{"id":1206,"date":"2025-07-16T14:43:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T14:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/?p=1206"},"modified":"2025-07-30T15:12:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T15:12:36","slug":"owcs-2025-midseason-championship-preview-can-crazy-raccoon-go-back-to-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/16\/owcs-2025-midseason-championship-preview-can-crazy-raccoon-go-back-to-back\/","title":{"rendered":"OWCS 2025 Midseason Championship preview: Can Crazy Raccoon go back-to-back?"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"895\" height=\"526\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"OWCS Midseason Championship for EWC 2025\" class=\"wp-image-196004 lazyload\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/OWCS-Mid-Season-Championship-for-EWC-2025.png\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image credit: Blizzard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a36612985e\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/07\/owcs-stage-2-midseason-format-schedule-teams-and-more\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) Midseason Championship 2025<\/a> is just around the corner, with the 16 best teams set to compete at the <strong>Esports World Cup (EWC)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a366129eac\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>There\u2019s a lot to consider ahead of the tournament in Riyadh, from the <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/07\/every-team-qualified-for-owcs-stage-2-midseason-championship\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">line-up of qualified teams<\/a> to potential winners. Here are the biggest talking points surrounding the upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2024\/12\/overwatch-2-esports-world-cup-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Overwatch 2 tournament<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"keep-reading \" id=\"kr-688a36612ae2c\">\n<div class=\"heading section__title \"><span>Keep Reading<\/span><\/div>\n<ul class=\"d-flex flex-column\">\n<li id=\"post-195257\"><a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/07\/which-teams-have-qualified-for-owcs-stage-3\">Which teams have qualified for OWCS Stage 3?<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-194869\"><a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/07\/owcs-mid-season-championship-drops\">OWCS Mid-season championship viewership drops revealed<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-193816\"><a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/overwatch-academy-mega-bundle-details\">Overwatch Academy Mega Bundle: What\u2019s included and is it worth it?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-heading-688a36612c10e\" class=\"esi-heading \">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"will_crazy_raccoon_retain_its_crown-2\">Will Crazy Raccoon Retain Its Crown?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"525\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"OWCS Champions Clash 2025 Hangzhou Crazy Raccoon win\" class=\"wp-image-180299 lazyload\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-04-30-123335-large.png\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment, OWCS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a36612c8a1\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>When it comes to the upcoming OWCS Midseason Championship, Crazy Raccoon has become the centre of online discussions. As both the previous year\u2019s Esports World Cup 2024 victor and winners of <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/04\/overwatch-champions-clash-2025-winner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Champions Clash<\/a>, the Korean team is entering this year\u2019s tournament as the favourites.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a36612ceb6\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>Crazy Raccoon has shown no signs of slowing down in <a href=\"https:\/\/liquipedia.net\/overwatch\/Overwatch_Champions_Series\/2025\/Asia\/Stage_2\/Korea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OWCS Korea Stage 2<\/a>, despite already qualifying through its Champions Clash placement. The organisation placed the highest in terms of standings for the regular season, with a 7-1 win-loss ratio.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a36612d4f8\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>Crazy Raccoon saw a momentary hiccup during the Playoffs Seeding Decider Matches, where it lost every single one of its matches. However, Crazy Raccoon went on a rampage during the Playoffs, knocking out Team Falcons in the quarter-finals and claiming victories against All Gamers Global and T1 in the semi-finals and finals.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a36612db88\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>Fans saw a true reflection of Crazy Raccoon\u2019s skill during the <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/04\/owcs-champions-clash-2025-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Champions Clash in Hangzhou, China<\/a>. Despite being knocked down to the Lower Brackets by NTMR, the organisation managed to claw its way back to the Grand Finals. In the Champions Clash Grand Finals, Crazy Raccoon defeated Team Falcons 4-2 to become the best Overwatch 2 team in the world right now. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a36612e1a9\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>Crazy Raccoon has shown itself to be one of the strongest rosters entering the <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/04\/esports-world-cup-2025-schedule\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Esports World Cup tournament<\/a>, but it is not invincible and has endured some close calls. This raises the question of whether the organisation will retain its crown this year, or if another organisation can claim its title.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-heading-688a36612e845\" class=\"esi-heading \">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"potential_dark_horse_in_the_midseason_championship-2\">Potential Dark Horse in the Midseason Championship?