đź“ť Roars, bores, and pauses galore: OWCS NA Stage 3, Week 3 summary
One weekend closer to the World Finals in Stockholm.
Stage 3 continues onward as the Week 3 matches in North America have concluded. While matches thus far in the region have been pretty one-sided, this weekend brought many action-packed games and even some surprising results.
Game of the week: Team Liquid 3 -2 Spacestation Gaming
“I knew we needed to win by playing a brawl style on Suravasa,” - Diego "Vega" Moran.
After a series of one-sided affairs in the previous week, Saturday brought a thrilling clash between two of North America’s strongest contenders. Team Liquid faced Spacestation Gaming — the first real test for both in Stage 3.
After a brief pause to sort out some technical issues, Liquid’s core came out swinging. Boston "Infekted" Fine opened with a surprising Ramattra pick before swapping to Winston, shutting down Xander "Hawk" Domecq’s signature Zarya. Spacestation spent the entire first round on the back foot, especially as Elliot "TR33" Chu’s Hanzo consistently denied the opposing DPS from accomplishing much of anything. Team Liquid closed the round with only one death.
While initially it seemed as though another one-sided affair was upon us, Spacestation flipped the script. The team made crucial adjustments, with Hawk swapping to Hazard and Kamden "Sugarfree" Hijada pulling out a surprise Pharah. Despite Team Liquid’s early control, Sugarfree was able to use this surprise pick to help keep SSG alive. This brought the map all the way to three rounds, but even with SSG’s surprise Sigma-Torbjörn-Symmetra composition on Lighthouse, they couldn’t stop Infekted’s Wrecking Ball from sealing Ilios as a win for Team Liquid.
Watch Interview: Vega: "Wuyang feels like Kiri, Lucio, and Illari all put together" | Team Liquid
King’s Row opened with Spacestation on attack. Infekted’s Wrecking Ball defense crumbled against Hawk’s D.Va and a Symmetra-Cassidy DPS line. This allowed SSG to start moving the payload with five minutes on the clock. Team Liquid tried to make further adjustments; however, they couldn’t slow Spacestation, who ended the first round with two minutes in the timebank.
Liquid answered back. Infekted made the necessary swaps from the Wrecking Ball to Ramattra, linking up with Xavier "zeruhh" Zambrano for coordinated attacks that opened the map for Liquid. The team was able to force overtime, and in extra innings, Spacestation’s defense fell apart as Liquid surged ahead.
At this point, the script for the match was clear: Spacestation looked strong on certain points, but Team Liquid would swing momentum back in their favor. That continued into Rialto. Both teams had pushed the map into extra innings, and it looked like Liquid was going to win the game in another case of 3-0verwatch. That was, until a single mistake flipped everything.
That mistake? A brutal C9.
Although Liquid had clear control of their attack, zeruhh dashed off the cart, and no one was present to contest. Spacestation smelled blood in the water, capitalizing on this crucial mistake, and won the map. This was the beginning of their reverse sweep attempt.
As the series advanced into Push on New Queen Street, Team Liquid seemed to stumble. TR33 played the entire map on Soldier 76, Infekted’s Winston and Wrecking Ball regularly got punished, and Diego "Vega" Moran closed the map with a brutal Ajax. Meanwhile, Spacestation capitalized on these mistakes. Kronik was now able to play his signature hitscans, Hawk dominated on Zarya and D.Va, and Sugarfree’s Tracer dismantled Liquid’s backline. SSG had firm control of Push and won the map, tying the series at 2-2.
Heading into Suravasa, momentum appeared on Spacestation’s side. Their Freja-Pharah DPS duo completely overwhelmed Liquid early on, as evidenced by Rupal "Rupal" Zaman and Infekted burning through various hero swaps that had little impact. It seemed all but over for Team Liquid.
Then, as Liquid settled in on different hero picks, the map descended into chaos. Both teams abandoned structured and telegraphed plays, opting instead for all-out brawls. Skirmishes broke out all across the flashpoint map, and Suravasa descended into a beautiful mess of missed ultimates and whiffed fights.
As the chaos went on, the map progressed to a five-round flashpoint extravaganza. But in the end, Liquid was the one who dug deep and steadied themselves just enough to win the final flashpoint. Although it was messy, Team Liquid won the series 3-2, denying Spacestation the reverse sweep.
This match was pure cinema — for all the right and wrong reasons. What started as a routine showing quickly unravelled into chaos after Rialto ended the way it did. But in the madness, Team Liquid solidified their claim as the current best team in North America. And along the way, a certain coach got one last word.
Coach Casores responds to ChrisTFer, “He must not have a whole lot of trust in his team if he’s talking like that.”
