Going into this match, the Paris Eternal knew that the Houston Outlaws would present a challenge. The Outlaws have been playing out of their minds for the past couple of weeks. Would Paris be able to take them down?
Starting Six
Nicolas “NiCOgdh” Moret
Karol “Danye” Szcześniak
Benjamin “BenBest” Dieulafait
Finnbjörn “Finnsi” Jónasson
Harrison “Kruise” Pond
Luís “Greyy” Perestrelo
Oasis: Paris 0-2 Houston
On University, Paris would be the first to cap the point after NiCOgdh got a pick on Jiri “LiNkzr” Masalin. However, the Eternal would not be able to hold it for very long. Both LiNkzr and Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty would take out Paris with ease. Despite their best efforts, Paris would be unable to flip the point back in their favor until the very last second. Greyy would be taken out by Rawkus, and Paris would be overrun. For a moment, it seemed like things were done for. However, Danye and Finnsi would combine a Graviton Surge and Self-Destruct combo that would allow the Eternal to take back the point. Unfortunately, LiNkzr would use a Graviton Surge of his own to force Kruise to drop his Sound Barrier. From there, Dante “Danteh” Cruz would use his EMP and Paris would crumble.
On City Center, Paris would try a new approach by putting Danye onto Sombra. This would work in Paris’ favor as they would cap the point first, but Houston would be quick to take it back. The point would switch intermittently between teams, but Houston looked strong. The Outlaws would dominate on this map, as the team let Jacob “JAKE” Lyon loose on Pharah. The Eternal would lose Oasis 0-2.
Paris: Paris 2-4 Houston
On Paris, the Eternal would run a standard Bunker Composition on defense. Although Greyy would be taken out, Danye would get a pick on Austin “Muma” Wilmot that would force the Outlaws to back up. They would regain momentum and take out Paris on the back of Danteh’s EMP and LiNkzr’s Dragonstrike. It seemed like the Outlaws would steamroll through Point B, but Danye’s Bastion would keep them at bay. After Danteh got a pick on Danye, the Eternal would find themselves rotating off the point, and the Outlaws would cap *(for once, Plat Chat would be right – an unfortunate C9).
On attack, Paris would run an interesting composition that consisted of Roadhog, Orisa, and double sniper. Danye would take out LiNkzr on Widowmaker, and Paris would push through Point A. It would take Paris a bit of time, but NiCOgdh’s Hanzo would take out the Outlaws as they overextended into the front hallway outside the point. Staggering, Paris would continue to take them out one by one until Point B was theirs.
On their next round of defense, Houston would take both points with ease despite Finnsi’s best efforts. On their second round of attack, the Eternal would be unable to cap Point A. The Eternal would lose Paris 2-4.
Hollywood: Paris 2-1 Houston
On Hollywood, things were not looking bright for Paris as Houston rolled through their defenses. Jake on Pharah would once again prove to be a problem for the Eternal. The Outlaws would end up pushing the payload nearly to Point B, but dropping Beat, Kruise would save his team from LiNkzr’s Graviton Surge. Both Danye and Danteh would drop their EMP’s, but Danye would be quicker. Paris would stabilize and hold the Outlaws just shy of Point B.
On attack, Paris would run a mirror Sombra GOATS composition. This would work in their favor, and they would roll through the Outlaw’s defenses quickly as well. Pushing the payload, Muma would land a fat shatter on the Eternal, but Danye would leap down with an EMP that would allow NiCOgdh to take out the disabled Outlaws. Houston would not be able to stabilize, and Paris would take Hollywood 2-1 with ease.
Dorado: Paris 1-2 Houston
Paris would come to Dorado with a 4-0 record on this map. Fans were hopeful that the Eternal would be able to take the Houston Outlaws to a Map 5 with this record. Attacking first, NiCOgdh would find himself on Roadhog instead of Brigitte. Paris would slowly but surely push the payload towards Point A. Even with Jake’s Pharah wreaking havoc from above, Paris would come back and get a key pick on Muma that would allow them to push the payload to Point A. Houston would stabalize and Paris would be unable to push the cart any further than the church.
On defense, Paris would run a Sombra-Winston GOATS composition. The Eternal would be able to hold the Outlaws back for quite some time, but LiNkzr’s Hanzo would tear them down with ease. Unfortunately for Paris, they would be unable to stop the Outlaws, and they would lose Dorado 1-2.
Conclusion
Unfortunately for the Eternal, they would not be able to pull off a reverse sweep on the Outlaws. Houston’s decision to play to their strengths has immensely worked in their favor so far this stage. Even though they presented a significant challenge to the Paris Eternal, Finnsi, Danye, and NiCOgdh played well this series. Small mistakes cost them dearly this series, but the Eternal have another shot to prove themselves in their next match this weekend against the Boston Uprising.
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