⚠️ VOD is unavailable.
ow_esports VODs on twitchBroadcasts 30+ hours are truncated. View the Raw Transcript VTT for the full version.
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
on the floor like you've been walking on childhood holes I can't believe I
didn't see but now I'm making nothing but a memory
I think we're strapped back so I can move on
then on the wrong path you're not the one on the road
I can't stop back so I can move on then on the wrong path
We've been blinded for too long Got wake up, no sleep for good
And we've found you've got me real close Got to run, to run
I'm broken hearted now, but moving on, going on
Moving on, moving on, moving on
I'm broke and all in line
I'm broke and all in line
I'm broke and all in line
I'm broke and all in line
I'm broke and all in line
I'm sick and tired of you
On this time I've been nothing but pain
There's no more trying we're through
How this story ends ain't up to you
I'll take this step up so I can move on
We're on the wrong track
You're not the one
I'm trying to stop right
So I can move on
We're on the wrong track
You're not the one
You're not the one
You're not the one
We're blinded
For too long
Now we've got those things for good
And we've gone
You've got me real close
Can't you run
You're close, that's a run, a run
I'm broken hard and I'm movin' on, movin' on
I'm movin' on, I'm movin' on
I'm broken hard and I'm movin' on
I'm broken hard and I'm movin' on
I
It's gonna be all right, it's gonna be all right
I'm a big fan of you.
I'm a big fan of you.
you
you
you
you
you
you
Here comes the game, Saigo with three!
Oh, buddy.
There's the tower, leaving the track off with a pickup.
He's out of the cannon.
After you got through the rescue.
Twisted mines, hooking the toes out the stairs here, and Saigo with a trophy.
Of course, that's done it so many times before, and he'll do it again!
Your OWCF 2025 World Finals Champion!
Hello and welcome to the OWCS stage two playoffs at the end of this very weekend we got three
EMEA and three NA teams punching their tickets to the midseason championship in August now
Zoe here joined by Jake and Matt, friends how we doing are we ready for this?
Yeah I mean look I think we have a lot of great games for EMEA I think it's gonna be really close
to determine who's the top three going in on.
I've never been more ready.
So yeah, I mean, EMA has been such a fun region to cast.
This stage, it's been incredibly competitive
between these top four squads.
I mean, maybe there's some early favorites here,
but with three slots to play for,
I think all three of the teams qualified at EMA
are going to be able to put up a strong performance
here on the world stage.
I'm excited to see what they have in store for us in play.
We don't have to wait too long.
We will be covering the EMA here in the first half
of the day. So let's jump right in as you can see here in our standings,
Burmese Perot topped the EMEA standings and they were just absolutely dominant.
They really just dropped two maps against Katzia.
That was the only thing that took anything from them.
Now, in the middle of the pack, the Twisted Vines, Katzia and Geekay,
that led to three-way tie-in.
Then there was also the explosiveness of one, two, three, four,
which made it to the hole very close against all of these teams,
pushing them to map five.
Unfortunately, they are finding themselves in promotion of retigation. No doubt we'll see them again though
This is crazy Jake. The last three twisted minds game took all gone to five against one two three four
DK and Katya, right? So they finished four and one but how they got there is obviously the down to the wire where
EMEA, they're like three four five really competitive at all throughout like VP
they picked Katya the face in round number one. That's a game that went to five as well,
right? No real easy opponents here at EMY. Yeah, Jake, what are your thoughts on VP picking Katya?
As we already mentioned, Katya was the only team that managed to even take maps off of them.
Why would they identify Katya out of all teams as the quote unquote weakest team? Or was that
even the point here? I mean, you only have two choices, right? It's them or GK, who I think have
continues to really level up through this stage and look like a fearsome competitor.
So for me, it's less of a statement of the weakness from Kaseya and more about the strength
from GK. So the VP obviously think that's the pecking word. They think Kaseya is going to be
the team to knock out and eliminate from playoffs. And you know, with three or four teams going on,
you start to feel like as a team like, okay, we made the playoffs. Come on, surely we can like
win one game and make it there. But it's not going to be easy, right? Somebody is going to be falling
out of this playoff 2-0 not going to the midseason championship and really regretting this stage
considering especially how hard they had to fight just to be here just to get this chance.
I mean, GK's gotten better really throughout this stage here, Zoe.
NTN just played GK last week in a five-gamer, so...
Hey, I was about to say. That was a map five brawl though, so honestly that second match today
could go either way. If you're one of those teams though, like all you really want to do is win
that first match and you already got to take it to the mid-season championship. Three teams of each
region will be making it to our next LAN event so you just don't want to be the first one out.
Yeah you just need like once. Just once. No we're not asking for a ton here right. Just take it to get
one on the board where yeah I think if you're twisted minds right like to potentially win this
first game right would be huge like just kind of get that qualification over with it's a rough stage
maybe the meta changes by time. We head over to Paris and you're in a much better position.
Absolutely. I'm just so excited for all of these matches and want to just to see how the teams will
be performing because I feel like other than maybe a lot of our teams were on a bit of a journey
this stage to like figure out their footing in this meta, figuring out new pieces that were
implemented into their respective rosters. So yeah, let's talk about our expectations still
because especially for teams like TM, look, VP is definitely on course to take TM's regional crown,
but TM, I mean, they're still the reigning world champions. Have they looked shaky this
meta? Yes, but they are still the reigning world champions. So we would expect them to play fairly
high. Yeah, I mean, very nearly went back to back in Japan, which is something that I really
didn't expect given that they came into that tournament looking a lot weaker than usual,
looking very beatable. They flip the script, they brought UB back in. That was almost enough
to get them over the line for another global championship. So for TM, it's coming to this
stage and looks so beatable, really is out of left field. I don't think anyone saw that coming,
but they've been back in the lab and they've also been grinding through the stage and it feels like
they're kind of back on their feet for playoffs. I expect that matching them and potentially VP
coming up later on in the bracket to be maybe more competitive than people might think.
I certainly hope so. I mean, their last match, I feel like, was woefully too close, so it didn't quite instill the confidence that I wanted to have in them heading into these playoffs.
So yeah, the hierarchy in the MEA is clearly shaken up, but you know what? We can make it even worse for teams with an updated map pool for the playoffs.
That's right, that might just allow for another shift in the food chain here.
Obviously, we're coming in here with our brand new map joining the roster.
Neon Junction is now available for play and for picking as well.
Also, it's been a while since we saw Coliseal, since the rework.
Atlas is back in the mix.
I think the last time we saw Atlas was stage one.
And then my favorite, of course, that's gotta be Junkertown.
I'm a spam of Iron Dissil, forever and ever.
We haven't seen that since last year.
I am, it's literally my favorite map of all time.
I think it's interesting, right?
Like Coliseo, New Queen Street,
like there's no Esperanza
runesabi in the pool. That's
kind of brutal for, you know,
some of the push maps. And then
I know Neon Junction like our
newest map in terms of, uh,
adding to the game, right in
hybrid. I think it'll be
interesting to see if anybody
decides to go there, right?
And I'm looking at, you know,
Junkertown. I believe it's
Junkertown to Rodham, right?
I think it's interesting to
see if anybody decides to go
I believe it's jungler tone to rado and circuit so like that's a really different
you know escort map pool than kind of what we've seen so I think this has
definitely has potential to kind of get things a little crazy here in the
playoffs yeah I think you know shaking up the map pool for playoffs always
interesting I think across the board and look at sort of the holistically the
map pool and it feels like there's quite a few more maps where maybe these
heavier low ground rush styles are gonna feel good which it's kind of the
always the EMEA stalwart classic and could kind of shake things up since Sigma has been so strong
and even Cap Bastion has really found its way back into the meta here at the end of the stage
in EMEA so maybe some of these new additions changes to the map pool could shift things maybe
slightly I don't know that it's gonna really be massive in terms of changing the power rankings
between these teams but to your point Matt hey there's an opportunity to pick a neon junction
and kind of shake things up do something different maybe reduce the preparation level and kind of
kind of make it a little bit more individualistic here in playoffs.
If you're looking for that, it goes to the Chiefs.
Yeah, to bring that back, right?
Like, all you have to do is win that first match.
And then you already got your spot in the midseason championship.
So if you just invested a little bit more time in one of the newer maps,
hoping that the other teams didn't, this might be an avenue to go down.
Now, we will be deciding, as I said, our two NEA spots already today
and then tomorrow at the last slot will be decided as well.
then after that it's all just about the regional crown coming in with a better seed of course
at our second LAN event as well. Now speaking of good seeds you could grab yours that's right
get your tickets for the mid-season championship in Paris France or you have to do a scan the QR
code on your screens for 15% off that's more than 14% max around the numbers and it's checking out
15% is actually higher than 14 that would be correct I've never heard of anybody doing a 14%
discount on anything. I should do that just for the funsies. No, because 15 is better.
Like 15 is objectively better than 14. You know what? As a woman of the people, I will
be asking for a 16% discount heading into our next tournament. I'll do that just because
I love our viewers so much, Dave. Just 1% more than the base, but 15% off pretty nice.
I mean, it'll be great to see the fans coming out to Paris. I mean, last time we were in
in Paris for an Overwatch eSports event.
I was there, it was fantastic.
Many years ago at the Overwatch World Cup,
one of the stops, no, I was casting.
I was casting at one of the stops in Paris.
And the crowd was incredible.
I mean, the engagement of the fans,
the French fans in eSports is really strong.
And so I think this is gonna be a fantastic year
for the eSports World Cup.
And for the mid-season championship,
I think the global competition has never been tighter.
I mean, yes, twist of mind did go down to the Grand Final,
but we had, I think our best Grand Finals yet,
maybe in Overwatch history in Japan.
I want to see that clash of regions,
see if NA can somehow maybe find its way back
into some global competition.
That feels like a bit of a long shot,
considering they're playing in Japan,
but maybe eSports World Cup could change that.
Listen, as long as the EMEA teams are doing good
when we're having an event in the EMEA region,
I think we're sorted, I think we're good,
and we have strong contenders to take it to our,
you know, Korean teams,
which historically have always been on top ever since Twisted Minds took over the rainbow.
It's been very, very evenly matched between those two regions at least.
You got there. You get there, and I don't worry about it.
The time will come.
Yeah, eventually, eventually.
Yeah, eventually, yeah.
Let's talk about our first series here, right?
Virtus.pro and Kassia, it's really matched.
Virtus.pro, as we said, they only dropped two maps this entire stage.
They were so dominant, and both these maps were dropped against Kassia.
they did talk to us about how that Alcapsia comp just kind of tripped him up a bit. Now obviously
that's two weeks ago they had time to prep since and like across the board though they've been looking
so good. Kevster is playing the best Overwatch he's ever played. Icedom had like the glow-up of a
century just being so good like his Sigma is insane. Heck his ball is insane as we had to find out
now as well. The reflexes and rounds in the last match it's actually been really fun to watch.
I mean, I think he might be the best tank in EMEA.
I don't know, that's really that, like, hot take.
And I think, when you think about the series that they had against Katzia last time, Jake
and I casted this, it was the first week with Shion.
So it was like, they came out of the gate with like Shion and Vendetta.
I think they kind of totally caught the VP off guard.
Like, that's not going to be a thing today, right?
Like, they kind of have an idea of what potentially could happen and the meta's kind of solidified
that maybe it's not really going that way.
So I think it's definitely going to be a VP team that feels a little bit more prepared against what Katya has to offer.
Yeah, I definitely have high expectations for VP.
I think kind of once they get their arms around that style,
it can maybe mitigate it a little bit more effectively.
And Katya's been having, I mean, maybe one of the best years of his entire career on this VP team.
It feels like they're really rising to the occasion at the right moment as a group.
They came off that performance in Japan.
Maybe not quite achieving what they had hoped, but definitely knowing that you could actually win it all with this team, right?
Like, really, they could go to the global stage and win it all.
And I feel like that confidence that they built in Japan has kind of been oozing out of them here in EMEA in this regular season.
So here in the playoff, High Hope's 4 vs. Pro, they want to put this one away dominantly and secure that spot to the Esports World Cup, get another chance here on the land stage.
the next stage. Yeah, and
clearly they're coming in with
a game plan. They were the ones
picking cut. See us. They know
exactly what they're opting in
for here. As we said in the
previous bag. Cut. See it did
really, really make it closer.
Right? Like they want to end
up the peninsula. So the Royale
they fought back on most of the
other maps to making them
somewhat close and Matthew
talked about the composition
that we saw from them, right?
That Marga, she on perhaps with
the June on the back line
at something that you pointed
at during the class and how
you actually really enjoyed
that the question then, which
is like the second they're
with it, the deadout look really nice as an option there.
You think this is gonna be what they're running out the gates
with again today?
I don't think they're gonna try and run it again today.
I mean, I think they could.
I just think there's gonna be a much stronger response
from VP over it, right?
Where if you kind of look at how Katya's stage has gone,
so we're right, they beat Telsy,
and then they beat DK in the first game of the stage.
Otherwise, like, again, some of our top teams,
they haven't really been able to pull out some of these wins,
although in close series.
So I think if you are, if you're VP,
you still feel really confident,
although Aiden, Tejong have looked really good
in terms of the damage dealers in this stage.
I've been a big fan of the Vendetta out of Tejong.
I feel like his execution on it has been really solid.
This team, it feels like they are,
at least finding some sort of, you know,
comfortable style for them
and playing this like all out aggressive rush.
And while LeeVee might be more prepared for it,
might have the answers,
I feel like especially shifting the mouth pool,
I think it's good for teams who want to play really fast paced here in the playoffs,
want to really push the issue.
Like you said, I mean, I think VP are going to be the heads-up favorites,
especially now that Xi'an's been out for a little bit.
Teams have had time to practice with their CLG, changes things.
I think, you know, VP are that team who feels like once they adapt and they always do,
they come out stronger than they were before.
Somebody like Kemster, maybe they want to go match the aggression on some of these maps too.
I think that's absolutely a fine option.
I don't think that they're going to be scared to take that kind of a high base game.
So definitely expect VP to be the favorites.
But I want to see a real fight out of Kat'sia, especially because confidence is bigger.
You know, win or lose, yes, obviously you want to win, you want to book a ticket.
But if you lose, you want to be able to come into that next lower match
and feel like hopeful, feel like we have something to build on.
And I mean, we know that all these teams have played it so close,
like looking at everyone but VP.
So that level bracket match is going to be a brawl as well.
I grew as the short now if we look at the predictions for this one I have to give this one to VP
I do think that they've been just so very dominant no real cracks in the armor armor
Yeah, I could see a trip them up for like just a few maps
But over under like they still close it out very confidently they had time they picked their opponent and last week really like
It's not like they had to play against the teams where they had to invest a lot of like brainpower into preparing for them
So all eyes on playoffs they were able to really just work on themselves
themselves versus having to figure out about the teams.
And I think that will be paying dividends here in the playoffs.
Yeah, I mean, EMEA has been very hard to predict so far this stage.
It means some incredible upsets taking place in the regular season.
But this one, I don't think it's going to happen.
I think Virtus.
Bro have got this all the way, as you said, so we're prepared for this match.
I mean, VP's dropped two maps all stage.
Those are to Katia and those are, you know, games where we'd spoke to VP
and they said they were kind of caught off guard where I think VP has
been clearly the best team in the EMEA throughout this stage. So VP seems like a, you know, it's
going to be my pick for this one. Pretty, pretty clean, I think.
All right. So we're getting ready for this one. The first match of the EMEA playoff,
the winner earns a spot in the upper final and of course their slot in at Paris are France.
So Jacob, take it away.
Thank you, Zoe. And as we get into this one, I think folks have been waiting quite some time
for the EMEA playoffs. It's been a fantastic regular stage. And with Nepal in the map pool,
VPC said, no, thank you. We're going to go with Ilios and the dive style. I mean, I was actually,
the way Ilios plays in this meta, it feels like flexibility is really what's being called in the
question with, you know, ball feeling good on some maps, top some, you know, very vertical
mobility centered map type. Sigma also looking really good, which as we've said,
has been a real comfort for Aizenam, especially this year. I feel like he's kind of leveled up
on that hero and the team around him definitely feels very good on that side.
I mean he's just kind of leveled up in terms of like his hero pool as well throughout the year,
right? I mean you think back to last year they bring him in, but it's more like play like hazard
and things along those lines, but now playing stop that best solo would have played for this roster
at like a higher level. So it'll be a MAGA band here for VP off the rip. So I know we saw a lot
of highlights of best solo kind of playing that MAGA. It'll be a tracer band here for Katzia. So
I think that's a little bit interesting in that like you know psycho now right would probably want to play something like a tracer
But maybe now kind of forced over to a sim or something else
Yeah, the tracer man kind of surprises me here
I mean it was a pretty solid tracer map, but it's also one of which I feel tracers a little bit
Maybe more replaceable than other dive styles where a lot of verticality on Ilyos not necessarily the most comfortable for tracer
But maybe it's just you know the threat of like even like the ball comp, right?
I mean VP played that mirror into 1, 2, 3, 4, and you think,
okay, maybe they were just feeling like they wanted to play the mirror,
wanted to try something new, but I think that's a genuine threat on Ilios.
They could bring it out, and especially for a team that,
if you want to play like an all-in rush comp, it's pretty tough
when every single player in the team can't fly or move at warp speed across the map.
So maybe that's a matchup they just don't want to deal with,
but taking up the Moga means, you know, on some of these closer maps,
like Valve and Lighthouse, it's going to be less of an all-out brawl,
a little bit more time for VP's DPS to get to work.
And I think you've seen VP being able to adjust
to different types of styles throughout this season.
I think a large part of that is adding Psycho and Landon,
just the great in-game leader, Shotcall.
Whereas I think you even see TM, Missed Psycho,
his ability to kind of be a game, or like a UV,
Field of kind of Shotcall at times for that team.
So I think you're seeing that kind of payoff here
for Virtus Pro is, we'll start things off on Welp.
We'll see what VP decides to go to
in terms of that secondary damage dealer role, right?
Obviously, Cap Bastion, you know, it's still available.
It seems to make it through a lot now in EMEA,
and I think some of these teams
are a little bit more comfortable playing it.
You know, it's interesting.
I think the Sigma Zuki for a while felt like,
okay, maybe there's a bit of an answer to Cap Bastion now,
but then new complications entered the mix.
I think the Wrecking Ball is genuinely one of them
that has a pretty good matchup into that kind of a style.
I mean, the Mizuki is pretty threatening with the chain,
but definitely could be played around at times for Reki Mausko.
She with those perks online.
Both teams though, gonna roll out with the D,
but it looks like they can't bash in a full mirror now
to decide this first round for EMEA Clients.
With Sheen in the mix,
so Sheen does definitely a Hock fix this week,
like adjusting, you know, I think it's a cool down charge.
