📝 The Line Redefined: OWCS NA Stage 3, Week 4 Summary

As the teams close their computers after a successful weekend, time marches on as we progress ever closer to Stockholm. However, this weekend in North America could easily be seen as a short commercial break, as evidenced by the many 3-0verwatch.

Game of the Week: Sakura Esports 0 - 3 NTMR

“Given our schedule at the front, it wasn’t really us at full strength…Look out for us in playoffs, we’re gonna make our mark there.” - Ryan "Painkiller" Cooper

Entering Week 4, many eyes were on the matchup between Sakura Esports and NTMR.

NTMR had been in a slump since the start of Stage 3, having lost several vital players to Spacestation Gaming. Their last match against Geekay Esports also went poorly due to Ryan "Painkiller" Cooper having internet issues.

Sakura, on the other hand, looked to be a dangerous opponent. The team had decisively beaten both the DhillDucks and Extinction, and seemed revitalised with Shima “xten” back in the starting lineup.

Although they hadn’t faced any of the top teams in a close match, going up against a fiery, hungry roster when you’re in a downturn could be a recipe for disaster. Z. "zzz" Harvey even mentioned how they are eager to upset NTMR, and hoped to capitalise on their slump.

Watch Interview zzz & Natsuki: "I really want to win this one", "We're coming for them" | Sakura Esports

But in a recent interview with OWTV Interviewer ApostLe, Painkiller made it clear that NTMR would take this match seriously and focus solely on the victory.

Watch Interview Painkiller: "Seon really elevated the way we think" | NTMR

Almost immediately on Samoa, Painkiller’s words rang true. NTMR didn’t get creative with their compositions; they just handled business. Engagements were clean, pushes from Sakura were stopped cold, and it looked like all the woes from the last three weeks had been a fluke.

One notable shift for NTMR came in their roster approach. In earlier matches against top teams, the coaching staff rotated Ryan "squid" Ruffell and Aidan “NenWhy” McHenry in and out alongside Luke "Lukemino" Fish. While both are solid players, that inconsistency on the support line stood out against the other, more stable lineups of the higher-seeded teams.

This time, NTMR committed to using NenWhy and Lukemino for all three maps, and it paid off well. Painkiller also seemed to be playing at his best — especially after last week’s internet issues — and looked to remind everyone why he is still a threat in the lobby.

Sakura, on the other hand, looked completely outmatched from start to finish. The coaching staff made a surprise move, sending xten back to the bench in favour of Carson “pdk” Terry. While he did perform better compared to Weeks 1 and 2, he was unable to contend against NTMR’s DPS firepower.

The rest of Sakura did not fare much better. The support line was constantly picked off, xomba looked off form, and while Alexander "Zeb" Shepard fought hard with serviceable tank performances, Painkiller proved there is still a gap between him and the other elite tanks in the region.

This win was a much-needed confidence boost for NTMR. With only Team Z and Extinction left to face, they have a prime opportunity to solidify their play and seeding as we inch closer towards the playoffs.

The line has been firmly redefined. Sakura may have talented players, but they still have a long way to go before they can challenge the top four teams. And while NTMR may not yet be on the same level as Spacestation, Liquid, or Geekay, they’re still clearly a cut above the rest of North America.

Player of the Week: Alex "seeker" Taylor from NTMR

As NTMR dominated the competition, a certain DPS player made his presence felt once more: seeker.

Alex "seeker" Taylor had originally been signed to Spacestation Gaming at the start of 2025. Although he is more than capable on hitscan, he struggled in Stage 2 to adapt to the addition of Freja, and ultimately was unable to help SSG reach the Midseason Championship.

When Seeker was released from the team, NTMR called with another opportunity. Stage 3 has brought its own challenges, but as the meta has shifted back towards hitscan, seeker is more than ready to dominate again.

Against Sakura. Seeker proved why he is still lethal on the hitscan, and even showed considerable improvement on the Freja. While the road ahead may be challenging, NTMR can head back to the training grounds confident with their hungry DPS player, ready to prove he is still worthy of respect.

OWTV is proud to recognise Alex “seeker” Taylor as this week’s North American Player of the Week.

Meta Read: The return of Lucio-Kirkio and hitscan

After three weeks of movement, the meta has slowly started to stabilise across the region.

Tank remains split along player strengths rather than one clear favourite. Teams with strong off-tank players gravitate towards the Zarya, D.Va, and the occasional Ramattra, while main-tank players favour the Winston or Wrecking Ball. Each has its own situational value, and as of Week 4, there is no clear dominant selection, only preference and comfort.

On the DPS side, Genji has fallen off dramatically. His Deflect cooldown increase from 8 to 10 seconds has made him considerably less survivable. While his damage output remains intact, this reduced uptime has crippled the flex-DPS options that thrived in Week 1. In his stead, hitscan players have since come back to their comfort picks. Sojourn, Freja, and Cassidy have all seen a resurgence.

