PHILADELPHIA FUSION (1-1) VS. FLORIDA MAYHEM (0-2)
STARTING SIX
- Su-min “SADO” Kim
- Gael “Poko” Gouzerch
- Josh “eqo” Corona
- Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee
- Isaac “BoomBox” Charles
- Alberto “neptuNo” González
SUBSTITUTION
- Elijah Hudson “Elk” Gallagher
PHILADELPHIA WINS 3-1
OASIS: Philadelphia 0-2 Florida
Things were off to a rocky start for the Philadelphia Fusion on Oasis. The Florida Mayhem absolutely dominated on Command Center. The Fusion started off trying out a triple DPS composition where fans saw Poko on Soldier: 76, Carpe on McCree, and EQO on Pharah. Unfortunately, the Florida Mayhem’s GOATS composition would prove to be too strong for the Fusion on this map. Philly decided to switch to GOATS themselves after their pushes onto the point were repeatedly shut down. Finally, Poko landed a great self-destruct and the Fusion were able to flip the point in their favor for quite some time. Unfortunately, Florida would be able to take back the point with ease.
On University, things were a bit more even between the two teams. The point was constantly flipping between them. Carpe on McCree was exciting for fans to watch, but the Fusion were unable to make the picks that Carpe got on Florida count. The Fusion would lose Oasis 2-0.
ANUBIS: Philadelphia 3-2 Florida
On Anubis, fans were confused to see Poko on Torbjorn, but it ended up working out in the Fusion’s favor. It took the Florida Mayhem ages to get past the Fusion’s slightly cheesy defense. Poko’s turret was constantly doing work, but eqo struggled on Junkrat. The first point could have been saved if eqo had chosen to focus on the squishier healers with his rip-tire, but he instead chose to focus on Jae-mo “xepheR” Koo’s Meka. On Point B during the Fusion’s defense, neptuNo would make the switch onto Baptiste. Baptiste seems to be a great hero for neptuNo because of his aggressive playstyle as he was constantly popping off in the kill feed. During the Florida Mayhem’s last push, Hyeon-woo “HaGoPeun” Jo would get key picks on BoomBox, eqo, and neptuNo which would allow the Mayhem to take Point B during Overtime.
When it came time for Philly to attack, they chose to try out triple DPS once more. Poko was constantly harassing Jung-woo “Sayaplayer” Ha and the Mayhem’s backline. This allowed the Fusion to take Point A quickly. It took some time, but the Fusion were able to cap Point B with more than enough time in the bank. The Fusion only needed one fight to take the point on their second turn at attack. The Philadelphia Fusion won Oasis 3-2.
KING’S ROW: Philadelphia 4-3 Florida
On King’s Row, fans were delighted to see Elk take the main stage once again. The Fusion were the first to attack; Boombox ended up getting a great pick on Sayaplaya which allowed the Fusion to take Point A. Once the payload had been claimed, Philly switched back to GOATS for a quick push through Point B. It took some time, but the Fusion would finally push the cart to the end of the map with SADO swinging his hammer and popping off against the Mayhem.
The Fusion’s defense on King’s Row was nutty. With eqo on Baptiste, the extra healing kept the Fusion’s tank line up against Florida’s attempts to push onto the point. At one point, Carpe hid under the statue of Mondatta as the Mayhem crept their way towards Point A. A sneaky graviton surge caught the Florida Mayhem by surprise and Carpe took out their healers with ease. Unfortunately, the Mayhem would get a second wind that allowed them to push, not only through Point A, but Points B and C as well. The Fusion’s defense line absolutely crumbled against the pressure, but they were able to rally back against the Mayhem during their second chance at attack. The Fusion would win King’s Row 4-3 with a full hold.
JUNKERTOWN: Philadelphia 5-4 Florida
On Junkertown, neptuNo would be subbed back in for Elk. The Fusion have an interesting history with Junkertown; they rarely ever do well on this map, but Philly looked strong as they started off on the attack with Carpe on his famous Widowmaker. The Fusion’s Boomhog (BoomBox on Roadhog) strategy also came into play on this map and it worked in their favor this time around. Philly rolled through the first two points, with neptuNo even getting a couple of kills on Mercy, before eventually pushing the payload to the end of the map.
Unfortunately, the Florida Mayhem would also be successful during their chance at attack. Sang-bum “BQB” Lee was nutty on Hanzo and he got three great picks on the Philadelphia Fusion that allowed the Mayhem to push the payload to Point A. For a moment, it seemed as though the Mayhem would steamroll through the Fusion’s defenses, but Poko landed a great self-destruct that allowed Philly to regain control. During overtime, the Fusion tried their best, but Xepher’s constant harassment of BoomBox and neptuNo would allow the Mayhem to finish the map to completion.
With less time in the bank, the Mayhem got some great picks on the Fusion that allowed them to push the payload to Point A. In a hilarious turn of events, Xepher would pull a “Youngjin” and step off the payload, thus ending their chance at attack. When it came time for Philly’s second go-around, they would push through the Mayhem’s defenses with ease. The Philadelphia Fusion took Junkertown 5-4.
Conclusion
The only reason this match did not go to Map 5 was because of Xepher’s C9 on Junkertown. This victory does not feel as great as it should because of this. The Fusion still did not look that great against the Florida Mayhem, especially during Oasis. After the Mayhem’s narrow loss against the London Spitfire, it might be that the team’s decision to go with an all-Korean roster might be working out in their favor. A new Florida Mayhem is apparently on the rise, and it is good that the Fusion were able to defeat them this time around.
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