San Francisco Shock vs Toronto Defiant

This is where things get a whole lot more interesting — especially given the many one-sided beatdowns that occurred over the last two days. This is in no way a clash of two competitive titans (Toronto still hasn't accomplished anything worthy of mentioning to warrant such a prestigious title), but it is, nonetheless, a match-up between two exceptional teams, both of which have high aspirations and have done more than enough to warrant our benefit of the doubt.

At first glance, the San Francisco Shock should have this one in the bag. They're better across the board and are, by all means, the frontrunners to win the whole thing yet again (which would be the third time in a row). Still, they haven't been all that consistent and are a bit too volatile for our liking. Will they improve over time? No doubt about it! Right now, though, their play leaves a lot to be desired. They're often out of sync, they're making egregious mistakes left, right, and center, and their execution has been quite flawed, regardless of whom they were up against. Naturally, most of these issues can be solved in a couple of weeks' time but it's still impossible for us to know whether or not they'll bring their "A game" against Toronto or, conversely, if they'll meander and implode at the worst possible moment.

Regardless, even at their worst, it's hard to imagine Toronto pulling off an upset. It *is* possible, mind you, but it's still unlikely. Moreover, Toronto have their own flaws and weaknesses as well, most of which can easily punished and exploited by the very best teams in the Overwatch League. No one's questioning their talent or overall potential, but there's still a big enough gap between them and San Francisco and it should, by all means, be visible tonight as well. We're going with the Shock on this one although it'll surely be a lot more competitive than most folks expect!