The Houston Outlaws struggled the past few weeks of Stage 2. They’ve battled through tough opponents such as the Vancouver Titans and struggled with technical issues, like ultimate economy. However, The Outlaws have another opportunity to turn things around in Week 5 of Stage 2 against the London Spitfire and Guangzhou Charge. Read below to see how they’ll fare during the week and how they did during the Dallas Ultimate Weekend.
Houston seemed to struggle against the Korean team during the first match of the Dallas Ultimate Weekend. The Outlaws couldn’t do anything against the team’s hyper-aggressive style and Min-seo “Marve1” Hwang’s incredible main tank play. Despite their struggle, Houston definitely cleaned up their play with much better communication and much more efficient ultimate economy. Furthermore, it seems that the Houston Outlaws are testing the waters with new team comps such as Quad DPS and are beginning to show signs of improved communication.
Muma stole the show with his incredible stall during Houston’s attack on Paris. His incredibly clutch and slippery play with Winston allowed The Outlaws to regroup and make one final push to take point A in overtime. Furthermore, he led his team to complete the map on point B through aggressive, yet game changing play. He continues to prove that he is a team leader and one of the best players on this Houston squad.
With the crowd roaring against them, the Houston Outlaw couldn’t continue their winstreak in a heart-breaking, yet edge-of-your seat match against the Dallas Fuel. The Outlaws held back Dallas on Temple of Anubis with an incredible hold for their only map win. Furthermore, Houston almost pushed it to a game five on Watchpoint: Gibraltar, with incredible high ground defense on Point B and multiple hard fought pushes on attack. Despite the loss, Houston was able to piece together their team by playing DPS heavy team compositions and allowing Dante “Danteh” Cruz to shine on Sombra.
Jake brought out his signature hero, Junkrat, for Temple of Anubis to show why he is one of the best Junkrat players in the world. His incredibly early pick onto Won-sik “Closer” Jung and aggression allowed for Houston to hold back the Fuel for multiple team fights. Watch the video below to see some of his incredible play.
Houston faces the unpredictable, yet challenging Guangzhou Charge for their first match of the weekend. This team comes in with a very diverse roster, but they seemed to overcome their communication issues despite language barriers. Furthermore, they managed to take an extremely dominant 4-0 win against the Dallas Fuel. Guagzhou’s Yiliang “Eileen” Ou has shown to have a deep hero pool and is an expert with Doomfist.
Watch for Houston’s resident sniper and hitscan master, Jiri “LiNkzr” Masalin, to make an appearance against the Guangzhou Charge. If the Charge use things like Eileen’s Doomfist or other DPS heroes, watch out for LiNkzr’s Widowmaker to make some crucial picks on assault and control maps this upcoming week.
The Spitfire have been on a tear, going 5-1 during Stage 2, completely turning around their Stage 1 performance. It’s clear that the London Spitfire are hungry and are willing to destroy anyone in their way. Joon-yeong “Profit” Park shows that he can compete with some of the best DPS players in the League and is a master with his Pharah. In addition, Jae-hee “Gesture” Hong turned things around and proved that he is one of the best main tanks in the league. Houston will need to play their absolute best during a London off day to come out with a win.
The Outlaws will need to fight fire with fire against London’s Gesture. Watch out for Muma to turn the tides of battle with some incredible Earthshatters and stellar Reinhardt play. If Houston can play around Muma, while keeping a cool head and figure out what team composition they will play, they may stand a chance against this London team.
All Player Images Courtesy of the Overwatch League
Follow me on Twitter @stevzam96 for more sports & esports updates.
You can “Like” The Game Haus on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter for more esports great esports coverage
“From Our Haus to Yours”
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
