WEEK 1 REVIEW
London Spitfire 0-2
An incredible start to the season, the Philadelphia Fusion are now 2-0 with victories over the London Spitfire and Atlanta Reign. Defeating the Grand Champions was a defining moment for the Philadelphia Fusion. Not only did they get their revenge for Grand Finals, but it also established them as one of the top teams coming back into Season 2.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: CARPE
Watching Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee play DPS is both an honor and a privilege. With GOATS being the prominent meta, viewers mostly got to see the Fusion’s favorite fish on Zarya during most games. Hollywood provided fans with a chance to see Carpe on Tracer and he absolutely dominated against the London Spitfire this week.
Tracer? In 2019? @carpe_ow is the only one pulling that off.
We're up 2-0! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO! #IonThePrize pic.twitter.com/gTYAxYjsmn— Philadelphia Fusion (@Fusion) February 15, 2019
Atlanta Reign 1-1
Despite this strong start, the Atlanta Reign managed to give the Fusion a run for their money by taking them all the way to a map 5 showdown. By the skin of their teeth, the Fusion managed to take down the Reign in a classic nail-biting 3-2 victory.
PLAY OF THE GAME: POKO
Gael “Poko” Gouzerch is at it again with some nutty self-destructs. Poko caught a lot of attention last season for his self-destructs on D.VA, and this season is looking to be no different.
He's baaaaaack! @poko Bomb. pic.twitter.com/uDMb6MBcNg
— Philadelphia Fusion (@Fusion) February 17, 2019
Honorable Mention: Gritty
Beloved Philadelphia Flyer’s mascot Gritty made his Overwatch League debut this weekend. Leading the boys into battle, Gritty was the Fusion’s lucky charm as they defeated London with a well deserved 3-1 victory.
WEEK 2 PREVIEW
FLORIDA MAYHEM 0-1
The Florida Mayhem’s first game went as expected. The Atlanta Reign crushed them in a 4-0 victory. The Mayhem looked disorganized, disheveled, and lost during that entire series. This match between Philly and the Mayhem shouldn’t prove to be difficult in the slightest.
PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA WINS 4-0
DALLAS FUEL 1-1
The Dallas Fuel had an interesting first week back. The San Franciso Shock absolutely decimated the Fuel in a grueling 4-0 victory. At times, it was painful to watch as the Shock wiped the floor with them. However, the Fuel did not let their defeat get them down. They took a more positive look towards their future and worked hard to prepare for their next match. That hard work definitely paid off.
No one was more surprised than caster Mitch “Uber” Leslie when the Dallas Fuel beat the Seoul Dynasty 3-1 on Sunday. “It’s far too late” Uber shouted just before Richard “rCk” Kanerva landed a fat self-destruct on three members of the Seoul Dynasty. An utterance of “Nevermind!” quickly followed.
Not only did rCk pop off, but Dylan “aKm” Bignet had an incredible night as well. aKm is best known for his infamous Genji play last season or the memes that resulted from it. He is considered by some to be a mediocre player. This simply is not the case; if aKm is on a character he’s comfortable playing, he is more than capable of clicking some heads. Last season aKm was forced onto various characters that he did not play to try and help his team during an incredibly rough patch. This season, he, and the rest of the Dallas Fuel, look a lot more comfortable playing together.
If Dallas can keep up the momentum from Sunday’s victory over the Seoul Dynasty, they will more than be able to give Philly a good fight.
PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA WINS 3-2
PLAYER TO WATCH THIS WEEK
Su-min “SADO” Kim started off last week looking a little shaky. During the London game, SADO was often out of sync with his team which resulted in his death as he overextended. During the Atlanta game, SADO looked a lot less nervous. He would stay back with his team more often and move together as a group. One could see that he was making more of an effort to be the main tank that Philly needs him to be. This week, SADO will be one to keep an eye on, as a good main tank can either make or break a team.
CONCLUSION
In comparison to Week 1, the Fusion will have a more relaxed lineup of games going into Week 2. The Florida Mayhem game will more than likely result in a stomp, where Dallas might prove to be a challenge. Regardless, the Philadelphia Fusion are sure to come out on top once again this week.
Be sure to tune in for the Philadelphia Fusion’s first game of the week against the Florida Mayhem at 8:30 PM EST on February 21!
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