Although their Stage 1 playoff chances were already crushed, the Chengdu Hunters entered the match determined to drag the Atlanta Reign down with them. The Reign had a pretty strong chance of reaching the playoffs, but still needed some victories to secure their position. With nothing to lose in the playoff race, the Hunters were unafraid to play some of the craziest comps the league has seen.
Image courtesy of the Chengdu Hunters
The Chengdu Hunters opened strong with a decisive victory on Nepal Village. Yi “JinMu” Hu played Pharah, while Menghan “ameng” Ding played Wrecking Ball – their signature hero. The Atlanta Reign couldn’t quite cope with the Hunters’ unconventional defense, and lost the first round.
Nepal Sanctuary played out in a very similar way. Although the Reign tried out some different team comps, they never really gained the upper hand over Chengdu. Wenjie “Elsa” Luo’s Sombra managed to set up JinMu’s Pharah numerous times. This team synergy allowed the Hunters to win Nepal 2-0.
The Hunters began their attack on Numbani with a strong team fight and first point capture. On point B, however, the Reign managed to stall for a significant amount of time. Chengdu did eventually capture point B, but they had little time left to capture point C. The Hunters decided to switch to the classic 3-3 comp for point C. On the last fight, the Hunters finally had enough ultimates to push forward confidently. With one strong coordinated attack, Chengdu finished their attack in overtime.
The Hunters started their defense running a 3-3 comp. Their hold worked really well for the first two points, but fell apart on point C. The Atlanta Reign managed to complete their attack with extra time on the clock.
The Hunters couldn’t get any traction on their second attack, putting them in a poor position on their defense. While they held their ground valiantly, they eventually fell to the Atlanta Reign with a final score of 4-3.
Image courtesy of the Chengdu Hunters
With Tzu-Heng “Baconjack” Lo swapping in for Tianbin “lateyoung” Ma, the Hunters shook up their comp once again. This time they ran a Widowmaker, Torbjorn, Orisa and Pharah. Despite this comp sounding absolutely insane, the Hunters made it work. Atlanta couldn’t adapt, and didn’t even secure a single tick on their attack.
Atlanta attempted to respond to the madness with Daniel “dafran” Francesca on Bastion. However, they were unprepared for the Hunters’ own special hero blend. With Tracer, Genji, and Sombra alongside ameng’s Wrecking Ball, Chengdu chose to divide and conquer. They picked apart the Reign and won Horizon 1-0.
For Rialto, the Hunters broke out their signature comp – Wrecking Ball, Pharah, and Sombra. They captured points A and B easily, but got held just short of point C. Once Atlanta stabilized, the Hunters switched to 3-3. Unfortunately they couldn’t push any further, and stopped just short of point C.
The Atlanta Reign suddenly came alive on their attack. Their attack phase went even smoother than Chengdu’s. The Hunters tried their best to stop them with a 3-3 comp, but couldn’t quite hold long enough. The Atlanta Reign won the map 3-2.
The Hunters opened Busan with a Wrecking Ball 3-3. They lost their first team fight, prompting them to switch to a Reinhardt 3-3. Immediately after they secured the point, and quickly took the lead. From there they held the point until they won the round.
The Hunters continued to play 3-3 into the second round. Thanks to ameng’s Reinhardt, Elsa’s D.Va, and lateyoung’s Zarya, they stayed ahead of the Reign at every step. The Chengdu Hunters won the map 2-0, securing the series victory.
The Chengdu Hunters played phenomenally this series. JinMu was spectacular, and ameng was consistently great. Whether it was a standard 3-3 or a crazy out-of-this-world comp, they constantly outplayed the Atlanta Reign. If the Hunters keep performing at this level, they could easily see some playoff matches in the upcoming stages.
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Featured image courtesy of the Atlanta Reign
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