Review: Stage 2 Week 2
Dallas’ second week of Stage 2 was about as good as it gets. Their first match was against the role experimenting Toronto Defiant. The second match however was more… Historical. Dallas Fuel played the Paris Eternal, while it was closer than expected, Dallas still took the win. The Fuel looked like they had strategies and counter strategies to spare against both teams. With the new Flex Tank on the roster, Dallas’ overall team play looks much cleaner and more decisive.
Toronto Defiant: 4-0
In their second 4-0 of the season, Dallas outclassed Toronto in every aspect of the game here. The Defiant were still experimenting with their Zarya player, this match putting Jin “IM37” Hong on it. Toronto’s Zarya compared to Dylan “aKm” Bignet’s was admirable, but not quite up to par this match. Not only that, but Dallas’ newest addition, Lucas “Note” Meissner showed off some flexibility for the first time in while. Note played Tracer, Orisa, Zarya and Hanzo in this match, while not necessarily popping off he did his job to an acceptable standard.
Toronto decided to run 3-3 into Dallas despite not having a Zarya player after their previous one retired. This, among other factors lead to the Fuel being the superior GOATS team in the series. Dallas also had more strategies to employ onto the Defiant which helped to burn off time. Overall Dallas looked like the better team and took a well deserved 4-0.
Player of the game: aKm
This was the aKm show. Throughout the series aKm played Zarya, Widowmaker and Sombra. While only playing Widowmaker on Paris point A attack, aKm picked up two quick kills.
Two clean headshots from @DF_aKm!https://t.co/RRcyuYfGU0 pic.twitter.com/WjibvM8T7W
— Dallas Fuel (@DallasFuel) April 13, 2019
His Zarya has been a sight to see all season and he has now played Sombra after the trade. He outperformed the Toronto counterpart on every role and popped off when his team needed it.
Paris Eternal: 2-1
This match meant a lot to the Dallas Fuel. Both aKm and Benjamin “uNKOE” Chevasson are old teammates with many of the players on the Eternal. Also Julien “daemoN” Ducros was the Head Coach for the Paris Eternal, now an Assistant Coach for the Fuel. Some of the players on Paris are from team France from OWWC and even Rogue back in the old days. The game was closer than expected, but still went the way of the Fuel.
It’s almost poetic that the Paris Eternal and Dallas Fuel, who both have a lot of French players faced off. It’s even more poetic that the map Paris was played in this series and it ended in a draw of all things. Other than that Dallas had the upper hand in the neutral fights, Paris mostly only won fights when they had an ultimate advantage.
Player of the game: OGE
This man was on fire all game long. Minseok “OGE” Son played Reinhardt and Winston during this match, he was dominating the Eternal’s Main Tank as well as the rest of the team. OGE landed almost every Earthshatter and always found value with his Primal Rages. The Paris Eternal’s front line were severely outclassed all series long.
Preview: Stage 2 Week 3
This is a rough week for Dallas. Their first match is against the undefeated Vancouver Titans and the second against their long time rivals, the Seoul Dynasty. This week wont be easy but it is entirely doable.
Dallas Fuel vs Vancouver Titans
Vancouver has been undefeated this season for a reason. So far the Titans have only ran 3-3 and some variants and they look unstoppable. Viewers can expect GOATS all series long despite the maps, it is what Vancouver is best at and what Dallas has practiced the most.
The maps in this series are Lijiang Tower, Hanamura, Blizzard World and Junkertown. Only one map on Lijiang is strong for deathball compositions, but seeing Winston 3-3 is very likely from both sides. Dallas might opt to try DPS compositions or maybe just a Sombra, but GOATS is their game. Hanamura and Blizzard World are typically straight forward GOATS, only Junkertown could cause some antics. A Bastion very likely could come out from Dallas as Zachary “ZachaREEE” Lombardo is known for that hero.
Unless Dallas pulls out a hat trick composition tailored to make Vancouver rethink their plans, the Titans will likely take the series.
Prediction: Vancouver Wins 3-1
Dallas Fuel vs Seoul Dynasty
This is a long running rivalry between organizations. Last season Seoul beat Dallas at every turn, however last stage they faced off and Dallas took the win. Seoul made it to playoffs and even beat the New York Excelsior, but this is a new stage. So far the Dynasty look like they have been having growing pains, not quite knowing who will start and who will sub.
The maps in this series are Liliang Tower, Hanamura, Eichenwalde and Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Seoul could likely run a Hammond, triple DPS composition on Lijiang, Eichenwalde and Watchpoint, but that also depends on who is playing. Dallas seems to tailor specific strategies for certain maps and to counter other compositions. Perhaps Dallas will have a specific composition to counter triple DPS or both teams might try to play their own game better than their opponent.
Seoul has looked shaky this stage and Dallas look even cleaner than their first match this season against Seoul. Dallas has a good chance at taking this one.
Prediction: Dallas Wins 3-2
Player to watch: OGE
Both these games could come down to the Main Tanks. OGE looked like a monster against Paris, he will need that against the Titans’ main tank Bumper. He is known for being recklessly aggressive and demanding all the in game attention, as well as landing huge Earthshatters. As for the Seoul match, Marve1 has been more team oriented and Fissure is The Revenant. Don’t miss these match ups.
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Featured image courtesy of Overwatch League
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