This game was as close as Overwatch League games can get. Going the distance, in true Boston fashion, the Boston Uprising vs Hangzhou Spark proved that anything is truly possible. The boys in pink put on an amazing show, and in the end, bested the Uprising at their own game. Both teams performed exceptionally well, however, and have proved themselves as worthy adversaries.
Oasis Boston 1-2 Hangzhou
The game started on Oasis. For the most part, it was all pink across the board. The Spark were quick to take the point, and in every team fight they initiated, they wiped the floor with the Uprising. Hope seemed alive when Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth landed a massive Earthshatter, but the sustainability from GOATs meant that the Spark lived on. Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse made a last ditch effort with a graviton, but sadly, it was eaten. In the end, the Spark shut Boston out, and took the point.
City Center was a different story. Boston took the point first, after some back and forth between the two teams. Steadily, they held, and increased their control percentage to 89%. Though Kyeong-bo “GodsB” Kim tossed out a questionable Graviton, the Spark still rallied to take the point for themselves. However, Boston only needed one fight to win. With big plays from Colourhex, the Uprising took the point swiftly.
The Gardens brought out the bunker composition from the Spark. With Cai “Krystal” Shilong on the Bastion, protected by an Orisa shield, the point was theirs to take. Back to back team wipes from Hangzhou kept Boston at bay. In the end, not even a switch to Roadhog from Jeffrey “blasé” Tsang could save them. Boston ended up losing the map, 1-2.
Anubis Boston 3-2 Hangzhou
On the attack first, things got off to a rough start. Despite a big EMP from Richard “rCk” Kanerva, the Spark rallied against the Uprising to keep them away from the point. The second time around, Boston knew what they had to do. Fusions focused on on Ho-jin “iDK” Park, killing the Mercy and denying the chance to rez. From there, the rest of the first point came naturally.
The second point was just as tricky to get going. Boston got their first tick off of a Nano Boost and Dragon Blade combination from Minseok “AimGod” “Jeff” Kwon and Colourhex. From there, rCk’s used his Defense Matrix to eat GodsB’s Blizzard, earning them space on the point. When Colourhex used his ultimate again, the Spark focused a little too hard on killing one enemy. The rest of the team were able to take control, and complete the second point.
On defense, a full hold seemed within sights. Colourhex was back on Widowmaker, scanning the ground for heads to click. However, Hangzhou played it smart. Led by a Dragon Blade the Spark earned a first point capture. Though they tried to steamroll, the Uprising had other ideas. A massive shatter from Fusions wiped the Spark, and Boston was safe to take control.
The Spark fell again and again until the very end, when the team clicked together. Boston was slowly wiped out, and despite last minute stall changes, they were unable to fend them off. The Spark finished the second point with just five seconds left in their timebank.
With a small time bank, Boston just needed to keep them at the gate. Colourhex and blasé worked together to do just that, and cleaned the Spark up. With their own larger time bank, Boston only had to take one tick to win the map. Together, blasé and Colourhex got the necessary picks, with an EMP from rCk cleaning up the remaining Hui-chang “BeBe” Yoon and GodsB. The Uprising won the map, 3-2.
Blizzard World Boston 4-3 Hangzhou
Back from the half, Boston was first to attack. It was a slow start, but Boston gained momentum off of rCk. With a massive six man EMP, he led them to a victorious team fight, and a first point cap. From there, the Uprising rolled through Blizzard World. Off of another five man EMP from rCk, the second point was theirs to take. As if by magic, rCk did it one more time. Another five man EMP secured them the point, and a completed map.
Things looked strong for Boston’s defense, but the Spark had something else in mind. With a nice rotation around the back of the first point, they charged forward. A quick wipe of the Uprising earned them the first point. In a mirrored moment, the second point came off the back of a big EMP from GodsB. The Sombra battles were in full swing, and the Uprising sadly fell short. Despite a huge shatter from Fusions to fend them off, the Spark pushed forward. With GodsB at the helm, and a shatter from Xu “guxue” Qiulin, the Spark completed the map with ease.
With less time, the Spark attacked again first. They played it safe, using their same rotation from before to get behind the point. However, Boston expected them this time. With plenty of poke damage, rCk charged his EMP with ease. A combination from rCk and blasé stunning guxue out of his Earthshatter let Boston hold the point safely.
Boston’s attack had another slow start, but rCk knew what he had to do. By building up an EMP, their attack started to take flight. Colourhex tossed in his own graviton, keeping the Spark in place to clean them up. Boston then won the map, 4-3.
Junkertown Boston 0-1 Hangzhou
The Uprising were slow to start their attack on Junkertown. Choosing to fight from a distance, they gave the Spark plenty of room to dive for aggression. They did make progress once they dropped towards the payload, with Colourhex spraying down Hangzhou as Bastion. However, after a team wipe, they fell back into GOATs. From there, Krystal on Genji denied them access to the payload, and the Spark held them at the gates.
On the defense, Boston seemed a little scattered from being fully held. The Spark took advantage of this and swept in quickly, wiping them without question. GodsB put the pressure on the Uprising as well, and after a short minute, the Spark earned their tick. Boston lost the map, 0-1, and pushed yet another series into map five.
Lijang Tower Boston 1-2 Hangzhou
It’s not a Boston game if they don’t go to Map 5. Aggressively, Boston took to the point first. They showed strong signs of holding the Spark off, with especially good plays from rCk on D.Va. However, the Spark crept past their defenses and flipped the point at 99% to Boston. From there, they held their ground, and denied Boston a chance to win a fight. Hanghzou ended up winning the round, staving off the Uprising until the very end.
At the command center, the tale seemed to repeat itself. Boston took to the point first, playing aggressively and holding the Spark back when they advanced. However, at 99%, Hangzhou slipped in and flipped the point. From there, Boston waited out their time bank to collect some ultimates. Off the back of a graviton from Colourhex, blasé earned a double kill. Boston then flipped the point, and won the round.
It all came down to the Gardens. With blasé switched onto Pharah, with Kristian “Kellex” Kellar as his pocket Mercy, Boston was quick to dive in. Nice plays from blasé and Fusions on Hammond kept the Spark away from the point, and Boston looked poised to win. The Spark, ready to strike, did what they do best. Hangzhou flipped the point back at 99% not once, but twice. Together, the Spark kept them off, and won the round. The Uprising lost the map, and the series, 1-2.
Conclusion
The Boston Uprising certainly have a way of putting their fans through the ringer in every game they play. Another map five brought them close to another win. However, the Spark can never be underestimated, and their incredible focus of Colourhex on the last map—on top of a clutch double kill from iDK—earned them the series in full. Next week, Boston faces some tough and formidable opponents. This game, though close until the very end, should give them time to reflect and prepare for the Spitfire, and the Titans. Â
Featured Image Courtesy of the Hangzhou Spark Twitter.
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