The Los Angeles Gladiators had another great week in Stage 2, improving to 4-0. They faced the Guangzhou Charge and the Los Angeles Valiant, and defeated both handily. After shutting out the Charge, they prepared for the Battle for LA. After some strange compositions, the Gladiators were able to take the series 2-1. In that game, new addition Riku “Ripa” Toivanen got his first map on stage, in the final map of the series.
The Gladiators have another week playing two games, facing off against the Florida Mayhem and the Chengdu Hunters. The Mayhem are 0-4 this stage, and should not be a problem for Los Angeles. The Hunters are sure to put up a fight, and the interesting compositions that both teams run should be fun for fans of both teams to watch.
The Guangzhou Charge have completely fallen flat on their face in Stage 2. They have not won a single map, putting them at 0-16 for the stage. The Gladiators easily stomped them 4-0, without breaking much of a sweat. If the Charge are not careful, they may lose out on a chance to play in the Season Playoffs. While this was not the hardest game that the Gladiators have played, Guangzhou did not go without a fight. The first map, Busan, was a brawl from start to finish.
Los Angeles Gladiators flex tank: Jun-woo “Void” Kang
The player of the game was Jun-woo “Void” Kang. Void continues to be an unstoppable force on the D.Va. His ability to eat Graviton Surges, as well as get multiple kills on with his ultimate, combined with his knack for not dying, has shown that he is a top-tier D.Va.
The Battle for LA. While many fans did not go into this game expecting the Valiant to win, they did put up a fight as well. The Gladiators were able to take the first map handily, 2-0. After this, they subbed in Lane “Surefour” Roberts, and ran an interesting composition that saw him running the Mei. After holding the Valiant to only the first point, they switched to attack, and were held handily by the Valiant for over four minutes, and a draw was the result. In the ever-important third map, the Gladiators ran through Eichenwalde extremely quickly, but were held right before the finish line. They held the Valiant to only one point on this map, and headed into the final map. This is the map in which we saw Ripa finally get his debut on stage. While he was not able to play his signature Ana, he still showed promise. Playing Zenyatta, it was clear that Jonas “Shaz” Suovaara is still the clear favorite to start.
The player of the game again was Void. He continued to play D.Va at a ridiculously high level. He died very little, and was able to finish off plenty of the Valiant players. Void looks to be extremely irreplaceable for the Gladiators.
The Los Angeles Gladiators start off the week on Thursday against the Florida Mayhem. The Mayhem have not had any luck this stage. They recently announced that they would be going with a full-Korean roster, which meant that a few of their players would be dropped. While they are still in building mode, they have to face the thriving Gladiators. Expect this game to go by quickly, and for players such as Surefour and Ripa to make appearances in this game. This match will be one that the Gladiators will see as more of a “practice round.”
The player to watch in this game is Chang-hoon “rOar” Gye. He has the upper hand in the main tank battle, and fans should see him thrive against the Mayhem. Whether it be on the Winston or the Reinhardt, rOar should be able to destroy the Mayhem.
Los Angeles Gladiators DPS: Lane “Surefour” Roberts
The Gladiators take on the Hunters on Saturday of Week 3. The Hunters are currently 2-1 in Stage 2, and may prove to be one of the better teams that face off against the Los Angeles team. Fans of the Gladiators should expect more than just 3-3 compositions this game, especially because the Hunters have shown that they would rather play with a Hammond. Players like Surefour and Gui-un “Decay” Jang will need to show their DPS abilities once again.
The player to watch for the Gladiators against the Hunters is Decay. Decay has proven that he is one of the best Zarya’s in the league, and has shown glimpses of his ability to play other Heroes. With the Hunters’ past of running interesting compositions, the Gladiators will need to be flexible with their compositions. The Gladiators showed that they can do that against the Valiant, but this game will prove if they can do it against better teams.
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