I like to kind of like come back for the execute,
I feel like you have to go back into a weapon and cycle right off the rip.
I mean, it's just a lead to take down.
I mean, that is brutal there for Katia.
I mean, this has been, I think, the biggest change in the Kat fashion mirror
is it feels much more doable to kill the enemy bash
and teams have been willing to get aggro first for the player-like cycle.
His experience on DPS, this has been, I think, another strength for Virtus Pro
as they move from strength to strength in this stage
is the fact that they can easily swap their DPS.
like theoretically Kepster is the hands game on this team.
But between Kepster and Psycho, they can each independently play the entire
hero pool in Overwatch. And so for Kat Bastion, they feel like they want to
lean into Kepster's flexibility. And Psycho, I think one of the more talented
individuals when it comes to the raw tracking needed in this mirror, although
Kajong is going to give them a test.
Yeah, Psycho does take some damage there. The armor just gets going to chip down as
by the sweet turn of mode, year-four Kajong, they're ready trying to find anything
He's so dangerously low, but Psycho just kind of using that turn for him a little bit later ends up taking out the cat in the bastion here
You see Fixa just going in for the kill there
Hunting down Vestovla as this has been a brutal start here for Katzio
Yeah, I love the patient positioning there from Fixa and Psycho playing deep into the back line
I don't know he's trying to remake before the fight so 25% away
There could be a small window of opportunity, but he's getting that spam charge
on Ilios while it's so hard to avoid that so we should be able to mech up before the team fight but Kassia got past the choke relatively easily.
Yeah, but I mean, we really haven't seen them being able to kind of like force the issue, right? We're on with 8 now but 8 has not really been able to kind of get anything going against Kev.
I mean Kev already got the ultimate 8 at like 80% they look at the rush here for land and open things up.
Yeah, they want to keep the pressure on.
Pushing a hot base, Katsya though get back into the spawn pretty comfortably and there won't be a push because I show through that to a point.
Here comes Katsura though, can do the backline, light things up, finds one with the spree, Gala also finished off by Aizan.
Estola, gonna be popped out of the suit, and the cattle from Dixxia does pull one off the map, so he's gonna steal that and kill Kata 4 himself, but an incredibly dominant round.
Maybe you can get a touch here on the cat, but it's just so desperate.
Shiyan though, biting castles are killerish.
Just making it, the touch is good, but instant kill onto Zox.
Same fate for Aide, and as players stagger in here, Vistola's going to keep things rolling,
but not for long.
Curtis Bro making an absolute statement of this first round.
It doesn't get less close.
Yeah, I mean, did you say it doesn't get less close?
Yeah, I mean, that's a that is a super accurate. Um, it is I think it's also kind of like probably by BP ends up taking like cats
Yeah, like maybe they feel like a nice fix of your matchups. They have like a huge advantage
So we take a look. I know cat using the she on all the
Trying to like throw is a cart back the other way the cat nap there from fixer. Just kind of dragging the solo over the side
uh, you know fight that uh, that was
commandingly one by vs pro and around that is just uh
Yeah, you don't need an analyst to tell you this. I mean look at the scoreboard right here
I mean absolutely nothing from the cat to your side
Yeah, that's brutal and it really never even felt close, right?
There was never even really a properly contested fight with Saiko just winning the duel in the sky
I've got a lot of credit to fix it
I think winning the positioning battle here on the jetpack cat as they move early to get some lighthouse control can see ya
Playing opposite the point
Maybe they're going to go for an attack on Ketzer. Ketzer does get low, but the save is there landing more than ready to support.
That Bastion is always crucial. A little bit of poke coming in. The armor has been taken off Psycho.
It's got to slow down just a little bit. Here comes the Bastion. Pole commit. Like this move. Trying to get backed out, but the damage is good.
Gage on clean that one up. And finally, an opportunity for Ketzia to get into the driver's seat in a team fight.
Some nice tracking from the high ground. A lot of support needed for Ketzer. This is the back out of this trade.
Aids will do for more.
A few times Jake where they've gotten Psycho like basically like no armor and they kinda
gone in and went for the kill and they haven't been able to get it and then that's Psycho's
able to use his turn form and come back.
I think on Patreon we're not in a great position but that time they're able to make it work.
You already see VP kind of like acting of a fight already.
Pigeon once again, since it's an opportunity to get aggressive Virtus.
Bro, committing to the point and they're not even gonna get the flip.
Beautiful Pug from Kassia.
Thinking he should maybe don't find anything back in this round and feels like a mirror image of wealth.
Pajon winning a couple duels, Aizan does grab a kill here but feels like he's just delaying the inevitable.
Don't think there's much of a genuine chance for a fight when all the way, hold on.
Aizan is staying in the suit, I almost can't believe he's dead so far.
He has fixed us still here actually on the Jetpack Council kind of keeps him alive.
This is one of our VP is actually now able to put the point.
That's incredible, they state alive so effectively the support, working overtime on Curtis Bro and Kester.
Still sticking around in this fight, takes out his counterpart Aiznom.
Ooh, just barely gets the touch, nice attempted boot from Vestola, but VP still in control.
Ken Vestola, VP with the opposition to the hand, fixes, running this one down, wants to be sure that this D.L. loses her suit.
Vestola needs a little bit of old charge to get that sub-storm up, he's gonna back out for a Mega, but that means Aiznom now.
That's a rush from Gala.
Oh, chat, he's already down.
Not even able to use the benefits of it.
Cat up in the sky as well.
Can't follow through.
And even Psycho beams down Tejong on the retreat.
Virtus.pro.
Look to be knocked down in that round,
but they are absolutely not out.
Although Psycho maybe goes a little over aggressive.
He makes a...
Somehow they're in the lead.
It feels like this has been around.
That Katzi has definitely had their number.
About VP able to kind of like stay alive for an extended period.
He's doing a great job there with land and keeping people off.
This will be Kaz using the ult that Katnaps used by Sox.
Doesn't really connect with anything there on the point as VP wins yet another fight.
Sox, gonna have to take a quick reset onto this one.
Ultimates coming in for great effect for VP.
You can see it committed pretty hard on that by two.
They don't really get much of anything.
Aved now, called upon to find something with the Setsurikus free, but feels tough here on the retake.
Maybe Teijon can be the standard bearer.
This duel in the sky, always crucial in the mirror.
Except playing it slow and steady does not want to lose his bash early in the fight.
It's a really nice sight line there for Teijon to play from as well.
But now they start to get a little bit more aggressive here.
Going out of the kill on his Teijon. Dangerously lowed, but now they lose 8 and that's going to be no ultimate.
From the shield on his cap just takes out 2 up on the high ground.
Massive performance from him.
Catnapping and catching the enemy back from the tube!
Hold him off, he's an away from the enemy cat,
but not even needed to actually get him off the map.
He stops there, the damage follow-up is just too good.
And hurt his brother, what if the quicker control map might feel like I've seen?
Absolutely run through, can see it.
There's a couple players coming back in for a stall, so we hold on.
This fight might just be in contest, but yeah, surely it's asking too much.
Tejong artillery from the spawn puts a little bit of damage down, but no real impact fell.
VP go up 1-0 with a bullet and that well round is gonna sting.
I mean, that is something you want to put in the rear view mirror and quick fronkatsu.
I mean, the well round was brutal.
I mean, they battled back and fit there in round number two.
I thought Katzia looked better, but in cap 24 and 0,
you know, just dominating the Shion matchup there between him and A8 is,
you know, Tejong started to put some pressure on the psycho with obviously the help of Zox,
but not enough in that second round.
Yeah, I mean, I feel like Kevster is making all the difference in the world.
You're deathless on the she on.
And there was a highly contested fights on Lighthouse.
Like that was not a free win.
You know, you had to battle at times, make some comeback plays.
But it feels like Kevster just has such a sick read on this character.
You know, we were talking about she on as she was released, like, is this going to be a hit scan hero?
Is it going to be a bit of a flex hero?
And I mean, who better to answer that than a player like Kevster who says, who cares?
Like, it's my fault.
I'm taking over.
I've been a both.
You know, that's a watch too, right?
It's the ability for these DPS to flex across roles and to play these, you know, new school
compositions.
For Kevster, for all of his veterans and all of his experience, he's always been a player
that I think people have looked up to for that kind of a role, right?
Somebody who can just play everything.
I'm curious where Kaxia finds they can get an advantage here, right?
At least based off of map one, it's not with like a camp fashion and with how good VP has been with Sigma
Maybe it's not there either where
No, you obviously don't want this to be a super fast series because we have some new drops. We had drops come in here
It's two loot boxes. We got now but double the loot box. We have two Maga skins
I mean, oh and those loot box to back the back. That's tough there at the end
So you got to make sure that VP extends the series you got to be locked in here for the playoffs
I mean we're delivering for the people the Overwatch eSports team
We doubled up maybe two eSports loot boxes a lot of good stuff coming your way
So make sure your account is linked check out that link be able to get everything connected start earning these drops
We got some Maga skins man. Oh skins for the summer. Oh
The Unjunction
selection here from Katzia. I mean and also like you can you can earn the drop
so there's a bunch of people co-streaming. I was in a plies chat last weekend
you're just hanging out having a good time so make sure you're just gonna take
your battle net. I get those drops but neon junction. I mean that is a different
pick obviously it's the first time the map is in the pool if there's one way to
kind of throw your opponent off a little bit maybe it's for a map that
they're not as well-practiced so let's see what kind of a Katya has planned here for this map.
I've been playing the Kana, I'm sure you have as well, but he has this in Japan.
What's your sense on like how this map plays? Like what kind of comps do you think we'll see here?
My view is that really I think dive is pretty weak, maybe cat-bashing? I don't feel like it's
cat-bashing map, I feel like there's a little bit, you know, not the best angles, a little bit
too much vertical cover for that to work. So I don't think we'll see Dive, but I do think
we could see a very aggressive rush look from Katsiya, which I think, you know, it's been what
has been their most successful style this stage. Pretty good Sim map, I think, potentially.
I agree. Sim looks pretty good. I think the Sigma poke styles could also look very good.
So I think this band phase is going to be pretty crucial. And Katsiya, they ban away the Sigma,
so they're worried about that kind of a threat. And this signals to me, they want to go aggro. VP
You're gonna kind of take some wind out of the sails though by removing the Juno where you could still play the Lucio
But you know for me in this Maga style the Juno just feels so powerful so much direct healing when you want to rush and overwhelm your opponents
Yeah, so it would tell you that they want to play some type of Maga, right with the sick gun
And I love the Juno ban, right?
I know Juno the orbital raid with like, you know, and obviously the speed in combination with a Maga just like a great
no tool to have so
We'll see what VP decides to go to in terms of paint now that the Sigma is gone and Moga makes it on 3rd.
Yeah, without the Sigma it's interesting because conventionally you might go to Ramatra as the backup for Sigma,
but Pogba can give some trouble to that matchup.
So for Ice, definitely a bit of a question now.
Where he wants to go, the Sigma has been maybe his most comfortable pick this stage,
but that's not even what we got to know Aiznom for as a player.
I mean he was I think at first it was diva hazard really felt like his bread and butter
It's been a long time since we've seen him on some of those high-paced heroes
Although it looks to be a bit of a manga mirror here. Maybe a vertus pro saying he looked without the Sigma
Maybe we're better off just matching you and bringing the pace
I mean this is kind of what they did one two three four right you want to run the wrecking ball comp be cheeky
We we will just do it better because yeah, you've looked great on the manga so far this stage VP are not scared whatsoever
However, and committing to both the Reaper and the she on I mean there is not much more aggression you could break
Yes, we'll see
He's got the slight uh
Hack three Peter in the corner, I'll be a fight up in the spawn. It's actually gonna get a mirror matchup
from these two teams, right?
I mean, look, if Katya has hopes of winning this series,
a mere MAGA matchup is kind of a map they need to win, right?
Yeah.
A must win.
You'd even say, Tejong, now look at the poke a little bit here.
Trying to posture on the statue.
Neither team wants to make the first move.
No one wants to make that mistake.
Everybody's looking for that little bit of extra damage.
The Stola takes a nice little off-angle big carry.
Headshot there. On the opposition, she just sold things down.
things down, a charge forward, eyes down though, gets super low, needs to get glanced to get
saved, but he just gets overwhelmed. Good connections from Kansaiya, Xyco, grabs a kill
right back though, Virtus Pro, they still have a chance to do this fight, finding that
one onto A and the supports you're regrouping in the side, or as you can see, they're gonna
grab, maybe one tick, maybe two, but I think there will be a retick attempt to do your
bye B.P.
Yes, looks like Tage on quite low, backs out, it's going to be Ice Noem, getting backed
out onto the point, so that looks like before the second kick comes on through, but he's
He's taking a lot of damage.
Nice off angles from the Stola, finding great advantage in this Naga setup.
Now, we can see him rush out from Gala, and it's just gonna overwhelm Landon.
Just a few percentage points away, but that makes all the difference in the world.
He's just not able to step into the plate in time, and Gala could decisiveness with that ultimate.
It does hit, and lock in that first point.
You can definitely feel the comfort from Kassia in this match.
Yeah. I mean, that's a great start from Kassia, right?
You get first points, you know rather easily I would say and now yeah, I mean what you had to use your katsune brush, right?
But this looks so comfortable for them in terms of how they want to play
I'm curious if we see any changes from Virtus Pro
Obviously not now with like basically both support ultimates coming online, but a great start here rooting for Katzia here
Is the next fight probably take a part underneath this subway area
Oh yeah.
Oh, 80's up Psycho though right off the cliff.
That looks like just me doing a double hit, so there may be an execute on and off angle.
They're still gonna fight with the rush.
They refuse to back down.
But without the Reaper, your aggression's a little nudier here on the rush.
Put a little bit of damage back out.
No, real threat for a kill.
Here comes the Reaper.
Heist down, wasn't doubled down.
Pushing the base into the enemy backline.
That's week to week is out.
He comes in as well.
We're just throw throwing apps.
Everything into this fight.
Aiden popped the ultimate.
The same time in the trade.
the trade. I found looking for some of these clean up kills. The reaper is gonna go down.
I had the investment though from Virtus Pro and now things look a little scary right?
You're up against Blossom and Kayle here so yeah I liked the way that you know Kaxia
played that right? Just kind of getting out of dodge when that Kitsune rush came down.
They actually got that first kill on the psycho kind of allows him to get back in the fight
there towards the end but yeah like he was a huge investment there from Virtus Pro but
It felt like one thing absolutely needed to be like, I'm trying to brawl, but the beat comes in over the top.
Can see a dribbling up in the ultimate close up went out nearly instantly.
They beat it.
I don't even need it to be right.
I agree.
I think that was kind of a wasted beat from Zox.
We would have loved to see him hold that have the double support old man.
They do stuff.
Rush edge to still be good about them closing on here.
I mean, maybe they thought that psycho is going to end up using the blossom that like he has it as well.
Right.
So, while they're inside of the cages, uh, now that Isom drops his Kaga as well,
maybe there's that death blossom that comes in from Psycho in response.
You have to beat to make sure you absolutely win it, but, uh, no.
Obviously, uh, you know, hindsight is everything, right?
It looks like they most likely didn't mean it at all.
As they'll be considering rushing from both sides here, is...
Mei Zhang takes a ton of damage, backs on out.
We'd be getting the better end of this trade.
Isom gets so low, but they can't quite finish the kills.
Kester, though, will do just that.
Dashing forward trying to clean this one up
bikes in
Pull trades attempted, but nothing found and hurt us broke getting the better out of the rush trade
It feels like that beat from socks would have made all the difference in the world in that kind of a moment
And now you have a lot of mistakes
Yeah, it's obviously you know gonna have sound barrier. It'll be matched up with socks as well
So it's like I was still holding on to this depth blossom and then kept so I'll have the shea on all this
I know this is like above five minutes on the clock here for Katya
And I know we're about to be below two. Hey, you're looking at what two good fights here. Maybe three
your Katya
Shout straight in ice nums starts to drop low they force an old man. Yeah, here comes the beat from fix it
You could see it can disengage from this
TP out is good
But capture fine for one to one isn't a little bit extra dangerous accessory just made a beat is gonna come from Zonk
It's a nice thing to stop on the Aiznom, but I feel like this game has been a chance for the trade.
Kha'Zon finds his opposite number, though, in the chaos.
Kha'Zon's cage fight necessary. Maybe they can burn down this Lucio and keep the player in danger.
Relatively even, he comes with more time to charge in. There's a blossom behind him, but Kha'Zon gets to run over here by Aiznom.
Now they'll be clean up through now.
Murtis Pro, moving forward for more, and Kevster with that opener on to Aiznom.
Feels like they made all the difference in the world.
When the beat came out, Aiznom was just a little too dead to recede.
Yeah, here's an interesting fight that's going to be coming up, right?
You know, Katia, they will end up having like, Rush, Death Blossom, Cage.
You do have Psycho being able to kind of like, use that Death Blossom inside that cage.
They had some Barrier 4 at the last time, and Katia ends up investing it there.
I wonder if they'll have kind of whether this storm here, that's kind of what comes to be, right?
So a minute on the clock, you can see Kepster already on a flank here above.
Katia just going to go over by that subway area.
Stop Connect's cage fight as well, feels struggling to come through.
Resources just not quite enough still, two for two.
There's actually just a chance for Vistula for two supports behind.
It's gonna be so hard to bring down here on this block, and no one can challenge.
And he chases down these supports as well.
Touch needs to come in, of course, to keep the overtime rolling.
Kester, do you think God's frickin' that sense that Zox does find Vixen just escaped with his life?
He's looking dangerously close to a capture the Tracer is,
And the mutual knockdown keeps eyes on from getting too close to the payload, but hold on psycho keeping this fight in contest
I don't does drop the stole button. It does land in a desperate way. It's gonna hire time
I mean they think of not being able to kind of track down land
I mean that is sick plays from Landon being able to stay alive that long and then also psycho and kester to contest
For ice so to get back into the fight this will sound very here for vertus pro looking like in a great spot the hole before second point
Yeah, it'd be the dream to end things here the Reaper touch comes in but break for me is out
He's so vulnerable now from the trade, he's out weak, it's in as well.
Ezreal is inevitable that he's gonna claim kills into this one.
Sasserie goes 3-5, 2-0, and it's just the drags for Conceal,
which has barely come to our mind for Zog, but hopeless in this scenario.
5v1 now for Gala, and that quickly turns to Dust.
Virtus Pro, quite a few clutches necessary to make the hold on second
after losing first point in as many fights.
I mean, that is such a sick contest. Keep that alive there by that second checkpoint for Virtus.pro.
I mean, land in Kepster Cycle, if you are going to like juggle the point constantly,
but still look, wasn't lined with phone supports here.
I mean, the model with phone supports that is so difficult to deal with,
and they're able to make it happen towards the end is we take a look at some of the stats.
