Week 4 – Victory over the Uprising
The Philadelphia Fusion pulled off another heart-attack inducing map five victory last weekend against the Boston Uprising. It was neck and neck between both teams until the very end. Starting with a rare win on Nepal, the Fusion went on to lose Lunar Colony due to Jeffrey “blasé” Tsang locking in Bastion. Then, after a full hold on Numbani, and some impressive Winston gameplay from Su-min “SADO” Kim, the Fusion would come out victorious on Havana. Finally, in one last battle on Ilios, both teams would take a map before the Philadelphia Fusion would full hold on Well and take the series in true Fusion fashion.
Consistently starting Kristian “Kellex” Keller and Minseok “AimGod Kwon again seems to have been working in the Uprising’s favor. When they were shuffling through their other healers (Zion “Persia” Yang and Renan “alemao” Moretto), Boston suffered immensely. With Kellex and Aimgod, the Uprising pushed the Fusion to their absolute limit. Both teams are chaotic in their gameplay, and going head to head always results in a hard fought battle on both sides. It was a close game, but the Fusion were able to pull it out in the end.
Player of the Weekend: EQO
Josh “Eqo” Corona saved Ilios for the Philadelphia Fusion last week. Ever since Eqo has been freed from Brig Jail, he has been popping off on one of his signature heroes, Pharah. His Pharah gameplay was legendary last season, and this match proved that the DPS King has still got it.
.@eqo YOU ARE OUR HERO!! #IonThePrize
📺: https://t.co/fCrXp4arya pic.twitter.com/NfoDoWSFcC
— Philadelphia Fusion (@Fusion) June 29, 2019
Week 5 – Atlanta Homestand Weekend
Washington Justice
The Washington Justice have a lovable reputation, but their gameplay continues to suffer against most teams in the league. While it’s looking to be another winless stage for the Justice, they have shown improvement. Washington managed to both draw, and take, a map off of the reigning champions, the London Spitfire. They also drew maps with the Dallas Fuel, Hangzhou Spark, and Houston Outlaws.
While both teams have been favoring DPS compositions, the Fusion’s DPS lineup is stronger. Both Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee and Eqo have a proven track record of being one of the better DPS duos in the league. While Corey “Corey” Nigra is a talented player, his skills on Widowmaker pale in comparison to Carpe’s. However, Corey has been one of the rays of hope for the Justice all season. He’s been known to pop off in clutch moments, but his team’s inability to capitalize on his picks is often their downfall. Gihyeon “Ado” Chon has also been one of the highlights of the Justice. He is known to perform well on low caliber teams, as he was also one of the Shanghai Dragons’ stronger players last season.
In addition to Corey and Ado, the Justice also have been keeping Ethan “Stratus” Yankel tucked away on the bench. Last weekend, Washington decided to play Stratus in their match against the Houston Outlaws. Unfortunately for the Justice, the Outlaws have seemingly gotten their groove back, and they were unable to win the series despite drawing Houston on Volskaya. While Stratus did his best, he was up against an adamant opponent, so it is hard to gauge how he would do against the Philadelphia Fusion. However, with the Fusion, anything is possible – especially if they underestimate their opponents. So long as Philly keeps it together, and don’t gloss over the Washington Justice the way that they did the Florida Mayhem earlier this season, the Fusion should take this series with relative ease.
Prediction: Philadelphia 3-1 Washington
Shanghai Dragons
The Shanghai Dragons have one of the best Cinderella storylines in the league. From the literal bottom of the standings to competing in stage playoffs during Stage 2, the Dragons have become a force to be reckoned with. The additions of Young-jin “Gamsu” Noh, Jin-hyeok “DDing” Yang and Min-seong “diem” Bae have breathed new life into the Dragons.
Both DDing and Diem have been popping off in recent weeks; DDing especially has been gaining recognition as one of the best DPS players in the league. Diem also gained major recognition after winning the Widowmaker 1v1s during the All-Stars games. The Widowmaker 1v1s was the first time that fans got to see Diem’s true skillset. Fans were hoping to see him face off against his best friend Carpe, but Yeon-kwan “Nenne” Jeong threw a giant wrench in their plans. This match between the Shanghai Dragons and the Philadelphia Fusion will hopefully give fans the duel they’ve been craving between these two players.
With the Dragons slow, but steady rise to the top, it is likely that the Fusion will lose this series due to how well-coordinated Shanghai have become. Consistency remains a significant issue for the Philadelphia Fusion, and most teams have been able to capitalize on any weaknesses they’ve shown this stage. The Fusion will need to give it their all if they want any chance at conquering the Dragons.
Prediction: Philadelphia 2-3 Shanghai
Player to Watch: Carpe
In both of these matches, Carpe will be the player to watch. His DPS play is spectacular, but when he’s having an off day, the Fusion tends to suffer. Carpe often has a lot of pressure on his shoulders because of his carry potential. That clutch potential is why the Fusion often put Carpe as the focus of their strategies. Now that Carpe is allowed to play his beloved Widowmaker again, fans expect to see some fantastic headshots. Going up against Corey and Diem, Carpe will have to be at the top of his game this weekend due to how slim the Fusion’s chances are at getting into Stage 3 playoffs.
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