Coach Christopher "ChrisTFer" Graham made a bold declaration against Team Liquid Coach Cas "Casores" van Andel in Spacestation Gaming's post-match interview after their Week 2 win over Team Z.
In the interview, ChrisTFer said Casores should be “worried about his job” if Liquid loses even as much as a team fight in a control map. Coach ChrisTFer has never shied away from ruffling the feathers of his fellow competitors, but when Casores heard the jab, he wasn’t fazed.
With the win over Spacestation, Casores and Team Liquid returned home with their heads held high, solidifying themselves as one of the top teams in the region. To ChrisTFer’s credit, Liquid did lose more than a few team fights during the match—so in a way, he may have gotten the last laugh.
Watch Interview: ChrisTFer: "I saw the signs required to win a championship" | Spacestation Gaming
Despite that caveat, one challenge remains. Team Liquid has just one opponent left in the region to defeat before staking their claim as the best in North America. That matchup and declaration will be decided on Oct. 4, when Team Liquid and Geekay Esports clash for the first time since the Stage 2 regional finals.
Player of the Week: xten from Sakura Esports
While the top teams were locked in chaotic brawls and one-sided stomps, one player quietly stole the spotlight. Coming off the bench and returning to form, Sakura Esports’ DPS ace Shima “xten” made headlines this weekend.
xten has long been one of the brightest DPS prospects in the Calling All Heroes division. She achieved notable success with teams like the NYXL Embers and went on to win the 2023-2024 Calling All Heroes Championship with Timeless Ethereal. In the OWCS era, she showcased her skills across Tier 2 squads such as Green Fortnite and Team Z. Even then, it was evident she had talent — but without the proper resources, her full potential was never realized.
That all changed when she joined Sakura Esports in Stage 2. After taking some time off in late 2024 and early 2025, xten returned to OWCS competition and wasted no time proving why she is still a threat.
Initially starting Stage 3 on the bench, she came back in force this weekend against the DhillDucks and Extinction. Her Reaper and Cassidy were phenomenal, dismantling the competition with precision and allowing Sakura to gain the edge in crucial moments. That King’s Row teleport not only turned into an exciting 3K but also helped Sakura dominate the competition.
xten may not always draw the spotlight, but her impact on the battlefield is undeniable. She’s a force to be reckoned with — and a player whose ceiling only seems to rise with every performance.
For her return to form and a commanding presence in Sakura’s wins, OWTV is proud to recognize Shima “xten” from Sakura Esports as this week’s North American Player of the Week.
Meta summary: Ball’s Slow Decline and Ramattra’s Slow Return
Season 18’s midseason patch didn’t bring a whole lot of changes as the main patch, but it did add some significant tweaks to the North American meta — especially for Wrecking Ball. Ball lost 20 ammo and four seconds of Minefield uptime.
Initially, these small tweaks seemed minor, but in practice, they cut into Ball’s offensive presence, as several players struggled to find the same game-changing momentum he once created. With Zarya and D.Va also rising in playtime, the region’s favorite hamster suddenly looked a lot less threatening.
On the other side of the spectrum, Ramattra gained a small buff. His Nemesis Form now gives him 275 bonus armor upon ability activation — up from his nerfed version earlier this stage, though still lower than the pre-patch 300. This change doesn’t fully restore Ramattra’s dominance, but it makes him sturdier and more capable of dueling tanks like Zarya and D.Va. His return was noticeable, as several teams utilized the Omnic tank in multiple series this weekend.
Genji also received a noticeable adjustment, with Deflect’s cooldown increased by an additional two seconds. His burst damage remains intact, but the reduced survivability forced several DPS players to pivot towards other options. Sojourn and Freja saw greater playtime, Pharah and Torbjörn saw some experimentation, and Reaper stayed a reliable fallback for several squads.
Elsewhere, Wuyang’s extended cooldown time and Hazard’s nerfed survivability and damage output have yet to impact their position in the meta significantly — but both changes are worth monitoring as the stage unfolds.
This patch may not have shaken the meta to its core, but it did open up the door for some shifts. With Stockholm on the horizon, these adjustments to Wrecking Ball and the shakeup in DPS rotations could decide which teams are able to adapt and which teams will be watching the finals from home.
Week 3 in Review: Punching Up and Falling Down
Sakura Esports 3 - 0 DhillDucks
“I’m looking to upset [NTMR] and really put our foot in the door as a team, because every single week we’ve just gotten better.” - Z. "zzz" Harvey
The DhillDucks entered the weekend with another attempt to finally secure their first win in OWCS, but the story played out all the same: the DPS duo of Jack “Reyzr” Francis and Antony “Karmez” Luna showed promise, yet the clutch factor still wasn’t there. Collin “Juice” Renna still unfortunately looked out of sync with the roster, and while Jackson “baz” Parker had occasional flashes, he was ultimately outmatched.
