Sean Maloney
The action heats up in Blizzard Overwatch League action over the Fourth of July weekend with a full slate of OWL Summer Showdown contests on the schedule. The defending San Francisco Shock will be eyeing a return to the top of the regular-season standings in the West Division as they battle the surging Paris Eternal in a highly anticipated clash on Friday. Later in the weekend, the battle for the top of the East Division standings heats up as the Shanghai Dragons take on the second-place Seoul Dynasty as heavy favorites on the eSports odds at MyBookie. Independence Day will be marked by an All-American matchup between two teams headed in opposite directions, as the West Division-leading Dallas Shock tangle with struggling Atlanta Reign, also as heavy chalk.
MyTopSportsbooks takes a look at the key matchups in this weekend’s OWL Summer Showdown, and how things are shaping up in the Overwatch League as the regular season enters the home stretch. Sports bettors getting in on eSports wagering action for the first time should refer to our FAQ for tips on how to hone their betting strategies.
| Overwatch Summer Showdown Moneyline Odds |  |  |  |
| Paris Eternal to win | +475 | +443 | +443 |
| San Francisco Shock to win | -900 | -999 | -999 |
Shock Look to get Past Shaky Qualifying Performance
It has been far from a consistent 2021 campaign for the two-time defending Overwatch League champions. The San Francisco Shock remain well within striking distance of the top of the West as the regular season enters its final month. That is reflected on the moneyline odds ahead of Friday afternoon’s clash with the Paris Eternal, where they sit perched as massive -999 favorites at MyBookie.
SAN FRANCISCO SHOCK PART WAYS WITH STRIKER
Read more: https://t.co/oEhZg5NLSB pic.twitter.com/vqlVGa9fZf
— GGRecon (@GGReconEsports) June 23, 2021
The club sports an overall 8-2 win-loss record but was far from dominant in qualifying for the Summer Showdown, narrowly escaping with a 3-2 victory over the bottom-feeding London Spitfire after blowing a 2-1 lead on their way to a 3-2 loss to the lowly Los Angeles Gladiators.
That is all good news for the Paris Eternal, who return to action in Friday’s contest as distant, albeit appealing, +443 underdogs on the Summer Showdown odds at MyBookie. While they remain stalled in eighth place in the West Division standings, the Eternal have quickly emerged as one of the hottest teams in the Overwatch League, tallying wins in four of their past five outings.
paris eternal paris eternal
the rest of the in summer
season: showdowns: pic.twitter.com/gJP8PNdA7Z— Bluebell (@SGBluebell) June 28, 2021
Unlike San Francisco, the Eternal had little difficulty in qualifying, bouncing back from a slow start to hand London a crushing 3-1 defeat. The club followed up with an epic comeback, spotting Los Angeles a 2-0 lead before storming back to claim a 3-2 win and a berth in this weekend’s competition. Paris also has history on its side. The Eternal knocked off San Francisco by a 3-2 score when they last met in the semi-finals of last year’s Summer Showdown. The club went on to a first-place finish and is worth a value bet to once again spoil the Shock’s weekend.
| Overwatch Summer Showdown Moneyline Odds | | | |
| Seoul Destiny to win | +170 | +152 | +152 |
| Shanghai Dragons to win | -225 | -227 | -227 |
Dragons Have Seoul’s Number
Winners in seven straight, the Shanghai Dragons are riding high as they prepare to battle the Seoul Dynasty as strong -225 chalk on the Summer Showdown odds at Bovada. The Dragons have shutout opponents in five of their recent wins, including a 3-0 rout of the Dynasty in June Joust qualifying back on June 6.
Top 1 in self-destruct kills performed this weekend is Void (with 27). #ShanghaiDragons @ShanghaiDragons #OWL2021 #OverwatchLeague
— Overwatch League Stats (@StatsOwl) June 24, 2021
However, the Dragons have faced stiff competition in recent tournament action, most notably in the recent June Joust finals. After blanking opponents in their three previous contests that weekend, the club was pushed to the brink of elimination by the Dallas Fuel and were forced to overcome a 3-1 deficit to eke out the win.
Currently lagging three points back of Shanghai in second place in the East Division, the Seoul Dynasty open their Summer Showdown schedule on Saturday morning as +170 underdogs at Bovada. The club ran into little opposition in qualifying for this weekend, knocking off the Chengdu Hunters 3-1 before disposing of the Hangzhou Spark with an easy 3-0 win.
“I totally carried!”#SeoulDynasty dominated during Week 8 of #OWL2021 and took home victories against both the Chengdu Hunters and Guangzhou Charge🐯 Check out the second episode of Dynasty’s Roar to see what the team’s comms were like!
📺: https://t.co/QZWK1L2F4I#TigerNation pic.twitter.com/XKBataK5o5
— Seoul Dynasty 🐯 (@SeoulDynasty) June 29, 2021
Overall, the Dynasty have tallied wins in five of their past seven outings, outscoring opponents by a wide 18-5 margin those victories. However, the two losses during that stretch have both come against their archrivals from Shanghai, who outclassed them in both of those meetings. Expect more of the same on Saturday morning, with the Dragons sitting as a solid bet to cover as -1.5 favorites, with a $20 bet at Bovada (+105) returning winnings of $21.00.
| Overwatch Summer Showdown Moneyline Odds | | | |
| Atlanta Reign to win | +260 | +242 | +242 |
| Dallas Fuel to win | -375 | -400 | -400 |
Fuel Aiming to Atone for June Joust Defeat
Licking their wounds in the wake of their 4-3 loss to Shanghai in the June Joust final, the Dallas Fuel will be aiming to atone when they clash with the Atlanta Reign on the Fourth of July as strong -400 favorites at XBet. The loss to the Dragons put the brakes on a six-match win streak for the Fuel, who maintain a two-point lead over second-place Dallas in the West Division standings. Indeed, Shanghai and San Francisco have been the only teams to defeat Dallas this season.
Things have not gone so well for the Reign, who look to Sunday afternoon’s matchup as +242 underdogs. The club is coming off a devastating 3-0 loss to Shanghai in June Joust action. That defeat came on the heels of a brutal 3-1 loss to the Fuel. Atlanta has enjoyed past success against the Fuel, topping them 3-1 in Week 26 of last season. However, the best betting value in this contest remains in the -150 odds at Bovada of Dallas covering as -1.5 chalk.
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