Los Angeles Valiant (5-12) vs. Guangzhou Charge (6-11)
Final Score: Valiant 3-1 Charge
It looked dangerous at times for the Los Angeles Valiant in this series, but when the time came to make map-saving clutch plays, they certainly delivered. This was one of the Valiant’s most explosive series.
Ilios: Valiant 2-0 Charge
Round one was on Well. It looked grave for the Valiant for much of the round until they found the picks they needed in a crucial late fight and flipped the point. From then on then they dominated each teamfight, eventually winning the round.
Round two took place on Lighthouse. The LA Valiant continued to be the stronger team and won the round as the controlling force in most of the teamfights.
The map ended 2-0 in favor of the Los Angeles Valiant.
Horizon: Charge 4-3 Valiant
The Los Angeles Valiant started on attack. They were kept from capturing point A for almost all of their available time until some well used ultimates cleared the way. Point B went much smoother, with the Valiant taking it while the fighting was still going on. They had 2:16 left in their time bank.
The LA Valiant’s point A defense in round two lasted a couple of minutes before the Guanzhou Charge broke through. The Charge were faster to take point B as well, having 4:18 left to work with.
Round three put the Valiant back on attack. Their point A capture succeeded after a nice pin from Russell “FCTFCTN” Campbell to cancel a Sound Barrier from the Charge’s Jung-yeon “Chara” Kim. However, they could not take point B.
In round four, Guangzhou took point A after some time, then quickly moved to point B. They captured it almost instantly, and won the round.
The map ended 4-3 in favor of the Guangzhou Charge
Numbani: Valiant 4-3 Charge
The LA Valiant started on defense on Numbani. They didn’t last long before the Guangzhou Charge dismantled them and took point A. The Valiant managed to stabilize for a very long time on point B, but the Charge still eventually made it through. Point C was scrappy, and Guangzhou finished the map in overtime.
On attack, Los Angeles captured point A after two minutes and some attrition. Their point B push was essentially uncontested. They continued their dominance through point C and finished the map with 4:00 left.
Round three saw the Valiant continue on attack, only needing one tick to win. The fight lasted some time, but the LA Valiant were able to overwhelm the Charge and capture it.
The map ended 4-3 in favor of the Los Angeles Valiant.
Havana: Valiant 3-1 Charge
LA started on attack. With less than 10 seconds left, they finished point A after having hit a brickwall against the Charge’s Bastion-centered composition. Once again in overtime, and with the help of a nice two-man Self Destruct from Indy “SPACE” Halpern, the Los Angeles Valiant made it through point B. However, they could not finish the map.
On defense, the Valiant lost point A after a little over two minutes. The round moved into overtime on point B, and the Valiant rushed back to recontest after losing just losing a fight. Their contention was successful, and they won the following fight, taking the round.
The map ended 3-1 in favor of the Los Angeles Valiant.
Conclusion
The scoreline makes this match seem much more one-sided than it really was. The LA Valiant struggled greatly against the Sombra variation of the GOATS composition that the Charge often used. Therefore, although they won, they now have a key problem that must be addressed. However, despite the struggles, the Valiant played their hearts out and were able to show up when it counted.
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Featured image courtesy of the Overwatch League
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