As the first week of the Overwatch League Postseason Playoffs finished up on Saturday, July 14, 2018, we got to witness high level Overwatch gameplay and what made certain teams finish out the week strong. Friday’s match was the conclusion of the Philadelphia Fusion vs Boston Uprising game followed by the London Spitfire vs the LA Gladiators on Saturday. Both series were heated as the Boston Uprising looked to overcome a 0-1 series deficit against the Philadelphia Fusion. Meanwhile, the London Spitfire looked to win at least one map against the LA Gladiators, who swept them 3-0 in their first match. After a shocking ending for some fans and teams, here are some things that can be taken away regarding the matches.
The Fusion Have a Tough Road Ahead
After a close series, which the Philadelphia Fusion won 2-1 against the Boston Uprising, there are still a few questions that the Fusion need to answer if they want to be assured as a worthy contender against the New York Excelsior. After dropping the first map set 3-1 to the Uprising, Boston evened up the series 1-1 on Saturday and were looking poised to knock Philadelphia out of the Playoffs. However, the Fusion showed up in the second map set, defeating Boston 3-1 and taking the Playoff series 2-1.
After wondering which Philadelphia Fusion team would show up in the Playoffs, it was clear that they came prepared and remained resilient when facing the Boston Uprising. Even after dropping a match, the Philadelphia Fusion continued to stick to their game plan and it payed dividends.
Boston Uprising simply couldn’t deal with the double sniper composition that the Philadelphia Fusion played, Josue “Eqo” Corona played incredibly on Hanzo and Jae-Hyeok “Carpe” Lee looked unstoppable on Widowmaker.
Looking ahead to their next series, the Fusion will be challenged on every duel by the NYXL’s DPS players. The road to the Finals will be tough and the NYXL will not show them mercy. Will the Fusion’s go-to composition be shut down by the New York Excelsior or will the Fusion find a way to create a viable counter-composition? To see the start of an epic series, tune in on Wednesday July 18, 2018.
London Are Scary-Good at Their Peak
After a series that still has some people in disbelief, the conclusion of the London Spitfire vs LA Gladiator series was one that you should go back and watch if you haven’t done so already. With a 1-0 series lead and a 3-0 sweep in the first match, Gladiators’ players and fans were feeling confident going into the weekend; however, it quickly went south for them.
The London Spitfire, formally the best team in Korea before the Overwatch League – GC Busan/Cloud9 KongDoo, completely flipped the script in the next two games. They went on to sweep the LA Gladiators winning six straight maps which lead them to defeat the Gladiators 2-1 in the series. Gladiators fans were stunned that they couldn’t win a map, while Spitfire fans rejoiced that they brought the heat and returned to form. One has to wonder if having Fissure would have made a difference?
Even though the Spitfire looked dull during Stage 3 and Stage 4, they did not disappoint when it came to the best-of-series. The Spitfire are one of the scariest teams to play when they are on fire and the reasons were clear on Saturday. They showed why they were the best team in Korea prior to the Overwatch League. The London Spitfire look to take down another LA team as they take on the Los Angeles Valiant next. This match also premiers on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 after the Fusion vs NYXL game.
Be sure to tune in and root for your favorite Overwatch League team. As always for more details about the players, league, and playoffs, check out the Overwatch League’s official website.
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Featured Image Credit: Blizzard Entertainment/Overwatch