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Overwatch League week 4: The Houston Outlaws take a homestand win

Week Four of the Overwatch League featured some of the quickest, as well as the most drawn-out games of the season so far. The Houston Outlaws received the support of the hometown crowd, dropped just one match to the London Spitfire, rallied, and finally took a well deserved W from the Toronto Defiant – their first of the 2020 season. All of the weekends’ matches are detailed below to keep you up to date.

New York Excelsior v. Florida Mayhem 3-0

The New York Excelsior and the Florida Mayhem opened up Weekend Four of the Overwatch League in Houston, Texas. The match ended as quickly as it began with the NYXL absolutely dominating the Florida Mayhem, with Sang-bum “BQB” Lee unable to compete with all-star Yeon-kwan “Nenne” Jeong, especially on Widowmaker. The Excelsior dealt with everything that the Florida Mayhem threw at them with ease, and Dong-gyu “Mano” Kim made short work of San-ha “Karayan” Choi landing some impressive off-angle Earth Shatters. The NYXL is now 4-1 after Week Four of the Overwatch League putting them just below the Philadelphia Fusion as top dogs of the Atlantic Conference.

Atlanta Reign v. Toronto Defiant 3-0

This match featured two highly adaptable teams that are similar in many ways. On Nepal, the Atlanta Reign took time to find their stride, allowing the Toronto Defiant to charge forward and exhaust resources before taking back the point at key moments. The Atlanta Reign played a more defensive composition against the Defiant’s dive, but Nevix failed to make an impact on Zarya. Andrej “babybay” Francisty popped off on McCree, shutting down Andreas “Logix” Berghmans and preventing him from making a difference for his team – plus that Torbjorn pick threw the Toronto Defiant for a loop.

London Spitfire v. Houston Outlaws 3-2

The beginning of this series was a bloodbath, and the problems began with Austin “Muma” Wilmot breaking under the immense pressure that Dae-Han “JMAC” Choi and the rest of the London Spitfire applied his way. Busan and Blizzard World allowed Linkzr to flex his Widowmaker, cutting down the Spitfire in key moments. Temple of Anubis gave Jeffrey “blasé” Tsang the room to fly with Doomfist, ripping apart the Spitfire backline as frequently as possible. Junkertown was a Widowmaker free for all, and Linkzr got the better of Gil-seong “Glister” Lim , keeping him tucked away in corners or relying on Tae-hong “MekO” Kim and Seung-soo “Jecse” Lee occasionally applying pressure. In the end, it was Dong-jae “Schwi” Lee and JMAC applying consistent pressure on Muma that landed the Spitfire with the win.

Boston Uprising v. Philadelphia Fusion 0-3

A deadly display of force from the Philadelphia Fusion put the Boston Uprising down with ease. The Fusion is one of the strongest teams in the league right now, mostly due to their smart playstyle. Many teams focus on shutting down Carpe at all costs, but the Boston Uprising didn’t quite have the resources or skill to effectively minimize the damage. Josh “Eqo ” Corona played a smart and aggressive Mei, zoning off the Uprising whenever possible, and separating Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth or Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse. Newcomer Tae-hee “Jerry Min struggled to gain value going up against the all-star lineup, and specifically Jun-ho “Fury” Kim using D.Va’s three-second boosters to their full advantage.

Atlanta Reign v. Paris Eternal 1-3

Atlanta started strong, showing strength in their match against the dominant Paris team before slowly fading into a loss. Han-been “Hanbin” Choi was aggressive at all times, pressuring the Reign until they broke. The Eternal focused on creating chaos amongst the Atlanta Reign and capitalizing on members who get caught out. The opening fight of Nepal took a mere 50 seconds of the Eternal running at Pokpo, draining the Reign of resources while Ki-hyo “Xzi” Jung fried the rest on Symmetra. The Atlanta Reign barely took Nepal, but fell in the end on Dorado, where Xzi cut them down with a ruthless McCree. 

London Spitfire v. Florida Mayhem 3-2

This series saw one of the closest matches of the weekend, between two evenly matched yet flashy teams. BQB proved a capable McCree, applying pressure on Schwi who chose to play Pharah on Ilios. The London Spitfire is phenomenal in supporting one another, peeling for members to escape and healing them up. Jun-ki “Yaki” Kim provided some much-needed aggression against the London Spitfire as Doomfist, with Karayan on Winston to jump in with him. The matches followed the sloppy pattern of scattered team fights, with Widowmaker/McCree duels between BQB and Glister, most ending with Glister on top. 

Toronto Defiant v. Houston Outlaws 1-3

The Houston Outlaws finally secured their first win of the 2020 season, and at home no less. They struggled at the start of the match, with Nepal shaping up to be a repeat of previous weeks. Even on King’s Row, the flares of intensity from the Houston Outlaws didn’t seem promising for long-term success.

It was Horizon Lunar Colony where everything changed. The Houston Outlaws looked hot, with Blasé and Dante “Danteh” Cruz worked in tandem as Doomfist and Sombra respectively, shutting down the London Spitfire with ruthless ease. The crowd roared on, as Muma returned to form with his Winston play, leaping on the enemy and causing chaos. From here on out it was a one-sided affair, with the Houston Outlaws going all-out against the London Spitfire. Throughout the series, Glister made his mark keeping sightlines locked down and gave Jiri “LiNkzr” Masalin a run for his money.

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