The Florida Mayhem turned some heads in week one of the stage. They managed to play close maps with both the Philadelphia Fusion and London Spitfire, two teams who should look good in this Meta. Florida also showed new compositions, namely their Orisa Bunker Composition. While certainly cheesy, it looked to be very effective on maps such as Kings Row. Despite the Mayhem losing both of their opening games, they have a decent map score, which has them above many other struggling teams. With a win this week they could look to be upwards of twelfth in the standings.
Paris Eternal (1-1) Map Score (4-4-0)
The Paris Eternal are somewhat difficult to predict this stage. On one hand they rolled over the Guangzhou Charge but on the other they succumbed to Symmetra strategies by the Chengdu Hunters. Symmetra is a hero that no other team has found success with before and it illustrated Chengdu’s absolute dominance over Paris. With Florida seemingly aligning itself with Chengdu’s philosophy of crazy, perhaps they can also overwhelm Paris this week. However if the match becomes a Goats battle, Paris should easily be able to handle Florida. If Xepher can play like Xepher the ‘Scrim God’ and not like Xepher the Charlie Niner*, then the Mayhem could stand a good chance.
Prediction: Paris Eternal 3 – 2 Florida Mayhem
Player to Watch: Koo “Xepher” Jae-mo
*Referring to Xepher’s now infamous c9 against the Philadelphia Fusion in week one of stage 2
New York Excelsior (2-0) Map Score (7-0-1)
New York Excelsior have a very easy strength of schedule this stage and will look to dominate in order to prove their mighty caliber as a team. Much criticism has been hurled their way after yet another disappointing Stage Playoff performance. However they have bounced back in the regular stage as they always do, with crushing match wins over the Fusions and Dragons.
New York has yet to release their squad of amazing DPS players onto the stage, however if they were to do so this would be the right Meta. And perhaps against a lowly team such as Florida, this would be the time to stretch the legs of some of their benchwarmers. If the Florida Mayhem can win the game against Paris earlier in the week, this game could feature some close maps. However it seems obvious to many that this should be a blow out in favor of New York. Florida must look toward Ha “Sayaplayer” Jeong-woo to perform at a star carry level performance to keep the Mayhem from being decimated.
Prediction: New York Excelsior 4 – 0 Florida Mayhem
Player to Watch: Ha “Sayaplayer” Jeong-woo
Conclusion
The Florida Mayhem are a team on the up-and-up, albeit their ascent is remarkably slow. With staff and players being swapped, shuffled and let-go all around them it is a testament to the core of this team that they remain competitive. In the coming weeks many expect new blood to be injected in to this team, which may be the energy needed to finally put wins on the board.
Make sure to check out my Florida Mayhem potential signings article, where I explore in depth the targets that are likely and/or should be looked at for Florida!
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