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The second series in the inaugural Overwatch League playoffs is set to be a thriller – if history is anything to go by – as the Los Angeles Gladiators and London Spitfire do battle in the second quarterfinal.
The Gladiators (25-15), who finished second in the Pacific division and fourth overall, are coming off a red-hot run of form through Stage 4, where they went 9-1 before getting tripped up in the Stage 4 title matches by their arch-rival Valiant.
They come up against a Spitfire (24-16) team who were the talk of the town early – winning the Stage 1 title – but have struggled to find form since. A shock split with their coach early in Stage 2 and a changing metagame has seen the early-season favourites fall to third in the Atlantic division and fifth in the league.
Where: Blizzard Arena, Los Angeles
When: Game 1: 12pm (AEST), Thursday, July 12, Game 2/3*: 6:00am/8:00am* (AEST), Sunday, July 15
How to Watch: Live on Twitch
* – if necessary
Stage 2, Week 3: London 1-3 LA Gladiators
Stage 3, Week 4: LA Gladiators 3-2 London
Stage 4, Week 4: London 2-3 LA Gladiators
Overall: LA Gladitors 3, London 0
These sides met three times throughout the regular season and, although the Gladiators prevailed on all three occasions, each match went down to the wire.
Los Angeles got the jump on London in their first encounter (Stage 2, Week 3), with a 2-0 result on Lijiang Tower sandwiched by thrilling 3-2 triumphs on Volskaya Industries and King’s Row, before the Spitfire took a map back on Route 66.
Their other two encounters required a tiebreaker. In Week 4 of Stage 3, London fought back from 2-0 to force a decider, only for the Gladiators to preserve the win with a tight victory on Oasis. In Stage 4’s Week 4, LA erased a 2-0 deficit to roar back and steal a 3-2 win with a dominant display on Nepal.
They stay out of their own heads.
Los Angeles may have left their run to playoffs late, but that late run was sublime. Their Stage 4 performance was one of the best Stage performances any team enjoyed in 2018.
But, the Gladiators had a penchant beforehand for dropping – or at least barely scraping – matches they were heavily favoured in.
They enter this match as the warm favourites, and with that comes the pressure of expectation. Lane “Surefour” Roberts and Chan-hyung “Fissure” Baek are some of the most consummate pros going around, but they’ll need to guide their less experienced teammates through the experience and make sure pressure doesn’t turn speed bumps into roadblocks.
They have the recent form and they have the wood over their opponents – they just need to play their game and keep the momentum in their favour.
They can find their early season form again.
London looked a sure grand final bet throughout Stage 1 and, while they still undoubtedly have the talent to get there, it just hasn’t clicked over the past few stages.
The Spitfire’s very best is still some of the best in the league and, on paper, their roster does look more impressive than that of their opponents. They’ve had more time to get accustomed to this metagame too and, if they can as comfortable with it as the other playoff teams appear to be, they’ll be very dangerous.
London may have gone 0-3 against the Gladiators in the regular season, but two of those matches could’ve easily gone either way. These sides didn’t clash in Stage 1, but if they did you can be certain it would’ve gone the Spitfire’s way.
If they find that top gear again, they have the talent to win more than just this series.
It’s been a tale of two seasons for both of these teams, with one starting strong and the other hitting their straps at the death.
I still think London’s very best form this season eclipses what the Gladiators have done, but with a tidal wave of momentum at their backs – and the knowledge they’ve had their opposition’s measure – you’d have to back Los Angeles to progress here.
LA Gladiators 2, London 1