Another win, another step closer to the Season Playoffs. Though the LA Valiant came out on top in their matchup against the Florida Mayhem, it was a win they had to work for. The Mayhem, a team that’s been flourishing in this new found meta, made the Valiant push the boundaries in order to acquire a much needed victory going forward. Due to this, the Valiant need to look ahead and prepare themselves for their Kit Kat Rivalry Weekend, where they face their two toughest opponents. Before that, however, they have another chance to secure a safe win against another struggling team—the Boston Uprising.
The Valiant looked poised to sweep the series when they came out swinging on the first map. The second map stalled out to a draw as well, meaning that the Valiant just had to win one more map for the series to swing their way. After the half, the Mayhem decided to make things competitive, tying up the score after a quick stint on Hollywood. The final map, Junkertown, went the distance, with the Valiant pulling ahead in the end. The series was theirs, but just barely. There’s still work to do in order to close the gap in moments of high tension.
Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
Consistently proving why he’s one of the best elements in the roster, Young-seo “KariV” Park did his job. Alongside support duo partner Scott “Custa” Kennedy, KariV manages to keep his team alive in team fights, while also delivering the utility that his preferred hero, Ana, provides. With clutch sleeps on a constant basis, KariV is becoming a master at timing his abilities. Hopefully, this top tier skill can carry into their upcoming game this weekend.
Overwatch League 2019 Season Stage 3 photo:Stewart Volland for Blizzard Entertainment
The Boston Uprising had a strong start to this season, proving why they’re always a team to keep an eye on. However, they’ve slipped lately, struggling to find an identity in this new meta. On top of their inconsistency when it comes to their support line (where is Minseok “AimGod” “Jeff” Kwon?), last week they ran their star DPS player Jeffrey “blasé” Tsang on offtank. It’s hard to pin down this team when they’re constantly trying new things, either to their surprise or their disappointment.
Because of this, the Valiant are favored in this matchup. Their rough showing against the Mayhem shouldn’t be too concerning, as the Uprising are still trying to find a win since their reverse sweep of the Paris Eternal in Stage 3. So long as the Valiant adequately prepare for this game, and don’t let their Rivalry Weekend get the better of them, they should find success.
The DPS matchup with these two teams can also be interesting, with Kyle “KSF” Frandanisa and Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse facing each other in a Widowmaker duel. However, seeing as Boston hasn’t decided on their offtank role, all eyes will be on Indy “SPACE” Halpern. If he can manage to keep up with either player Boston decides to throw at him, the Valiant will have the upper hand. Their support line is currently stronger than Boston’s, which means the tank lines will be where things get down to the nitty gritty.
Featured Image Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment.
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