It was the Top Teams verses the lower Tier Teams on [Thursday].  But even though the Top Teams Won we got to see some great action!  Overwatch League continues to roll on and it’s still capturing the Fans hearts.  I mean it’s still fun to watch and even the lower Tier Teams have all of our attention.  These Players are playing their hearts out and you can tell that even they, have a lot of talent.  I’d like to point out Sayaplayer, Geguri, and Architect all are fun to watch.  Sayaplayer was the Player to watch on the night.  He was hitting “Head Shots” all over the place and was totally in the zone.  Once again it was some of the best Widow play.  Ask any OWL Fan and they’ll tell you, these guys are good!  From a Fan’s perspective, you are still rooting for the Under Dogs, and although they won’t be in the Playoffs they have a place on Stage.  We simply love watching and discussing how they are going to play each week.  With that being said lets jump right into the action of [Thursday] Night:

London Spitfire vs San Fransisco Shock

It was a tale of two Halfs as London played their usual high level Hero Comps.  They had a hiccup on Blizzard World but held strong on Defense to Win it 1-0.  Then on Hanamura they played excellent Offense and a solid Defense taking the Map 2-1.  I felt like they were just on a roll.  They looked so good that I actually thought that the Match would be over on Oasis.  But after Halftime San Fransisco showed their true colors.  They were ready for a fight and came out with a new sense of resolve.  They took Oasis away from London with some great Strategies, both Teams played deep into their Hero Pools.  Then with all the momentum coming out of the last Map, they played a long Dorado Escort Map.  It was thrilling and we got to see the best out of both Teams.  I’d say this Map is one to watch again on VOD.  It was just soo good!  San Fransisco forced out a 5th Map and I was on the edge on my seat by now rooting for the Under Dog.  Could they actually do it?  Could San Fransisco beat this incredibly talented London Team?  Well the answer for last night was a resounding No!  London just was too good on Nepal.  They would take the Match [3-2].  GG!

Los Angeles Gladiators vs Florida Mayhem

Don’t let the score of this one fool you, it was exciting!  We got to see Sayaplayer on Widow and he was just so good.  This is a guy who can hit Snipes in total chaos.  Even in close quarters he Snipes!  I mean he was just nuts last night.  And totally carried the Team, the Florida Mayhem.  The LA Gladiators had a tough time against him but they singled out Florida’s other Players and took them out one by one.  Sayaplayer did all he could to support his Team but the Gladiators just had the better Team.  LA would go on to sweep Florida [4-0] GG!  If you want to see Sayaplayer in all his “Widow-God” glory, go watch the Hanamura VOD.  He just went off on that one!

Philadelphia Fusion vs Shanghai Dragons

I always feel bad for the Dragons when they lose.  I mean the Fusion are a great Team and they obviously were favorites.  But the Dragons have had to come off such incredible adversity.  First off they had to recruit new Players for their Starting Line up, so they didn’t have Players like Geguri at the start of the Season.  Secondly they ended up having a language barrier between their Chinese and South Korean Players.  Thirdly the new Blizzard Map came out mid Season with that “Patch.”  Fourthly the Meta changed just two Weeks ago with the Brigitte “Patch.”  I think it’s just a lot for any Team to face these types of challenges.  And I feel as though this Dragon’s Team has so much perseverance, they are still battling it out Week in and Week out.  You can’t help but root for them to get their first Win.  And when it happens, it will be a real moment to celebrate!  Fusion swept the Dragons last night [4-0] but we are still awaiting hopefully for a Dragons Win.  GG GL HF!

Overwatch League continues tonight with some sweet action!  At 7pm EST its the LA Valiant vs Boston Uprising.  At 9pm EST its New York Excelsior vs Seoul Dynasty.  And at 11pm EST it will be the San Fransisco Shock vs Houston Outlaws.  All of these games will be great and all of these Teams are in the Playoff hunt.  Catch all of the action on Twitch.tv and MLG.com as well as on the Blizzard Battle.net App and even on the Overwatch League Mobile App.  Twitch is still giving out goodies to Fans, Skins, Sprays and more.  Last night I won 100+ Tokens towards some OWL Skins… I like Tracer in Blue!  Anyways you could win too if you’re watching it tonight, so log in to Twitch.tv now and start following along.  Plus there is also the Twitch All Access Pass available for even more goodies, I mean if you’re into that!  GL everyone!  Have Fun!  Cheers!

