This previous week did not play out in favor of the Boston Uprising. Though try as they might, they couldn’t conjure up another win. With a League technicality rule preventing Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth from playing in their game, the Uprising were forced to adapt on the fly. Sadly, they struggled to find their footing without their new shot caller and main tank superstar. Though the match was historic for well deserved reasons, the Uprising faced a lot of scrutiny, and certainly have a lot to prove going into Week 3.
Image courtesy of the Overwatch League.
In this historic game, the Shanghai Dragons won their first match ever since the start of the Overwatch League. Defeating the Uprising 3-1, it was certainly a hard day to be a Boston fan. With Fusions being unable to play, the Uprising struggled to find any semblance of synergy. Though they took the last map of the series, it was too little too late. The looks on their faces said it all—the team, as a whole, has a lot of work to do.
Regardless of his performance, whether it was abysmal or above and beyond, discrediting Park “Axxiom” Min-seob during this match wouldn’t be very wise. Since the League only determined at the last minute that Fusions was unable to play, Axxiom had to very quickly step in. As a main tank player himself, he still performed to the best of his abilities. In addition to the last minute switch, it was known he’d be compared to Fusions. The two play in different ways, and with different styles. For a last minute change, Axxiom did what he had to do with minimal preparation. For that, he should be commended.
This game could go one of two ways. If the Uprising are able to successfully negotiate to get Fusions added as a full time Overwatch League player, this game could be a close call. Discrediting the impressive Week 1 display that the Uprising had due to a heavy loss while missing their secret to success seems slightly flighty. Though Seoul was able to 4-0 the Chengdu Hunters, Boston pulled off a win against the Houston Outlaws. Additionally, they’ve shown how strong their GOATs can be, with all moving pieces pulled together.
Image courtesy of the Overwatch League.
Without Fusions, however, it could be a little more rough and tumble. With an additional week to practice, with Axxiom in the main tank role, the results could be better than they were previously. Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse also adds some hope into the mix, and showed enough last Friday. With the fate of the Uprising currently up in the air, it’s unclear how well this game could pan out.
This is a team that has only gotten better with the passing weeks. Even if the Uprising can fix contract issues with Fusions, it’s unclear how successful they’ll be against the Toronto Defiant. Just recently, Toronto took the LA Valiant right to the bank. Earlier in the week, the Valiant nearly beat out the best team in the League, the NYXL. These stats are very telling in terms of the success that Toronto has been seeing.
With Fusions, the Uprising might stand more of a chance, though a win is less than likely. However, Sombra still poses a large problem that the Uprising have yet to fix. The teams they’ve fought thus far have seemed to pick at that weak spot to their own success. A team like Toronto would have no problem doing the same, and therefore, they will have the upper hand.
Photo Courtesy of Liquipedia.
Since it’s unclear of whether or not Fusions will hit the main stage again, focusing on off support Min-seok “AimGod” “Jeff” Kwon will be imperative. During their first week, AimGod managed to stand up to top tier Zenyatta player Sung-hyeon “JJoNak” Bang. He’s shown an immense amount of control over the way he plays, and how he supports his team. The way these games play out depends entirely on the core of the Uprising, and AimGod gives them a good center.
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