📝 Team Liquid and Spacestation face off: OWCS North America Stage 3, Week 3 preview

It’s a case of delayed gratification in North America, as the underwhelming fixtures of Week 2 have made way for choker block Week 3. The expected top 4 all clash this week, as well as three lower table clashes that will be pivotal in the race for the remaining playoff spots.

If you missed any of the Week 2 action, you can catch up on all of it in our weekly summary.

Aatlis will be unavailable due to an ongoing issue with the map. Meaning Suravasa is the sole Flashpoint map available to teams. Alongside this, the Midseason balance patch from September 16 will be in full effect.

NA Week 3 - Day 1 (September 20, 2025)

Sakura Esports vs. DhillDucks

Another tough matchup for the Ducks, who find themselves up against a midpack team primed to take their first win of the stage. Although losing both their opening games, Sakura showed signs of life on a Reaper Tracer composition with Alexander “zeb” Shephard at the helm, supporting his DPS on Zarya. In fact, they narrowly lost map 3 to Geekay, going all the way to a final fight situation on the fifth point of Suravasa.

That being said, this is one of the more winnable games for the DhillDucks. As the team with no expectations and nothing to lose, these midtable teams are exactly where DhillDucks need to be looking if they want to win their first match in the OWCS. Perhaps with the recent patch, the DhillDucks will be able to shake things up; After all, we did see Jack “Reyzr” Francis briefly trying to make the Torbjorn pick work in their game vs NTMR last week, a hero who has since been buffed.

Geekay Esports vs. NTMR

This week is poised to be full of bangers, with this game looking to fall comfortably into that category. This will be an important test for NTMR, who will want to prove that they’re still competitive at the top or risk falling comfortably into a the position of 4th place contender for the region. How they will claim this victory remains unclear, as with the recent Roadhog buffs we could see Ryan “Painkiller” returning to his starting position on the roster, or perhaps they will double down on the Wrecking Ball and Winston dive style we’ve seen under Michael “Rhyn0” Willoughby.

On the other hand, this is the first real test for Geekay, who have had relatively easy games up until this point. We will hopefully finally get the chance to see if their Lucio Wuyang comp can survive the pressure from some of the best DPS in the region, or if their gambit to play their sole flex support on the hero will force them into uncomfortable situations. Julian “Rokit” Pizana has had a relatively quiet stage by the standards he set earlier in the year. And will be hoping to exploit the limitations of the Geekay backline. What is certain is that this game will be one to look out for and hopefully give us a better understanding of the power rankings in NA.

Game of the week: Team Liquid vs. Spacestation Gaming

Spacestation and Team Liquid have shared similar trajectories in Stage 3, both beating NTMR by a 3-1 margin in week 1 and winning their remaining games. A new patch, a clash of styles and confidence from both sides going in make this a fixture not to miss.

For Team Liquid, they have been lauded as the team most suited to the double flex DPS meta and are expected to dominate the region. With Spacestations coach Christopher "ChrisTFer" Graham going as far as to say, “Even one round [lost] of [Control], Casores should be worried about his job if that happens.”. Xavier "zeruhh" Zambrano and Elliot "TR33" Chu have more than delivered on Tracer and Genji, so far this stage. Alongside Diego "Vega" Moran, as many expected, excelling on the new hero Wuyang.

Spacestation also has reasons to be hopeful, with impressive performances from Xander "Hawk" Domecq on Zarya and Hog. As well as star hitscan, Rocco "Kronik" Iacobacci, being worked into the starting lineup more regularly. Allowing them to get all of their best players on their strong heroes. The biggest challenge for Spacestation will be running these ground tank and hitscan-based compositions into double flex DPS, the latter being largely touted as the best composition currently.

With the Midseason patch dropping on Tuesday, September 16, the power level of the different approaches has been thrown into question. On paper, Wrecking Ball nerfs and Roadhog buffs should favour Spacestation, but Overwatch is rarely that simple. With differing styles, map selection and bans will be crucial as Spacestation coach ChrisTFer aims to put a thorn in Cas "Casores" van Andel and Danny "Danny" Mychakov’s plans.

The talk has been big, the expectations are high, so make sure you are around for this one.

NA Week 3 - Day 2 (September 21, 2025)

DhillDhucks vs. Team Z

A double header for Dhillducks concludes with a match against Team Z, making this one of the more promising weekends for a Dhillducks squad that is seeking its first win in OWCS. They have already shown their willingness to think outside the pond, and a patch that involves buffs to Roadhog and Torbjorn may provide the perfect opportunity.

Team Z will be hoping the minor nerfs to Tracer and Genji do not affect their ability to run those heroes in conjunction, as they’re success will be tied to getting the most out ofDevin "peace" Vasquez and Ryan "Ryan" Lawless. After opening fixtures of Geekay and Spacestation Gaming, this serves as the best opportunity so far for Team Z to claim their first win. This comes with raised expectations for Team Z, but to qualify for playoffs, these are the type of games they have to win.

Extinction vs. Sakura

In another key battle in the race for the playoffs, both teams are desperate to finish 6th or above and extend their season. Extinction already has its first win on the board from week 1 vs Dhillducks, a feat that Sakura will be hoping to repeat on Day 1 of this week.

Coraline "Hitori" and Rene "k1ng" Rangel have been the most impressive players for Extinction so far. In a game that is expected to be tight, they will need their best players at the top of their game. Hitori’s best hero, Hazard, has taken a hit in the most recent patch to both Violent Leap damage and a reduction to Spike Guards' damage reduction, as well as an increase to Tracer’s perk cost. With an important game this weekend, it may be ill-timed, but the team has shown flexibility, particularly in the tank role already this season.

For Sakura, this is the tougher of the two games, but they would wager themselves to win nonetheless. Stiff opposition so far has eased judgment on the absence of a win so far, but failing to win these games could leave Sakura stranded in the race for playoffs. The high-potential DPS line of xomba and Carson "pdk" Terry will need to deliver here, particularly the latter, who has struggled with the adaptation to Reaper. This week could be a huge swing in Sakura’s favour if they can claim both wins, the pressure is on.

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