Kepster with another good game, you know, 18 and 2, almost 10k damage.
Ice-8 on the other side, 11-7, you know, 6,500,
as Kevin's just been on fire, really, from Tokyo on.
It's been unbelievable.
Yeah, the new hero, the new map, it feels almost too perfect
for Virtus.Pro as they are just charging forward
to locking in their tickets in the mid-season championship
right now.
I mean, it's been obvious, I'd say,
from their performance this entire stage
that that's absolutely where they're headed.
But I will say, I didn't expect this match to be, you know,
I thought they'd win. I thought they'd be favored, but they're kind of running through the opposition like could see
You are getting taken to task in a lot of these just pure deathmatch moments where it's up to a DPS to find the first pick
He's like it's always capture coming out on top of the duel
And I mean anus had a great stage in his own right this guy's no push-up. Yeah, you know, that's true
It's just this game. It's uh and look
I mean we talked about it like Kevin has looked really like rejuvenated with this version of her to throw
Oh, they've paid an awesome this year, so.
I didn't even know there was a high ground exit to the spawn here.
Okay, we just know it shows you something new here.
They get your nose spawned, camp.
It's built like, somewhat like King's Row, it feels like, at least from being the attacker's block.
So, uh...
Uh-oh, big except for Vestola, but he's in trouble for really long.
What? Oh my god!
Yeah, beautiful from Gala.
I think the fight would have been done in that moment,
but the connection comes in.
Vestola though still goes down, Psycho finds his second trade.
It's still an opportunity for Landon to fight alongside Psycho.
The clan's beautiful from Landon this time to turn things around.
Psycho's fighting so many kills in the chaos,
and you can see it's only Zoxan Age left to defend the point.
Might be an opportunity to put some cap pressure on the close one.
Yes, I mean, almost everybody back here for Virtus.pro, right?
I mean, Landon's gonna be able to TP back into the site rather quickly,
so see what this results in here.
It's gonna be first hit for VP.
Already, as Psycho's going pretty big in that fight,
had those nice users and stuff from Gala, but it's gonna be a stomp there from Bessol on to the point.
Let's take a little bit of damage, and VP's gonna back up just a little bit.
Huge pressure on the Aiznom and Psycho. Frontline goes down. Aiznom had to fully back out of that
trade to see ya. Getting through even the shot lifesteal. On to Aiznom, great focus fire from
them to be able to bully back that Moga, secure themselves a fresh start really on first point
and with a ton of ultimates to bring to vent.
This next fight is going to be pretty impactful, right?
You're going to have Kitsune brushes for both sides.
Zox with a nice early lead though on the sound barrier.
Could be the difference, but really a lot of ultimates.
It's going to be a really cardiac overdrive there.
From my zone, it's even side to charge on in.
Yeah, beat comes in from Zox and that should seal the deal in this team fight.
Is that good for VP though? Like the fact that you end up using rush and exchange you get rush,
is she an ultimate and beat out?
Yes, it's extremely good, right?
In the MVP, as long as they cap first and get to that escort section of the map,
they're going to be perfectly happy and they're charging right towards that.
This is the fight to win though. They've got beat, but still has to be very clean with the cage.
The cage is already raised on the Europe's shoulder.
There's a very good spawn.
You're going to take the beat.
It's exactly where it's needed.
And Vistola just overwhelmed inside of his own cage.
Just a little bit of stagger and stall.
Zox just knows there's no winning this fight.
He is going to just go right back to his spawn cage.
I'm going to tracer.
OK.
As I say, touching is pretty skeptical of me at this moment.
I think you're, yeah, you may be able to make it.
I don't think anybody else will be joining you.
But what'd be five?
I think I'll look I mean this over you have to kind of like probably take that fight like really aggressively, right?
Maybe try and catch them off guard because you knew that they just had a ton of ultimates to work with them a little bit scared here
It's okay. Now everybody gets charged up. I know he'll back up. I don't buy gala and co
But I'm gonna be what 3 30 on the clock here for VP. They probably need two to three fights to be able to take it
I snuck down jump he'll necessarily but I still gets overwarp even with the rush coming down
And they're just getting kited out, he's not even in the back line, Katsuya opportunity
to re-aggress and Katsuya, they have to back out.
Losing the rush fight that decisively is kind of the worst case scenario now so Katsuya
finding a really big fight with them.
As Katsuya now ends up with both support ultimates yet again so another fantastic spot as Isom
goes on in and somehow they get strong on there.
Now this Kepster do it and he finds a second there's no support in this fight with Conceya and they're not long for this world without sustain.
Players dropping in the back line to Stola lives for quite a while but he's the set by attackers from all sides.
And Kepster, I literally don't know how you do that.
Both supports first as Shion in the back line.
That's absurd. I guess he flanks over the top from behind but you just cannot allow that to happen.
Conceya now and we're in a one fight territory.
I mean when you had both support ults as well right?
I mean, you're not gonna get any value out of either of them because Kev just kind of rolls in with Ice Gnome and ends up killing your entire backline, so it's gonna be the Kitsune Rush.
Oh, huge damage there with the bike!
Aye, Matt, this is a crucible game. I mean, he's still holding double support ultimate. No kills, no found.
If I could see it in this fight, Vistola, in his own case, just doesn't have the score needed, okay?
Awesome
One to the profit but could see up with the rush and the feet are gonna drop out of that too
And I mean yesterday this guy's going play on that. Have we is there a mercy role?
Cuz this is brutal. They never get a use of the beat, right?
I mean Zodz has that beat for the entire match he rushed on the roll out
I don't think we should be a carry any like he rushed to try to touch it. Oh, dude
I mean, bro, I that is right for the speed boost. You're in it's right. It's really. Yeah. Yeah, just kind of absolutely dominating there
It feels like that second part of the map Katya started to get like a you know advantage in terms of like maybe the ultimate economy
And then like they're not a crazy amount of time. I know left on the clock for VP to kind of play that slow and
It kept so really just the difference maker there just really started to take over on the she on you know find
both supports in the fight before the final one and then towards the end just comes up
you know huge splash damage with the bike into the spree and that just seals the deal I mean a
tremendous game from Kev. Yeah he is so solid on this show and it feels like the team overall I
mean for Virtus Pro it's really hard to pin them down for me as a team I mean typically when I'm
watching teams I'm thinking okay what's their identity where are they the strongest you know
where do they want to go and the vertus growth they're like a chameleon right you just don't know
they have a crazy dive look they are insane on the sigma as we well know and then here too okay
you know maga she on reaper and that's going to be an important strat in the meta okay we'll play
that too we got kevster we'll be okay well what are you i mean what are you trying to play now i mean
I mean, uh,
Junk of town.
Yeah, sure.
Like, could you just ban she on at this point?
Like, he kept her clearly, like, kind of farming.
But then it sends him over to the Cassie.
It's not like he's been bad on the Cassie.
I mean, Kev just looks unreal there.
So VP looking to kind of secure their spot in Paris
to our mid-season championship.
And hey, if you guys want to go and buy.
the tickets are still available here with the code OW15 to scan that QR code for 15% off.
It's going to be a good time.
Parris events and you know events in EMEA have always been pretty awesome in terms of like
you know the crowd and you know obviously performance of the teams right you know just
kind of feeding off of it so this one's going to be a pretty epic one I think Jake.
Yeah folks have been following along through the EMEA stage alongside the two of us and
we'd love to see you guys there it's going to be a blast.
We have been here I feel like the entire yeah the entire year which is kind of ironic in a way
Considering whether to an a casters. Yeah, we have to
You cast us to cover in a today sir Royal. So
This is gonna be sick right sigramatra you think
for Katzia that they're gonna try and
Work their way into here, but I guess also this might not be the best she on map, right?
So maybe you can get away with not banning Xiong here,
saving it for like some of our maps that are a little bit later.
So it'll be Katya getting rid of the Cassidy here.
So that's a great shout.
No, and then it's going to be the Kiri ban on the other side.
That does open the door to the Filiari if you want to play that for Virtus Pro.
Really for both sides, historically, when Kiri gets banned,
as kind of the girl we do see coming out on this map,
map that captive sun able to do terrible, terrible damage to opposing teams.
And they were really good.
Point.
Right.
Yeah.
Often your, your main, so I mean, this one's been a whirlwind, but man, it's
like, you know, could see us in a terrible spot in this series.
We're talking about them banning she on.
Like that was what they look so good on, you know, was them, them hitting this
crazy game.
She had overwhelming and it's like, now we're banning she on.
I don't, I don't know, man.
I don't know.
Like sometimes I have a, I can read like, I'm like, Oh yeah, this is going to be,
they need to ban this.
It's good for their style.
I'm not seeing any win conditions for a cut see I to lose these first thing they've lost on the cap Bastion
They've lost now on the manga rush mirror, which
Was I think their real hope in the series now?
They go to maybe the bestola Sigma for a little bit of hope and while I think this one is still incredibly good on Sigma
I said right there exactly. He's right there. I don't think you're gonna get a massive edge off of that
Symmetra has actually looked quite good for psycho
I feel like he's really improved on that role.
If they decide to go that direction with Keri Van,
it does get a little bit more interesting, I think,
and maybe an opportunity to play the classic very greedy
poke looks with the lorry, with maybe even
like a double hit scan, some snipers coming through.
I was just thinking about how far we've come that this time
last year for a Virtus Pro, Ice Gnome was playing Sim
for them on Circuit Royal at times.
That's true.
during the mid-season championship.
And then now, like, hey, we don't need to do anything about that.
I had to finish that.
Yeah, yeah.
A lot of people have just kind of deleted that from their mind.
But yeah, no.
I mean, he's awesome on Sigma.
Like, it's a hero that you didn't really
think obviously VP was picking him up to play last year.
Now that he's the only tank, though, he is more than
elevated his game to play at a really high level.
There's also like, I mean, if, uh, maybe we see Kat Bastion make its way into this one, right?
With the Kiri-Gon, Cassidy-Gon as well, maybe this is like Kat Bastion.
Do you play it with like a ram or like, uh, you know, SIG potentially?
So, uh, Kat's already on their last legs, right?
I mean, the brutal part here is even if you win this map for Kat's here, right, uh, the, the, the picks in the
bands really sway heavily obviously in Virtus.pro's favor which would allow them to kind of dictate
even more of the game.
Yeah, I mean for Concia you can't think about the series as a whole right now.
You just have to exist on this map.
The series as a whole is like too dire to consider, too dire to, you can't imagine
the way through.
You gotta just find it, put one foot in front of the other.
And it all starts here on Circuit of Map where maybe individual performances have the opportunity
to sway outcomes.
Aiden has done that before hitting these big clutch moments in previous series
But to do it here. It almost feels like asking too much and Mizuki
It's gonna be the pick for fix it's enough the other areas
I suspected it might be but hey, maybe the Mizuki can also do pretty decently
countering it already
A little Maybash it so I feel like they are very much expecting
Concia to bring some kind of a rush some kind of a aggressive brawling style to go Maybash it
Pretty surprising to me actually on this map, but it also means I think an attacking cat bastion would fall completely flat
Like we've seen that before but the defensive bastion on the ground just looks up and basically beams the enemy bastion out of the sky with a
Much more straightforward and strong support combo behind
Let's say decide to play this
Hyper aggressive. We'll see I mean Zarya
Is an option here unless they're gonna play Zarya Vendetta, maybe
Yeah, okay, so they're going back to like Zarya Vendetta
I got with Juno Mizuki here on offense. This is gonna be a really tough setup to dive though, right?
I was gonna say that can make changes. I don't think there's any way you're diving may bash in that Mizuki
I mean, it's just okay. It's just beautifully picked from VP like they exactly read what could see I would want to play could see
Have to go back to the drawing board. They go with the cab bashing. I'm skeptical of this though, Matt
I think it's gonna be pretty hard with Baptiste Sigma able to really assist and
And Kepster can put a lot of damage down up into the sky for now.
Bashing is just basically playing the front angle,
not really making use of the jetpack cat.
And the frontline battle is not going well, but Stola is super low.
He cannot really take this trade unless Cap Bashing makes some kind of space.
No, I mean, he's walled off.
He's dead.
Oh, my Jesus!
Are you kidding me?
Why?
Vixus says, get down.
That is nuts, dude.
I mean, this pretty is just brutal now.
You're going to pick the party.
All this man, Mizuki and Sigma, bouncing around in those small corridors,
sitting in the back line though, does get on top of Fixa,
grabbed that trade before, eventually going down, but goodness, that fight was painful, man.
Aida's like, get me out, I'm done, bro, I'm done.
That, I imagine, is nasty, dude.
I mean, he got like, flown in, it took like two seconds, he was like there,
and then he just dropped dead.
Now more changes here for Katya, so a soldier in point.
Fortunately, it's gonna hurt.
Oh, Landon goes down the shelf, lands on Tejon.
And we're seeing a Luiang, even Juno here with a SIG.
I mean, it feels like they're just kind of searching for anything right now, uh, is Katya.
I don't totally mind the Luiang.
Here comes Ultimate Self-Bestow, finds the lift.
That T-Stow is gonna be so valuable in this moment.
Immortality you can ensure that nobody actually goes down to fight up big plugs connecting from bestola and just once again
Curtis pro clean house can see a
Struggling limping along here as we are past the halfway mark and the cart has not turned this second corner
I mean it is there to see a hold at this point, but it's starting to look like a very realistic possibility that
Yeah, I mean what you have ready to play in right now, right?
So maybe we're gonna get like a high ground
Yeah, maybe we're gonna see the forces of the low ground and then Ray
So it's gonna be the Oracle array already. It's gonna be the sanctuary here for fix
So with the blizzard drop down inside of it. It's like nobody frozen behind the blizzard
Which is nice we could see it. They do have the symbol to work with so advantage for the attackers now
He's such a swing this quarter symbol nice from Tejong allows him to step up hit aggressive trying to overwhelm eyes on the
pull back of the purpose for they're just trying to stay alive
He's got a lot of cart time to give up a page on his last shot does manage to bring down land in its cycle
beautiful me for them he's actually here stalling the payload this one sure I
think that there is an opportunity for over getting other fight yeah it's great
looks like we can come up on a fast hero and give them one last chance aid
though with an OC and a very comfortable position it won't be an easy
return. With simsloft here from Psycho so we'll be able to get that TP straight down
out of the point you're also going to have any mortality
the AP all available from the landing up on that high ground and at the atmatrix so if
he comes in they get rid of it right away. It's going to be the OC as they get over well
in my snom so.
The atmatrix use here kebba was the large source of the damage that was being pumped
through that.
So if he falls so yeah this should be a kind of cleaning it up.
It should be since they're still kind of cooking on this one. Okay eventually does get over
Well, it's just a little bit too much there.
The OC forces landed to drone himself around the corner, so they can save you the heal.
But that means Aiznom just gets overwhelmed in the front line.
So Kassiya, they do give it over the line at first point.
They're not going to be going down so ignominiously, as it seemed, that they might with some of
those opening fights.
But VP still on a very comfortable look.
Zimbash and monstrous damage to come in.
If you get caught by an accretion from Aiznom, you are going to be in extra.
Yeah, it's artillery charging up here for Kat.
He's gonna get to the corner, grab it, it's gonna be blocks that come in here from Vestola.
It doesn't really connect with much.
Doesn't even force a mortality build.
Good hold from Landon, recognizing no incoming damage, no threat.
Fixed a white up into the frontline, very close to that sanctuary.
Doubles and buttholes, no one ever could see if a kester somehow slips and damages.
Shuts down Zox, the lift is good from Aiznoth.
GP into the backline, putting some threat down, desperate for a trade,
But it seems that they won't find anything. Kevster lived in support, keep him online and VP.
Step right up to the plate now poking a little bit aggressive on this spawn.
I mean, this walkup is not free.
No.
And I mean, you weren't able to really kind of follow up on Vestola's flux, right?
Because they have the artillery from the Bastion just kind of coming down, right?
So you can't kind of turn the corner, walk right into those artillery.
So like, use movement and cooldowns to kind of try and chase some of those kills.
So, in terms of anything you can get there, it'll be two sim walls in play.
and not get introduced here early and take out this explode from the damage.
Oh my god, this is not, this is not holy, man.
The beam comes through, everybody evaporates, nice tracking from Kev, punishes Zox.
Once again, deathless for VP, enabling him to still hold these incredibly aggressive forward positions.
I feel like the support from Burdus Pro just do not make mistakes right now.
They are playing on a level.
Yeah, that was a wheeling ult that used there as well during that fight.
So title blast comes out and really see on the who I didn't see any value yet
It's like so good on the take young and then he just exploded right? I mean it is just over health
It's not like kind of makes you invisible
Simba needed just to take the corner position, but psycho holds his now advantage Simba for VP
Hey, I have the OC, but it's so different
Try to pull back out away see if they can fight pass successfully
But it seems they can't, they just can't get away, he's still playing the beam, now it goes forward, overwilds Pistola.
I can see it, they just can't find anything, in these fights they lose, the fact that they can't get a single pick means just every single time it is brutally difficult.
There are no easy walk-ups, there is no moment of respite, and with 10 seconds on the clock they lose Tejon, and maybe this attack as well.
There's a cat over the top, but Zox, he scouted out, gives his life, I don't even know if it's OT.
We need to touch desperately, running into the Flush.
It is truly hopeless here for the attackers.
Virtus.Pro, lock it down on second point.
What you see is what you get, the cart,
not even getting close to the end of second point.
And I mean, they avoided getting full health on first.
That's the hopeful sign here, but VP set the win con.
And I have a feeling that we could call it the travel agency.
We could start booking the tickets to Paris
because Virtus.Pro, they are playing so well right now.
Yeah, they look awesome.
I mean, they just seem to have all the answers, right?
Whenever there's a swap or something from Katya,
they just have the right responses always.
Kat continuing a really strong series,
the same with Ice Nome.
So VP in a great position to secure this series.
And then obviously kind of move on
to the mid-season championship,
where I tell you, they're gonna be tough
on the international stage, right?
They were really good in Tokyo.
I think surprised a lot of teams.
I think they surprised themselves.
Yeah, I think they've gained even more confidence from that event, right?
You're now moving on forward.
Yeah, I think they came into that event, still feeling like underdogs,
still feeling like a team that had some of the pieces,
but was struggling to put them together, right?
Maybe, you know, a few months ago, that's what we would have said about
Virtus.pro. And now, as the picture starts to coalesce,
as the team starts to find their footing with some of these new additions,
they start to look like world beaters.
