Week 3 saw Atlanta facing their fiercest opponent yet in the Paris Eternal. Considered by many to be the best in the meta, Paris was undefeated until Atlanta decisively dismantled their defenses. With the toughest game behind them, the Reign look ahead to week four where they will be facing a struggling Los Angeles Gladiators squad. With their eyes on the stage playoffs, Atlanta can’t take their foot off the pedal now.

Last Week’s Match

Paris Eternal 2-1

The Paris Eternal have been cause for concern for Atlanta due to their strong showings in their opening games. Many analysts expected the Reign to perhaps put up a fight, but no one saw a decisive 4-0 victory coming. Thanks to intelligent team play, individual talent across the board, and a few tricks up their sleeves, Atlanta were able to annihilate expectations of them going down easily.

The most stand out individual play came from an insane Graviton Surge from Daniel “dafran” Francesca. With help from Petja “Masaa” Kantanen on Lucio, dafran was able to propel his character over buildings and into the Eternal back-line. This caught Paris completely off guard and they ended up falling to the insane over-the-top flank. The play was conceived by a player named mylazycat and later posted to Reddit where the team learned of it. Being hailed as a highlight of the week, stage and season, the “dafran yeet” is sure to go down as one of the best plays the league will see.

Atlanta carried momentum throughout all four matches, barely letting Paris gain any semblance of footing before pushing them back further. With the full shutout, the Reign proved that they’re ready for anything thrown at them.

Results: Atlanta Wins 4-0

Player of the Game

Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

While dafran and Masaa had the single flashiest play, Joon “Erster” Jeong had one of the best single map performances of the week. Taking the mantle of Junkrat on Temple of Anubis defense, Erster was able to systematically dismantle push after push from the Eternal. Even after Paris broke through the Reign’s defenses and began to take the point, Erster was able to deliver a Rip-Tire to the point and take out two key opponents. This allowed Atlanta to retake and full hold the Eternal on Anubis.

The entire team performed well across all maps, but due to this standout performance that potentially sealed the map win, Erster deserves the player of the game.

This Week’s Match

Los Angeles Gladiators 1-4

Coming into week four, Atlanta looks towards an early week match versus the Los Angeles Gladiators. The Gladiators have struggled this season having lost the majority of their matches. The standout of their season so far, however, is their week one win against the San Francisco Shock. The Shock are considered a strong team, sitting right alongside the Reign on many rankings. If the Gladiators can beat the Shock, there is concern enough to not take this match lightly.

If Atlanta can maintain the consistent, high-level play they have shown through the first three weeks of the season, Los Angeles should not pose too much of a concern. With that in mind, many teams this season have shown a remarkable ability to play up to their opponents and surprise them when it matters most. As long as the Reign maintains focus, expect the Gladiators to take one map at most.

Prediction: Atlanta Wins 3-1

Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

Player to Watch Out For

Keep an eye out for Masaa this week as he will be competing against fellow Finnish Lucio player, Benjamin “BigGoose” Isohanni. Not only do they share a home country and their mains, Masaa also took over on Team Gigantti when BigGoose was signed with the Gladiators. Combine these similarities with Masaa’s drive to outplay his mirror, and there is potential for a great, friendly rivalry between these outstanding players.

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