As the Boston Uprising look to get back on track Stage 4 Week 3, their only opponent is not the same bad team the league used to know.
Just a mere 2 weeks ago, if someone said that Boston could lose to the Washington Justice, people would have thought they were a mad man. But as game time approaches, there is an extreme likelihood the Boston Uprising start 0-3 in back-to-back stages.
There is hope for the Uprising, however. Coming off a bye week, and having only one match this week, Boston were able to focus solely on defeating their lone opponent. If there is one thing has been seen in the past, it’s the Uprising’s uncanny ability to step up when the pressure is on. With their backs against the wall, Boston is in a “must-win” position from now until the end of the stage.
Boston’s miracle run starts against the red-hot Washington Justice.
For 3 stages, Washington was a lost cause when it came to playing GOATs. They struggled against every team, winning only against Florida in Stage 1, and reverse sweeping Boston in Stage 2. Following a horrible 0-7 Stage 3, the Justice have completely shocked the league starting 3-0 this stage. Most notably, the Justice swept the Vancouver Titans 4-0 in their latest match.
Their drastic improvement can be boiled down to one major change: the 2-2-2 lock.
The moment their all-star DPS Corey “Corey” Nigra was able to play a true damage-dealing character, the entire team began to click. Paired with Ethan “Stratus” Yankel at the damage position, Corey was able to achieve insane levels of play in order to defeat the Titans. The Washington tank line no longer became a liability, as they could play comfortably knowing that their DPS will create opportunities for them.
Despite the hype for Corey and the Justice, the real focus will be on how Boston’s DPS line can contain Corey. As the primary sniper, Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse’s main objective will be to keep Corey’s Widowmaker in check. If Colourhex loses these sniper duels, expect a long afternoon for Boston. The league will have its eyes set on these two rookie DPS players. They’ll be watching Corey in hopes his performance against Vancouver was no fluke, and they’ll want to see if Colourhex can rise to the occasion.
People will also want to watch the battle between Stratus and Jeff “blasé” Tsang. While the snipers battle over who gets the first elimination, it will be these guys who need to follow up on those opportunities. Both players have had flashes of brilliance in the past couple of matches, but this game will be decided by who can consistently make plays.
In this hotly contested playoff race, Boston cannot afford to lose another match. Realistically, they also need as many 4-0’s and 3-1’s as possible against teams like the Justice. But as the league adjusts and adapts to the new meta, Boston must be able to transform as well. Their recent pick-up Lee “Stellar” Do-Hyung could be the spark Boston needs in order to take the next step. Or maybe Boston puts aside whatever issue plagues their support line and Minseok “AimGod” Kwon comes back into the starting roster.
One thing is for sure, there’s nothing Boston can afford to hold back now.
Featured image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
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