Overwatch League: Boston Uprising Loses to Dallas Fuel in a Trap Game

It was a hard pill to swallow on [Wendesday] Night.  As the Boston Uprising were being PWNed on Stage.  They were up against the Dallas Fuel, which has struggled all Season all.  Their past few games showed that they have only Won recently against the Shanghai Dragon.  So this was a Trap Game of sorts for the Uprising.  A Trap Games typically means that a good Team is facing off against a real Under Dog.  Typically this means that they should Win against them no matter how good they play.  Also the Under Dog Team usually plays up to the strength of the good Team, hence the name “Trap.”  Let’s look at this Series Map by Map and see where Boston struggled.

Boston Uprising vs Dallas Fuel: Blizzard World

The Uprising started off strong on this Hybrid Map.  They took Point A easily and unlocked the Payload.  Then they began to push the Payload very quickly off the turnaround.  Dallas was not in a position to challenge the Point.  But then something weird happened…  The Fuel changed up their Hero Composition to Defend Map Point B.  It was something that we would see all Series long, an adaptation if you will to Boston’s play style.  They went for “anti-Dive” with Brigitte/Reaper and you know what?  It worked!  Boston got stuffed and they committed too many “ULTs” to the engagement.  Brigitte was just too strong for them to handle.  Made in most part to Mickie’s great playmaking abilities.  He would end up being the Player of the Game and he just had such a dominating performance.  Dallas would take the Map Win 2-1.

Boston Uprising vs Dallas Fuel: Horizon

This right here is why we watch Overwatch!  Each Map is so crucial and momentum can swing at the drop of a hat.  Boston Uprising approached this Map with “Dive” in mind, which worked out well for capturing Map Point A.  But really fell apart on them.  Striker was on Tracer but Taimou was on Widow and Mickie was on Brigitte.  This composition is much better for the Dallas Fuel.  Tracer is basically being overpowered by Brigitte’s Abilities.  And the sad fact is Tracer is being phased out of the Hero Pool!  The Days of Tracer “Kill Streaks” is over.  She is just not the Hero that you want to play against vs a Brigitte.  Mickie utilized this strategic advantage by “uping” the Armor and Health of his Teammates.  He would end up having as much Health and Armor dealt as DMG delt.  Which is just ridiculous!  What Boston needed to do, as caster Monte Cristo pointed out, was change Striker over to Junkrat.  I mean that right there is the answer against a very good Brigitte.  Just spam grenades, man!  Sadly Boston didn’t adapt quick enough and although they scored the Map Point B in Overtime, it was just too little too late.  On Defense, Boston forced the second go around in OT and managed to make a Draw for the Map.  It was actually one of their bright spots.

Boston Uprising vs Dallas Fuel: Oasis

It was a quick one on the Control Map.  Dallas matched Boston’s Pharah play with a Pharah of their own.  The Sky Battle ensued with Dallas coming out on top.  Mickie on the ground was mopping up “Kills” left and right and went on a 15 Player “Kill Streak”.  Whoa, talk about skills!  He even stunned a Mac Cree in mid “Dead Eye.”.  That was incredible!  I do have to say though Boston could have Won this Map, in fact, they could have Won all the Maps if they just adapted after taking the lead.  I mean, really, they were so close to taking a Map Point on Oasis.  They had something like 90% at one point.  It was Winable!  Dallas took both Map Points and Won the Series then and there.

Boston Uprising vs Dallas Fuel: Gibraltar

Once again Boston started out strong, pushing the Payload deep into the Map.  They almost got the “Cart” to the finish zone but stalled out once Mickie got a “Rally ULT” off.  Man oh man, is this game brutal!  If you don’t adapt now to the new Meta then you are going to lose.  And that’s all the Dallas was doing, was adapting as the Map went on.  In fact, they even set a trap for Genji to force out his “Dragon Blade” while they collapsed on him.  Striker and Mistakes kept switching over on Widow and I have to say it, I think he (Mistakes) lost his confidence with it.  He is a good Widow but now that he has more pressure on himself to make those jaw-dropping “Head Shots”, he seems to be second guessing things.  And that is what you don’t want to happen.  Dallas would take this Map to complete the Sweep over Boston in the Series.

All in all, I’d have to say Boston kept losing their Tanks early on which is something that they can work on but what with their Hero Pool and their adaptation to something other than “Dive” they really have their work cut out for them.  I mean I really, really, don’t want to be a naysayer but when you lose to Dallas in a sweep, something has got to give.  You have to start from square one again and readjust your fundamentals.  I know people hate to hear it repeated over and over again but, really, it’s all about the “Meta”.

