Overwatch League Playoffs Day One Recap

Day one of the inaugural Overwatch League playoffs featured a win for the Philadelphia Fusion and the L.A. Gladiators, as well as the crowning of the league MVP.

The first game of the day pitted the Philadelphia Fusion against the Boston Uprising in a match that was full of high tension moments. Both teams started off strong, splitting the first two games and highlighting their DPS strength along the way. However, the Fusion took over in games three and four, taking them both in a decisive manner and winning the first-ever Overwatch League playoff match in the process.

In between games, the regular season MVP award was given out to the NYXL’s deadly support player Sung-hyeon ‘JJoNak’ Bang. He received 31 first place votes and 124 overall points, which was more than double that of the next closest MVP candidate Chan-hyung ‘Fissure’ Baek who had 59 points. JJoNak has had a remarkable season so far in and in the top ten in almost every major healing and damage category.

In the second match of the day the L.A. Gladiators faced off against the London Spitfire in what turned out to be on of the most intense matches of the Overwatch League season. Before the game even begun, the L.A. Gladiators announced that their main tank, and MVP runner-up, Chan-hyung ‘Fissure’ Baek wouldn’t be in the starting lineup because of problems cooperating with his team. As a result, the Gladiators turned to their backup main tank, Luis ‘iRemix’ Galarza Figueroa and he came clutch. With iRemix leading the charge, the Gladiators narrowly edged out the Spitfire in their first two matches, before steamrolling them on Kings Row to win the game 3 to 0 and taking the lead in the series.

The playoffs resume on Friday at 8:00 EST with the Boston Uprising taking on the Philadelphia Fusion once again. If that match ends in an Uprising victory then the teams will play a third and deciding match, with the winner going onto the semi-finals. The same holds true for Saturday’s matchup between the L.A. Gladiators and the London Spitfire. You can catch all of the Overwatch League’s playoff action right here on Twitch, or on TV via ESPN or Disney XD.

Liked this article and want to read more like it? Check out the article on Whether the Overwatch League Can Survive Expansion and our Interview with Overwatch Voice Actress Lucie Pohl.

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