Its Yeehaw time for the London Spitfire in week 2 of the June Joust. Week one saw the lads fall at the hands of the Florida Mayhem and Atlanta Reign, yet more challenges await the squad in Texas. It will not be an easy feat to sneak out a win in week 2.
Here they face both Texas teams in the Dallas Fuel and Houston Outlaws. Two teams that both sit near the top of the standings. The Fuel as well enter the Joust as the May Melee Champions. In short, it is looking somewhat scary for a struggling London squad. This week is of the utmost importance as well, as going winless here guarantees their absence from the upcoming tournament.
The team going through a coaching change certainly did not help last weekend. Winning only one map over two games is abysmal. Hopefully, under the direction of new Head Coach Fischer, who led them to so much success with British Hurricane, the team can find their footing. This week is the biggest trial by fire for the team’s new direction. In both games, the Spitfire are undoubtedly the underdog. So they will have to band together like never before in order to give their fans hope again. Right away though, they face a mighty challenge.
Dallas Fuel (May 28, 2021)
The London Spitfire June Joust campaign continues against the protagonist of the Overwatch League. Fearless, and his fearsome friends are the first foe the Spitfire will face this weekend. Coming in hot after their scorching victory in the May Melee in Hawaii, the Fuel are no doubt eager to hold onto their new crown.
From top to bottom, DPS to support, this team is stacked. All the worries about how the team would perform without a hitscan player were quickly silenced last month. They are champions. The cycle of misery is broken. Long live the cycle of happiness.
All that said, this new meta brought on by Hero Pools has humbled previous monsters in the league already. Fans have witnessed upset, after upset as dominant forces from the last tournament have fallen. The Fuel ideally should face little issue from the current pool though. The biggest question mark possibly is if the Fuel will embrace the power of the horse and run Orisa based comps, or will they believe in their Monkey supremacy?
The Spitfire will need to level up pretty much all aspects of their gameplay to achieve the upset. Last week saw them struggle to gain much footing against both opponents they faced. Against the Fuel their best hope may be that Hybrid delivers a performance not yet seen so far from the rookie hitscan. Again the Fuel had little issue playing without hitscan in the Melee, so it’s no guarantee that having a powerful hitscan performance will help against them. Yet it’s a chance. A chance the Spitfire desperately need. Hopefully, the coaching change works out for the best, and Fischer is able to recapture the Hurricane magic. As if not, it could be a very depressing weekend for the Spitfire. Against this team though, keep expectations in check.
Prediction: Dallas Fuel 3-0 Spitfire
Houston Outlaws (May 29, 2021)
Things are about to get real Texas hard for the Spitfire as they face their second Texas resident of the weekend. The Outlaws have been one of the hottest teams in the league, with a regular-season record of 5-1 so far. A huge boon to the team has been their revitalized coaching staff. Junkbuck, Jake and Harsha have worked wonders this season. The team appears to be hyper-flexible, adaptable and very talented. In short, they are a major threat.
The signing of additional Main Tank player Dreamer has given the team even more depth, and has shown to already be a boon to the roster. They are more than adept at playing pretty much any composition they can think of. Even treating fans to the legendary Jakerat in week one. Where the chance of having a hitscan advantage was a slim possibility against Dallas, that wont exist here. Happy is a freak of nature, and when paired alongside the ever-powerful Danteh they are nigh unstoppable. The Hero Pools meta additionally serves the team very well, so there doesn’t seem to be a nerf available to aid the London Lads.
As with the game against the Fuel, it will take the entire team coming together and leveling up to take the win here. Their biggest fault, as has been said time and time again, has been their overall team play. At times, individually, the players have impressive showings. Yet bringing together the talent, and utilizing it consistently has been something outside their grasp. At least in their first six games.
One week is not a lot of time to fix the issues plaguing the team. Expecting Fischer to come in and magically make the team into champions is not fair. It will take time to get results if any at all. The rest of the season, even when Sparkr comes of age could be rough. Yet all hope is not lost, there is talent on the team even if it hasn’t lived up to expectations so far. A new dawn may still come.
Prediction: Outlaws 3-0 Spitfire
The London Spitfire June Joust quest may very well come to a sad end in week 2. Yet even after a rough start, there is still time to turn things around. A new coach, and after this tournament an exciting new DPS player could give the team the spark of life they need. There are many unanswered questions, hopefully, in time the answers will develop.
Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanButler for all your London Spitfire, Overwatch League, and Esports needs.
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