They start to look like a team where we're talking about a top three place
in an international stage. We're talking about beating some of the best teams in the world
from some of these other regions, and they're showing that strength here. Not holding back
whatsoever versus out Katzia. And Katzia need a solid hold on first. They need to run this clock
down because second point does not present many opportunities to make mistakes. See what
CAB decides to go with here in terms of a kind of hit scan, so it'll be a shield. So they'll
actually just kind of, almost mere, it'll just be about teased for that little bit of extra damage
My ability right instead of the Juno and the Juno some speed ring aggression
But less heals less sustain than if it's ease it goes down the cart rolling forward some players on and off
And we're using that teleporter, but I think wisely they like to just jump in and sack getting another chance
Yeah, it's quite on first point, but I mean you're like a broken
He's always been sick with Sigma as well, right? Yeah
I don't like this Juno. I like Juno if it's like a Moga or you're going to be quite aggressive.
With the SIG it doesn't really play as nicely I would say.
No, and the drone. No, I think he's only just dead to spam. Are you kidding me?
Okay, first point's just done. I don't think you fight without SIG.
There's some last-second touches coming in, Landon trying to beam down the enemy support.
The Stola feels like he has to take this trade, but without a SIG, you just can't play the game.
I mean, you're just going to get beamed down and overwhelmed. There's no question of it.
And this one is very close to done that there's gonna be a huge old fight to end the game for VP
I can't imagine them messing this up
Well, you can also play close here with VP and use like an ant matrix on the walk-up right like make it typical for them
You can get out of this to work you or so a
Lot of options for Curtis pro and how they decide to play with us
Back on out then they're gonna go right into that ant matrix plus we flock says
That is a lot of unanswered damage here.
As Gala just trying to keep a solo up,
but he will fall as well.
That immortality field comes in.
Nothing to do with you to Heist.
That might be it, Jake.
I mean, you do have eight here who's
going to kind of try and spike as many as the point,
but that might be all.
That would be a blowout here from VP.
It doesn't get more dominant than this.
and in disgusting fashion,
Mertus, bro, absolutely, literally, any, I mean, opposition,
it's not, there was nothing from Kassia.
They had no hope in this game.
And that is, I mean, talk about a way to lose a game
to really feel like you're gonna go out of this playoffs quick.
Mertus, bro, send a message and qualify
to the mid-season championship.
That to use the words of the wise man
who said a divide an hour ago,
doesn't get less close than that, Jake, 22-6.
Now, this was rough, honestly.
And we all wanted to see a much closer affair
than this.
On the other side, though, I am so happy to see VP dominating.
Obviously, they can't prepare it for this one.
They just showed that you can't really ban out
Ice Nome, Kessler and Sheon is insane.
You know, if there is a pick to be found on the server,
you will be finding it.
Overall, they just look like on another level.
And that's not to take anything away from Kassia.
I generally feel like, if Kutzie performed like this
against any other teams in the MEA,
they might have gotten it done.
It's just VP makes everyone else look like scrubs.
When we had that post-match interview
when VP played Kutzie in the regular season,
and I wanna say, was it Aiznan we were interviewing at?
He said, yeah, you know, like we lost a couple maps,
but we were such a better team, you know,
we just messed up, like we should lose the map.
Usually when I hear a player say that, I'm like,
yeah, okay, okay, if you could have won in three,
you would have won in three.
Now it's like, okay, that's been very much validated here.
Virtus Pro with an opportunity to adjust a little bit
to Sheehan to some of the new map pool and they,
I mean, there's levels to this.
This is one of those series you could probably
play a hundred times and I think you always
get the same result.
Just that margin of victory is out of control.
I mean, there's just no chance for it to see it today.
It's just rough, so because a lot of the things
that Katia would like to play and probably feel like
the stronger team and against a lot of other opponents. Like VP was either able to answer it in
terms of like a mirror and just play it better or just kind of counter pick at times, right? I think
like when you're not able to win the Moga map, I mean that's kind of that's kind of rough if you're
Katya. Like those are the maps you absolutely need to win and then I know even here on our you know
final map, right? I know going over to circuit and playing like a you know a sigma-based look,
that's something they also probably feel pretty strong about and VP just says okay, fine, we'll
and we'll just play it as well, you know,
and able to kind of dominate in that way.
So I think it's just really kind of displaying
like how much they've leveled up Virtus.pro
and that like, yeah, they are the top dogs
in EMEA right now, right?
They mean they lose two maps throughout the regular season,
both of those two cats, yeah,
they bounce back what two weeks later
and just actually run through them.
So just, you know, really a team on the rise,
I think with Virtus.pro.
Yeah, that's just really,
and no visible Achilles heel for VP.
It's not the composition.
It's clearly not the maps either.
So you kind of just have to rely on VP making,
like really devastating mistakes here, Jake.
Like what's the win condition against them?
Be a lot better, like a lot better.
Cause that was, I mean, when it's that dominant,
it's like, you know, in one hand you could write it off.
Like, you know what?
We were never going to win that match.
And maybe there's other teams you can beat.
You know, maybe even the rubber drops from GK or TM.
But those kinds of matches are brutal as a player, right?
For Katsiya now is gonna be a huge mental test
of just recovering because you guys are right there.
I don't think there were really
any hopeful signs for that.
The Magikov was the closest
and they still get followed on second point.
They still get capped on with quite a bit of extra time.
They still feel like they're being outplayed
and just out maybe out mechanic times.
The team play is better.
So for Katsiya now, it's scary to you
because you probably have to go into the next match
and basically say, we're still going to basically do the same thing.
You know, we got to just keep playing again.
And you don't really have time to change anything.
You just have to hope your opponent isn't going to be so strong.
But mentally, it is probably the worst position a player can be.
And when you really feel like, OK, that's a team we could never touch.
Yeah, I mean, honestly, again, I stick by what I said earlier, right?
I do feel like I could see if they're meeting either
a twist of minds or a geeky in the lower fire in the lower part of the bracket.
I don't think it's gonna be that much like that. That's gonna be a close match. I think VP
It'll be closer than the one we saw
So dominant like could see I have been the only team that made them
Make them sweat and no other team even like reached that level so cut see I should in theory be ahead of
Twisted Minds and DK now. Let's talk to smash from a Verlis girl in a
post-match interview after another
dominant performance. Congratulations! How are you doing?
Hello, thank you. I'm good. We're good. We're good right now.
Yeah, you're really good right now, Smash.
You guys have been dominant all stage and it looks like you're continuing in that very fashion here in our playoffs.
Talk to us about the preparation for the playoffs.
Where you just like focus a lot on the new mat pool, new junction, for example.
Is that kind of where most of the practice time went?
I mean, we don't have that much time for practice,
because last week, Sunday, they finished our regular season.
So after match, usually a lot of teams taking breaks.
So we have only three days for practice.
So we didn't practice that much new method.
So that's why we kind of struggled in Neon Junction, right?
Yeah.
So we need some time for practice.
If that's what struggling looks like,
I think you guys are doing pretty good right now,
considering how dominant this series was.
It doesn't get more dominant in my experience
than what you guys are able to show here.
My question is, I guess, to back up and look at a bigger
picture, you brought this team together quite some time ago
now, and it really feels like maybe in Japan,
the confidence started to build.
You guys had some strong performances, some good moments.
You brought that into the stage.
My question is just, how is the emotion in the team right now?
What are the expectations?
Now that you're qualified to the midseason championship,
how far can you go?
Is this a top three team in the world right now?
Maybe it's hard to say because every team
is like changed a lot, up to meta.
So we're kind of like flexible team.
So maybe we can list them.
I mean, maybe we're better than them now,
but also TM and GK was a good team right now.
Like they leached us so much this week.
So I'm not guarantee,
but we'll be always like planning for meaning world's final.
That's our goal.
Everyone wants to do that as well.
I mean, you guys look awesome right now, Smash.
I'm curious.
We have that twisted mind versus GK match coming.
I'd love to know like your thoughts going into that one.
Like what do you see out of either of those teams at the moment?
GK is like most similar team as us, like comp and like, just as a comp,
but team playing like different styles.
So I'm not sure what's the leader, but I really don't know who's going to win.
The team is like team, you know, who is within the match.
So I cannot guessing who's going to win.
I mean, you guys, you know, obviously, focusing on yourself here, your own game, you're doing
really, really great.
Do you guys enjoy where the meta is headed?
Like is this something that feels within your wheelhouse or did anyone have to like flex
to make it work?
I don't know, like, every day situation is changed.
One day we lose to GK, one day we win to GK, one day we lose to TM, so I'm not sure what's
the right answer from now so I'm not sure I don't know I cannot say that much from now
that's fair that's fair listen every day is an adventure and we love to be part of the journey
smash thank you so much for taking the time for a quick chat and best of luck in your upcoming matches
thank you it's a great to hear from smash and interesting to get that insight as well
right in the scrims there like Monday they lose to GK obviously they're not losing a matchday
the officials are just dubs across the board for them but I think it's good to not get humbled
in scrims but definitely like have some weaknesses exposed so you have something to work on because
I think it can be the downfall of the team if they're just never losing Jake. I mean this is a team
full of veterans right so I you know I don't uh I don't worry about them getting overconfident
and getting over their skis.
I feel like so many experienced players,
they've all basically ever on this team
has been in world championship positions before,
but has been in those very, very top slots,
breathing that rarefied air.
And so I'm not worried about their ability
to go very deep in this competition.
That being said, I think Smash is right.
The rest of EMEA is incredibly good too.
And Virtus.Pro's incredible regular season,
it does maybe overstate the gap between them
and some of the other teams here,
not only in EMEA, but in Korea, around the world.
So I think it's right to be humble and to keep grinding, but Virtus.pro showing such incredible strength in the opener.
You know, as much as as a coach, you're always trying to improve.
It doesn't get stronger than this. You know, there's never a better opportunity to enjoy how far you've come as a team.
And also a little bit of insights into maybe why they went with Katzia, right?
The fact that like DK and TM, like DK kind of maybe plays some similar types of stuff.
TM is obviously TM, you know, they show up and always perform on the day,
But you case got a roster of a bunch of it feels like like wild cards right like everybody on their team has like potential to just
Absolutely, I'd go off at any time. It's just we haven't really seen it all click at one time
You know in one match bear like it's a dangerous proposition though to kind of like be like
Oh, we'll just pick them and then that's the day they show up and they all start to play right so I think this next game is obviously going to be
Yeah, well pretty nice banger. I think it's gonna be a good one
Yeah, I'm perhaps a much closer
affair than this first one was.
Actually, I'm sure that we are
very safe.
I think it's safe to say it will be, yes.
Yeah, if I had to bet my channel points
on something, that would be it.
Also, of course, I want to
give you all a quick PSA
before we're heading into that second match
because a peek this.
How about this fire and type
Esports bundle that is available right now.
You get to come to play in battle
and I think you're going to
get a lot of points. I mean,
I'm going to get tons of mercy.
The type found Freya and may love
those color combination. Also
at those phrase and name cards
are exclusive to your bundle
purchase. So make sure to grab
them. Which side are you on here,
Matt? Oh, I mean, uh, I kind of
like the Freya and May skins. I
Yeah
I go with fire so I mean for me this this Mercy skin and by the way, Mercy has
Ridiculous skin competition. There are so many amazing skins in this character, but I'm gonna this one. I dig this one
What are your favorite Mercy skins Jake?
That's a tough one. I love I think it's one of the OG legendaries from the base game
I believe it's Dr. Ziegler. That's one of mine. That's one of my favorites. It's iconic, but that is simple
You know, it's understated. This one is a little bit more, you know fantasy fantastic
Yeah, exactly, which you know, you need both different situations call for different outfits
This one is gonna is like she's ready ready for everything like she could be featured in Diablo
And she'd be doing fine, you know, like she she just looks ready
And so are we quick break and then we're heading into a second and match here off the date with the binds against he came
Don't go anywhere
Start your climb to OWCS with FACED LEAGUE.
Compete for $50,000 every season to sustain your team's competitive journey.
Progress through skilled balance divisions until you hit the Master Finals broadcast
and get scouted by the best teams.
Your climb to OWCS starts here.
join us at fce.tv slash facelink.
you
you
you
you
you
you
If we're looking back on it and kind of remember how that series went, like control with one-sided,
first for GK on Oasis, which made us really worried, but then Twisted Binds kind of came
back into it, they closed it out fairly dominant on Serum Vasa. Overall, for Twisted Binds obviously
high expectations, it's the reigning champions coming into the stage and just dropping matches,
dropping maps left and right, but they started to find their footing. After making some changes,
UB is back into the mix. They may change this to their composition.
Is the fate restored? Do we have faith for them to make a deeper run here in the playoffs?
I have faith, Zoe, but there's a very serious opponent on the other side.
You know, I think Smash is actually right. This is a really challenging series to call,
because these two teams are actually so different.
You know, I don't think you can say that there is a meta, really, when these two teams are clash.
It's also interesting to tell that like they kind of bring back UB into the lineup, right?
We saw them do this in Japan, right?
It was kind of like they're like, flashed itch, like kind of surprise effort and ended up paying off.
It just feels like you kind of know, he has like a great like strategic mind and just kind of like
understands the game really well that like maybe you kind of need that presence in the lineups
to be able to make it work here at this stage for TF.
Yeah, that really took us on a bit of a journey.
There's like so many back and forth, so it's just a few Constance currently in the team, like Quartz, whether on Bastion or Soju, like Quartz always seems to put on a clinic for them, win or lost.
But overall, yeah, it's difficult.
It's especially difficult since they're going up against the Geekhead roster that despite having technically a negative map record at this stage, they look strong, right?
They were up to a slow start, but also they had really tough opponents in their first week.
They had to go up against Alcatrazia and VP in week one and then obviously they had to start implementing new pieces that added Kellex, which is a phenomenal player, definitely an upgrade, like any way you spin it, but it did require them to make adaptations.
Yeah, but we've seen this core do really well in the past, right?
Like Ziad, Labda, Kellex, like, we've seen them obviously have success,
uh, you know, last year, right, with that Katia roster,
uh, and then, in Alphie year, two really strong additions, right?
So, I think this is a team that, like, as they've started to get Kellex into the mix more, right?
Uh, wasn't on the team in stage one,
now they're starting to hit a little bit of a stride,
and I think that's, like, kind of where I think teams would be scared to maybe play against them, right?
It's like, you have a few explosive players on this team that can, like, dominate a server,
like multiple roles, right? So to kind of see them, I know when they can get in type of scenario,
I think it's pretty dangerous opponent. Yeah, they will not be going under the radar. Like the
way they played in their last meeting, it was just fearless aggression. That Twisted Minds really
struggled to stop the opponent. Like the Sheehan, the Vendetta, like all of that,
we already seem to be working well for GK. I'm interested to see where both of these teams
will take us with a new map pool and perhaps some changes. So we're looking at predictions for this
one. I'm going to give it to Twisted Minds, but it's not a confident vote here. It's really not a
confident one. I think this might just go the distance once again with Twisted Minds, perhaps
having more of a clutch factor based on the individuals in the team. But again, I said it
with zero confidence. You know, I was going to predict TM2 and that's for sure the graphic we
have for me, but I'm actually the more I think about this matchup, the more I like DK's odds.
I actually think they are going to come out on top here because I think TM need to really leverage
these, you know, oddball styles, maybe with some really good execution and some really smart drafting
they can get there. But I think GK, you know, getting a chance to do some review on their last
match and just come back better prepared. I think they maybe have the more solid team right now.
I'm kind of flipping the script, but I actually think GK are going to come in over the top.
Did you just reinforce and pick little teams?
No, I'm going to withdraw.
I'm going to withdraw.
You can screenshot this.
You can screenshot this.
I'm going to draw it.
I thought for, I was taking TM, but you know, I just, for whatever reason, I think it's,
I think it's key candidate.
I think it's key candidate.
So I'm taking TM.
I don't feel 100% confident.
I think it's a lot of, yeah, yeah, that's, that's Jake just flip flopping the predictions
and turn that video out for each logo.
I think the series is long.
I think it's like a game five type of series.
The one thing that I would be a little bit worried about
is like every time Flashplain would come,
we would go to Sarabasa.
That is no longer available, right?
You're going either like Atlas or New Jump City,
which may not play as well for TM.
So that would be a worry if you were Twisted Minds.
I think they want to get this done, obviously,
like, you know, within four, right?
Not going to another fifth map.
idea. Well, it's not up to them. I'm sure both these teams are bringing their A game
because if they're winning this first match here in the bracket, that means that they
will be punching their tickets to the midseason championship already. And the rest is just
proceeding and on top of that. So we are ready. The teams are ready. You guys are ready.
So please take it away.
Thank you so much, Zoe. And set this one up. Well, twisted minds, though, are going to
take us to Nepal, one of our new control map in the pool for playoff, so I mean I'm not surprised,
I think TM have reinvented themselves this stage as a team that injects chaos into the series,
right, that wants to bring things into these more murky waters where they can maybe drown their
opposition. Jetpack Cat is going to be out of the mix, but honestly, I don't think TM are going to
be mad at that. I don't love Nepal as a Jetpack Cat map. Maybe it's a decent one.
team in a band of Vendetta. Yeah, this is a great way to ensure that you know
Symmetra has a little bit more of a comfortable game same for Diva which
are two of the pigs that you know for Twisted Minds are not exactly fixed but
they certainly want to be playing those characters as often as possible and
Vendetta having a great matchup into both totally understandable why she cops a
band on a close-range map like the ball. Yeah and I mean I agree you know
joking in the predictions I do agree with you I think it's gonna be a very
close series and I think DK like you know people may be sleeping on them a
little bit right because like the core of this roster last year was like
basically the second best team in the MEA right yeah the entire route so you
obviously do lose a landing I know in that mix so a huge loss there in terms
of the back line but I think it's still a very competent roster that can put
together a really tough game for TM so for me the matchup I'm really looking
is like, you know, Labda, and then on the other side,
not exactly the hitscan counterpart in Quartz.
I think Quartz is going to put together a really good game.
It's like, I know, how do they play with Yubi here?
It looks like potentially we're going to get a good old
Sim-Ryne scenario here, is a simple,
we'll switch over and play the Kiri.
It's going to be very fast pace here,
but a lot of damage coming through on the other side.
So Quartz, Yubi, they need to find the kills relatively quickly.
Despite that shield, won't last long.
TV and Tivo with a strong position here and it's actually the rush aggressively forward from Ziad.
Taking the fight to the opposition with a mind shield, still holding steady court.
Blomps, Kellex, without this Juno, sustained really calm into questions. Ziad finds a nice crit stop.
Keeping the game in contest and actually that kill from Finn means he can have found the way back into this trade,
but Forts here with double support behind. It's not someone you want to bet against.
Bunny Astro finds the first and more to follow.
Gacity. Perfect for the cleanup group.
