Atlanta Reign’s Masaa promises bowl cut for OWL playoff win

The Atlanta Reign’s Pteja “Masaa” Kantanen has made a pretty big promise to his fans. The Overwatch pro has promised that he’ll get a bowl cut if the Reign make the Grand Finals of the upcoming Overwatch League playoffs. 

Why is the bowl cut significant? Many of the Overwatch League’s dominant Korean players sport the cut. Some have then joked that it is this haircut that gives the Korean pros their special powers in the game, or even that it specifically helps with their reaction time. Atlanta’s Dustinn “Dogman” Bowerman has already received one of these haircuts, having it given to him live on the Watchpoint desk in Los Angeles.

Either way, Atlanta remains a long shot for the Grand Finals, so fans shouldn’t go get their hopes up just yet that Masaa is soon to be rocking the legendary bowl cut. To get there, they’ll first have to make it through the San Francisco Shock, who have masterfully switched from the GOATS meta to the new meta brought about by Overwatch’s 2-2-2 ole lock. The Reign have also reinvented themselves in the 2-2-2 meta, but beating the Shock is a tall task for any team. 

Atlanta Reign prepare for OWL Season 2 playoff run

Should Atlanta beat the Shock, they’ll face off against the victor between the London Spitfire and the New York Excelsior, two teams that have a lot of experience in the playoffs. On the other side of the bracket looms the Vancouver Titans, the former RunAway roster that erupted onto the Overwatch League scene in Season 2. 

Atlanta made the Stage 1 playoffs, but struggled with the next two stages after losing star player Daniel “dafran” Francesca to retirement. Their strong Stage 4 is a testament to what they’ve built after moving on from dafran, which is a strong, bombastic team full of energy and ready to talk trash at a moment’s notice.

Masaa might not get his bowl cut this season, but the foundation is there for Atlanta to be a top-tier team in the future. They’re clearly better in the 2-2-2 meta, and with time they could be able to challenge the more traditionally dominant teams of the Overwatch League.