Vancouver Wins 4-3
The Starters
Dong-jun “Rascal” Kim
Grant “Moth” Espe
Hyo-bin “ChoiHyoBin” Choi
Jay “Sinatraa” Won
Min-ki “Viol2t” Park
Matthew “Super” DeLisi
Nepal
Village kicked off with GOATs from both sides. This was an absolute drubbing, with the Shock completely collapsing under the constant pressure from a locked in Vancouver Squad.
The Shock managed to take Sanctum first, and even went in for a mini spawn camp as they shoved back the Titans. The Shock even went for the full hold, and a couple of key picks allowed this to happen.
Shrine started off with more GOATs from both sides. The Shock managed to take the point first, and even an early pick onto Super didn’t allow the Titans to retake the point. The Titans finally managed to retake, although the Shock managed to get to 89%. The Shock then rolled on through and took the map, allowing them to take the round.
Shock win 2-1
Numbani
GOATs continued to be a common theme as the Shock went on the attack. Attacks number one and two ended in eventual failure, and attack number three sputtered out as well. Vancouver had the Shock’s number for the entire map, and the Shock only got one tick.
The Shock started off the defense with a fight win, as they attempted to full hold the Titans on Numbani. The Shock also managed to take a few more fight wins, but eventually the Titans muscled through and took the map in dominant fashion
Titans win 1-0
Anubis
More GOATs was on the menu for both teams on Anubis, with the Shock coming out on defense. The Shock did manage to get two ticks on their first push, but they hit a roadblock after a decent start. Poor ult usage complicated matters, and only a miracle bomb from ChoiHyoBin allowed the Shock to take the point in overtime. The Shock then proceeded to keep the momentum and smash through B, achieving a decent time despite almost getting full held.
The Shock defense had a poor start, as Vancouver managed to break through relatively quickly and move onto point B with over 6 minutes left. Vancouver failed to take the point on their first push, and the Shock managed to put together a decent defense, as they only faltered with less than a minute to go.
The Shock’s defense quickly collapsed again on Vancouver’s next attack, but a few key picks from the Shock allowed them to barely hold on to point B as Vancouver attempted to steamroll.
The Shock’s attack got off to a very good start, with Super landing a key earthshatter to allow San Francisco to take the point. The Shock then hit a roadblock, but an absolutely insane D.Va bomb allowed them to take the point in overtime.
Shock win 4-3
Dorado
Everyone’s favorite comp was used by both teams to kick off Dorado, and the Shock were completely stonewalled for most of their pushes, as they only managed to muscle through point A in overtime. The Shock then managed to use the momentum to push through almost all of point B, but the Titans eventually managed to regain their footing and hold just before the checkpoint.
The Shock’s defensive attempt was short lived, as Vancouver bided their time before unleashing a fierce attack that completely shattered the Shock’s defense. Point B was much of the same, and Vancouver managed to complete the map in very short order.
Titans win 2-1
Ilios
Lighthouse had the usual helping of GOATs from both teams. The Shock managed to take the point first, and San Francisco held strong until 85%, after which Vancouver took the point back. The Titans then got to 84%, but the Shock muscled their way through and took Lighthouse.
Ruins featured both teams eschewing the traditional Widow for more GOATs. The Shock managed to get a few key picks and take the point first. An incredibly hectic second fight also went in the Shock’s favor, but the Titans eventually managed to shove through and take the point in OT. The Titans then turned it on and managed to stonewall the Shock for the rest of Ruins.
Vancouver finally swapped off of GOATs for Well, as they ran a comp with McCree and Orisa. The Shock also decided to bring out the Winston. This composition allowed Vancouver to take the point first. Super’s Winston didn’t achieve much until it was down to the wire. The Shock barely took the point with 97% to go. The Titans then mirrored with a Winston based GOATs, but the Shock had a decisive ultimate advantage and managed to barely take Well.
Shock win 2-1
King’s Row
Both teams unsurprisingly went with GOATs to start off King’s Row. The Shock were dominant on the first attack, and they took point A with ease. Vancouver then got their act together a bit for point B, but the Shock eventually smashed through into point C. The Shock then proceeded to almost finish the map, but the Titans eventually stabilized right before the finish line and held San Francisco at bay.
The Shock’s defense kicked off with an incredibly scrappy fight that led to two ticks for the Titans. A few early picks for the Titans allowed them to take the point on their next attempt, and Vancouver moved on to point B. A very ambitious graviton attempt didn’t work out for the Shock, and Vancouver rolled into point C with acres of time in the bank. The Titans then almost shoved through, but another fantastic D.Va bomb allowed the Shock to halt the payload with less than a meter to go, but Vancouver shoved through to the finish line.
Titans win 3-2
Rialto
Map seven kicked off with the Shock on attack. It may have been a bit messy, but the Shock did eventually shove their way through the scattered Winston based GOATs defense that Vancouver was running on point A. Point B took the Shock no time at all, as a few excellent plays from the Shock’s tank line allowed them to take in relatively short order. The Shock stalled out a bit at the beginning of point C, but eventually they managed to shove through and complete the famously defensively favored Rialto.
The Shock’s defensive effort got off to a poor start, with 2/3rds of the tank line being picked in relatively short order. The Shock then tried to defend at the checkpoint but failed despite investing considerable ultimate resources in the fight. Vancouver then shoved their way through B with incredible speed. They then proceeded to smash through C and ended with an incredible time bank.
The Shock’s attack got off to a very sluggish start, but they eventually slogged their way through the initial tough choke. Unfortunately, the Shock were overwhelmed just before the point A checkpoint.
The final defense of the stage kicked off with a fight victory for the Shock. The Titans slowly shoved towards the finish line, but the Shock somehow held right before the finish. It didn’t last, however, and the Titans managed to take the map, and the series.
Titans win 4-3
An Incredible Performance
Yes, this was a loss. Yes, its disappointing. But to say that the Shock played well here would be an understatement. No team has ever made Vancouver sweat that much, or played them that closely. It all went down to the wire, but in the end Vancouver managed to punch through.
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