Houston Outlaws (0-7) 0-4 London Spitfire (6-1)
The Houston Outlaws have definitely had a rough stage. After failing to pull out a win over the Guangzhou Charge on Thursday, they ran the very real risk of finishing out Stage 2 with an 0-7 record. Hoping to avoid that, they took on the London Spitfire, who had already locked in their stage playoffs spot and just hoped to finish things out with a solid record.
Unfortunately for the Outlaws, the matchup solidified their winless record. The Spitfire continue to look better and better, and they had Houston’s number throughout the series. London came out on top with a 4-0 victory.
Lijiang Tower: London 2-0 Houston
The two teams came out swinging on Night Market, fighting hard for first control. London took the point first, however, forcing Houston to regroup. As the Outlaws headed back in and claimed the point for themselves, the two teams jostled back and forth, flipping control several times. The Spitfire eventually moved into overtime, only for Houston to reclaim the point again. London quickly regrouped for another push, however, claiming both the point and the round.
London put on a much more decisive performance on Garden. Quickly wiping out the Outlaws, they took first control with ease. From there, they made short work of Houston’s attacks, pushing them back every time. They held control from beginning to end, and took the map with a 2-0 victory.
Hanamura: London 2-0 Houston
Keeping up the momentum, the Spitfire moved in quick on Hanamura. Breaking through Houston’s defense with ease, they captured point A with over six minutes in the bank and headed on. The Outlaws prevented a full snowball, forcing London to regroup just before they got the third tick. However, the Spitfire quickly headed back in and wiped out Houston, finishing out the map.
On their own attack, Houston rotated in carefully, and it seemed like they could use positioning to their advantage. London pushed them back, however, forcing them to try again. As time ticked down, a two-kill Self-Destruct from Jun-ho “Fury” Kim gave the Spitfire the edge they needed to keep holding on. Despite some last-ditch efforts from the Outlaws, the Spitfire pulled off a full hold on point A and went up 2-0 in the series.
King’s Row: London 3-2 Houston
London started off towards the high ground on their attack, pushing back Houston’s defense and claiming point A early on. Despite that, the Outlaws’ defense solidified from there. During a crucial team fight, Matt “coolmatt” Iorio ate a Graviton Surge, giving Houston the edge to fight back. Even as the Spitfire headed in to claim point B, Houston kept the defense solid, forcing their opponents to fight hard for it. Despite an impressive stall, however, London eventually completed the map.
The Spitfire’s defense started off strong as well, forcing Houston to search for a way in. Crucial picks from Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty ultimately gave them what they needed to push in. London’s Joon-yeong “Profit” Park surprised the team with a Graviton Surge shortly after they claimed point A, slowing their progress with the payload and giving the Spitfire more time to regroup. The Outlaws made it to point B in overtime, and kept pushing steadily towards the end. However, London ultimately held them off from point C, taking both the map and the series.
Junkertown: London 2-0 Houston
London came out of the gates strong, heading steadily through point A before Houston’s defense stabilized enough to push back. The payload slowed down a bit in the second leg of the map, with the Outlaws looking solid in several team fights. However, London made it to point B and headed on. With main tank Jae-hee “Gesture” Hong flexing onto Doomfist, Houston struggled to keep up, but they held point C into a long overtime fight. In the end, they came out on top, stopping the payload meters before the end.
With a chance to claim the map, Houston rolled out on a pirate ship composition, which gave them time to move forward steadily. London regrouped just before their opponent reached point A, however. Another multi-kill Self Destruct from Fury helped strengthen the defense, and Houston lost the momentum. Despite one more good overtime fight, London held right before point A, taking a 4-0 victory in the series.
Time to Reset
With this match, the Houston Outlaws finish out the stage with a dismal 0-7 record. Though they aren’t alone in the standings, it’s a clear sign that changes need to come for this struggling squad. With both playoffs and a longer break between stages, it’s the perfect time for players and management alike to take a look back and figure out how to right this ship for the rest of the season.
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Featured image courtesy of the Houston Outlaws.
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