Toronto escaped Week 1 still with a grip on a playoff contending forth place. At 6-3 the Defiant sit ranked just below the third place San Francisco Shock and just ahead of the Philadelphia Fusion and Boston Uprising. The Uprising managed to complete a third consecutive reverse sweep against the Defiant in Week 1. That defeat sets Toronto at risk of falling out of playoff contention.
Week 1 Recap:
Defiant- 3 Justice- 1
The Defiant’s first match of the week would be the debut of Joon-seong “Asher” Choi and newly acquired DPS Jin “im37” Hong. Both had their chance to compete and both displayed impressive usage of hitscan Heroes such as Soldier, Widowmaker, Bastion and Tracer.
Contrary to their overall record, the Justice are showing signs of improvement since Stage 1. However, despite an impressive display from Justice DPS Corey “Corey“ Nigra, Toronto would walk away with a 3-1 victory over the struggling Washington squad.Â
Defiant- 2 Uprising- 3
As expected, the Uprising were not at all interested in losing to Toronto a second time. The Defiant struck quick to take a 2-0 lead. Coming out of halftime, something finally clicked for Boston. They ran away with three straight map victories to claim their third straight reverse sweep.
Despite the close loss, im37 looked incredibly skilled in just his second match of his career. The talented young speed runner compliments Seung-hyun “Ivy” Lee’s playsyle and has been a welcome addition to the Defiant.Â
Week 2:
Philadelphia Fusion (1-1) 6-3
In Week 2, Toronto opens up against the Philadelphia Fusion sure to put up a fight. This week is pivotal for the Defiant. If they drop just one of these matches, they could be on the outside looking in towards playoff contention.
The Fusion have looked their worst during Isaac “Boombox” Charles’ illness. Since their Week 2 loss to the Mayhem, Philadelphia has looked impressive with Boombox back in the lineup. They’ve since rebounded from their loss to New York and completed their revenge arch against the Mayhem who defeated them in the previous stage.
Toronto will struggle against the Fusion if they mismanage ultimate usage in team fights. The value of an ultimate differs from hero to hero. In the popular 3-3 composition, an ultimate can decide the result of a match. The same goes for any composition to a lesser extent. Toronto’s victory will rest in the ability of their DPS players Ivy, im37 and Asher. If they can pressure the Defiant backline enough to break the Fusion composition, their chance of winning engagements improves tremendously.
Prediction: Defiant- 2 Fusion- 3
Dallas Fuel (0-0) 4-3
Dallas has yet to see action in Stage 2. Their recent acquisition of Lucas “NotE” Meissner reunites the Canadian off tank with World Cup Head Coach Justin “Jayne” Conroy.Â
Please welcome our new Flex Tank – NotE!
He joins us from the @BostonUprising in a trade for @rCk_ow. Both players will be eligible to in Stage 2.
Be sure to give @NotEvenBleu a follow, and good luck to rCk on Boston! pic.twitter.com/FvFtuRsyYB
— Dallas Fuel (@DallasFuel) April 2, 2019
Boston’s Richard “rCk” Kanerva has meshed well with the Uprising roster. NotE, however, had another week of training available to him. The talented off tank will have no problem gelling with his new team. He is a proven talent on D.Va and should find success on the Dallas roster.Â
To the Defiant’s advantage, NotE is not known to be as flexable as rCk. This could hinder the Fuel as they go against Toronto and their unpredictable DPS. Although Toronto will rely on their DPS to swing the fight in their favor, the Supports will face a challenge as well. Se-hyeon “Neko” Park and Jae-yoon “Aid” Go will face off against Benjamin “uNKOE” Chevasson and Won-sik “Closer” Jung. Neko and uNKOE are each very talented flex supports. They will both play a key role in determining the winner of this matchup.Â
Prediction: Defiant- 3 Fuel- 1
Week 2 Player to Watch: Jin-ui “im37” Hong
After a week under his belt, fans can expect a return of the path to pro speed runner in Week 2. After starting for the Defiant against the Uprising, im37 is should be considered the DPS option opposite of Ivy for the foreseeable future. Asher will fall into a map dependent role unless the meta shifts extremely in Tracer’s favor.
Against talented DPS likeDylan “aKm” Bignet and the legendary Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee, im37 will have his work cut out for him. This week will truly be a difficult test for the Defiant.Â
Don’t miss the Toronto Defiant open Week 2 against the Philadelphia Fusion April 11, at 12:15 A.M. EST. Check back with The Game Haus to recap the week’s action.
Featured Image Courtesy of the Toronto Defiant
Player Images Courtesy of the Overwatch League
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