Top 5 games to watch this weekend in esports

August 5, 2021

by Brian Bencomo

Don’t know what to watch this weekend? We’ve got you covered. This weekend is a little different as there is no North American or European VALORANT, Call of Duty or Rocket League. Instead, there are a couple early-morning matchups taking place in Asia in Overwatch and VALORANT. Then on Sunday afternoon there are a few bangers in Overwatch and League of Legends. In between it all is the return of Evo!

New York Excelsior vs. Philadelphia Fusion -- Saturday, 5 a.m. ET

Overwatch League Countdown Cup

This is an early game, but worth waking up for if you’re on the East Coast and a fan of either of these teams. If you’re not an early riser, there’s an encore premiering at 12:30 p.m. Both teams have started the Countdown Cup with 2-0 records, and the winner of this game will likely secure a spot in the East regional knockouts. The Fusion followed up their strong start to the season with a few disappointing finishes in the last two OWL tournaments, and this is their last chance to try to win a tournament and secure their spot in the playoffs. Daniel "FunnyAstro" Hathaway recently rejoined the team after a long time waiting for his visa, and he should provide a boost to the team on Brigitte.

OWL schedule:

Friday: West division play starts at 3 p.m. ET
Saturday: East division play starts at 5 a.m. ET
Saturday: West division play starts at 3 p.m. ET
Sunday: East division play starts at 5 a.m. ET
Sunday: West division play starts at 3 p.m. ET

Streams on youtube.com/overwatchleague

Tekken 7 North American final -- Saturday, 8:30-11:30 p.m. ET

Evo Online

Evo returns this weekend for the first time since 2019 with Evo Online. Qualifiers from around the world in Tekken 7, Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition, Guilty Gear Strive, Skullgirls 2nd Encore and Mortal Kombat Ultimate 11 will attempt to be the best in their respective regions and qualify for the Evo Showcase in November, which is planned to be an in-person event. The first North America final of the weekend is in Tekken 7, and the highly-decorated Dominique “SonicFox” McClean is in the competition. For more about this weekend’s action, check out our guide below.

Streams on https://www.twitch.tv/evo

TBD vs. TBD -- Sunday, 4 a.m. ET

VALORANT Champions Tour (Korea)

There is no NA or EU VCT action this weekend, as both regions will have a weekend off before the start of Challengers Playoffs. But if you’re hungry for some top-tier VALORANT, check out the action in Korea. The first two teams to qualify for Masters: Berlin will be determined this weekend during the semifinals of Korea’s Challengers Playoffs. Vision Strikers, the team that had a winning streak of over 100 matches but failed to qualify for Masters: Reykjavík will have a chance to qualify for Berlin this weekend. If they win Friday, they’ll play Sunday morning and can qualify with a win. Following that semifinal, there’s a good chance you’ll see NUTURN Gaming (third-place in Reykjavík) in the other semifinal attempt to qualify for Berlin.

VCT Korea schedule:

Friday: Quarterfinals start at 4 a.m. ET
Saturday: Quarterfinals start at 4 a.m. ET
Sunday: Semifinals start at 4 a.m. ET

Streams on https://www.twitch.tv/valorant_kr

Cloud9 vs. Team Liquid -- Sunday, 4 p.m. ET

LCS Championship

It seems like the League of Legends Championship Series championship always comes down to Cloud9 vs. Team Liquid. What’s odd is that they’re meeting in the first round as opposed to the grand finals. Whoever loses this matchup will drop down to the lower bracket and will have no margin for error. Whoever wins will meet TSM next weekend for a chance to lock up one of the LCS’s three spots at the League of Legends World Championship. But before that, we get to see C9 vs. TL this Sunday.

These two teams’ history with each other has been somewhat of a toss-up. Team Liquid beat Cloud9 3-2 in the preseason Lock-In tournament. C9 beat TL both times they met during the spring season and then edged them out 3-2 in the grand final of the Mid-Season Showdown to grab NA’s lone spot at the Mid-Season Invitational. This summer, C9 beat TL three of their five meetings and both teams finished the split with lackluster 15-12 records. Recent history says C9 should come out on top, but don’t be surprised if TL rise to the occasion and make qualification for Worlds difficult for C9.

LCS schedule:

Saturday: Evil Geniuses vs. Dignitas starts at 5 p.m. ET
Sunday: Cloud9 vs. Team Liquid starts at 4 p.m. ET

Streams on twitch.tv/lcs

Atlanta Reign vs. Dallas Fuel -- Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET

Overwatch League Countdown Cup

Dallas have been the best team in the West Region all season long, and the Reign have arguably been second-best, so this is definitely a matchup to watch. If Atlanta win, they will likely secure their spot in the West regional knockouts, and Dallas might be on the outside looking in if they lose. The Fuel have qualified for every regional knockout round so far and have gone to Hawaii for all three of the OWL tournament weekends, so it would be shocking if the Fuel stumble here. Then again, with their spot in the playoffs already locked in, missing out on another trip to Hawaii would only hurt their seeding. But who wants to miss out on a trip to Hawaii?

Streams on youtube.com/overwatchleague

Lead image credit: Overwatch League