Sakura, on the other hand, made a surprising move. After starting Carson “pdk” Terry for the first few matches of the stage, Shima “xten” returned to the starting lineup.
While it took a few maps for her to warm up, xten and the rest of Sakura elevated their play. “Xomba” and Alexander "Zeb" Shepard looked sharper, and the support duo of Z. "zzz" Harvey and Niels "Natsuki" van Herwijnen leveled up.
Although the opponent wasn’t the strongest in the region, Xten’s performance in place of pdk proved seamless — and that momentum carried into their next match.
Geekay Esports 3 - 0 NTMR
“We are Number One.” - Riley "cuFFa" Brown
NTMR entered Week 3 looking to steady their season after early losses to Spacestation and Team Liquid in Week 1. While the match seemed to get off to a competitive start, technical issues began to emerge. Internet connectivity issues from Ryan "Painkiller" Cooper affected performance for the entirety of Samoa, which not only led to a prolonged technical pause and Painkiller needing to play off a mobile hotspot, but also seemed to take a toll on morale.
From that point onward, NTMR began to collapse. In a rare look, Julian "Rokit" Pizana played Symmetra, only to be an early pick in many teamfights and provide little value with easily readable TPs. The coaching staff rotated out Ryan "squid" Ruffell and Aidan “NenWhy” McHenry, and Michael "RhynO" Willoughby was forced to play due to Painkiller’s internet issues.
Geekay, by contrast, kept their perfect stage intact. Denis "Lethal" Tari and William "WMaimone" Maimone continued to look like a top-three DPS duo in the region. At the same time, the team even flexed onto unorthodox compositions, as evident by their Lifeweaver-Wuyang backline on New Queen Street.
NTMR faces a troubling situation — now winless against the region’s big three and scrambling to find a consistent five-man lineup, their chances of making Stockholm only seem slimmer and slimmer unless changes are made.
Geekay, meanwhile, still looks poised to take the region’s best all the way, and their future clashes against Team Liquid and Spacestation are just on the horizon.
DhillDucks 0 - 3 Team Z
“Us and Liquid are the only [teams] who have a good Genji-Tracer core…” - Devin “peace” Vasquez
Ever get that feeling of déjà vu? The same trend for the DhillDucks continued: Karmez and Reyzr looked good at times, but nothing was able to come to fruition.
After facing every lower-seeded team without success, the DhillDucks now face the gauntlet of Spacestation, Geekay, and Team Liquid. At this point, it will take a Herculean effort for them not only to win a series but even to win a single map.
Team Z, on the other hand, found relief in a much-needed win. Devin “peace” Vasquez and Ryan "ryan" Lawless continue to impress, while another player has fallen under the radar, but their impact sure hasn’t—and that player is Valerie "cinnabar" Aseoche.
Cinnabar has been a notable veteran of Calling All Heroes, and her impact in that league has certainly been felt. She is also coming off a first-place win in the Calling All Heroes Summer Season 2025 — Challengers with “DhillKucks.” With her progress in CAH and new showing in OWCS, cinnabar has turned 2025 into her true breakout year.
While this victory doesn’t erase the woes of their season, it does provide the team with much-needed confidence. Team Z now looks poised to close out the year on a high note.
Extinction 1 - 3 Sakura Esports
“We struggled to figure out what to play, but right now, we’re just kinda goin’ with the vibes.”- Niels "Natsuki" van Herwijnen.
While much of the attention this week was on the Liquid vs Spacestation series, Extinction vs. Sakura was one of the weekend’s most intriguing matchups between up-and-coming squads.
Coming into this match, Landon "Vision" Monteferrante was back on more traditional hitscan roles, and Coraline "Hitori" Engler seemed back in form on her signature Wrecking Ball. Their play seemed solid at first, and it looked like this fight would be easy for Extinction.
However, Sakura Esports rose to the occasion. With xten again subbing in for pdk, her performance continued to build on her performance from the DhillDucks series. In fact, every player on Sakura has levelled up in the brief 12-hour break between matches, which was highlighted by Natsuki, who is now in North America with his fellow teammates.
This match was a close one, but in the end, Sakura prevailed 3-1 over Extinction. This team also continued the trend of shutting down the Wrecking Ball and other dive tanks with picks like Ramattra and D.Va, revealing themselves as a formidable team.
With NTMR seeming weaker post-Stage 2, Sakura Esports now looks to punch upwards towards the more formidable opponents to potentially break into that top 4 realm.
