Toronto Defiant qualify for Summer Showdown playoffs, to home LAN
Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Overwatch League Toronto Defiant Summer Showdown
Provided by the Toronto Defiant.
Category:
Overwatch
News

Toronto Defiant qualify for Summer Showdown playoffs, to home LAN

The local team will be at the first Toronto OWL LAN
Image of Michael Czar
Michael Czar
|

Published: Aug 27, 2022 06:09 pm

The Toronto Defiant swept the Boston Uprising 3-0, winning their fourth match in five Summer Showdown matches and officially booking their ticket to their hometown LAN. Earlier in the season, the league announced that Toronto would host a playoff for the Summer Showdown. However, there wasn’t any guarantee that the Defiant would even make it to those playoffs, needing to remain a top eight team in the West. Yet, with the new Junker Queen meta, the Defiant look not only good but potentially a top three seed headed into their hometown event.

Recommended Videos

A good meta for the Defiant

So far this year, the Toronto Defiant have remained a competitive team in the West. They’ve qualified for both previous tournaments, but couldn’t manage a win in either one. Heading into the third stage, the Summer Showdown, 6-6, there was a chance for the team to go anywhere in the standings. From that even record, a bad performance in the Summer Showdown would have a lot of repercussions for the team. First, a poor record in the Summer Showdown would put them in a scenario where their final stage, the Countdown Cup, would have to be good for them to remain comfortably in post-season contention. But secondly, a bad record in the Summer Showdown could mean they would miss the first OWL LAN hosted in their country.

When the stage started, the Junker Queen meta mixed up the power rankings in the west. Teams that established a significant lead in the region seemed to lose it overnight, with the San Francisco Shock and Los Angeles Gladiators losing unexpected maps to Western teams. The Toronto Defiant almost gave the Vancouver Titans their first win, in a map three thriller they just managed to win. Almost losing to a winless team wasn’t a great start, but in context, it was a good sign.

The Titans are also doing great in this meta, and the Defiant took that confidence into their future matches. Despite a loss to the powerful Dallas Fuel, they’ve beat every other opponent. And with this win over the Boston Uprising, they’re 4-1 and officially competing at their local LAN.

Potential home crowd buff

Now, the Defiant have the pressure to win their first playoff match in 2022. But this time around, they don’t have to travel to Dallas or Hawaii. At the Mattamy Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto, the Defiant will compete.

In the end, this stage puts the Defiant in a great position for the 2022 season playoffs. But now, the Toronto Defiant have to go to their home venue in front of Canadian fans and step up in the Summer Showdown playoffs.

The Summer Showdown playoffs begin on Sept. 8, 2022, and end on Sept. 11, 2022.

related content
Author
Image of Michael Czar
Michael Czar
Polish-Canadian game enthusiast. I've been entrenched in gaming for as long as I can remember, with my first game being Pokemon Yellow and my most played games being Borderlands 2 and Overwatch. I have a degree in Film Studies, but writing about esports just makes my job all the better.
twitter