The support meta has also shifted. Early in the stage, Wuyang reigned supreme thanks to his high damage and strong healing uptime. But the midseason patch nerfed his Rushing Torrent (cooldown up to 8 seconds), and Guardian Wave (cooldown increased to 14 seconds, healing amp reduced to 3 seconds).

While his damage remained strong, this loss of uptime led to Lucio-Kiriko backlines once more dominating as the most consistent and safest pairing.

Wuyang is still a usable pick, as evident by Geekay Esports, but he is no longer the default answer. For many teams, the tried-and-true Lucio-Kiriko combo is once again the key to success.

Week 4 in Review: Bans and banter

Extinction 0 - 3 Geekay Esports

“We just try to learn as much as we can in [North America]. Most of the actual prep when we go international happens at the bootcamp.” - Coach Eric "Wheats" Perez

Extinction came into the weekend hoping to bounce back after their crushing loss against Sakura, but instead found themselves against the currently undefeated Geekay Esports.

The gap between these two squads couldn’t have been wider. Coraline "Hitori" Engler did her best to put the squad on her back and keep things competitive, but the rest of the team couldn’t so much as make Geekay break a sweat.

However, the real story for Extinction this week happened off the field.

Extinction confirmed DPS player Evan "nvm" Johnson has been released from the roster following a ban on his official Overwatch account, violating Section 4.1 of the OWCS 2025 Rules for North America and EMEA (v.1.3). You can read more about this story here.

While nvm hadn’t played on the starting lineup since Stage 2, this situation likely took a toll on team morale. The emergency addition of Stevie "sniper" Rivera could help Extinction stabilise as they progress into the final two weeks of competition, but for now, a loss both in game and out is what they will have to contend with.

For Geekay, this was the most important win of Stage 3 up to this point. With this sweep over Extinction, they have now secured their position in the Stage 3 Playoffs and look poised for a top four seed.

Some scepticism remains for this team. As of the end of Week 4, they haven’t faced any of the top teams, and although they did win convincingly against NTMR, that was a win without Painkiller.

But while they have yet to face Spacestation or Liquid, they haven’t just beaten the lower tier teams— they have dominated them. Geekay has yet to drop a single map this stage, sweeping every opponent they have faced while looking sharp as ever.

Their first real test arrives in Week 5, when they face Team Liquid on October 4.

DhillDucks 0 - 3 Spacestation Gaming

"I saw the signs required to win a championship." - Coach Christopher "ChrisTFer" Graham

The Ducks began their final gauntlet by running headfirst into one of the big three in North America. The outcome was never in question: Spacestation Gaming was going to roll. But this match can only be defined with one word: cinema.

Both teams seemed to know this game was over the moment it began. SSG looks like the second best team in the region, and the fan-favourite Ducks have yet to win a single map. Winning by conventional means would be all but impossible.

But this match was anything but ordinary.

Xander "Hawk" Domecq and Jackson “baz” Parker duelled on the Reinhardt, Jack “Reyzr” Francis and Kamden "Sugarfree" Hijada threw down on the Junkrat, and for some reason, both support lines locked Mercy. Joseph "Lep" Cambriani even busted out the Mercy-Glock to get a surprise 2k during his Valkyrie.

The match only grew more unserious from then on. During the listen-ins on Rialto, the DhillDucks were singing Say So by Doja Cat and Love You Like a Love Song by Selena Gomez & The Scene. By the end of the match, Spacestation’s players even joked about going bald in order to travel to Turkey and receive Turkish Hair Transplants.

This match was as unserious as they come, and both teams played perfectly into the memes.

Reyzr summed it up in the post-match interview how these losses haven't broken the spirits of the team: “At the end of the day, we’re just a group of guys gettin’ on and having fun. And we happen to be the 8th best team in North America.”

For Spacestation, this was just another day at the office, and lunch came early. For the Ducks, this was also another day at the office, except everyone was happy they could show up to work.

With both squads seeming in good spirits, they look eager to finish their respective stages on a high note.

Team Z 0 - 3 Team Liquid

“The scrims going into Stockholm…we’re just gonna get a lot of practice against [Symmetra] and figure out how to play around it. Those teams with Sym, they’re really hard to beat.” Boston “Infekted” Fine

Team Z came into this match fresh off their first win of Stage 3 against the DhillDucks, but this match against Team Liquid was an entirely unique challenge.

Devin “peace” Vasquez said last week that Team Z was the only other North American team that could match Liquid’s Genji-Tracer core. This match, however, showed that while they do possess high ambitions, they still have a long way to go before they can truly challenge the elites at their own bread and butter.

Although an easy win, Team Liquid did not take their foot off the gas. Even with the Genji nerfs, the team is still leaning into a double flex-DPS look by slotting Elliot "TR33" Chu on another flex DPS: Echo. The support line also primarily focused on the Lucio-Kiriko combination and shied away from using Wuyang.

While not the most competitive match, this game was a perfect opportunity for Team Liquid to hone their compositions and refine their play. With Geekay Esports looming on the schedule, every rep counts.