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We’re reaching the business end of the Overwatch League playoffs, with just four teams left in the running to receive the inaugural championship and a coveted $1 million (USD) cash prize.
The Los Angeles Valiant (27-13) took out the Pacific division title and the second overall courtesy of a blistering run through the second half of the season. Some smart trades and acquisitions after Stage 2 saw the LA side overcome a ho-hum start to establish themselves as a genuine contender.
They’ll be facing off against the London Spitfire (24-16), who overcame a horror showing in Game 1 of their series with the Los Angeles Gladiators to blow their opponents away with exceptional performances in the second and third games. With their brilliant Stage 1 form seemingly recaptured, this shapes to be an exciting affair.
Where: Blizzard Arena, Los Angeles
When: Game 1: 12pm (AEST), Thursday, July 19, Game 2/3*: 9:00am/11:00am* (AEST), Saturday, July 21
How to Watch: Live on Twitch
* – if necessary
Stage 1, Week 2: LA Valiant 2, London 3
Stage 3, Week 3: London 3, LA Valiant 2
Stage 4, Week 4: LA Valiant 2, London 1
Overall: London 2, LA Valiant 1
We got three classic encounters when these sides met throughout the regular season. The first two matches need a fifth map to decide a winner, whereas the third match was just as tight.
London looked set to run away with their first encounter, with dominant defensive efforts on Dorado and Horizon Lunar Colony getting them out to a 2-0 lead. The Valiant hit back with superb performances on Oasis and Eichenwalde to send it to map five, only for London to dominate on Nepal and claim the win.
The second match was, apart from the maps, deja vu. London defended stoutly on Volskaya Industries and Blizzard World, the Valiant broke through on Nepal and Route 66, before the Spitfire dominated on the deciding map – Oasis.
The Valiant broke through for a win in their most recent meeting, however. The sides couldn’t be split on Blizzard World, before more incredible defense from London on Horizon got them lead, only for LAV to shut their opponents out on both Lijiand Tower and Dorado.
They’ve maintained their form across a very long break.
Gifting division winners and top-seeded playoff teams the first week off in a playoffs series is quite a common practice in the North American sporting world.
But, unlike other leagues in the USA, the Overwatch League also gave the entire league a decent chunk of time off between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.
In our own AFL, debate raged for some time as to whether the league-wide bye before the finals meant victorious qualifying final teams – who subsequently received a second bye in three weeks – were actually disadvantaged by the interrupted preparation.
Could that very extended break prove to be too much of a good thing for LA?
In our recent interview with Custa (Scott Kennedy), he said the team avoided taking too much time off so they wouldn’t get complacent.
The team that played in Games 2 and 3 shows up.
London’s effort to turn around their dismal Game 1 effort deserves all the praise it has received and more. They didn’t just claw their way back, they simply tore the Gladiators apart with back-to-back 3-0 dominations.
Commentators and analysts alike remarked that this early-season form London had found again was still arguably the league’s best and, if they can keep it up, they can add to their Stage 1 championship with the league’s first ever championship proper.
But, what has flown under the radar somewhat is just how poor they did look in the first game.
Playing against what was at many points an understrength Gladiators team, the Spitfire were dominated in the exact same fashion in Game 1 and were seemingly no hope of getting back into the series.
Whether play like that is a thing of the past for them now is yet to be seen, but they can’t afford a similar effort against a Valiant team who almost certainly won’t give them an inch if they get in front.
London turning it around against the Gladiators makes this fixture a lot tougher to predict. The Valiant were always going to start favourites, no matter who they were up against, but the form the Spitfire showed suggests they’re in for a hell of a fight.
That said, Los Angeles’ form has been too irrestible to ignore of late, including their Stage 4 triumph over New York. It’ll be a classic encounter, but I’m backing the Valiant
LA Valiant 2, London 1