It may not have been pretty, but the Shock did end up making the stage playoffs. The boys from the bay have a chance to take their first stage victory in club history. They will have some tough competition if they want to take the stage, but they do have a shot, and that is what matters.
Toronto Defiant (5-2)
The Defiant will be the first test for the Shock in the playoffs. The Defiant may be a higher seed then the Shock, but they definitely aren’t definitively better. For one thing, the Shock’s schedule was more difficult, which can explain the record discrepancy. The Shock have also been dispatching worse teams fairly easily, while the Defiant have been on shakier footing throughout the stage. Nevertheless, they are a formidable team that should under no circumstances be underestimated. The Shock will need to play carefully in order to dispatch this formidable foe.
Shock Win 3-1
Player to Watch: Matthew “Super” DeLisi
The GOATs meta could be on its last legs with the new patch dropping next stage, but its still here for one last hurrah. This means that tank play is as important as ever, and that means that Super will be under a lot of pressure. Super’s synergy with fellow tank Jay “Sinatraa” Won is well known at this point, but they have had a couple of consistency issues. Getting back on track and making sure that the consistency and synergy is 100% present would be huge for the Shock. It would almost guarantee a victory when one considers how important having a good main and off tank is in this meta.
What Happens Next?
Well, the playoff seeding in OWL is a bit unconventional, so the Shock don’t actually know for sure who they will play next. However, a match against either the NYXL or the Vancouver Titans seems incredibly likely, assuming of course the Shock beat the Defiant. The Shock have played both of the teams before, and they did sort of keep up despite losing both matches. It will be interesting to see if the Shock can really keep up with the big dogs in this playoff.
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