Slowly but surely, the Paris Eternal have been improving throughout the season. After a downward plunge during Stage 1, the Eternal made some headway last stage. Looking to start the stage strong, Paris decided to once again switch up their starting roster against the Toronto Defiant. Here’s how it all went down.
STARTING SIX
Nicolas “NiCOgdh” Moret
Karol “Danye” Szcześniak
Benjamin “BenBest” Dieulafait
Finnbjörn “Finnsi” Jónasson
Harrison “Kruise” Pond
Luís “Greyy” Perestrelo
Ilios: Paris 0-2 Toronto
On Ruins, both teams started with mirror GOATS compositions. The Toronto Defiant started strong and capped the point first after Seung-hyun “Ivy” Lee got the first pick on Greyy. Backing off, the Eternal slowly made their way back onto the point. Picking off an out of position Ivy, the road was cleared open for Paris to push through. Although Normunds “sharyk” Faterins managed to land a shatter behind BenBest’s shield, Greyy’s use of transcendence saved the team and allowed the Eternal to cap the point. Paris managed to hold the point for quite some time until Jaeyoon “Aid” Go got a pick on BenBest. Once BenBest fell, Paris backed off, and Toronto took the point once more. Daniel “Gods” Graeser ate Danye’s graviton surge, denying them a final chance to engage. To add insult to injury, Gods and Ivy also combined graviton surge and self-destruct, and Gods landed a nasty three-kill bomb that allowed the Defiant to take the map.
Despite capping the point early on Lighthouse, Jin-ui “im37” Hong’s pick on NiCOgdh forced Paris to back off first. Capping the point, the Defiant dominated over the Eternal by always getting picks on an out of position BenBest. As overtime hit, the Eternal finally started to turn things around in their favor. All the Defiant needed to do was play things slowly, but Paris let them flip the point basically for free. Although BenBest did his best to land his Earthshatter, Aid and Gods took out the team with ease. The Eternal lost Ilios 0-2.
Paris: Paris 1-0 Toronto
With Paris on a traditional bunker composition, Ivy and Im37 hoped to counter them on Genji and Sombra. However, Danye’s Bastion was a force to be reckoned with. Danye quickly got Bastion’s ult and took out half of the Defiant. On Toronto’s next attempt, Im37 snuck behind the Eternal on Sombra. Going off of Im37’s EMP, Gods easily took out Danye. However, Greyy popped his transcendence and saved the team as they moved back into the hotel. Although Im37 used Dragon Blade, Paris took advantage of their hiding spot and took him out. Paris would end up full, holding the Defiant on defense.
When it came time to attack, Toronto decided to forgo the bunker composition and stick with Winston GOATS. Paris quickly switched onto a mirror composition after BenBest scouted on Wrecking Ball. Sharyk’s use of Primal Rage ripped the Eternal apart with ease. It seemed like it was never on cooldown. Things looked grim for quite some time. As overtime finally hit, the Eternal managed to do the impossible and cap the point at the very last second. Paris won their home city map 1-0.
Hollywood: Paris 2-1Toronto
Making no substitutions after half-time, the Paris Eternal started with a Sombra GOATS composition. Although the Defiant got a pick on BenBest, Paris quickly managed to turn the fight back around in their favor. Finnsi used his graviton surge on Toronto, and Paris managed to cap the point with ease. Pushing the payload, Danye snuck in behind the unsuspecting Defiant. Landing his EMP, BenBest also threw down his Earthshatter and wiped out the Defiant. Although Finnsi managed to capture five people in his next graviton surge, the Eternal were no match for Gods or one of his self-destructs. Having to reset, Danye once more managed to sneak behind the Defiant and pave the way for Paris to melt down the Defiant’s defenses. Unfortunately for Paris, Neko started to play smarter. Hiding just out of position, Danye would miss him during his EMPS, and Neko was able to use transcendence to save his teammates multiple times. Eating one of Finnsi’s gravitons, Gods denied the Eternal one last chance to push, and Paris would not manage to complete the map.
On defense, Paris once more favored a Sombra GOATS composition. This composition truly showed what the Eternal are capable of when they let their DPS players do what they do best. Danye was continually harassing the Defiant’s backline on Sombra. For a time, it seemed like Paris would manage another full-hold. Unfortunately, Greyy popped an extremely questionable transcendence, and the Eternal’s defenses quickly fell. The Defiant managed to cap the point, but NiCOgdh would have the time of his life on Brigitte. He popped off, and the Defiant were pushed back to their spawn by Paris. Paris would end up taking Hollywood 2-1.
Havana: Paris 3-2 Toronto
Pushing first, Paris played slowly to gain their ultimates. BenBest and Greyy wiped out the Defiant on the back of an Earthshatter. Toronto was able to stabilize quickly, but BenBest would pressure them immensely. Taking down the Defiant one by one, Paris managed to push the payload to Point A. Before this game, no one had been able to push past Point B on Havana. Paris were the first to accomplish this and more. ALthough Greyy got caught out of position, Finnsi landed an excellent two-kill self destruct on the Defiant that allowed Paris to stagger Toronto. They were the first team to be able to push the payload to the end of the map.
Unfortunately, the Defiant rolled right on through the Eternal’s defense through Points A and B. However, Paris managed to regain their footing at the last second. With time working against them, the Eternal managed to hold back Toronto multiple times. Danye’s Sombra once again was a thorn in the Defiant’s side, but it would be Greyy’s swap to Widowmaker at the last second that would steal the show. The Paris Eternal managed to hold down the fort and take Havana 3-2.
Conclusion
The last time these two teams faced off, the Defiant crushed the Paris Eternal. Gods and Sharyk truly popped off during their first ever Overwatch League game, but the Eternal have had more time to play together. Their coordination looked incredible tonight, even though the Defiant stomped them on Ilios. They were able to regroup and come back with a vengeance. This is a common trend for the Paris Eternal; although they looked great tonight, they tend to start off the stage strong before starting to falter. Hopefully, they will be able to break that streak this time around.
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