The Los Angeles Gladiators continued their fall from grace, crashing down to 17th in the standings. While many argue that the Gladiators performance does not reflect their current record (1-4), it may be time to face the music and call out the Gladiators for their subpar performance.
Questions need to be asked of the current lineup, and what can be done to turn the Gladiators season around. One such question is when will GOATS come to pass? The Gladiators have struggled under the 3-3 composition. While they have a star studded lineup, often teams can struggle fitting in new pieces.
The main tank hole was a big one to fill, and the Gladiators are struggling to fill it. In a composition that puts immense pressure on the main tank, and teams have started to target Chang-hoon “rOar” Gye.
Week 3 Review
London Spitfire 3-2
The Gladiators came out strong on the first round, racking up 99% on the first point, but allowing it to slip away from them. The Spitfire came out swinging for the second round, handily taking the first map for themselves.
The second map, Numbani, was very tight, and saw Kim “Fury” Jun-ho of the Spitfire start out the Spitfire’s attack on the Wrecking Ball. The Gladiators fought until the end, and put up a strong defense to hold the Spitfire for a draw on the second map. The Gladiators were victorious on Volskaya, pulling out the 3-2 victory. Jonas “Shaz” Suovaara proved vital as the Gladiators took the map.
Heading into the fourth map, the Gladiators were hoping their momentum would carry them to win the series. The final map, Dorado, the Gladiators started off quickly, but were unable to deal with the Spitfire’s Sombra. London handedly took the last map, where they did not need to push past the second point.
Player of the Game:
The player of the game was easily Gui-un “Decay” Jang. The Gladiators welcome the Zarya specialist to their starting lineup, as he fills the gap that Lane “Surefour” Roberts was flexing onto. This did send fan favorite Surefour to the bench, but Decay has shown why he was so highly sought over in the off-season.
Hangzhou Spark 3-3
This game was the Battle of the Rookie Main Tanks. The Gladiators pit rOar against the Spark’s Chinese main tank Xu “guxue” Qiulin. The first map was Nepal, which Hangzhou took 2-1. The Spark took the approach most teams have taken against the Gladiators, and focused rOar early in team fights. The next map, Hollywood, saw the Gladiators win 3-2. In the wake of Hangzhou focusing on getting rid of rOar, Shaz stepped up and dealt large amounts of damage and high amounts of healing (Shaz sits in 4th in the Overwatch League for average healing done per 10 minutes).
Next up was Volskaya, which the Spark took 3-2. The Gladiators came out with a DPS focused lineup, with Decay playing Widowmaker, and rOar came out swinging with Wrecking Ball. After taking Point A with the strange composition, they switched back to their familiar 3-3 for their Point B attack. After a heavy-handed attack from the Spark, the Gladiators were not able to push through in overtime, and the Spark grabbed their one tick to win the map.
The final map was Route 66, in which the Spark won 1-0. The Gladiators poorly used their ultimates, and were not able to get to the first point on the map. The Spark made quick work of the Gladiators defense, and the Gladiators fell further down the standings.
Player of the Game:
The Gladiators player of the game is Shaz. He continues to show his dominance on Zenyatta. A crucial part of a 3-3 comp is the Zenyatta, and Shaz has continued to prove his worth for the Gladiators. Without Shaz, the Gladiators would look even worse than they have been.
Week 4 Preview
Atlanta Reign: 3-1
Atlanta currently sit 3rd in the Overwatch League standings. Their only loss has come in a five-map game against the Philadelphia Fusion. They are one of the most exciting teams in the league. The Gladiators will have to pull out something special if they want to get a win against the newcomers from the South. Daniel “dafran” Francesca will look to deal great amounts of damage as Zarya, or any DPS character if given the chance.
The biggest battle will be between the off tanks. The Gladiators have Jun-woo “Void” Kang and the Reign have Dong-hyeong “DACO” Seo. Daco has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with, who ranks second in average damage per 10 minutes as D.Va If the Gladiators can kill DACO, they may have a chance against the Reign.
Prediction: Reign 3-1 Gladiators
Fun fact of the day:
Dafran ranks 1st in final blows on average per 10 minutes, and 4th in eliminations on average per 10 minutes.
Guangzhou Charge 3-2
The Guangzhou Charge currently sit in 5th place in the Overwatch League standings, with a 3-2 record. They sit as the best Chinese team in the league three weeks in. Many fans did not know what to expect from the Charge. However, it seems that some players may have known that the Charge were a force to be reckoned with.
In an interview conducted before Week 2, the Gladiators own João Pedro “Hydration” Goes Telles said that he thought that the Charge were the most unique and interesting of the expansion teams. This will be a fight from the beginning. Guangzhou have only lost to the Chengdu Hunters, who run a very unique composition, as well as the undefeated Vancouver Titans.
Prediction: Charge 3-2 Gladiators
Player to watch:
The player to watch this game is rOar. If the Gladiators can keep rOar alive, and if he can gel with the team, he can be a big part of a Gladiators victory. If he can keep his shield up, and hit some massive Earth Shatters, then the Gladiators might be able to pull a victory against Guangzhou.
Need More?
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Featured Image Courtesy of the Los Angeles Gladiators
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