Really interesting, you know scenario there right where nobody's actually got the point just yet
He can't kind of like they get St. Ziad on him
He goes past that rhinestial just stomps
But there's just like the car wash turrets just putting down damage nobody else really able to kind of move up into that position
Get any type of follow through is now it's gonna be over the diva here for TVNT is
Trying to make a place a lap they'll have that really weird spot
Can get some help from the rest of the team, but see how dangerously low the point flips actually nice job supporting lab
But there I mean it was a deep dive for just in mines trying to catch him
But the team shows up to save him just in time and they take point position at the same moment
So this demise trying to get creative with the TP. That's their calling card as a unit
They have some powerful ultimates, but although they won the first fight it sure doesn't feel like it man
Yeah, I mean the Juno Kiri very strong with the mug
Yeah, the fight can nail some CP. That is a nice play there from Lada.
Lada, well prepared. Dead Eye though being channeled in the room,
and Zyagi's cannot get out the Simba though, keeping this fight in contest.
GK, gonna triple down in this fight.
With the Sensorikos free, I'll be bringing in initial damage as well.
GNT, threatening the cap on this point.
You'll be wielding at the flip, but maybe only barely, right?
GK, move back into this fight, Zyagi.
You can come out and spawn post-haze.
TNT out of soup, not long for this fight.
Really well played there from Geeky, right?
Even though TM flips the point there and it gets a little bit hairy,
Geeky just takes a beat, doesn't get over-aggressive,
waits for Ziad to get back in the fight.
He's on his way at that moment,
and they're able to flip it right back,
but they're only giving up maybe like 2-3% as TP comes through.
And no bike connection there that time,
as everybody, you know, hightails it out,
or twisted mines as they'll get on the point here first.
Gonna be these walls here.
They're gonna be flying into the cage at the orbital range.
Oh, TDNT in trouble.
Does get teleported out, but still gonna have to pop that self
to start to get back into the suit.
So, it's players off the point.
It's the flip for twisted mines.
They can win this fight.
We're gonna be right back into this round.
Maybe Quartz can be part of that.
Found an isolated target, but Latha maybe just slips away
perfectly off the chance.
So right back to the point.
TDNT trying to hold this one down.
Ziag with the shot doing the damage he can.
Now he comes in, swings in, dives on top of the casket, and it's important though, so clean from TF, they come in, bail casket, and it turns out like, cannot believe, he has this little fangirl still alive.
The mage of mentality that ranks behind the last members of the pop-up decide in hopes of a recon test, but I don't know if they're gonna get it, he can go to the spawn right now.
You do no wonder why we put a Magus in the drop.
He says, I don't see how crazy the Magus can be.
That's the rush uses well here.
It's going to be a dead eye from Khorz.
He gets up in the sky there, and he actually does find Labda.
So, he's going to rush trade it out.
Who can touch though?
It'll be TVNT who gets on it here.
Khorz twisted mines.
He has to stay on the point.
They're going to look to get the kills in the meantime,
but pause comes in at a crazy moment, Matt.
Khorz is going to die, right?
Look at where Alfie is at the moment.
Surely Quartz goes down, because the problem is
TvT has to cap.
If he gets a point, he rounds over, right?
You know, there's no fight to be had.
So they're going to force the fight
without D.Va into the mix.
And this one's extremely contested.
Like, I think this is the right move for GK.
If they just get these kills, that point cap
is not going to matter.
Ultimates not looking great, really, for either side.
So it is going to come down to the deathmatch.
But surely Quartz in the quarter, surrounded by enemy players
at 50 HP, even he cannot play his way out of that one,
especially off the pause.
No cheating, no looking at our discord.
What do you think the chat predictions were for this one?
I already saw it, I already saw it.
It was devastating.
It was devastating in favor of CF.
I'm surprised, only 17% believing EK,
where this obviously very, very good series from last week,
but we look here at a replay, so.
This is where we were, this is like just off the pause.
This is where I think we're at.
He's got no role, no role, he's dead,
He is dead without a roll, no way.
Yeah, he's gonna be, I mean,
while you have the Kiri and the Sim right there, right?
I don't know if the Suzu's out, maybe he could get Suzu,
but I mean, you need a miracle.
You need more of the Suzu.
You need an act of God to keep casting me alive.
Maybe he could get a kill, or even a pause,
just bashing the Suzu button,
just getting ready to get back in the game.
Yeah, I mean, Maga is gonna be able to run through this fight.
The TFT is gonna cap in the next few seconds
and be able to come in and try to save.
So there is like some chance
If the cleanse is still available, he's gonna be able to get back into the action and Quartz is dead before he can even get back on.
Yacht though, he's gonna try and brawl this one out, TNT gets the cat and he's back into the deathmatch, finding two kills for his trouble.
That'll be a beautiful fight now from T.M. Quartz.
Maybe he learns his lesson, he's gonna switch over to the soldier and add a little bit more mobility into the mix.
Yeah, so it'll be twisted minds you're playing behind this sound barrier, right?
but PK, I mean, but you're gonna have Simwall,
you're gonna have the Sheanult with,
Sheanult plus K-Trike could be quick nasty as,
we'll see how they kind of try and position here.
No TP used just yet here.
Ooh, labda, it's scouting the PKs.
But it's so hard to check down Sheanult.
Yeah, the bike plays around the TP really nicely.
Just imagine, without that crucial cooldown,
they're gonna get Simwall both traded on the point.
It's allowing just the mice to hold on to the control,
but only barely, they really can't afford to step up
this point, just imagine those,
They need to rally this capture time, but they can't quite do it.
Look, here comes the beat.
Of course, all these find something
when the team needs cage fighter from Joggy.
There's still something to play for,
but I think 10 have done enough.
Unless Labda has something to say about it, comes in,
and says, look who's refines.
Two, he's still alive, the point.
So two, incontest, beyond healthy.
What a comeback into that fight from DK Esports.
Labda, I feel like Labda, he has been in the lab
for this gap, right?
He was ready for some of those TPs,
ready to throw his bike in and punish,
like knew exactly how Twisted Minds would want to approach this map and also being able
to rotate away like we've seen so many hitscan players try to get cheeky against Twisted
Minds and just get obliterated by TP, D-Bust, B-Boost, Free Kill over and over and over again.
Labneh is almost, I mean I don't think he's ever caught that way this game like the, the
Shion has his unique utility of hey the bike is one of the most insane ways to escape in
the entirety of Overwatch and so when you go for this heavy commit with the TP you,
really risk a lot if you don't find that kill and also like with the bike there
is no way to like really mitigate that right like they don't get eaten by like
a defense so I guess it's kind of like I know where teams are worried like with
the vendetta right like going into the TP and vendetta like being able to kind of
like I don't swing or then do like the I don't being able to kind of like use the
blade kind of like rotating we kind of go in and put some serious damage on
the opponent's it's kind of the same thing a scenario here is that collects
We'll end up playing some Lucio here is going to be pushing right on in behind Ziad getting the
Suzu there going to be able to kind of keep him up for a little bit longer but a lot of damage
there focused out on the Ziad is I think maybe the Sojourn in the mix kind of changed things a
little bit right that first damage being able to be put down onto the Maga that Quartz cleans up
two here at the end. Yeah one of the best Sojourn players in the world here for Twisted Minds and
Ziad maybe just like the Malgris the best tank for the matchup but there's going to be cost to that
right and that cost is going to come in the form of the rail gun. This guy is too clean with it.
You can see why Ziad needs to get aggressive, but it's also hard to do.
He's got a really good at stalling the game out.
Laptop takes a lot of poke though on the off angle and needs a bit of sustain.
I'm not going to be able to come into this fight and contribute. Of course already close to that OC
it's Ziad. Just getting boxed out of the point. He even uses the overriding. What a TP from
Yubi puts Quartz on a crazy off angle, snipes down Kalix and without the Lucius being the aggression,
he's going to be neutered to the odd. Still finds an overrun kill onto Yubi, but
doesn't feel like there's much hope for them in this fight formation to completely smash
your three attackers. And just in mind, he's showing real fight back. Somehow the flip comes in,
Ose needs to come out from Quartz to close out this fight. But I mean, that's a statement kill.
Like, this is what he does. He finds kills before the fight even gets going.
Do you think he's in here?
I guess, I would, I guess. I think it's probably better.
Yeah.
I think that the Sojourn is just giving you ridiculous problems right now.
Well, because unlike the Cassidy, right, where, like, Moga, you know, without the wall, there really is no mobility.
Like, Sojourn can just slide out of the way of the Moga and just, like, nail with a railgun shot, and he is very close.
I know it's a...
the game so we'll see here is gonna be a sustain a rush from both sides advantage
for the sound barrier this is mine huge sound barrier advantage at the moment
TD&T will get the next winning self-destructing and right back in when he dies from the bomb
but he has to maybe bring the beat is holding it for now playing deeper into
the late fight here comes Astro with the beat onto board keeps simple alive but
TD&T doesn't get the benefits of of course Simwell still beating up makes
that difficult out he finds one kill and could be a key clutch factor in this
teamfight Lucio comes in he rejoins it out a beat comes in later from Kaelix this
providing all the advantage that the team need.
Beautiful support from Simple though,
keeps Ubi in the fight.
Astro plays his way out to the extremities.
Twisted mines, although they lose the cliff,
they're still in this engagement map.
Yeah, they're just dangerous.
I mean, they have to use every resource here
to try and get Ziad.
Anywhere near healthy is gonna be a cage fight here.
Ran onto the point.
By the maga, Ziad is just trying to do everything he can.
It looks like a steepie out from the players there.
All twisted mines is now Ziad
gonna back off to the point.
He can just need a little bit more to be able to flip this, which they do.
Lada, calling the question. Alpy already down.
Kalex grabs a kill back onto the Zim, actually, and that's crucial.
When he became an innocent bin, eventually overwhelmed Quartz with another OC.
He watched a couple minutes on ground, disgusting performance from him on the soldier.
He even blows this round out.
Definitely, Gike going to have to think about how to deal with the sewage.
Maybe not something they expected in the game-planning plays,
but clearly an issue as Quartz just, I mean, he lights them up this round.
I'd love to see the stats just from this round because, I mean, I feel like Quartz had, what, 12 final blows?
10, 5, something absolutely ridiculous.
Yeah, he had an incredible bounce back.
His damage is 21 and 4, it's 12k damage, I mean, he was absolutely farming on the Maga.
I mean, so does this next point though, our final one here, on Nepal, maybe play a little
bit better here for like that Moga that comes into play as Finn obviously probably make
a change back here, but this could potentially play better like Sightline-wise and fighting
over the point for like Shion plus Sim versus like the Sojourn in this capacity.
We're going to send it again, Quartz already slides out wide, takes a powerful deep angle
Yod gonna try and come contest that immediately so you're crucial into this fight needs some support now getting very low
You be though this time provides
Really the real damage laughter though, but you'll back on the force being still alive, but eventually gets over well
I have a second for behind
The twisted minds confidently take position running through that fight
Yeah, let's see if though you're gonna have the we feel back here
Alex gonna go in here with the odd as they want to try and clear the point
Oh, that disruptor shot.
Really, as soon as position Finn has to come in, try to save,
but Quartz will have his heads yawed,
not long behind into the grave.
Quartz with another, and maybe adding yet more to the tanneling.
He picks up three in the fight.
Straglers, Kellex is the only one.
He makes it back to spawn to get a nice taxi off,
but running back to spawn really feels like the story of this game.
Like, Astro dies to spam.
OK, Kellex get the finish, but that
had to be some team focus fire.
A rare mistake from the main sport of Twisted Minds
get DK through the choke pretty easily.
I mean, I also think here at DK, you gotta try and consider some type of change here.
I mean, the course is just dominating.
At this point, there's nothing that really anybody can do against this.
It's just looking so easy.
I mean, I feel like you need to make some type of adjustment.
I mean, Funny Asher dies with the hands as Yaw the Luller matters.
Staggered, brutal.
It's gonna get very awkward.
Devo's gonna delay him to getting more clock time and that's without any ult for it's coming to play
Matt, you know last time we casted twisted minds
I saw a reddit comment on the match thread saying I praised Quartz too much. I'm sorry, but this guy's the best in the world right now
He just is he's literally the best in the world on hitscan and for me. I don't know how close it is
He just takes over every single game. It is disgusting
OC once again available for his team
Well, now this might be rips it a chastro kirsten is truly as one can be and he still finds a connection Kelly's
50% to beat he's not getting one in this round of control the courts has anything to say about it
This last round it really honestly since he switched over to the soldier
It's not really been that close. Oh
And for whatever reason he came just keeps kind of throw themselves into the you know grinder that is courts here
So that is an OC up on the high ground that obviously pays off as you're not gonna get a sound barrier here during this round
Now the odds which is over through the diva trying something a little bit different
It's gonna be a brush here from Finn back in the spawn here is the odds not gonna be able to stay in mech
Also like Alex will get to the objective to get it into OT
But it is just a matter of time here is twisted minds Jake. They take our first map
I mean that that was brutal you know as a team it really looks like these two
teams are so evenly matched and then Quartz just finds one to four kills per
team fight it's just like clockwork it is insane how does he do it every single
time I don't know but it certainly looks like a team that's ready for land that
wants to book their tickets to the mid-season championship Quartz 34 and 5
Okay, sure. Why not?
It's just a silly game. I think you see like obviously on the cast it was a much easier
I think for GK to kind of I know cause some problems. I get on top of that right?
Twisted Minds, but yeah, yeah, you just kind of you were able to collapse on top of them
And like even the she-yum's really good at kind of causing issues there
Once the Sojourn 12 comes in, I mean it's just kind of it's kind of came over it feels like with that
And it's game over with there like no adjustments made from
No, GK. So I think if you're GK and you want to kind of continue to play that same way, obviously the sojourn
It's gonna be maybe at the top of the list in terms of fans
But it feels like that you could have tried and maybe something else in terms of calm
To really give him some trouble because like the second part of this, you know, once he switches over to the sojourn and we're on board with them
I mean
These are easy shots for sports, right?
I mean, nobody really in his face the entire time, you know, the ability to line up railguns.
So, nothing too concerning there for him, once that swap comes through.
I mean, I see the vision, to be honest, from DK, right, that I think the Maga, I think the Shian,
they both look really good at crashing into UB and putting massive pressure on the Symmetra.
But then they just bring out this additional threat in the Quartz sojourn.
I mean, they show no mercy here on this first map of Nepal.
Just in mind, they want to book their ticket post-haste,
lock things in, prevent any kind of shenanigans in the lower bracket.
You don't want to deal with that.
This is a team that not only wants to go to the mid-season championship,
but wants to pick up that trophy once again.
Yeah, and I know obviously the winning team here
goes to the mid-season championship, and if you want to go as well,
you get 15% off. Why not?
I saw you mentioned earlier, 15% is better than 14%.
So why not scan the QR code and make sure you kind of get over to Paris gonna be a really awesome event
I think competition globally for overwatch has really never been closer, right?
So I'm gonna be an awesome opportunity to see that and we're gonna get me on junction yet again
So back to back selections here of our newest map in EMEA
I wonder if teams think this is like a pretty good aggressive like mahogany type of map
I think so I think people are really reading this as a rush map
question in my mind though is do DK want to deploy the sim band here and it
seems like a moment you could go for it you could also just think though hey
maybe we can bring incredible pace and overwhelm you and not necessarily need the
sim I think Althea was good on the sim but in the mirror match twisted minds are
just so thrilled like it's not just Yubi's ability to play the sim it's the
entire team around him they really understand the matchup in a deep way
and they're really great at making it hey you know while the sun shines or while
They have the opportunity to play this in come they will leverage it question is how does it work on neon junction?
I would think this isn't the best
Sim map because what about a close range of banding diva?
What about banding diva here if you're geeky? I like to do the protecting the maga
Protecting the maga forcing them to maybe even play a like maga sigma kind of like of their own
I think I think
You'd rather have that I think if you're geeky then the you know maga gone and then you're kind of what playing a diva
I think it's a good shout. I think the
Maga is is definitely the more comfortable look you can tell from how long zod stuck to the pick that this is really what they've drilled
This is what they practice and I think teams under rate just as significant TV and T is to the success of this squad, but
So in fact, it's a deferred band they gave up. Yes, they differed over and it's a rematch for ban
Just I guess they're a mantra ban also kind of protects Eva in a way, but I would have thought that
a fallback force with Stibbine essentially could be like their mantra. The Sojourn Band is great,
objectively, for GK, right? They get absolutely annihilated by Quartz's Sojourn and Matt number
one, so I'm not wanting to see it again. Yeah, this is, I like this a lot because now this really
clears the way to play the manga. Like, yeah, the Diva can be a problem, but I mean, it was clear
that Sojourn was the genuine issue. Just giving a player like Quartz a reliable, you know,
Throughout the fight way to get those rails charged up. That's always been Mago's weakness in this matchup and
Given how much strength is in a player like works how
Consistent he is at finding those clutch kills. It's just not the match up you want especially with playoffs on the line
Yeah, we'll see
Obviously, I think a massive map for geek a we'll see if they're able to kind of pull out the stops here
They looked great up until the soldier and came in the mix. So we're gonna have Reinhardt on defense. Okay. This is I
I'm a happy bad. I may have I may have predicted DK, but I've been singing the praises of this Reinhardt hero
For I would say, you know the last couple months. I think teams have been under rating Reinhardt is genuinely good
Why now it just I think the mostly just has an incredible matchup into Mizuki
Mizuki I think is horrifically useless into Rhyme.
You basically can't do anything about him.
And, you know, no speed, no boop, means the Rhyme runs you over.
And the team behind him and Sim behind is very hard to play greedy poke styles into the Rhyme.
That being said, Gikey don't really, they don't have much of that queued up at all.
They are looking to play the Mizuki though, so I think this Rhyme is well picked.
Although, they're baited by spawners.
Nope, they're thinking about it.
I think we'll see what they decide to do once they have the Rhyme hard on the other side.
There may be some changes. So yeah, it looks like they go back to spawn they probably gonna play Maga. Yeah, yeah, Maga with the
Interesting so they're gonna play the vendetta with the she on into this
They're gonna try and just blitz past the Ryan get on top of the back line, but funny aster and simple
So rock solid and support not easy to bring down players early
And that means TVNTs can have a bit of room for work with you're on the Ryan TP up to the high ground
Okay, TM. I don't think I've seen this position before giving ports a nice sniper position alongside the Ryan shield
Someone's got to come touch the point that the lack of shields in DK makes that pretty difficult to do.
Ziad's going to try and touch from under, but an immediate TP in.
Now that the overrun cooldown is out, Kort takes a wide angle, back into the high ground over the top,
raining in damage from above Ziad, starting to drop low, needs that Maga Shop,
doesn't lifesteal, the Rines of Kort just back and forth, hitting from all sides Ziad.
Eventually goes down, Kort spines a nether, and a beautifully played first teamfight from Twisted Minds.
They look drilled on this style.
Yeah, that is a nasty scenario to kind of TP up and down and there's no real hero who can engage with
reports from that position, right?
