Last week for the Fuel was rough. After losing a match that they should have won against Chengdu, Dallas was dominated by Vancouver for the third time. They have one of the hardest schedules this stage and week three isn’t much better.
Stage 3 Week 2 Review
Two games and two losses. However one match was much closer than the scoreline shows, the other was very one sided. The Fuel look like they are slipping, their playoff potential is in jeopardy so if they don’t buckle down then their goal for the season might not come to fruition.
Dallas Fuel vs Chengdu Hunters (1-3)
With the way Dallas was playing in the weeks before this, they should have won this match. The series ended up going the way of Chengdu because the Fuel players could never decide what to play. It was almost like a match of mystery heroes for Dallas, whereas the Hunters had controlled chaos; the Boys in Blue never knew what to do and kept resetting their ultimate economy. This, along with playing into Chengdu’s hand by not running what they are practiced on, led to Dallas’ loss.
Player of the match: Kyo
Kong “Kyo” Chunting was playing Zenyatta for the majority of the match. He had absolutely no pressure and was putting out insane damage. While he may have missed the kill-feed a bit, Kyo was a carry for the Hunters in this match.
Dallas Fuel vs Vancouver Titans (0-4)
There isn’t much to say about this match. These two teams have faced off twice before, once in the regular season and once in the stage two playoffs. For both of those matches Vancouver decimated the Fuel with ease and “played with their food” at points. The Titans are on a completely different level than Dallas; that and the Fuel are slipping in their own play.
Player of the match: Seominsoo
Min-soo “SeoMinSoo” Seo is one of the best Zarya players in the league. His consistency of damage output tore Dallas apart and made Dylan “aKm” Bignet look like an amateur. Overall amazing play from him and his team all series long, even on Sombra.
Stage 3 Week 3 Preview
This isn’t a good week either. Dallas faces Hangzhou and rematches Chengdu, both formidable opponents. However with some practice and preparation they could surprise the Spark and go into the Hunters’ match with a plan.
Dallas Fuel vs Hangzhou Spark
The Spark and Fuel have never faced off, but right now Hangzhou is top tier. That coupled with the fact that Dallas is slumping puts them in a difficult spot. Assuming both teams will be running GOATS, Hangzhou will have the upper hand. Dallas could develop a counter strategy or work on their own GOATS play, which so far isn’t paying off.
The maps in this set are Nepal, Horizon Lunar Colony, Numbani and Havana. Nepal and Numbani are typically standard, but 2CP is the bane of Dallas’ existence and Havana is awful for attackers. This puts Dallas in a difficult spot, their best chances of winning are on maps that are even for both teams. There is also the decision of running vanilla GOATS or crafting a counter strategy, they have been trying Sombra more so that variation might show up. Overall Dallas isn’t looking too good but has the potential to take a win.
Prediction – Dallas Fuel lose 3-2
Dallas Fuel vs Chengdu Hunters
photo courtesy of the Chengdu Hunters
This match went Chengdu’s way last time because the game plan Dallas had went into the trashcan real fast. If Dallas comes in with more versatile strategies and compositions like other teams then they could walk away with a win this time. Typically teams run Sombra/Brigitte/Winston/D.Va/ Lucio/Moira to shut down the Pharah/Mercy/Hammond from Chengdu. Moira to out heal Pharah long enough for the team to kill them, Sombra is also great at shutting the Hammond down and provides a win condition when she has EMP.
The maps for the rematch are Nepal, Horizon Lunar Colony, Numbani and Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Honestly, anything could happen on these maps, Nepal, Numbani and Gibraltar are all great Pharah maps so the Fuel will be looking to shut that down. Horizon is a great Bunker map, at least for first point. Often Dallas will respond to Bunker defenses with their own Bunker attack, or some kind of DPS composition. Should the Fuel prepare better for this rematch, they could take the win.
Prediction – Dallas Fuel win 3-2
Player to watch: OGE
The face off between Minseok “OGE” Son and Xu “guxue” Qiulin will be one to remember. Both Winston gods and consistent for their team. So long as OGE doesn’t get ahead of himself and overextend like he sometimes does, this match up should be close.
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Featured image courtesy of Overwatch League
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