Stage 3 brings another round of challenges for the Boston Uprising. After a Stage 2 full of twists and turns, Boston fans can prepare for a set of matches that will continue to leave them on the edge of their seats. This time around, the Uprising find themselves facing two teams twice, before earning a week off during the Atlanta Homestead, where they will not be competing. Hopefully, the games played beforehand will be enough to brush the line of playoff contention once more.
Over the break between Stages 2 and 3, the Boston Uprising have been quiet. For many, this brings a sigh of relief. All players have remained on the team, and they’ve found a new addition in support player Zion “Persia” Yang. With GOATs still showing a favorable standing, it’s likely that Persia will remain on the bench, unless flexing is necessary.
Regardless, his stream duos with Boston players like Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse and Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth have shown off his incredible skill. Additionally, fans of Contenders will recognize Persia from his time with Talon Esports. He made an excellent showing in the tier 2 scene, being toted as one of the best flex supports in the entire League. It’s safe to say that Persia will be one to keep an eye on when he gets his stage time.
As we approach a new stage, there’s talk of what fans can expect to see on stage at the Blizzard Arena. During the time off, a developer update dropped, announcing some pretty significant hero changes. Three of these are especially notable, including the characters of McCree, D.Va and Baptiste. In terms of McCree and Baptiste, these changes were buffs to the characters. Baptiste now has a higher ammo count for his healing grenades, and his amplification matrix can remain up for a longer period of time. Additionally, McCree’s fire rate on his Peacekeeper has increased by 20%, allowing him to shoot down enemies deftly. In the case of D.Va, her Defense Matrix has received another nerf, reducing the size of it when deployed.
There’s no telling just how drastically these changes will affect both Bunker comps and GOATs. Blizzard has been trying to slowly decrease the power behind the GOATs composition, seeing how strong it is over and over again. However, many players feel that the issue lies with the healing, not the damage. Therefore, with characters like Lucio and Brigitte in the same position, it’s safe to say that GOATs will not be phased out entirely during Stage 3. Variation could be seen, much like in Stage 2, but it’s to be expected that GOATs will remain dominant.
2019-03-16 / Photo: Stewart Volland For Blizzard Entertainment
Luckily, the Uprising have shown a strong sense of growth with their GOATs composition. Main tank, Fusions, plays an amazingly aggressive Reinhardt, and with a support line that isn’t afraid to go for blood, Boston has pulled off some close wins. With some variety, they’ve also shown strength with damage heroes. In particular, Jeffrey “blase” Tsang has gotten to flex onto his signature pick, Doomfist, for some particularly excellent game play against the LA Gladiators at the end of Stage 2. The boys in blue are still expected to compete in a GOATs-centric stage, despite the calls for something different.
In an odd turn of events, the Boston Uprising are facing the same two teams twice in one stage. The Paris Eternal and the Philadelphia Fusion both offer challenges in different ways, but there’s more confidence to be had against one team versus the other. The Eternal have been struggling since the first stage, and despite a roster shake up, they’ve yet to find much success. The Uprising should be able to tackle this team twice with victories.
Overwatch League 2019 Stage 1 Playoffs / Photo: Stewart Volland for Blizzard Entertainment
However, the Fusion offer a different story. A team that fluctuates with their game play, Philadelphia is another team that cannot be counted out. These two teams are evenly matched across the board, with both having strengths and weaknesses that the enemy team can pick out. In the end, these two games will come down to the wire. For two teams that always like to take it all the way into a map five, it’s impossible to expect anything less.
The other games against London, Houston and San Fran bring different stories. It’s no secret that the reigning champions, the San Francisco Shock, can and will defeat the Boston Uprising. In GOATs, they’re the strongest team. Though Boston can put up a good fight, a win is hard to predict.
On the other hand, it’s expected that Boston defeats the Outlaws with ease. The boys in green have stumbled on rough times, and after a winless stage, Houston is looking to bounce back. Unfortunately for them, Boston won’t be the team they bounce back against. London could go either way. After their unpredictable loss to the Spark in the Stage 2 playoffs, predicting when the Spitfire will perform well is hard. Last time they met, London swept Boston. This match gives Boston a chance to offer some just desserts.
This stage has a lot of potential for Boston to earn some crucial wins, and increase their map differential. Losses to the Titans and to the Spitfire put them in the negatives, and a surprising win against the LA Gladiators helped even things out. Currently, Boston sits in 13th place over all, with a -6 map differential. Still in contention for season playoffs, the Uprising should focus on earning solid wins when they can. The games against Paris and Houston should earn them enough solid ground. Playing against Philadelphia and London can also give them a chance to earn map wins where it matters. Overall, things are looking pretty good for Boston in the coming weeks.
Featured Image Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment.
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