After a tough loss in Week One to the Boston Uprising, the Defiant walked into today’s winnable match with a promising roster. Park “Roky” Joo-seong returned to the starting lineup in Week 2 alongside newcomer Hong “IM37” Jin-ui. 

Busan: Defiant – 0 Fusion – 2

Downtown featured impressive team play from the Philadelphia Fusion, enabling them to hold the point for much of the map. The Toronto Defiant finally flipped the point when Philadelphia brought them to overtime. Lee “Envy” Kang-jae’s clutch self-destruct allowed Toronto to prolong their hold to double-overtime. In the end, Philadelphia out-sustained on the point to claim Downtown.

After a drawn-out initial engagement, the Philadelphia Fusion obtained the first capture of the point on MEKA Base. They maintained this hold until Envy’s EMP hit all six members of the team and gave Toronto space to take the point for themselves. After back-and-forth engagements and recaptures, the Philadelphia Fusion claimed the point and won the first map.

Paris: Defiant – 4 Fusion – 3

Cho “Yakpung” Gyeong-mu’s  Primal Rage mechanics cleared much-needed space on a first point attack while Roky’s ultimate usage enabled their second point attack to finish with time. Isaac “Boombox” Charles proved himself dominant on Toronto’s initial defense on both Roadhog and Zenyatta.

On Toronto’s second offense, Josue “EQO” Corona’s Pharah ruled the skies. Lee “Ivy” Seung-hyun ’s own answering Pharah turned the tides of the first point take. Envy’s quick EMPs weakened Philadelphia and enabled Toronto to finally take the second point.

Despite Roky’s risky resurrections, Toronto’s first point defense fell after several minutes’ hold. Ivy’s impressive Zarya tracking and Neko’s impeccable aim stopped the Fusion from completing their second point attack.

Blizzard World: Defiant – 2 Fusion – 3

Ivy’s Nano-boosted Dragonblade decimated the Philadelphia Fusion on Toronto’s first point offense. Despite this flashy play, Toronto maintained a steady, measured playstyle throughout the map. This intelligent play brought them just shy of finishing the map. Fusion and their more aggressive, high-risk approach held back the constant tide of Toronto’s offense.

Toronto’s defense was shattered by Carpe’s Zarya. His aggressive positioning and kills forced Toronto’s early retreat from the first point and kept them on the back foot for most of the map. Neko had a stand-out defense on Ana with fast Nano Boosts and long-range healing. In contrast, Ivy’s performance suffered at the hands of Poko, who ate his Graviton Surge and denied his positioning. Ultimately, Philadelphia picked up the map and brought themselves ahead in the match score.

Rialto: Defiant – 2 Fusion – 3

Toronto’s offense was hallmarked by impressive D.Va bombs and overall play by Envy. Yakpung made his own mark in frequent deaths and unfortunate ultimate usage. The Defiant’s cautious style saw their time bank depleted and they were ultimately unable to finish the map after being locked in a graviton surge off of the point.  

Gael “Poko” Gouzerch’s Soldier: 76 pick took Toronto by surprise. IM37‘s Bastion provided value but that was then able to be followed up by his team. Despite having pushed the Fusion back on the first point, the Defiant looked lost after their Bastion strategy was no longer viable. Philadelphia’s confidence propelled them past Toronto’s defense, ultimately winning the map with quite a bit of time in their bank.

Conclusion:

The cracks in Yakpung’s shield began to show this week as ineffective ultimates and frequent deaths set Toronto at a disadvantage. Though Philadelphia was a formidable opponent, this was a winnable match for the Defiant and should be used going forward as a lesson in ultimate management and main tank leadership.