Week 2 did not go the way most Charge fans would have hoped. They played a close match with the Los Angeles Valiant, yet dropped it in the final moments. Now, Guangzhou have another week where they only play a single game, and it’s against a very weak Toronto Defiant. This week will be a proving ground for Guangzhou to see if they have any sort of chance of redemption within this year of the league.
The Los Angeles green team are starting up a spicy streak of their own; their win over Guangzhou marked a second win in a row for a very low scoring team this season. Guangzhou were expected to be the victors this match, but the Valiant were no pushovers. It’s clear both of these teams are more than what they were in previous stages, and improving. Guangzhou, however, did play well and kept it close all match. If the Valiant do continue a winning streak it will look good on Guangzhou as well for playing it so close.
That’s our sweetest boy Hotba’s desk @HOTBA_OW . Congrats @HimeShepherd 🎊Check your DM for Token https://t.co/JGCnbGrKyD pic.twitter.com/FGpBc6LaYx
— Guangzhou Charge (@GZCharge) June 20, 2019
With a massive kill alone at the end of the match, Hongjun “HOTBA” Choi showed once again his amazing flexibility. Being able to run D.Va, Zarya, and Pharah at high levels cements how crucial of a player he is for his team. However, this easily could have gone to Seungpyo “Rio” Oh for his disruption on Wrecking Ball and overall cohesion with his team. Rio is steadily improving as always with his team and it shows more in every match.
The Toronto Defiant are another team that sits at the bottom almost irregularly. They’ve made some large roster swaps, losing Kangjae “envy” Lee and going with an English-speaking tank line in Daniel “Gods” Graeser and Normunds “Sharyk” Faterins. However, it’s too early to say if this is a winning strategy or not as the Defiant have only played two matches. The two seem almost painfully even, yet the edge should once again go to Guangzhou based on having a longer time to work with their own roster and the cohesion their tank and support lines have built. However, the Charge should really try to win it in four maps, as it’s worth noting that while the Defiant have only won 2/8 maps so far this stage, both of them have been control. If this goes to a map 5, this might alter the outcome if Toronto outplays GZ on control maps.
Prediction: Guangzhou Charge 3 – Toronto Defiant 1
Image Courtesy of @GZCharge on Twitter
Yiliang “Eileen” Ou is quickly cementing himself as the team’s Sombra specialist as the team goes further into running a single DPS strategy. While he’s insanely good, he needs to continue to be able to work with his team in setting up enormous plays. If Eileen gets isolated or holds onto EMP too long, his whole team loses a lot of ground waiting. They need Eileen to take a lot more risks, or all advance without him more often. However, if the communication improves, this team could be a scary force with his immense skill on Sombra.
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