Gladiators Suffer Back-to-Back Defeats in Week 25

Week 25 was a tumultuous week for LA, facing two elite teams back-to-back. Winning both these games had been unlikely for them, but the goal for the weekend was rather to find their footing so they can hopefully finish out the season strong.

Reviewing Week 24

Philadelphia Fusion: 17-2

For this match, Mirror moved over into a tank role, where he has a history of playing as Zarya. While he did prevail as Zarya at times, the author of this article felt that the Yaters’ downfall in this match was putting too much faith in him to the point where he stayed in the game from start to finish, which was considered more of a sacrifice than an upgrade to the team in certain maps. Even if Zarya is favorable in the current meta, the better player would excel more often playing as heroes that are more comfortable for him. They gambled and it did not pay off.

Here is how this match went down:

Player of the Match: Birdring

Paris Eternal: 14-6

For this match, Mirror moved over into a tank role, where he has a history of playing as heroes such as Zarya.

Here is how this match went down:

Map 1 – Busan

The Glads faces a steep uphill battle in Round 1. The Eternal were working like a well-oiled machine throughout and had an answer for every strategy that LA tried. The only signs of life the Gladiators had were at the very end, and even then they failed to control the point once.

Round 2 was next, and LA did not fare any better. There were opportunities but the results did not follow for the Yaters. Mirror as Zarya wastes a Graviton Surge as the team almost was able to successfully control the point. The rest of the team try to store their ultimate abilities for one coordinated attack but they don’t do much. Spark1e’s Dragon Blade made the difference instead. Paris gets the 2nd round and the map.

Map 2 – Eichenwalde

Gladiators start on defense first. The Gladiators crumble on Point A in the first fight. On the way to Point B, LA shows signs of life with a Pulse Bomb from Birdring and a Primal Rage from OGE. Paris is on the attack to finish Point B but LA answers with successful stall tactics. Paris gets point B, but the Glads find better luck from inside the castle. The team uses ultimate abilities wisely as they stop the payload from moving any further.

On offense, LA wasn’t as successful as Paris to secure Point A. There were multiple attempts to overthrow Paris, but those hopes were dashed largely due to Nosmite on Winston. The Gladiators finally power through with a minute on the clock. LA was faced with just as much resistance on the way to Point B. OGE and Kevster were the ones that helped LA get on track. Outside of Point B, the Glads once again fail to defeat all their opponents quick enough. Kevster’s Dragon Blade attempt fails as the Eternal stop them outside the castle. Paris gets away 2-0.

Map 3 – Volskaya Industries

Glads start on offense. They manage to win a long team fight on their first try with OGE playing multitasker. LA had around five minutes to take Point B. In one of the early fights, they spoil three of their ultimate abilities and fail to get inside the stronghold. Gladiators finish the round with 55 seconds remaining following a Pulse Bomb from Birdring.

LA switches to defense. They hold early on thanks to an EMP from Kevster’s Sombra. They lose the momentum once Mirror performs a Graviton Surge because Soon does an EMP to a crowd of Gladiators. Paris gets the upper hand and take Point A. Taking point B was also no problem for the Eternal. After hitting the right notes, Paris got Point B after one attempt with 3:17 remaining.

Gladiators have one minute to take Point A. They were met with a brick wall in the shape of Hanbin. Teams switch again and once Soon as Sombra flanked the Glads, that was all she wrote. The Eternal sweep the Gladiators 3-0.

Player of the Match: OGE

Previewing Week 25

Florida Mayhem: 13-6

This team has slowly built itself together since the middle of last season. Sayaplayer, BQB, and Yaki are the team’s damage dealers. Karayan, Gargoyle, and Fate play the tanks, the latter which was previously on the LA Valiant. Byrem, Kris, and Gangnamjin round out the team on supports.

This will be another tough test for LA, as they have enjoyed some favorable momentum since the start of the season. Among the players and management itself, the Gladiators cannot afford to mess up much, as this is a franchise that had seasons of mistakes and have overcame them immensely.