Overwatch League Recap: Vancouver Titans vs Paris Eternal

Vancouver Titans (5-0) vs Paris Eternal (2-2)

Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

Vancouver Titans 4-0 Paris Eternal

The Vancouver Titans and the Paris Eternal were both pegged as the most adept OWL teams at GOATs compositions. Their clash on Friday night would decide in many people’s minds who had the best in the league. Vancouver answered that question decisively with a 4-0 victory in which they outclassed the Eternal start to finish.

Ilios: Titans 2-1 Eternal

It was a hotly contested first map, but the Titans held their nerve. What was a back and forth affair, as the teams both brought out Orissa compositions before swapping to more mobile setups. It came down to the wire, and Vancouver claimed an early lead.

Paris answered back quickly as the teams moved over to Ruins. Their GOATs composition looked spectacular as they forced a deciding third stage. On Lighthouse, Vancouver fell behind early as the Eternal rode a superior ult economy to 99%. After recapping in overtime, the Titans weathered the storm to claim the stage and the map with a 2-1 score.

Numbani Titans 3-2 Eternal

Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

On the night’s second map, the Titans carried over the momentum from their hard-fought win on Ilios. They opened their attack round with a swift capture of point A. Paris was unable to put up much of a fight on point B, and the Titans rolled into point C with an impressive time bank. The Eternal managed to stabilize, and almost held the Titans, but Vancouver made better use of their ultimates. Vancouver finished with just under a minute remaining in the time bank.

Paris’s attack was almost a mirror of Vancouver’s. In  Georgii “ShaDowBurn” Gushcha’s first action this season, they stormed through the first two points before Vancouver buckled down on point C. The Titans got a hold of their ult economy and were able to stop Paris short thanks to their trademark aggressive style. Vancouver took Numbani 3-2.

Horizon Lunar Colony Titans 2-1 Dragons

The Titans’ attack on Horizon was mostly smooth sailing. On point A they took two attempts before pushing through thanks to some improved Zarya play from MinSoo “SeoMinSoo” Seo. Paris held on for a while on point B, but another timely SeoMinSoo Graviton Surge and some incredible frags from Juseok “Twilight” Lee put two points on the board.

Vancouver’s defense was incredible from start to finish. They almost held the Eternal on the first point, but Paris capitalized on a chaotic fight to capture point A. Vancouver managed to completely halt any moment the Eternal had, and the Titans completed the hold on point B to take Horizon 2-1.

Rialto Titans 3-2 Dragons

Photo: Overwatch League

With the series already decided, the teams moved over to Rialto for the final map. The Titans made steady progress on their attack, with a huge Earthshatter from Sangbeom “Bumper” Park securing point A. They continued to assert themselves despite some delay from the Eternal and finished out Rialto to put three points on the board.

The Paris attack started out strong but faltered after point A. A backcap from Harrison “Kruise” Pond kept the Eternal alive and secured point B, but it wasn’t enough down the stretch. The Titans closed out their defense to give Jun Keun “Rapel” Kim his first OWL map win.

Conclusion

The Titans kept their undefeated record alive and secured a place in the Stage 1 playoffs. The league is now firmly a two team race between Vancouver and NYXL, as every other team has at least two losses. Despite some rough moments, the Titans always manage to pull out the wins. Their performance on Friday was no different.

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other TGH writers along with Bradley.

You can also follow Bradley @shyguyow.