It was a banner week for the Vancouver Titans. Wins against the Spark and Fuel add two more notches in the belt for the league’s only undefeated team. They stand alone at the top of the standings, building a commanding lead over their closest rivals.
Week 2 Review
Vancouver Titans 3-1 Hangzhou Spark
Hangzhou gave Vancouver a run for their money but came up short like all the rest. Despite some sloppy play from the Titans, they pulled through when it mattered. On both Numbani and Havana, the Titans’ magic seemed to have run out. Vancouver nearly blew a massive lead on map 3 before flipping the script on Havana to deny the Spark at map 5.
The 3-1 scoreline belies how close the Titans were to their first loss of the season. The Spark played incredibly well on Horizon and Numbani, but Vancouver gave them the openings. Their lackluster Sombra play continues to haunt them. They keep experimenting and keep disappointing, with MinSoo “SeoMinSoo” Seo having a particularly poor showing against the Spark. The Titans emerge with a win, but they have some cleaning up to do if they want to remain undefeated.
Vancouver Titans 4-0 Dallas Fuel
There’s not much to say about this one. Vancouver was back on their game against the Fuel, controlling the pace of the game and dictating the action. They wiped the floor with Dallas moving to a perfect 11-0 map record against the Fuel this season.
The Titans got their first Assault map win of the stage on Volskaya and generally dominated from start to finish. They never broke a sweat against Dallas and cruised to an 18-0 record on the year. Now, three more opponents stand between the Titans and a third straight perfect undefeated stage.
Player of the Week: Juseok “Twilight” Lee
Twilight had a phenomenal week. His map winning play against Dallas on Eichenwalde shows how intelligent of a player he is. The awareness to stay behind the Fuel, then the mechanical ability to follow through is unmatched in the Overwatch League. Very few players could make such a gamble and have it pay off. That’s what makes Twilight so special.
Week 3 Preview
Chengdu Hunters (7-10)
Chengdu is riding high after a surprise win of their own against the Fuel last week. They carry that momentum into a rematch of one of the better games of the season. Way back in Stage 1, the Hunters shocked everyone by pushing Vancouver to map 5 before HyunWoo “JJANU” Choi rescued the Titans with a clutch Self-Destruct. Since then, no opponent has gone past map 4 against Vancouver aside from the Shock in both Stage Finals.
Since then, Chengdu has struggled despite high expectations. Their style of play can catch teams like Vancouver off guard, but it rarely amounts to actual victories for the Hunters. The Titans have especially struggled to handle DPS comps from their opponents so this could be close. Still, Vancouver seems mostly locked in and should have more than enough to take down Chengdu.
Prediction: Vancouver wins 3-1
Los Angeles Valiant (5-12)
Another rematch for the Titans, the Valiant bring a very different lineup to the table this time around. Gone is Pan Seung “Fate” Koo, and in is Russell “FCTFCTN” Campbell. The Valiant have looked somewhat rejuvenated in wins against the Charge and Hunters, but the Titans are another beast entirely.
Luckily for the Valiant, Paris is on the docket as the assault map, and Vancouver has looked shaky at best on the map. Still, the remaining maps should be comfortable for the Titans. They clearly have a better grasp on the meta than any team apart from maybe the Shock. That should be more than enough to carry them to another perfect week.
Prediction: Vancouver wins 4-0
Player to Watch: Sangbeom “Bumper” Park
Bumper is always a player to watch but he’s gonna be out for blood this week. In Stage 1, Menghan “Ameng” Ding had his coming out party against the Titans. He got the better of Bumper on both Wrecking Ball and Reinhardt and was a big part of how close that match was. Bumper will want revenge and should be able to exert his will against both opponents this week.
Conclusion
Vancouver has been remarkably consistent on the year, and there is no reason to think that will change anytime soon. They now sit 10 wins away from an undefeated regular season. Stage 4 will be a gauntlet of difficult opponents, but for now, they look good to keep the streak alive.
Featured image courtesy of Stewart Volland for Blizzard Entertainment.
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