After a disappointing Week 2, it is understandable for fans to be a bit nervous heading into the third week of the stage. However, the Charge pulled off a huge win, their first 4-0 in months, and looked extremely dominant while doing so. They play a tough next two matches against the Shanghai Dragons, and need to keep this upswing going to maintain a chance at making playoffs for the stage.
Image courtesy of the Toronto Defiant Twitter.
The Defiant have been lacking a strong identity recently, and the Charge took full advantage of it in their match. They denied Toronto a single point on three of the four maps, and finished strongly on all of their own attack rounds. While Toronto has been looking like a bottom three team as of late, this does show that Guangzhou is creating a gap between the teams below them and could be a good sign of forward momentum.
Without a doubt, Seungpyo “Rio” Oh popped off in this match unlike any time before, putting up massive performances on several different tank heroes. Jungwoo “Happy” Lee also has to be accounted for, as his Widowmaker play lived up to the expectations given long before the season began, and took many heads this match.
.@owhappy2 being widow and @osp0418 being happy😎
Check out our highlight from last week #FeeltheCharge #OWL2019 pic.twitter.com/KKdt2BfQfa— Guangzhou Charge (@GZCharge) June 25, 2019
Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment.
The Shanghai Dragons will certainly be a tough opponent for the Guangzhou Charge. The Dragons have cemented themselves as a very solid team, right around the cusp of the top 8. Guangzhou, despite their Week 3 match, still sits well in the lower half of the standings. Shanghai has only dropped one series in the stage, however it was 3-1 against the rising Valiant, the same team who gave Guangzhou a 3-1 scoreline. Out of any match for an upset to happen, it could be this one. The Charge definitely need it as well, as taking two of their next three matches could give them a playoff ticket, and beating Shanghai even once could be the key to it.
Shanghai Dragons 3 – Guangzhou Charge 1
Image Courtesy of @GZCharge on twitter
Happy and Rio pulling off clutch performances once again would absolutely help the Charge, but Hongjun “HOTBA” Choi’s ability to flex to five different heroes at the pro level could be what makes the series winnable. Shanghai runs a lot of DPS heroes usually, and HOTBA’s ability to swap between tank or DPS will be a huge boon for Guangzhou. Additionally, Happy has to win the hitscan battle against Minseong “Diem” Bae, or the team won’t be able to make any progress.
Featured photo from OWL
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