The London Spitfire came in on Wednesday’s semifinals series with a vengeance. They would take the casters, the fans and the Los Angeles Valiant by surprise, playing their best Overwatch in two stages. The Spitfire did not look like an OWL title contender from their matches against the LA Gladiators. However, these past two days have shown that not only are they contenders, but they could be the favorites heading into the Grand Finals.
On the other hand, the Los Angeles Valiant were looking absolutely lost on Wednesday. They were seemingly in shock after the first two maps. Although they were able to take the series to five games, London would eventually take the series on Dorado. To many people, this was some of the worst Overwatch they’ve seen from the Valiant in a long while. They have gone from winning the Stage Four championship to being on the verge of elimination in the playoffs.
Now on Day Two of the OWL semifinals, did the London Spitfire book their ticket to New York? Or did the Valiant manage to make a game of it?
(5) London Spitfire vs. (2) Los Angeles Valiant – Series Two
London was simply dominant through the whole series and the semifinals as a whole. Every player was running on all cylinders from the get-go.
We start off on Dorado, the same map that the London Spitfire would close the first series on. On attack, London would run over the Los Angeles Valiant for the first two points. Also, a huge problem for the Valiant was that their supports were constantly dying. For example, the Spitfire were getting picks on LA’s Scott “Custa” Kennedy over and over.
https://clips.twitch.tv/DirtyMotionlessChickpeaBleedPurple
London’s powerful DPS duo, Park “Profit” Joon-yeong and Kim “Birdring” Ji-hyeok, would play exceptionally well the whole series. They effectively outplayed Terence “SoOn” Tarlier and Brady “Agilities” Girardi, even though the Los Angeles Valiant duo were trying their best to carry their team. For example, watch them during Los Angeles’ attack side on Dorado. The two DPS would manage to take several good picks on Profit and Birdring to help them take the first two points. Unfortunately, Los Angeles would get a little too greedy around the third point, and another pick on Custa would mean a London Spitfire win.
Oasis, London’s worst map, proved to be a show of the Spitfire’s compositional flexibility. In round one, London would break out a rare composition with Birdring on Reaper. They would end up taking the Valiant by surprise with the unorthodox heroes. Teamwork and basic fundamentals were looking shaky for the Los Angeles Valiant on Oasis and throughout the semifinals. For example, SoOn would manage to get a four-man Zarya ultimate, but the rest of the team would fail to capitalize. Plus, if you have Profit making plays like this, it’ll be hard to come back:
These skies belong to @PROFIT_OWL. #OWL2018 #TheFirstPlayoffs
LIVE: https://t.co/U6dIioZfOU pic.twitter.com/3hZOcOqa7m
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) July 20, 2018
Eichenwalde is a bit of a closer affair, with the Los Angeles Valiant forcing a third round off some great play from Agilities. However, the London Spitfire prove to be too much for the Valiant, who were looking unbalanced and outmatched the whole day. Ultimately, the Spitfire win the series, and are headed to New York for the OWL Grand Finals.
Three Takeaways
1. Bdosin is a Beast
The London Spitfire’s shotcaller was also one of the best players of the semifinals. He singlehandedly won several fights for the Spitfire with key multikills on Winston. Also, he was able to make some critical grabs on Roadhog, ruining the Los Angeles Valiant’s day. Additionally, this series was able to show his pure talent. Not only does he have to coordinate his team, but he also has to make some great plays himself to keep the ball rolling. Look for him to stay in form for the Grand Finals.
2. Birdring and Profit need to keep the pressure
Again, the DPS duo of the London Spitfire are looking greater than ever. Honestly, the whole Spitfire lineup looks to be at top form at the moment. However, Profit and Birdring were especially impressive, playing not only snipers but heroes like Tracer and Reaper. They were able to outplay SoOn and Agilities for most of the semifinals, and if they carry this momentum to the Finals against either the Fusion or the Excelsior, they are sure to be the favorites.
3. Do not get complacent
The London Spitfire are rolling right now, but they cannot get too confident. They have gotten to the biggest stage of them all, but they haven’t won the championship yet. London needs to stay resilient in their practice, and stay critical of their own play, even in victory. Also, there are still some problems to work out of their game, and they have to keep the pressure not only on their opponents, but also themselves. Stay focused!
What do you think about the OWL Semifinals’ result between the London Spitfire and the Los Angeles Valiant? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! If you missed Day One of the London Spitfire/Los Angeles Valiant matchup, check it out here!
Published: Jul 20, 2018 10:03 pm