Starting Six
Su-min “SADO” Kim
Gael “Poko” Gouzerch
Josh “eqo” Corona
Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee
Isaac “BoomBox” Charles
Alberto “neptuNo” González
RESULT: Philadelphia 0-4 San Francisco Shock
Oasis: Philadelphia 2-1 San Francisco
At first, things seemed grim for the Philadelphia Fusion on Garden. However, they were able to turn them back in their favor once Carpe got a key pick on Dong-jun “Rascal” Kim. This allowed the Fusion to take down the rest of the Shock and cap the point. Surprisingly, the Fusion were able to maintain the point for the rest of the map. On City Center, the Shock quickly capped the point after getting a key pick on BoomBox. Although the Fusion were able to flip the point, they would not be able to hold it for long. Hyo-bin “ChoiHyoBin” Choi landed a nutty Self-Destruct that allowed the Shock to take back the point with ease and Philly would be unable to pry it back themselves. On University, the Fusion seemed to run out of steam. Getting picked off left and right, Philly were barely able to touch the point. The Shock took Oasis 2-1.
Hanamura: Philadelphia 2-1 San Francisco
On Hanamura, Philly fans were worried when Jay “sinatraa” Won locked in Sombra, but everyone’s favorite hacker would be ineffective against the Fusion’s defenses. Nearly a full hold, the Fusion’s defenses crumbled when Neptuno, unfortunately, found himself out of position and got picked off. From there, the Shock would be able to snowball through and cap with time to spare. Choosing to go with a triple DPS composition on Attack, Carpe would pop off on Hanzo and get key picks on the Shock. Although the Fusion managed to cap the first point with more than enough time in the bank, their decision to switch back to GOATS would slow them down. Minki “Viol2t” Park would get crazy picks on the Fusion’s backline, often after SADO had already charged in. The Fusion would be unable to cap the second point, and the Shock would take Hanamura 2-1.
King’s Row: Philadelphia 3-1 San Francisco
On defense, the Shock capped Point A quicker than one could say “Quidditch”. San Francisco would blow through the Fusion’s defenses with ease. After capping the point, the Shock blew through Point B with more than enough time in the bank. SADO managed to get a fat Shatter on the Shock, and this slowed them down for a brief moment. After regrouping, the Shock would rotate behind the payload and sneak up on Neptuno. This pick allowed the Shock to quickly take out the remaining members of the Fusion and push the payload to completion.
On attack, the Fusion would take things slowly. Although they managed a coordinated rotation onto the point, Philly would eventually be backed into a corner. Sinatraa would get a pick on Neptuno, who was once again out of position. However, this pick would not stop SADO from landing another Shatter that would allow Poko to take out Viol2t. This pick would be the Fusion’s opening and they would quickly cap the point. Unfortunately, things would go downhill from here for Philly. Choihyobin would eat one of Carpe’s graviton surges, and this would slow the Fusion down immensely. With time dwindling down, the Fusion would repeatedly be denied any attempt to push the payload through Point B. The Shock would take King’s Row 3-1.
Junkertown: Philadelphia 3-0 San Francisco
Weary from King’s Row, the Fusion barely put up a fight against the Shock on Junkertown. Running Pirate Ship, the Shock sailed right on through the Fusion’s defenses. ChoiHyoBin got another amazing self-destruct toward the end of the map that gave the Shock the momentum they needed to push the payload to completion. On attack, the Fusion were mercilessly spawn camped by the Shock. They were barely able to push the payload under the bridge. Although BoomBox tired his best, the Fusion were wiped out and the Shock took Junkertown 3-0.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, this is the end of the road for the Philadelphia Fusion in Stage 2. This loss puts the Fusion out of contention for Stage Playoffs. This was an extremely tough stage for the Fusion; they faced tough opponents, but they gave this stage their all and fans should be proud of the progress they did manage to make. The San Francisco Shock are at the top of their game right now, so this loss is not surprising, although it still stings. Going into Stage 3, the Fusion have more than enough time to prepare for their first match against the Hangzhou Spark.
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