Nobody can take that higher. I mean, I guess you can send the Vendetta up there
But like there's no way that LPE is kind of living through the Cassidy Damage that's coming down as
He's kind of flying up. So this is a especially behind a Reinhardt shield a nasty spot to have to try and prevent you
As a DK what they were trying to do was like kind of like play underneath right like take the point from underneath this
That'll be the bike there up on the high ground just some day
That's them in the low ground the rush big opportunity now
But the dead eyes don't so many players may they're caught in a terrible position
Funny as the cleans up one course start to go on this high ground
But there's no one here to punish it as he drops a pin does come in
But yeah, it just doesn't have the help to keep the fight rolling in the rush trade goes the way of twisted minds without even a tick to show
for it. DK, they're kind of
butted by this. They just don't
know what to do against this
style. And I don't blame them.
This is such a sick look to
bring out in a playoff series.
Oh, I mean, you pick this map
of your DK. Maybe you think that
team's not as drilled on it,
but they look awesome being it.
But kind of TP courts around
with all these different angles
up on that high ground with DK.
They have no one who can really
engage with it.
I mean, you can kind of get up
in the building and maybe get
close there and like put some
pressure down. But as soon as
as they get under the point they start taking some shit down.
Look at this, they just TP everybody around.
Nice stomp.
Bike is good, if you drop a simple shatter, it's decent.
Maybe enough, right?
Two kills off the play, you'll be fine.
Three.
And actually, the beat from Astro is enough to overwhelm.
The beat plus the shatter there, they do get one tick for DK.
As DK will come back, cage plus sound barrier,
plus sundering blade.
So some ultimates to work with as Yod.
to make his way over through the objective rather quickly.
DK's there, opportunity with the beat advantage.
How are they gonna press this?
Yubi holding on to that Simba,
waiting for the progression to come in.
Here comes Simba, isolated players away beat.
Justin's behind the Yubi, he's not healthy,
but healthy maybe overstates the case.
He goes down to Yubi, overbounds as well.
TD&T with a pin on to Alphie,
stopping him from dead as Rain of Terror.
Ports still alive, still healthy
with a Rhyme kill in the front and a carry behind.
DK, have to retreat, have to regroup from one last fight
and Yubi's coming back on Bash.
I mean dude and all I was gonna say I mean you had this nasty spot to be able to
kind of like TP him up to with the dead eye but and now with the Bastion I mean
this is a whole lot of damage for Ziad to have to confess to this.
Rush Kages a lot but Ziad is getting so low he's a turn of saving me to keep this
Manga Fire report with three big dead eye connects the back line finishes a fourth as well and
DK getting absolutely crashed out on this first round.
I mean this attack is, I don't think we've seen, we've barely seen competition on this
map, but a full hold like this off of the ridiculous Sim Cassidy Rine play.
TM man.
Okay, I, my bad, my bad on the pre-
He said this series was gonna be closer, I'm not too sure about this one.
They're not making us work for our paycheck today.
Today I moved quick today. We just all pulled on me on Junction course with a three-piece high noon
The courts deathless. Okay. No, he did that once
TB and T deathless though Ryan is OP
In the year of our lord
Ryan Ryan is is viable for sure
or ports, whether it be now, the Cassidy's starting to heat up.
That was a huge shatter.
That was a fatty shatter.
That was a textbook fatty shatter.
DK are going to rock up with the Sigma.
Matt, they're going to lose first five with this combo.
I think it's going to be very difficult to get hold of this combo.
Yeah.
The Rube, I ride hard right now.
They'll just TP the Rine on in.
And SIG can't really do like grabby hands with SIG,
doesn't really do anything there.
And also, you're getting hit with a beam.
I think you're in a really rough spot.
This is Jovert. This is the comp that the Raian exists to counter.
And I think they're between a rock and a hard place.
I mean like playing Rush on defense feels so desperate.
Like eventually the economy is going to go against you and you just lose a fight.
Poke maybe is the only way to win.
I almost wanted to play like, I don't know, some crazy, greedy heroes.
Maybe the Sim from Alphie can change something, but this TP from Yubi
is going to be able to break the choke point pretty comfortably, get them deep into the back-lining.
fake TP and just run it down mid.
Rein shield started to get low, but Sigma getting dangerously damaged in this teamfight,
although the poke hold on is pretty sick.
They're struggling to try and just regroup and stay alive.
Heal's coming from Tm, but it's not quite enough for now.
It's still turning this corner.
Heal's like a bridge too far. A rock does connect on the Apoly.
Oh, that's cool.
They want to keep TP for more.
They need every kind of a free, clean up kill they can get.
Okay, my prognostication was deeply mistaken.
mistake and the poke overwhelms twisted mind just with the faith TP they just can't cross
the distance in time. I think the faith TP obviously causes a little bit of panic from
DK but I think you need to get the Rhyme position with like you know a fully healthy
shield like right away right like not really kind of having this like long walk up. I think
that's kind of why you need the TP. The TP gets dropped on the point yet again they're
going to walk up the significant dangerously low and they're just walking straight up the
the gut here, not really utilizing the TP, and it's EK actually who make use of that
rotational power, ensuring that another clean fight goes their way, and I feel like TM may
be coming into this a little overconfident off the back of a sick full-hold, like still
winnable for EK Esports, especially after a couple, I would say relatively free fights
like that, they have economy advantage, but TM with their ult bank finally coming to fruition,
this is where we get to see the real point of the strategy.
TM I think though like trying to like your TM I think this is like kind of
dangerous because you're not gonna go over play I guess even this right I
think it would be like pretty disastrous
this actually take the TP
taking huge blocks to sound barrier that comes on down from Ashrow keeps everybody
topped up Quartz kills off Labda has a bit of room to work with on the fight
sanctuary starting to rumble the shatter good enough for connection Ubi fights
Clean up, ultimate in play, DK, falling out of neon junction, twisted minds, knew they didn't have to do anything special to close out this one after that rock solid defense they just showed, and I think every other team in EMEA, maybe even the world is taking a look at this spot saying, we got to prep for that?
What do we do about that? That high ground above the point? I've seen widows, I've not seen an entire team use it.
And honestly, the one time that they end up taking the TP, which reminds me, obviously they have a ton of ultimates to work with, but they end up kind of taking it out in the end because once that Ryan gets on top of this in combination with the Sim, it is just getting him over as this is the high ground that we were talking about.
It's literally impossible for those kind of rush style play that DK was trying to do work
I mean there's no way for them to engage with any of those heroes up there
They TP on through they leave ports up on the high ground. He's able to just kind of consistently farm up
And that is a really great showing there from twisted minds
Yeah, I mean that's pretty brutal, man
I'd love to see you know, hey like it's you I'm if they do this attack like TPing to the side getting on that high ground room by the
the checkpoint. It really feels like this map with all of these close range corners, right?
With tight angles. It really feels like the mind to be a serious threat here, especially
with that Ramban. I think now we see why, right? The Ramban comes through because maybe that's
the tank with one of the better matchups in Terran. It will just kind of pummel him down
in the frontline pressure that face tanking threat.
But just in mind, you know, being the iconic last this stage, the team that's willing to
to do what no one else is, play their own style.
And it's brought them back maybe to the top now
because GK were supposed to be one of those teams
who could give them a real challenge,
really threaten them.
Map one, Quartz comes with a soldier,
feels like that completely answers
all of the preparation from GK.
And map two, you know, you thought GK,
you thought you were bringing, you know,
twisted minds into your layer.
Turned out the Rine very well-practiced,
very well-prepared, DVT already has brought this out
a couple of times previously.
And when he does, it's, I think it's always successful.
I don't think he's lost a map on Rhyme yet.
And so I say again, Matt, Rhyme don't be.
What now?
I mean, hey, what now?
Rhyme looks pretty good here on Neon Junction.
But as we move forward, I mean, what?
It's going to have to be a reverse sweep in GK.
And it's a pretty easy read here for Twisted Minds
on what they want to play, right?
On the GK side of things.
And a pretty easy scenario, maybe,
for them to play in the rest of this series.
Guys, if you don't know, we have that new fire
and tide eSports bundle in the shop.
You get the Hanzo, the Mercy, the Freya, and the May skins,
and the sprays to the name parts.
Those are exclusive to the bundle.
So just get the whole bundle.
Don't buy like the skin individually, right?
You gotta make sure you get that fire and tide.
Now we already heard from Jake,
I know what his favorite skins were just overall.
He's more on the Hanzo, Mercy side of things.
I think the May and the Freya look pretty sweet.
So, we'll see, you know, well, hey, Jake,
are you rocking these skins yet or what?
I rock the Mercy skin, man.
You know I'd be grinding the Mercy.
Get a little, actually, Matt, you know,
I've been playing Tank.
I've been in my Tank era.
I hit Champ on Tank.
That one, you threw, then you throw like a,
Juby in a ditch to play Mercy,
and I'll go, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
No, my Mercy's kinda clean though.
Mercy's kinda clean.
I miss remembering how that went.
Oh, that's a dramatic reading of the situation.
that. He's never been found. New Junk City is gonna be the thing for DK and it's just
like where do you go? You know, it's like I don't blame them for this because I don't
know what other thing you could do. Maybe like a Dorado if that's in the wheelhouse
could be something to change the narrative of this series so far. But it's just a struggle
bus so far for DK. I mean, they showed real life in the very first round of control, but
I mean, the trend since then is brutal getting full health on hybrid. It's one of the worst
killings in Overwatch. It's one of the quickest maps and they banned Reinhardt. Reinhardt.
And they need to. They need to, man. Because Reinhardt is OP. All right, but any believers
in the chat, my Reinhardt believers, I call upon you. They needed to ban the Reinhardt. They
They couldn't deal with it, there's no counter, it's too strong.
Yeah, I guess, I mean, banning the Reinhardt obviously,
TVNC looked really good on it.
You were talking about how Reinhardt is really strong
like into like Mizuki potentially, right?
Like the Sanctuary, like he just does not care for whatsoever.
The Shion ban, that's obviously something
that we've seen Vabba pick up a lot
throughout this series, but Twisted Mind,
on the verge of a really great showing here
3-0 after this series the last week between these two teams went the distance so
Twisted Minds always kind of showing up when it matters it feels like
Absolutely coming into playoffs courts and UB side by side
Raining down terror they take away the she on this time, which I do like I think the she on is really nice into symmetric
I mean the the
that ultimate is great at clearing out clumped up enemies, breaking teleporters in the meantime,
kind of following along even if the Sim does try to kite away and slip past a shield or two,
but taking it out of the mix lab that is going to be taking the Soge mirror Alphie,
considering a Vendetta look here and is you being not on Sim? Do I have that right? Okay,
it's going to be a Reaper rollout. I kind of, I don't mind this. I think Reaper is pretty good
in this setup and that means Alphie may struggle on the Vendetta to find a vulnerable target.
Yeah, not a great matchup right for Vendetta into Reverb
most close quarter engagement, so we'll see how
DK goes about this it'll be I'll be going on it. That's like all the movement cool down then
That is
Not really gonna be able to kind of live through that the Moga not there like at the same time
Right, it looks like a little bit disjointed so like no party. I've overdrive there rolling to try and help out the Vendetta
because that is not what you want to see if you're DK in that first fight.
I mean, he got there, but I think TM just basically cop-capped them.
You know, DK, we're fully expecting to see him,
then we're gonna try and just overwhelm it.
But running headlong into Reaper Juno like that,
it's just not gonna work.
Alpy, he's an instance off of the Reaper,
recognizes that he needs a little bit more of that frontline power.
Should be a more comfortable matchup though for Alpy.
The Juno provides so much consistent field for foot.
Even if he matches the Overhaunt here,
Draid's coming in for it, always finds his man.
This time, his kill is a TP into the backline.
Four out of E, does create a bit of chaos,
finds a connection, but fourth is indomitable.
Drops, lapses, and he finds another in the fight,
stretching them, there's just some shred of possibility,
but with Corks, with Astro behind,
there's just too much stability here for Twisted Vines.
And DK, really starting to feel the pressure now.
It feels like these fights have just been over in an instant,
and the kills keep coming in from Quartz Soldier.
And it's rough for DK, right?
Because these are the types of thumps
that they probably would want to play.
And I feel like maybe they even have a little bit,
I know, of the edge in against Twisted Minds,
but that could not be any farther from the truth
you're early on, as UB will get back over towards the rest of his team.
It'll be the Kar-Yank Overdrive used here by TB&T.
It's gonna be the Orbal Array that comes in from Ashrow.
This could be massive.
Oh, the Ray Blossom is so powerful.
I'll take a great burst from him though.
Shots down a QB and he finds some damage of his own.
Quartz on the high ground, though uncontested for the morphing.
Finds two kills, a third and surely a fourth.
No matter.
Does stop it, but there's just no resource left.
I mean.
And Kalec's just not able to get the sound barrier in time.
Those early picks that Quartz is able to find on him
in previous fights now come in.
The consequences are clear.
Twisted Minds up 1-0 on Flashpoint.
DK this is a do or die map for them twisted minds charging towards the mid-season championship in Paris
I mean DK with a tremendous scenario though here, right? Obviously you lose first point
But KJZ's sound barrier is gonna be an early cage here from TVNT. It's gonna be the cage plus beat in response
For DK. Oh, he's not gonna come up with any kills here though, Jake
I mean this is brutal if they were to lose this fight. Or it says a nasty angle
And they'll find Finn as well that takes out a lot of the sustain, another connection on to Althea, and the last remembering players, which is like little bits of HP.
Quartz will have them all deep commitment from TBNT in that fight into Beat Cage.
The supports of TM doing crazy work. He can alive so long in the fight, and that time is all Quartz needs.
He produces so consistently, has another rail coming into this next teamfight waiting for the proper moment.
That fight, though, may end up like this.
That may serve as snowball for Twist of Mine.
Okay.
That's, uh, I know, Labda.
Nice one.
I'm not on the force on an off-angle, yeah.
That was strong as I would see it as well.
Okay, food connection from Labda.
Crucial neediness to stabilize the game.
The headshot on a CBNC should just finish the fight
on its own.
Yogg find the finish on Ubi.
Labda connects another one onto Simphong.
So Labda finds a nice way into that fight.
Swings in at an angle that Quartz just isn't prepared for,
cuts it down early.
We see the difference, right? You lose courts early in the fight. It's a very different story, but so hard to make that play happen consistent.
I mean, that is a massive play there from Lambda because it looked like this was starting to get a little bit out of hand, right?
With the last fight that they were able to win.
It's going to be a overclock here for Ports. It's going to be awesome.
The Katsune rush here that comes in from Finn. Nice out of Alphi. You just kind of run in-downs that soldier.
So now DK is starting to pick up the pace a little and simple even responds with his own rush there
Alphie makes a huge difference so far on Reaper. I feel like this has been maybe the one
Massive change that has changed the tenor of the series so far as they keep spying in these kills from the chaos of the mid fight
On first place when it wasn't enough, but oh, he's undetected here this blossom
The raid though come down an after before he falls
Maybe that would be enough to keep this teamfighting contest, the odds being so low,
but Kellex comes in finishes off Ubi, a sweet little hiding play from Althea,
drops the Juno before the fight can get underway. That would be enough to earn
GK a flashpoint, TD&T gonna just delay the inevitable here, touching for the
overtime, but he came back into this one then. Yeah they played that really well
after losing that first fight, which I know they had that sound barrier cage OC
available for Nally bounce back in a huge way. They get to this next flash point first, right?
So, again, a forced twisted mind is going to battle through this show. So, we'll have the advantage
in terms of like sustain, right? With that sound barrier. Nothing available like that on the side
of a twisted mind. So, it's going to be Lambda who finds funny Astro early on. So, really rough
now. Forced twisted minds is, the Kellex doesn't even feel the need to end up using that sound
Barrier. Labbed it called upon in this moment of the match to really match one of the best
soju's in the world and I think he's been rising to that challenge. Gonna get a quick taxi up the
spawn and Twisted Minds are gonna make a heavy swap to a cat Bastion look here. Try to disrupt
their opponents, try to change what's been a comfortable battle for GK. Wards up in the sky is
not gonna have much contest in this team comp but the low ground players are gonna be potentially
really hurting. It bashing can't produce some serious impact in this fight.
Yeah, it's TD&T. Trying to get back to the rest of the team. It's going to be some damage
put down from Quartz up on the high ground, but they've been doing a nice job. Yeah, they
kite their rush, but everybody's kind of doing a nice job. Just staying alive on the
DK side of things. Nice Tuzu there. Brom simple keeps himself alive. No way he gets TP on
out as TD&T loses the mech. So, the DK really started to figure things out. I think Jay
Jake, as you mentioned, once they switch over to the Reaper, took a little bit of time, like, one full flashpoint, but...
I think Twisted Mind's definitely, uh, a little bit concerning from their side.
Gabbash him, touching from behind, trying to put a little bit of pressure on.
Transform is out in ports, what can he find from this? And big damage on Ziad, but Kelis, closes Miracle in the sound barrier, now the opportunity to spike Ziad.
Deep into the backline, gets the beat of the perfect moment. Alphie finds a kill onto Zimbal, and now, this is looking truly dire,
with a rush out on the checkpoint, it's just too much damage and they're going to blossom from UD just overwhelming Taga,
more than half of his defense take that ultimate.
GK, go up 2-1 now on Flashpoint, so after a pretty brutal set of fights on the first checkpoint,
they're right back into this map, and a map from here would at least be some wind in the sails for the overall series.
Yeah.
I mean, definitely starts to get a little dicey there.
War-twisted mines is all being kind of lurking there with that deathbloss and yet again kind of hiding in a corner
UV spots him out though, so
It's gonna be really difficult to play that cat bastion and to write that poke with the overcloth coming on in
Like a really easy target
Nice dive from TD&T it puts Labda back on his heels
It's an opportunity for Quartz to swing him with some aggression of his own
But under the point they're nice and safe from the bastion Quartz not able to profit from the turret form just yet
That's an opportunity to repeat, you'll be out of gas, the front line is so vulnerable when you play this Cap Ashen, he wins even holding the OC and honestly Matt, I don't believe we're the Cap Ashen here on New Junk City, it just feels like the angles aren't there, there's too much cover, especially this point right, the sight lines are kind of brutal.
This is like really the worst point for it, right?
I mean you kind of have to like go into like the close quarter area like some of the other
points here on New Junction, right? Like it's open air.
This is like a determined skybox by the rune here, so pretty rough to play into.
Okay, Bashing just slips away from the flank. The OC is just instantly evaporated.
So too does Kalechikov. Early on in the fight, TVNT with the sub-luster like
Electra continues battling this one out, he's gonna pop it alongside that artillery fire, the rush of the point
makes very scary the contest into Ziad and players are gonna be coming back in on this one.
Ziad finds simple, cruiser behind in the fight, without the Kirikou to sustain, called it a massive question,
as they're struggling to just stay alive on this cat, and Ziad finishes him off, finds another stop on the bastard,
the beat comes in, doubles pull behind Mago, we've seen this story before, so brutal to be forced into an overtime touch against it.
