The final stage of the Overwatch League’s second season is here, and with a new stage comes one last shot for the Paris Eternal. Stage 3 was the strongest that fans have seen the Paris Eternal look all season. Although the Eternal did not end things on a high note, they did show a lot of promise. Head coach Félix “Féfé” Münch seemed to have found a starting six that worked for the Eternal last stage. However, with role lock being implemented, fans will probably see another new lineup walking out on stage.
Role Lock: Welcome back Shadowburn and SoOn?
Role lock being introduced to the Overwatch League means the end of an era. GOATs, or triple tank triple support, is finally dead. A meta that drove away a lot of viewers, most people are thrilled for the metas that role lock will bring, including Overwatch League pros. DPS players, in particular, have been chomping the bit to start clicking heads, and the Paris Eternal boys are no exception. With four DPS players on their roster, fans are hopeful to see Georgii “ShaDowBurn” Gushcha and Terence “SoOn” Tarlier this stage.
During Stage 3, Fefe decided to bench both ShaDowBurn and SoOn in favor of Karol “Danye” Szcześniak and Nicolas “NiCOgdh” Moret. Out of the four DPS players, Danye and NiCOgdh were the better Zarya and Brigitte. It made sense to take ShaDowBurn and SoOn out of the equation, both of whom received a lot of flak from analysts and fans alike for their performances on Zarya. However, both players are expected to shine with the implementation of role lock.
Dive vs. Double Sniper
According to Arran “Halo” Brown, either Dive or Double Sniper compositions will make a massive comeback this stage. This puts the Paris Eternal in a great place. While most tend to think of the Philadelphia Fusion or London Spitfire, one would be remiss to forget about the DPS powerhouses that sit on the Eternal’s roster. Although Danye has the largest Hero pool out of the French quartet, ShaDowBurn has nailed down his Genji, Pharah and Hanzo gameplay.
His Genji, in particular, would be a massive asset to the Eternal this stage should they choose to favor Dive. If Paris decides to go more along the lines of Double Sniper, ShaDowBurn’s Hanzo will work incredibly well alongside SoOn’s Widowmaker. SoOn made a name for himself as one of the top Western Widowmaker players last season while playing for the Los Angeles Valiant. Although they both struggled with Zarya, they have a great synergy that would propel the Paris Eternal forward this stage.
Week 1
The Paris Eternal have a great chance at moving up the table in theory, their Stage 4 schedule is going to be tough. Their first two games of the week will be against the Houston Outlaws and the Los Angeles Valiant. Both teams exceeded everyone’s expectations last stage, and they both made their way into the Stage 3 finals.
Houston Outlaws (8-13)
The last time these two teams faced off, the Outlaws had finally hit their stride. Before Houston taking down the San Francisco Shock, fans saw the Eternal’s game against them as an “EZ” win. Unfortunately for Paris, the Outlaws would take them down 1-3.
With role lock, a lot of teams that struggled with GOATS will be shooting back up the table. The Houston Outlaws might be one of them. The Outlaws have a great asset in Austin “Muma” Wilmot as their main tank, but it will be their DPS who will drag this team kicking and screaming to the top. Jacob “JAKE” Lyon is often the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of Houston’s DPS lineup. Jake is a fantastic Junkrat, but it will more than likely be Dante “Danteh” Cruz who steals the show this stage. Danteh quickly became one of the deadliest Sombra players in the League last stage. Both play well alongside Jiri “LiNkzr” Masalin, who is an excellent hitscan player. The Paris Eternal will have to be at the top of their game if they want to take the Houston Outlaws down.
Prediction: Paris Eternal 2-3 Houston Outlaws
Los Angeles Valiant (8-13)
Talk about a Cinderella Story. Going 0-7 in Stage 1 to making it to semifinals in the Stage 3 playoffs, the Los Angeles Valiant have been through hell and back this season. The additions of Russell “FCTFCTN” Campbell and Johannes “Shax” Nielsen brought a massive improvement to the team. FCTFCTN, in particular, has become a significant source of strength. His Reinhardt improved the Valiant’s GOATs gameplay tremendously, even with a few wonky Earthshatters here and there. The Valiant finally found their groove when it came to GOATs. With role lock being put in place, they are looking to be one of the stronger teams once again.
Role lock means that Indy “SPACE” Halpern has an excellent chance at being put back into the starting lineup. SPACE is an incredible flex player, and his D.VA and Roadhog will be a massive asset for the team. The only uncertainty here will be how well SPACE and FCTFCTN potentially work together. The Valiant’s healing duo of Scott “Custa” Kennedy and Young-seo “KariV” Park is solid. However, the Valiant’s DPS players are arguably weaker in comparison to that of the Eternal’s. Brady “Agilities” Girardi is an insane projectile player, but out of the Valiant’s four DPS players (including flex player Caleb “McGravy” McGarvey), Agilities is the only one who can potentially give the Eternal any significant problems this series.
Prediction: Paris Eternal 3-2 Los Angeles Valiant
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