Dallas made the Stage 2 playoffs. This was a showing of the potential they have. Now with Stage 3 on the horizon it could be possible that they make stage playoffs again, with season playoffs as the overall goal. Their upcoming schedule and possibly more deviation in the meta will be polarizing for the Fuel roster, it’s crunch time and it wont be easy.
Toughest Match: Vancouver Titans
This might as well be reliving a nightmare for the Dallas Fuel. So far the Fuel and Titans faced off once in the regular season and once in playoffs, but it was more a slaughtering by the Vancouver side. The map record between these two teams, including playoffs, is 0-7 for the Boys In Blue.
The only good news for Dallas in this upcoming match is that Vancouver did lose for the first time in over a year, perhaps it could cause a “mental boom” of sorts to make the Titans less decisive. If Stage 3 is played on patch 1.37 then bunker could end up overtaking GOATS as the meta in OWL, which means that Vancouver might not be able to run over bunker compositions. If this is the case then Dallas could run this composition, knowing that their GOATS is not on the same level as Vancouver’s. The most likely scenario will be a mirror 3-3 match again, if this happens then Dallas is in deep water. Perhaps Dallas could use their VOD’s to study how to play against the Titans and prepare more for this match than any other.
Easiest Match: Washington Justice
Can the coaching staff of the Dallas Fuel beat out the typical genius? By the looks of their respective matches, probably. Fuel fans have learned to never underestimate how hard the team can throw, but this one should be in the bag… should.
The Washington Justice have been on the upswing despite their record not reflecting that; they have actually started taking fights instead of backing up endlessly. In all seriousness, this is one of Washington’s easier matches in Stage 3, the Justice will be prepping hard and if the Fuel underestimates their opponent they could actually lose. Expect a win for Dallas, but be prepared for a tough loss.
Dallas Fuel Stage 3 Schedule
Week 1
6/8 12:15 AM EST – Los Angeles Gladiators
6/9 6:30 PM EST – Washington Justice
Week 2
6/13 10:30 PM EST – Chengdu Hunters
6/15 6:30 PM EST – Vancouver Titans
Week 3
6/22 8:15 PM EST – Chengdu Hunters
6/23 6:30 PM EST – Hangzhou Spark
Week 4
6/29 3:00 PM EST – New York Excelsior
Conclusion
Not an easy stage for Dallas, but still doable. Realistically the Fuel will lose to Vancouver and NYXL, but all the other matches could be close. It is possible for a team to have even a 4-3 record but still make it into playoffs; this means that even if Dallas loses to Gladiators, Vancouver and NYXL then their playoff potential is still, ever so slightly there.
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Featured image courtesy of Overwatch League
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