Seagull Explains The Immense Strategic Depth of the Overwatch League
Robert Paul for Blizzard EntertainmentBrandon ‘Seagull’ Larned talked about the nuances Overwatch League strategy in a recent stream.
Though now a full-time streamer, Seagull made his name as a competitive player and competed for Dallas Fuel in Season One of the league, filling both the DPS and Flex Tank roles during his time with the team.
During a recent stream, Seagull explained the depth of strategic planning that goes into Overwatch at the highest level, recounting a story from when the Dallas Fuel played New York Excelsior in the semi-finals of the Stage 4 playoffs.
It was the most important match of the Fuel’s season, having long since missed out on a spot in the season playoffs and never before having reached a stage playoff.
For King’s Row, the fourth map in the series, Seagull had prepared an offensive opening as D.Va specifically for the match against New York. When it came to the game itself, Seagull went out as planned and caught Bang ‘JJoNak’ Sung-hyeon‘s Zenyatta seemingly alone.
The apparent vulnerability was a little suspicious, so Seagull held back. Sure enough, it turned out New York had set a trap of their own, countering a tactic that Seagull hadn’t even used before.
The anecdote offers an insight into the depth of strategy in the Overwatch League, the level of planning and forethought on both sides and the mind-games that don’t always manifest on the broadcast.
Dallas Fuel ultimately won the map, but ultimately lost the series 2-3. Nevertheless, the team going blow for blow with the most dominant squad of the season was a testament to the incredible turn-around they made in the final stage.