Finally, the second season of the Overwatch League has kicked off! Welcome back, Overwatch fans, and get ready for another exciting year of competitive play. We have so many new faces in the league, but the opening match of this stage featured two familiar faces. It was a rematch of the 2018 Grand Finals between the Philadelphia Fusion and the London Spitfire.
It’s time. @Fusion vs. @Spitfire. Grand Finals REMATCH.
Watch here: https://t.co/U6dIioZfOU pic.twitter.com/bgmmdM8ecy
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) February 15, 2019
The Spitfire were coming in with high expectations, even with the big changes in rosters across the Overwatch League. They stayed with their season one roster, looking to replicate the same success they had in 2018. Eyes would be locked onto their star players like Ji-hyeok “birdring” Kim and Joon-yeong “Profit” Park, who were key to their victorious campaign to the championship.
As for the Philadelphia Fusion, they were also heading into the 2019 Overwatch season with some pressure on their shoulders. After defying all expectations and reaching the Grand Finals last year, it is safe to say that the goal for this year would be to do the same. Like the London Spitfire, they opted to stick with their 2018 roster. Jae-hyeok “Carpe” Lee should be your player to watch for the Fusion for this season, as their success usually hinges on his amazing performances.
The Fusion get revenge on the Spitfire
It would be a great game between the two Season One finalists, as the Fusion would take the first match on Ilios. It would be a tale of two Zarya’s on this map, as Carpe would deal a lot more damage than Birdring on the hero. Their second map of the day, Hollywood, would feature some great ultimate usage on both sides. However, it would be some great teamplay from the Fusion that would help stem the Spitfire tide.
Tracer? In 2019? @carpe_ow is the only one pulling that off.
We're up 2-0! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO! #IonThePrize pic.twitter.com/gTYAxYjsmn— Philadelphia Fusion (@Fusion) February 15, 2019
Additionally, GOATS is clearly the choice of composition for professional play this stage, as both teams would use the playstyle extensively. The London Spitfire broke out some DPS heroes in order to disrupt the tanky sustain of the Fusion. It would work on Volskaya, with the Widowmaker and Sombra picks playing out to perfection. However, Rialto was a completely different story. With both teams running GOATS once again, Philadelphia locked down hard on their defensive side. The Spitfire could not find a single foothold in their attack and ended up only moving the payload 43.57 meters. The Fusion would easily surpass this distance and capture their first win of the season.
Final Thoughts
Both teams were trying to push hard for a good start to their season. Taking down the London Spitfire might have given the Philadelphia Fusion a bit of relief, but they have bigger things to set their eyes on. There are eighteen more teams vying for a chance to win the Stage One championship. They’ll need to keep up their performances because there are plenty of great competition waiting for them in the weeks to come.
We drop Rialto to @Fusion and lose the series 1-3 in the #OWL2018 Grand Finals rematch. Revenge well deserved. #GGWP! #AcesHigh pic.twitter.com/DXv6jLDHFh
— London Spitfire (@Spitfire) February 15, 2019
The same thing goes for the London Spitfire, who will be looking to dominate their competition again. We saw glimpses of their 2018 form, which was some of the most controlled, precise Overwatch we’ve seen. They faltered here, but look for them to make their climb back to the top of the standings once again.
What are your thoughts on the Philadelphia Fusion’s victory over the London Spitfire? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more Overwatch League coverage, check us out here!
Published: Feb 14, 2019 10:12 pm