The Atlanta Reign finished off the final weekend of 2019 Overwatch League regular season with two wins, securing a spot in the top 6 going into the season playoffs. Stage 4 saw the Atlanta Reign achieve a perfect 7-0 record and they have a wave of momentum going into the playoffs. The Atlanta Reign finished their 2019 season with nine straight wins, but despite all their success, they didn't always sit high upon their throne.
Starting Off Strong
The Atlanta Reign started off relatively strong in the 2019 season. They were an expansion team, but finished with a 4-3 record and made the stage one playoffs. Unfortunately they lost to the inaugural season runner-ups, the Philadelphia Fusion in their first ever playoff match.
The Reign looked to be off to a promising start. They were playing well enough, and had massive fan support on their side. A large part of that had to do with the Reign's larger than life personalities on stage such as DPS player, Daniel "Dafran" Francesca. Dafran was a popular streamer with a large fan-base that was excited to see him play in the Overwatch League. The crowed roared with anticipation as Dafran brought out Torbjorn for the first map of their season - a hero rarely used in the league. He had the highest number of jersey sales, and the sky was the limit for the Atlanta Reign.
Falling Apart
After losing to the Philadelphia Fusion in the stage one playoffs, the Atlanta Reign's strong start began to crumble. It was announced that Dafran would retire and the team had to find a suitable replacement. His Zarya play was strong and in the 3-3 meta, Zarya is an extremely important hero. Their confidence of the Atlanta Reign seemed to diminish.
The Reign finished stage 2 with a losing record of 3-4 and started off stage 3 losing their first five games. The season looked lost for the Reign and fans were left wondering how they had fallen so far from where they started. If the Reign wanted a chance at the top 12, they needed to make something happen and they needed to do it quickly.
Let It Reign
The Overwatch League is going global next year, where matches will be played at the teams' locations in the US and around the world. The 2019 Overwatch League season would test the waters for their 2020 season with three "Homestands" in stages 2-4. The Atlanta Reign would be hosting the final weekend of stage 3. The crowd in Atlanta was outstanding, and despite a 0-5 record through stage 3, the Reign used their home advantage to finish stage three with two wins in front of their home crowd. The Meta had shifted and the Reign were hoping to use the Atlanta Homestand momentum to finish their season strong.
The 2-2-2 role lock was implemented at the start of stage 4 and Atlanta Reign used it to their advantage. The DPS Babybay and Erster (along with Nlaaer) helped bolster the Reign through stage 4. Erster has been a hard carry all stage and the Reign ended stage 4 with a perfect 7-0 record. They finished the regular season with a 16-12 record and secured a top 6 spot in the 2019 Overwatch League season playoffs.
Looking Forward
Atlanta is one of the hottest teams in the league right now. They are riding a 9-match winning streak heading into the playoffs and are a scary opponent for any team to face. The first week of the playoffs will be the toughest test of the entire year for the Reign, though. They will face off against the San Francisco Shock who many consider to be the best team in the league currently. Both teams finished stage 4 with a perfect 7-0 record, and the winner of this match will likely make a deep run in the playoffs.
It was the perfect storm for Atlanta. They used their homestand as well as the 2-2-2 role lock to finish the rest of the season on a high note. Atlanta's season hasn't always been a great one, but despite their setbacks, they were able to turn their season around. The Reign haven't lost a match since June 20th and when you haven't lost in so long, you kind of forget what it feels like. Their mindset is right, and the Reign look to ride their winning streak far into the playoffs.