After a nice, long break, the Paris Eternal are gearing up for Stage 3. After another lackluster performance during Stage 2, fans are hoping that Paris will come back this stage with a clear, focused mindset. So far, Paris traditionally starts off the beginning of the stage strong before crumbling quickly under pressure. While the Eternal severely lost their footing during Stage 1, they were able to bounce back a little bit during Stage 2. Their playstyle still depends on the week, but the team looked a lot more lively under new head coach Félix “Féfé” Münch.
Despite Paris having a lot of talent on their roster, their inability to communicate is causing them to falter in a meta that many predicted they would excel in. GOATs is still looking to be dominant coming back into Stage 3, despite the rising popularity of bunker compositions. While Paris has improved, the first two teams that they will be facing off against will definitely give them a run for their money.
Toronto Defiant (7-7)
Last time the Paris Eternal faced off against the Toronto Defiant, many predicted them crushing their fellow floundering expansion team. The Defiant rose to the top of the standings during Stage 1, but they barely got a win over the Washington Justice during their first game. Toronto continued to falter for the remainder of the stage, falling short against the Boston Uprising and Philadelphia Fusion. Many were confident that the Paris Eternal would be able to take an easy victory over the Defiant. However, in a surprising turn of events, Toronto took down Paris with a 4-0 victory.
Gods and Sharyk
ROSTER UPDATE
Welcome to the @overwatchleague, where heroes become legends, and legends become gods.
Please give a warm welcome to our new tank duo, @gods_live and @sharykOW! Congratulations on graduating from @MTLRebellion!#RiseTogether | #OWL2019 pic.twitter.com/EpAbFvWJRP
— Toronto Defiant (@TorontoDefiant) May 21, 2019
Toronto has made some roster upgrades during the break. The addition of Normunds “sharyk” Faterins and Daniel “Gods” Graeser seem to be a step in the right direction. Both Gods and Sharyk have made names for themselves in the Contenders scene. Gods, in particular, is a fan favorite, and his signing is one that many have been waiting for since his days on Gladiators Legion. Gods and Sharyk were pulled up from Montreal Rebellion; while they both have a history playing with each other, three weeks might not be enough time.
Going from a full Korean roster to a mixed one in the middle of the season is a big move on the Defiant’s part and it will take time for them to adjust. Making no changes to their roster, Paris will more than likely be keeping their starting six lineups from the last stage. Paris will be looking to find cracks within the Defiant’s new lineup. If Paris can keep it together and focus on their communication, they should be able to come out of this match with a victory.
Prediction: Paris 3-2 Toronto
Boston Uprising (7-7)
The Boston Uprising are a team that is always full of surprises. While they struggled against their schedule during Stage 2, their creativity and ability to rally under Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth make them a team to be feared. The Boston Uprising will have the upper hand going into this series based on their great communication skills alone. The Uprising are a close-knit team; that brotherhood allows them to be one of the more organized GOATs teams in the league.
In comparison to the Paris Eternal, Jeffrey “blasé” Tsang and Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse are more comfortable on Brigitte and Zarya than George “ShaDowBurn” Gushcha and Terence “SoOn” Tarlier. Fusions and Roni “LhCloudy” Tiihonen will be able to go toe-to-toe during this match, but Boston’s healing lineup will more than likely give Boston the advantage While Kristian “Kellex” Keller has made some extremely questionable plays, Min-seok “AimGod” Kwon is an incredible Zenyatta. With Zion “Persia” Yang also finally having landed in the United States, Boston might sub him in for a few maps. However, considering Boston already is keeping Renan “alemao” Moretto on the bench, fans not might see much of Persia either. Regardless, Kellex and AimGod will make life difficult for Harrison “Kruise” Pond and Luís “Greyy” Perestrelo as the Eternal’s healing line is where most of their problems reside. Out of the Eternal’s two games this week, this one will prove to be the most difficult for Paris.
Prediction: Paris 1-3 Boston
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