The head shot on the UB takes a ton of the clutch potential out the twisted minds
of sports considering even a software has to come back fast in the bashing
TVC is getting a very decent stall here simple close to Raj but feels like the
dregs of a composition just desperately trying to play this one out
Bunny Astro caught in the cage by on the jetpack pat Astro can go right back to
the point bashing up next TVC don't hold on tight to turn back
You can play together with that boss and they almost complete it.
Not been actually somehow some way, twisted minds, have bought their way back in the overtime to just stay alive on New Jersey.
It takes them about 30 minutes to kill Zi-Hot on the Maga, but yeah, they do finally end up battle back, right?
You have to make some changes, right? You have to ditch the cat to get back.
You know, the Lucio back in action is probably actually going to go back to Jetpack Cat.
Yubi switches over to Shing here and that's gonna get to Vendetta out from Alphie.
No reaper in the flames. You know, no way Alphie survived in that. That's a cat-bashing right in his face.
Nice signature aggression from Tm. They find one kill, maybe looking for more with the artillery fire into this hallway.
It's brutal to try to evade big damage across the corner of the gate, but they're not dropping just yet.
Even if someone finds a kill back, the health bar is just too pressurably tried to go for a rush,
But it's desperate and TV and T is ready to receive a geek a now
They were dangerously close to winning this map
But it really feels like TM have fought back and if they can win here they can get to that last flash point
This can't passion looks very winnable
I don't know about the big category giving me thought earlier, but oh the critic
It does not people to the ground yet. It does knock the bashing down, but just gets picked up you can add a dodge right away
The pressure is real immense right now from Tm despite their backs being against the wall
They aren't letting off whatsoever. Here comes another form. A lot of damage being rained down from above.
Crucial presence, Yod!
Hero 4 of the team finds a kill on to Yuumi.
Tb and T trade to fight back, but in these kind of low numbers fights, you always want to be the bong of it.
Rush on point starts to expire. Symbols out of the fight, but towards finds that kill on to Finn.
Tb and T just won't go down in the chaos.
in the chaos, it's just Helix and Skawd trying to bear the standard here, but the Flashpoint goes against it,
they just don't see the chance to commit with the cage fight, and T.A.M.
Absolute heroics required, but they deliver, and now we're coming into this next Flashpoint with the full Bank of Ultimate!
This is a nightmare scenario, which is crazy.
I mean, this one looked like it was gonna be, G.K. who's gonna be able to come out on top, they started to click,
and then this Cat Bastion didn't look good early, but somehow T.A.M. is able to battle back in a lot of these fights,
This is oppressive.
Yeah, Quartz, you need that artillery.
You are not safe.
You are just never safe.
D.Va now coming to hunt down a kill, can he find that finish on the lap?
Does Quartz need to come in and keep that soldier alive?
Kellex comes in for the assist and they just barely make their way out,
but here comes the Bastion continuing to swing forward.
They're hunting for these kills.
D.Va even comes out from Kellex, and maybe the case actually is not too far left.
It actually goes down, but the fight elsewhere looks much more comfortable for DK.
They can use rather than Zod's cage by 3-4ing out, and you can just by going even too simple
to rush the blind look good, and maybe they can teamfight as well.
Yes, I mean, it is the point in control from DK is he actually Zod kind of rolling in deep,
you're trying to make a play for Quartz, Quartz, and Turret mode.
Kind of put down as much damage as possible, Quartz is kind of killing himself there on
Zod's body, but they do get rid of the Moga, that's the biggest factor though, like getting
Getting rid of that Moga, it's gonna be almost impossible for GK to continue to fight this,
so although Ziad goes in D, we kind of trade his life for Quartz, it's probably not ideal
there for GK, they'd rather have that Moga sturdy on the point.
GK, at least they get through this open air by their spawn, strange to say, it's actually
a vulnerable position against this cap-batch, and Slide forks a lap, and there's a ton
of support, he's trying to put pressure down, but Db and T is right up in his face, Quartz
delivers the damage from range to find the next kill, and Twisted Minds is fighting,
Not being on the comfortable set-up is quite a clean house.
DK, close to a lot of ultimates, but no real opportunity to leverage them,
and you feel the pressure in this composition.
I mean, literally, the moment you come out to spawn doors,
you're under fire from this cat-fashion.
It is brutal to play into this.
I mean, you can see that, like, DK,
not really sure how they should go about it, right?
You don't exactly want to swap out the over-the-sin,
because you do have the death boss in the use.
They're coming up as a lot of damage taken there by spinning co moving on their way in it's gonna be artillery
Trying to deter them can get the point. They do end up dealing with quartz though. That is huge
How does he find that one? It's a crucial kill without the bashing this opposition completely shifts now
You'll be called upon to deal a lot more damage, and it's just not realistic TV and T goes down
Big pick to be found. I'm sure that was
Labda and Althe in concert putting some damage down
Turning the threat back the other way and they are still up or rather
They're still even two to two and it's gonna come down to a final fight. Maybe they've done enough with that kill onto quartz
It's difficult for TM to get back in on these retakes
Some little watch the last thing that funny ashra went for the catnap
The yacht actually just kind of trapped them inside the cage
I'm just gonna interrupt it and then I was able to do them rather quickly
So see if even kind of use that jetpack at all and it's gonna be
The bastion up on the high ground here is just gonna...
Firing down those mortar shells is gonna be cage-fighted. That's what they just gotten rid of, rather quickly.
TDNT, if he stays alive, it's big! The beat comes out though, just after the self-destructing.
She's gonna overwhelm the twisted mines without the resources to survive from DK.
You're hauling through...
And despite a desperate new Jump City at times, they do just enough.
Alphys, Reaper coming in ridiculously clutched to keep them alive in this series.
Twisted Minds have more work to do.
I'm going to say it's been a long time
since we've seen a Twisted Minds 3-0.
That'll have to wait, though, because DK, they hold on strong
at the end.
That was a really well-earned win there for DK.
As Twisted Minds had a really good new junk city as well.
But yeah, I think the LTE was switching over, playing that Reaper
by 35 and 9.
That really strong game.
I know of Quartz and the other side pumping out 21,000 damage on the Sojourn and the Bastion.
We see some of the promise of the style, and they build it an overwhelmed Yubi who really struggles on this map, right?
It's brutal to stay alive.
You, Kat Baster, are doing a lot in the back line, but that's a DPS and a support that are not playing in the main formation,
leaving your other DPS often hung out to dry.
I mean, it'd be great to be on Kariko or D.va.
Too bad you have to play DPS in that spot.
You can see the real rush stradded.
The fact that they can go up 2-1, some of these fights on this flashpoint, I think, in hindsight now, seem even more crucial, right?
They needed all the distance in the map to be able to fight back on that final platform.
So, we take a look at some of the highlights. Now, it'll be Twist and Mind's turn.
In order to pick a map, they'll pick actually the rest of the way.
Here on out is...
We do see, I mean, look, it is really difficult for them to get Zod when...
Yeah, in the previous maps, Jake, like we were like watching, obviously they were doing a good job with the Sojourn being able to kind of like slide ports out, but for whatever reason, they started to kind of get a get a groove.
It seemed like they're on that map.
And maybe it's like the Reaper, you know, in combination, I know, because like Sojourn just slides away from the Maga, but then maybe the Reaper kind of gets right up in the face of the Sojourn.
But I definitely started to give them some trouble on that last map, but the swap over to the Bastion getting up in the sky.
No way, the Reaper of the Moga really engaged with that.
Yeah, I do think the Reaper is actually the crucial hero here.
I think Alphie, if he doesn't find some of those kills on Quartz in the mid-fight
in the early flash points, we could have seen a very different map.
Maybe an Ignominus 3-0 going against GK, but they'll stay alive for now in this series.
As you said, though, it's not an easy road home.
It's going to be two back-to-back map picks, four twisted mines with ban control as well.
You've got to really battle to find your way through the series.
And you know, I believe they could just predict the sim basically from here on out if that's the direction they want to go
I will be interested to see which especially push map we go to eventually in the series because
You know, it's funny. Although new Queen Street. It has been in the pool. Ain't nobody has been picking it
It is it has been untouched and it'll remain that way for now. It'll be circuit the twisted minds bring us to you
twisted minds like if they don't win this map
I mean it's a little scary you just you just defer the map selection
Like what do you want?
They've been with you here, so
Does this like is it a cat for 10 essentially? Yeah, it must be I mean because I think
We saw from from what fix has shown us in the last series, right?
That was you key has the playmaking potential to just obliterate a cheeky cap ashen
And although that might be the theory here, it does leave you exposed to maybe a sim ban,
I would think is the most straightforward look for DK.
I don't think TM are going to give you that many chances to sneak a sim ban through when they have ban control.
I thought for sure that we're going to be in far up to like really not only protect the sim,
but to deal with one of those major threats that Alpha Yi is super comfortable on.
That's I think it's one of his signature heroes, one that, you know, with his big carry performance on Reaper in the last map,
You'd want to put them on another hero that can really take over the game and getting sim out of the mix
Calls you this hero pick into question here like the tracer
I think has been his sort of reliable secondary, but doesn't feel like a good option on circuit
I really wonder what he's gonna go to
Yeah, I mean, it's not necessarily a
Reaper map right?
No here coming on in. So yeah, like what what will they go to in terms of probably the most straightforward
Hmm. Yeah, it's like a
You know not gonna play like a tracer, right? It's not really a tracer map. It's like probably more
You think about UV zero cool, right? Like it's kind of
Sim may tracer reaver
Essentially, so that's probably
You know what we're gonna see. I mean with the Mizuki man
I mean Mizuki sigma may is usually like a pretty nice combination, right? But obviously they kind of remove it for themselves
It's also the thought, just the thought, but it could be a consideration for teams to bring out
Iliari here, maybe get a little bit greeter. There's no sim to TP on top of you, it's just
overwhelming. You're gonna have a little bit more time to poke, which, you know, it feels like
it's been a while since I've seen a true slow and steady poke matchup on Circuit. You know,
people don't really go towards those heavy snipers anymore. The Iliari doesn't get picked that often
Yeah, I think a lot of that comes from the threat of Sim, from the threat of these like fast rushes swinging corners on you.
Now at least one of the major threats out of the mix, Mizuki also is pretty good against Lari, at least from an ultimate matchup perspective.
You can kind of hang out in that sanctuary and feel comfortable.
So wouldn't mind seeing, maybe simply bring that out here. He's pretty sweet when it comes out.
We'll see where we start here with, it's like it'll be okay at a...
uh, probably DK on defense here to kick things off as, uh,
we know we haven't really seen them play like much like Sigma throughout this,
but like this map probably tends way more towards like Sig-Ram, uh, type of setup.
So, uh, it'll be a Sig, uh,
Sigma-May with a Bastion here, uh, combination for DK.
Obviously a lot of time for Twisted Mines to make some decisions
while looking to be hovering that Kat Bastion at the moment.
I like this look. It's basically a hybrid between poke and rush.
You've got a pretty massive amount of damage downrange, like, obviously Bastion.
But of course, Mei is pretty impressive as a sniper, you know?
Like, it does more than I think a lot of people give her credit for.
And they have good tools to fire up into the air.
I mean, this is one thing we even saw, I believe it was actually at first, it was from Twisted Minds,
where to deal with the cat Bastion, they just played a low ground Bastion of their own,
and he just fires damage up into the sky.
and by committing a cat to your Bastion you really expect a lot of kills and
resource to be created from that kind of a trade. A lot of his work cut out from
here as he flies in over the top.
You can see TDNT and the MAGA this time, so.
Now, just as mindset to play around in this cat fashion is a lab that does take some
damage there. Of course, the port's being very cautious, kind of using that turret
for him just yet. The may could give the Sigma some problems. I think Ubi rolled the
car forwards pretty comfortably right now. This corner though is going to be where the
real test comes. Wall just zones players back, but the cart is still rolling a deep commitment
from TVNT though, isolated by a may ball, rolling into the corner, boxed in, buys Yann,
and the punish is immediate for DK. Just in mind to try to back out, try to get the regroup,
but Ubi's caught between a rock and a hard place. He has some tools to be able to play his way out of
of this but just overwhelming firepower on the local DK will clean this fight up.
Yeah as Quartz gets some decent damage down on the Labda the Sartan like they
kind of want to get aggressive behind that and take that fight but it's a
Suzu that comes in from Bin saves the Labda and then everybody at that point
is it really the Quartz with the mines and no way they're able to make a play
there so you know of course giving this a really nasty high ground no way they
I'm really going to play into this on the other side for DK, right?
You're just kind of relying on Lab this damage, but he's very passive around the corner.
So this just kind of poke damage here from Core. It's going to train.
Basically get that first corner there for Tm.
TVNT takes a lot of damage there, Jay.
Has to back off.
So maybe they thought that they were going to be able to kind of go in on that as
TVNT now, even to the back line.
Did she name Rush though with the Bastions?
Ridiculous damage. A big cat?
The fuck still being able to come out? What a find from Ziad and the Blizzard Consurers.
His teamfight is over, maybe a bit of an ult from the defense, but just as much as through three of their own into that fight,
really all they'll have coming into this next teamfight is the Blizzard TVNT.
It is a struggle for him to get ult charge on Vaga in this comp. I mean, you die quick here.
Yeah, you know, typically we see, you know, that time, right? It's a catnap that grabs Ziad,
But and it would kind of brings him back towards the rest of twisted money
And he decides to use that to just kind of pop that flux
And I don't get some serious damage down will be a blizzard available here for you
Maybe you kind of use this in the follow-up of the logo
It'll be some nice damage here coming down from course. He's up in turret mode is
Lab that we use the artillery try and buy some time for the rest of UK
So you can see isolated dies before you hit the cage off that means UK player advantage now twisted minds getting
Overwhelmed on circuit and with 2-1 map advantage in this series it started to feel like they were playing a little bit with the house cash
But this map slipping through their fingers and quick TNT over to the Zarya
Asking questions of the fundamental style the twisted minds had brought into this map
It's just you'll be with the Blizzard who has to find the clutch connection here, but with been holding on to that cleanse
It's not easy
No, and they have not really been able to use these Maywalls to kind of split off Ziad, right, Ziad?
We made a great job here on the Sigma, playing a little bit further back, but under a minute to go, it's going to be Kitsune Rush available here for GK as well.
This is looking so good for GK to potentially force a fifth match.
Oh, the flux is going to hurt here, Mei in real trouble, Azari as well.
A lot of resources come out, they stay alive, with a crucial pull out of the fight, especially when the rush comes in over the top, 30 seconds in the clock.
Twisted Minds, they need to get out and regroup one last chance now on Circuit.
Simple does by Quick.
Just enough time maybe for the touch to come in, especially with Cat Bastion.
The Cat's gonna have to touch over the high ground, but they know this is where it's gonna be coming from.
It's scary. I think it really almost has to be TD&T to touch.
I think it could make it.
I think if Cat touches, you just lose.
The TD&T shouldn't be able to get there.
Funny answer, it takes a big to be back.
You don't wall this off, right?
Yeah, it's scary.
Oh, just a little bit.
So, overruns, but the rock goes wide as well.
So, hold on, there's still a key of TNT to get the cleanse.
The ray is down and a crucial fine from Finn.
Blizzard out now, force into the objective clutch.
It's over time, there's no room for the back down.
You're keeping that up and running beautifully.
The catnap comes in as well,
trying to go may off the map.
Ziada's left to work together to clean up that critical.
And so, the day is not yet one for TNT,
especially before it's falling out of the fight.
Connects well.
TVNT is down and it'll be a full home for DK Esports.
Battling back in this series. Wow. If they can close out circuit and take us to the promised map 5
We could see a massive momentum shift in this series. There's a momentum has shifted already. I
Definitely has is that we take a look at this sick flux that comes on through
That also stalls out you be for an extended period time
There's the cat and have that just kind of drags the odd right on in
And into a nasty flux combo, we take a look at the stats.
This is like night and day from earlier in the series.
Ziad just kind of dominating there, playing the Sigma.
Now I mean, Twisted Minds, right back against the wall
for them.
They do not want to see a fifth map.
It thought, it sort of was correct, right?
It will be push.
And new Queen Street and Coliseo, I mean, two really bizarre maps,
right?
We haven't seen it.
Most teams, most teams just pick runes up your Esperanza, like whenever they're in the pool and just ignore really the other map quite frankly.
This is like your force to play one of them.
I will say, Sim is very good on Colosseum in particular.
Yes, like that is a sim map from my perspective. The TP is the high ground, they're really challenging to deal with.
And so, TM, maybe they feel like, okay, circuit, whatever, but you wanted to put some threat down on this map, right?
You don't want to, you know, you don't want to take chances and go to a decisive game five, but
You're on the doorstep of that now especially this like see that golden box
of victory actually makes a huge difference you don't even have to
really get it around the very final bet it really is just that corner that is
the win cotton he came rock up stock standard courts on the sojourn he's
asked so much so often by this twisted mind squad and they got a call upon him
again
can't laugh at answer though right a great soldier in his own right as that's
It's gonna be the Grasp out there from TBNT.
A few players there for Twisted Mind.
Quite low, but they're gonna stay quite aggressive here
at this corner.
TBNT gets hit with an accruce
and gets knocked out of his kinetic grasp,
and that's gonna allow them to get that kill
onto the sigma, and everything falls apart after that.
Yeah, they take a risk fighting early,
knowing that they wanna get one more fight
with one astral kill.
This would break the back of Twisted Mind,
but he slips away, okay?
Crucial movement for the Juno.
And they need it, they need that speed ring,
because this recon test is not assured.
Being able to come out to this corner is very brutal, especially with the Maywears.
I mean, Alphie is going to cut from the pieces with the Maywears.
They walk up here.
This is devastating.
TVNT has no choice.
Has to come up and get the touch.
Oh my god, it was too close for comfort.
The wall isolates the signal away.
There's no support to come in.
Now, UB Iceblocks, but he's just off the point.
Not that it would have mattered anyway.
Geek, hey, with extreme prejudice, who rushed the opposition here on SuperVayao.
And we are going to map 5.
We are going to push.
I mean we were in after the first two this one looked like it was going to be a clean sweep
And then even New John City goes down to the wire, but this one
This is a twisted mind map pick that you can't just absolutely annihilate some on I mean only two deaths
the entire game and
Now we send ourselves to a game five geeking on the verge of a reverse sweep
would be a brutal way for twisted minds to lose, right?
You kind of talk about the mental game
and then now putting themselves in a, you know,
a win or go home scenario tomorrow against Katia.
That is not where they would want to be as, you know,
Katia is still a very dangerous opponent as well
as honestly, you know, a lot of highlights for GK
on this one, not much positive in the way of twisted minds.