Boston has the night off so they should be relaxing and just preparing for their next Match against the LA Valiant.  Meanwhile, the OWL continues today on Twitch.tv and MLG.com.  It starts at 7pm EST with a good game with the London Spitfire vs the San Fransisco Shock.  Then at 9 pm EST there is an easy match with the LA Gladiators vs Florida Mayhem, the Gladiators should win.  Then at 11 pm EST is Philadelphia Fusion vs Shanghai Dragons, Philadelphia should mop the floor against this winless Team.  GL everyone!  HF!

Overwatch League: Philly goes nearly Perfect, LA Valiant and NY XL also Dominate

It was a night of PWNing in the Blizzard Arena in LA.  All three matches were a show of force by the top Teams.  Yes, even the London Spitfire vs NY XL game was decidedly one-sided!  It was great to see that the top Teams are still, well, tops!  I was thinking that with the new “Patch” that some Teams might backslide, like… eh hem… Boston.  But no, that wasn’t the case on [Saturday] Night.  All the Top Teams played fabulous and it was a night where you “bet on” the “Stats”.  What I mean to say is you “bet on” the “sure thing”.  And well, both Philly and LA Valiant were the “sure thing.”  New York Excelsior, what with their “All-Star” Team, was also a “sure bet.”  So the question was: did you ever think the Under Dogs had a chance?  I feel as though London might have given the reigning champs some trouble but at the end of the night it was obvious that nothing will stop this Offensive Juggernaut!

Philadelphia Fusion vs Florida Mayhem

It all started with this Match.  The Fusion are a solid Team, with the DPS duo of Carpe and EQO.  The Mayhem are on the bottom of the rankings, and they have struggled on getting Map Wins.  That being said no one could have predicted their almost perfect game against Florida.  Now a Perfect Game in OWL is when you don’t give up a single Map Point in an entire 4 Map Set.  Yeah, that’s so difficult… If you get the Perfect Game then you’re pretty much OP.  And they were so close to doing that too.  They gave up 1 Point on the very last Map of the Series.  But I think, and I’m pretty sure I am right about this, that they did an even more outstanding feat last night.  They had a Perfect Map on Oasis!  Now a Perfect Map in OWL is when you don’t die, not even once, on a Map and claim all Map Points.  And that is just what they did!  It was 40 Eliminations verses 0.  Yep a big goose egg!  Whoa, I never thought that that was even possible on this level.  If you haven’t seen a Perfect Map before, go watch the VOD on the OWL App.  It was a clinic, oh so “Over Powering”!

Shanghai Dragons vs Los Angeles Valiant

This was more PWNage.  The Valiant gave up 3 Map Points on King’s Row but came back to Win the Map on the second go around.  After that, they totally owned the Dragons.  It was so much so that the Valiant sent in their whole B-Team on Gibraltar, the last Map.  Now, this is a Team that is in it for the Playoff hunt.  Meanwhile, the Dragons haven’t won a single Match all year.  Yeah, it’s getting to a point where, with their strength of schedule, that they most likely won’t Win a single Series.  That’s 0-40 folks!  Ouch!  Yeah, feels bad man…  But unlike with what happened with the Mayhem, they actually do score Map Points…  Right now the Valiant are looking good heading Stage 4 Week 2 and their B-Team has had their first taste of the Live Stage Yipps…

London Spitfire vs New York Excelsior

What we saw in this Match Series was a lot of “Sniping”.  No, seriously!  Saebyeolbe can play Widow, so he isn’t hindered by being a Tracer Player coming off the “Patch”, and Pine, the Big Boss, can hit headshots all day long.  And that’s pretty much what we saw.  Plus they have Jjonak on Zenyatta, who is an “Omni-God”.  And don’t forget about Libero on Junkrat and Hanzo.  The double Sniper is a real thing and NYXL wasn’t afraid of going for it.  They also played Brigitte to her full extent and with this kind of DMG dealing starting line up you just know they can get the “Kills”.  I’m sure that there are so many other storylines to talk about but I’m just going to say: Widow, AntiDive, then Dive.  Rinse and repeat!  That’s how New York played, basically whatever they could to get a Tactical Advantage.  They weren’t afraid of the “Dive” but they knew their Hero Compositions well enough to rotate around with these three different styles of play.  London would get a sweep “ending” Map Win on LiJiang Tower but other than that the Excelsior is just too good!  New York would capture the Win.  Feels john good man…  GG!

So that was the end of Week 1 Stage 4 of Overwatch League.  New York is still in 1st and Boston is still in 2nd, overall.  London, Philly, and Valiant are tied for 3rd!  It’s looking like it will come down to Map Differentials and you know I’m all for that!  This is the best of the best folks and there is nothing better than a close finish…  Week 2 starts on Wednesday at 7 pm EST on Twitch.tv and MLG.com.  And I can’t wait.  Cheers!