs got a rough shake of the schedule, playing two of the hardest teams first. As for the middle of the pack, expect a lot of movement as the season goes on. Looking at next week's games, Lazuli has a chance to earn some clean wins, and 99DIVINE will get to show their true power level against a more varied set of opponents.

It's great to be back. We have nearly nine full months of incredibly professional Overwatch before the World Finals culminates in China, and I cannot wait to see what this year has in store. No one knows what the future holds, but I am confident we will see some amazing Overwatch in 2026.