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"OWCS Mid-Season 2025: Zenyatta, Ashe, and Moira in game \" class=\"wp-image-195985 lazyload\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/OWCS-Mid-Season-Championship-EWC-2025-teams-large.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a36612eee1\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>Despite Crazy Raccoon being the team to beat, several teams have shown strong performances during OWCS Stage 2. As a result, there are a few teams that could prove to be the dark horse of the Midseason Championship.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a36612f521\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p><strong>Geekay Esports<\/strong> proved to be a standout team in <a href=\"https:\/\/liquipedia.net\/overwatch\/Overwatch_Champions_Series\/2025\/NA\/Stage_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OWCS NA Stage 2<\/a>, and was one of the few esports organisations to undergo <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/05\/team-changes-owcs-na-stage-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">drastic roster <\/a>changes prior to the event. This proved to be fruitful as the organisation topped the OWCS Stage 2 regular season 7-0 and beat out Team Liquid to claim the crown in the finals. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a36612fb5b\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>EMEA saw <strong>Al Qadisah <\/strong>dominate the competition, also ending the regular season with a 7-0 win-loss ratio. In the playoffs, it demonstrated a strong performance, beating the likes of The Ultimates and Twisted Minds.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-heading-688a366130213\" class=\"esi-heading \">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"can_team_falcons_join_the_fray-2\">Can Team Falcons Join the Fray?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a366130883\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>Amongst all the teams participating in OWCS, Team Falcons was considered to be amongst the strongest rosters internationally. Placing third in last year\u2019s EWC tournament and second in Champion\u2019s Clash, its appearance at the tournament seemed assured.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a366130e7e\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>However, Team Falcons was eliminated during OWCS Korea Stage 2 after losing to Crazy Raccoon 2-4 in the Regional Playoffs Quarterfinals, putting the organisation\u2019s chance to place in the Mid-Season Championships at risk. The organisation can now only hope to claim the final spot from the <a href=\"https:\/\/liquipedia.net\/overwatch\/Overwatch_Champions_Series\/2025\/Midseason_Championship\/LCQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Last Chance Qualifier<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-heading-688a3661314f9\" class=\"esi-heading \">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"how_will_season_17_impact_the_owcs_midseason_championship-2\">How will Season 17 Impact the OWCS Midseason Championship?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"OWCS Mid season: Sigma, Lucio and Freja from Overwatch 2 fighting in game\" class=\"wp-image-195983 lazyload\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/OWCS-Mid-Season-Stage-2-heroes-large.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a366131ba5\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/06\/overwatch-2-season-17-official-trailer-revealed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Season 17<\/a> hasn\u2019t really seen a lot of changes when it comes to the best characters in esports play. Across each role \u2014 Tank, Damage and Support \u2014 the top picks have mostly remained the same from the previous Season.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a3661321d9\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>For Supports, Lucio and Kiriko have remained the top two most picked characters in the game. Kiriko remains a top pick due to her Suzu ability, which cleanses allies and provides temporary invulnerability. On the other hand, Lucio is viable because of his speed boosts, wall-running to reduce downtime between fights and constant healing.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a366132822\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>In the Damage role, one character has been prevalent throughout the meta, the recent hero addition, Freja. Her high burst damage output means that she has become one of the most popular picks for most Damage players, followed by Tracer with her high mobility and recent damage buff.  <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a366132e2a\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>During the <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/LRh0S9g_1Vc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OWCS NA Stage 2 Playoffs<\/a>, Ramattra was among the most popular Tanks chosen by team comps. With his high sustainability in Nemesis Form, he has become a go-to pick for many brawl comps across various maps such as Circuit Royal, New Junk City, Oasis and more.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-688a366133480\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n<p>Only time will tell which characters will see the most usage in the Mid-Season Championship, and whether more niche heroes will have their moment to shine.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2025\/07\/owcs-2025-midseason-championship-preview-crazy-raccoon\">OWCS 2025 Midseason Championship preview: Can Crazy Raccoon go back-to-back?<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\">Esports Insider<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image credit: Blizzard The Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) Midseason Championship 2025 is just around the corner, with the 16 best teams set to compete at the Esports World Cup (EWC). There\u2019s a lot to consider ahead of the tournament in Riyadh, from the line-up of qualified teams to potential winners. Here are the biggest talking&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-overwatch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1206"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1213,"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206\/revisions\/1213"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ballpeenhammer.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}