Yeah, and I gotta admit, man, I'm not a fan of this Cap Bastion on circuit.
It just feels like you can't, you can't get into the backline the way that you can
on a lot of these other map types, you know, hitting from a completely opposite angle.
You're just a bastion up in the air.
And it's like, well, what is that?
What is that really?
What does that accomplish?
Really, like, Labda is just able to put down damage from the low ground,
force you back off the angle and then back to focus firing the front line.
And you committed a whole support hero, essentially, to have that position on Bastion.
If you don't create massive value from it, you will.
I mean, the stats from the last game are just mind blowing.
So it'll be either Coliseo or New Queen Street.
I think you assume it'll be Coliseo.
Right?
Wow.
It's New Queen Street.
Yeah.
Okay.
I mean, this is, I guess it's also a good Sim map.
I mean, there's a lot of verticality.
It's pretty good for Reaper though, right?
I think it's kind of bad for Reaper because there's a lot of high grounds.
Like you have the team to get to the high ground and there's a lot of like high low
that a lot of characters like soldier can easily jump up to a lot of the high
grounds on this map where Reaper maybe can't follow us as comfortably compared
to a map like Newjunk City where there's not those like really self-stable
positions. I mean those are surprised I would have thought a Colosseum was good
but just to my mind it's gonna be a fancasty. So this is kind of uh well I mean the
soldier is a fan of the other band. I love the diva band. The diva band is awesome.
I can't believe they've held back this deep into the series.
What were they trying to protect?
They're trying to protect Bastion, maybe, for TM?
Oh, you know, that's it.
That's why it's not even about the Symmetra.
This is the thing.
They picked this to play Kat Bastion.
You know, and it's interesting because TM, for so long with UVN,
I've been thinking of them as a SIM team, you know,
before anything else.
The SIM is their calling card.
Now this stage, they have found a lot more success
with the Kat Bastion.
And that's where they're going to stake their claim.
But I think the diva van it bites into this comp because I don't think there's another tank that can be as effective with low resources as
diva I mean the exception is wrecking ball, but
Like I think wrecking balls fantastic here, but I don't know that he actually plays it
It's one of those picks that like even if you're a very good tank player to play wrecking ball at this level of play is
Asking a lot you need to be an expert like you need to be one of the best in the entire world on this hero
because it just has so much specialty knowledge especially on a map that doesn't see that much play
You know competitively these days
Yeah, I mean the winner of this one goes to Paris right the winner of this map, so
The loser finds themselves and just what will be most
There's certainly a slugfest with Cassia there for our final spot with the re of the teams here in EMEA
going so yeah I mean with the diva band now right you're looking at like cat
bash you're they gonna play in mauga they're gonna play or mantra like I
think it's mauga? I think mauga is the next best into this look but I think it's
I think the diva's head and shoulders better mauga better you think throughout
the series like the comp like obviously can't bash
I don't think the diva did a good job. Has he played mauga? Yeah I don't know but he did.
Maybe they played it a bit early on. They played it a bit on Newjoke City but they swapped off.
Yeah, so I do think the Maga is certainly going to be more comfortable for the opponents.
This is though, as I look at it, a pretty fantastic cat fashion map.
As terrible as Circuit Rail is, in my view, where it's so linear,
it's so hard to actually get to the enemy backline.
This map is exactly the opposite.
It is essentially free to play the Skybox, to play over the rooftops,
to assault the enemy from all angles.
And so Geekay, while they give it to the D, but which is an essential piece,
They're still going to have to play very, very well to deal with the ports.
And I think that's the conversation right now at the Geek of Commons.
What do we want to do?
Do we want to play like a, like a Sigmund Zuki poke?
That would be my thought.
I think that's maybe their best option.
And also, if you kind of look at the, uh, the bands, right, they had already,
you can't already band to the cat.
So obviously, you know, no way of kind of doing that again.
But the Bastion's still available.
And then Cassidy one of the better heroes against the Bastion, right?
so
This would be interesting if DK decides to play like a I think he can have the edge same base calm
I think he can have a huge edge here. I think this comp is really good against the Cap Bastion
I think quartz is gonna be as defined massive picks in this match
But lab does a relatively straightforward job play in the main group
match the Bastion Forms, keep Quartz honest, keep him, you know, careful, and UB and TB and T have to do a lot with just the
Kiriko behind, where Kellex is gonna be able to make a huge difference in the front line. On top of that, Sigma does do
well in this tank matchup, as we've seen for honestly weeks and weeks in this meta. So, Tm poking around from the outside,
really want to find a way in early, maybe to generate some kind of a lead here on this final map series.
I mean, for Twisted Minds, their team in Tokyo did not want to play this cat-bash, and they did not feel they were great on it, but now maybe starting to become a bit of a strength or a go-to here for them in EMEA as we do see the form of use here.
It'll be the Mog of Stomp as well, but they don't exactly go in off of it.
Match form, backscore it's off the angle.
And the chase down, coming in, big damage coming in, they need a lot of heal.
Just to keep this passion fighting, now the frontline, call it a question.
Fortuistic Minds, Yad though, also getting very low, the damage from the AT&T finds that kill,
but he has to trade his life for it.
Simple, uses that Kiriko teleport.
Ponyastro, deep behind here, this is getting wild and wacky,
but I think Latha just has too much resource behind,
and both supports find their way deep through the fight.
It'll be T.M. finding themselves on the outside, cart rolling for Geekhead.
I think DK is gonna be what they're gonna be suited with like Orbit Array plus Rush here probably for this next fight
I you will have the catnap here for Bunnyastro so some environmental shenanigans and I could be at play
It's huge there you're not gonna have to use any of these ultimates now if you're DK this might be checkpoint Jake
Oh, I think it is, man. I mean, maybe you can get back fast, but as fast as this cat-mashing comp is,
it needs time to work to grind through these setups. But, Lambda, he's the one grinding through the opposition.
He's finding that cat kill out of the air. It's back-breaking. I mean, the fight is essentially over.
That's not a kill we often see, because it's so day-hard to consistently hit that cat port.
Gonna drop the artillery, fire a TNT, gonna run in. They're gonna commit with the rush as well.
Oh, it's once again!
D'Wantz the cat out of the sky, deems through with a hell of a consume a rush port on the low ground
A much more manageable figure in the composition and Tion should be able to clean this one up
Even with the Kiriko assist, yeah, Finn is there on the other side as well
And the advantage that's developing is starting to get seriously threatening
I mean dude, DK getting close to doing what many probably thought was the impossible right doing the reverse sweep here against twisted mines
Gonna be the long little ranger opening things up, and it's gonna be Ziad taking out Yubi.
On the flux, just bite, TBNT crashes down to the ground.
Ziad gonna assist that along, the symbol is out, that's another one of these key ultimates
for the cat fashion style.
Yubi goes over to the tracer in what feels like desperation.
I mean, tracer could be pretty solid in this style, but the problems are mounting.
The push is getting, we're at 82 meters, man.
Twisted Minds have not seen the other side of this map yet.
No, I mean, Artillery here available for Labda, not as impactful as you think it is at like a Tragedy.
Oh, ho, ho, ho, just gets annihilated.
And Labda is just eating it for dinner here on the Bash, an untouchable so far in the map.
Niko out from Tracer getting lost, a back out from the off angle, could be the chased down quartz retreating back to the spawn.
We're pushing towards a potential pool cap.
Yike hitting a mast is B-Bun so far, rush available for Finn.
They've gone so deep on this one, though.
Davey too deep.
You'll be fine as that punish on the LGT.
And he finds another one.
The push it team will stop here for now,
but it doesn't mean you'll take that every day of the week
here for DK.
1, 15 meters to enemy territory.
You don't throw your rush away in a speculative fight.
You save it to match later on.
Twisted mines need a hell of a snowball
to get back into this map.
115 meters to zero.
That can be very difficult for team
to find themselves back into this, is that's going to be the Kitsune Rush you're used by both sides?
Do you get these cage already gone here?
So you do have the Kalex Ball, so you might end up losing Finn here as well.
So you get Sanderson Bo, but the follow-up there doesn't actually get rid of Finn,
and of course uses some of the explosions there, but has to just fire it into the shield of Ziad,
takes himself out as another fight. Does this hit themselves up?
Jake, the media actually closed it out here, right?
Flux plus potentially right into Simwall?
I think they're going to try Simwall.
I mean, Symbol alone.
Grootle in this moment.
time that they just saved the day but they need yet more out of this fight
Quartz will find it with Zod keeping pace matching these kills Kellix, Finn
staying alive deep into the fight, TDNT so long the Naga just barely gets this
shot but she over in front of the face he can't fight a point of damage
Kellix finishes Goobie and with a rush down to the checkpoint Astro imports it
to desperately charge back into the prey but you're asking so much and Zod is
keeping every single answer hypersphere from base and DK
This one out in what three minutes disgusting pace on New Queen Street. What a beatdown
A reverse sweep, but not just a reverse sweep
Beat them down the last two maps an unreal turn there from
GK able to win three straight maps to send themselves to Paris
Friends, I was so ready to make some jokes about Smash, Son has some way gaslighting Jake
into changing his predictions, alas, look, I did not see that coming, especially not,
after just how Jorgen and Twisted Minds looked at map 1 and 2, but somehow after that the
momentum shift alpha-y coming out with that reaper and then everything falls apart like
like this is, just crazy.
And he's a wide mapper I've ever seen.
Like by far, this is like,
somehow every map is a stomp.
Other than Newjung City, I guess,
I could, you know, the Paul was not that bad once,
I was two to one, but there's like so many stumps
and I crazily in a full B05.
I mean, TM1 flashpoint away from going to Paris
ends up losing that one on the final flashpoint
and then just gets absolutely just ran through
on the final two maps.
Just like, what, two, they had two deaths on Circuit.
And this one, I mean, close error, but not like close.
I mean, that's like a five, five minute time.
I mean, they didn't even get a meter in terms of push, right?
It was zero on the other side.
I mean, this is a-
This is crazy.
Again, especially after the showing that we saw
from Twisted Minds and Nepal, and then also of course,
on Neon Junction, right?
Like, I mean, it was the court show
and Paul early on in the series
completely ran away with it.
Like, that's so just like demolished your position.
And then obviously I got super excited
as a Ryan Wontrick, seeing Ryan in action.
I forgot you know Ryan Wontrick, sorry.
I'm back.
I am Ryan Hart, literally.
And this just brought me joy.
So I was so ready.
I don't have talking points set up
for how we're gonna talk about the finding the men on now.
I lost all of that gone, all of that forgotten because somehow DK run away with it.
This is crazy.
I mean, I really think the Kat Bastion is just ill advised into this Sigma poke, especially
with the Mirror Bastion on the low ground.
That's what we learned in Japan is that a mirrored low ground Bastion on a lot of these
maps that are more straightforward just does too much, just deals with the enemy Bastion
out of the sky and then you've committed an entire support pick to do what?
I mean, I also think you could maybe look back to
Newjung City about like we were talking about Jake like maybe just kind of continuing with that cat bastion for too long
Right and some of those objective points that like have like are inside with like out the skybox
I thought so and then they they were clutching so I was like I didn't believe him and then they were making me believe
You know especially with that pressure right from the spa door. It was like, okay, maybe this can work
It's unconventional, but maybe it can raise maybe they started the bad to believe themselves
This has been a comp that's been really successful for them
But speaking of believing in yourself in DK to battle back
They lost a crazy OT fight on flashpoint and then they somehow still clutch out the map
But to come in so incredibly strong speaks to a real poise on this team in in maps 4 and 5
There's not many teams that could be at that place in the series and still deliver such solid performances
I couldn't agree more. The reverse sweep right happening there in front of our very eyes and Kellogg's a player that was part of it and joining us for a quick chat now.
After this insane match, we're kind of baffled Kellogg's like that was you took us on a journey there. You guys were down. Oh, to what was going on in the comms.
What was the talk like for the team in order to somehow shift the momentum and bring it back in this fashion.
I think it was just the classic nerfs in the beginning and then I think we just didn't
play the game, you know, so we just said guys, let's just play the game, relax and yeah,
that's the first step, you know, fundamentals and then we can work from that.
So yeah.
I mean, this is a big win for you guys.
This books your ticket to the midseason championship and it's a win over twisted minds as well,
which has been really a gatekeeper team in this region.
I mean, for a long time, it's been the number one team in the region, a real challenge for
for any team to beat.
So for you guys to get this win now,
to know that you are going to go to Paris
and play on the LAN.
I mean, I'm curious for you,
like what does that mean to you?
Was coming into this team
as a relatively recent addition,
you know, gelling with the group,
to really now have a real vindication of that effort.
Where do you guys see yourselves going, you know,
not only here in this playoff,
but beyond into the eSports World Cup?
Well, first of all, I'm happy to be back at that again,
because last year was actually really fun.
I liked the whole event.
So first, that's really nice.
I'm excited to play and I think Europe is a region. We're pretty strong.
So I'm confident that our team, even the rest of the European teams,
who qualify can actually do quite well.
Yeah. So, you know, it's all just a nice, exciting experience that I'm excited to play and see.
So yeah, that's it.
And obviously you guys qualify for Paris, but stage two not over.
You still have more games in this bracket.
You haven't seen Virtus Pro since week one of this tournament.
And how much do you guys think you've grown as a team since then, and like, can we expect
a closer game versus them?
Yeah, for sure.
The last few weeks we've been scrimmage them every day, so we kind of know what we're playing
and what we're playing, and we go back and forth in the results.
So I think we're also like similar playstyle in terms of comps, so I'm excited to really
battle it out when there's something on the line, because in practice there's nothing
really, but now it really matters, so I'm excited to see who's the best.
So you just said that you scrimmed them a lot, the smash shared the same thing as well in the post match into you there.
Were you able in the scrims to hold anything back? Is there anything you feel like you still have an ace up your sleeves heading into that upper final?
If I'm honest, there's no ace up the sleeve, because we both play the same exact comps.
Maybe we don't play confession, but they rarely do, so maybe they have that advantage, but
you play like mirror comps every map, so you know, it's just we just got to show up on
the day and play better, and then, yeah, that's it.
I mean, for me, I kind of want to come back in this series to Newjunk City, which I think
is a crucial, crucial moment, right?
You guys are down 0-2, and honestly, the first two maps are pretty brutal, like, you know,
Paul is kind of close, but you guys get just demolished by the Rying cheese on map 2.
Coming into new junk city, even the first point goes against you, what is it like in the comms?
Who is there as a team?
Kind of take me inside of the team a little bit.
How do you guys bring that back in that moment?
Where is the communication, the confidence?
Where is the personality of the team to be able to start the reverse sweep?
Because that's the most difficult map, as you well know.
Yeah, I think everyone does a good job of bringing back the mental.
the Arabs, you can really care about the match because it's obviously against
TM, but they especially left it like both left and shadow really good at like
bringing up the motivation and hyping everyone else up like obviously we also
do it before the maps but you know in-game you can really feel it from
those two, Seattle and Lepte.
Awesome, I mean Kelly, it's a mental fortitude from you and the rest of the team which is so impressive.
A reverse sweep here on day one, we can't wait to see all back in action in the
upper bracket final. Congratulations and thank you so much for joining us. Thank you.
Always been tossing to be having a chat with Kellex, an absolute OG back here at the very top,
trying to come out of the champions here in EMEA stage two competitive region.
What an incredible match got them into that upper final. That VP GK match is going to be the one.
That, Sully was one of the weirder series I think we've had.
I saw it coming the whole time, I'm just going to say you guys.
I'm going to pretend Jake's not here.
I went to go look back at the chat because I thought it was interesting.
We started the third map at 2.45, like 3.15, the series was over, the complete opposite direction.
like how how in the last three maps were just like lightning fast three out of five
maps were lost in the way. Yeah. And for different teams. Yeah. I know for different teams it's really
bizarre series but I mean that was an awesome one. Yeah. I want to see more of that. I'm sure
we will be because that's just day one done that we have two more to go before we're crowning a
champion in both EMEA and N.A. so much is still on the line for the remaining teams as well as
Yes, two teams now officially
punched a ticket to the midseason championship,
namely DK and Bird as Pro.
One more team will be joining us,
represented the region,
we're finding out who that's going to be very soon for now.
It's goodbye for Matt and Jake.
Thank you so much for calling the actions.
It was a pleasure to hear you on the mic.
We'll see you again back in action tomorrow.
The NA Opera Procure Tempher Finals are up and next.
So please don't go anywhere.
Here's your short break.
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
you
You
I
We've been blinded for too long Now we've got no strength so good
And we've gone, you've got me free of clothes Got to run, get my broken heart in line
We're moving on, moving on
Moving on, moving on
Moving on, moving on
I'm sick and tired of you
All this time, I've been up to nothing but pain
There's no more to try and we're through
All this time, it ends and up to you
I'll take the step up so I can move on
Then on the run and try
You're not the one I'm looking for
So I can move on, been on the wrong track
You're not the one, you're me
I'm letting step by
So I can move on, been on the wrong track
You're not the one, you're not the one
You've been down the head, you've put too long
Now wake up, don't play so good
And wake on, you got me real close
Oh
You got to take a good look at the night
You got me feeling close
Got you running around
My broken heart and I
We're moving on, moving on
We're moving on, moving on
My broken heart and I
My broken heart and I
We're moving on
What a clean fight for disguise.
That will be the team kill
F's mass to get tree down
That was impressive
Oh my god!
Empty got through the rescue.
Twist of mind, looking to close out the series here.
And take over the trophy.
Khoris has done it so many times before,
and he'll do it again!
Your OWCS 2025 World Finals Champion!
Three, two, one!
Welcome back, everyone.
This is the OWCS Stage 2 Playoffs.
And it's over here, joined by Jack and Johnny
for all things NA.
Now, guys, EMA spent the bar high regarding the entertainment factor in Ken and A follow-up scene.
I'm hoping so, I hope you get some...
Matt 5, here today, the space station, do the next one, might not go all the way to Matt 5, I think it's a four, it's a four, Matt, please.
Anything would do, anything, particularly the drums.
So, guys, I mean, if we're looking at the, yeah, if we're looking at those bad things here in EMA, I feel like it was more predictable than EMA, okay?
Okay, like I feel like everything kind of shook out the way we expected
Big surprises, little bit of ties, no three-way ties
Didn't feel like that
It felt like it was dominant, that was cool, yeah it really didn't
Like it felt like it was all just like, whoa, like the Xi'an players popping off
Wow, it was so unexpected
And then everything just kind of set them like exactly like
You kind of thought it would, I guess space station, you know
We'd probably have them second going into this stage and that was few of the best team
but besides that 3-0 upset I suppose yeah everything is pretty much normal no need to worry like would you just calm down just be chill
that's that's right like this is the the this is a safe zone and a is a safe zone for a channel point betting
okay uh now if we're looking at our bracket here for our playoffs ssg had to pick up the litter and
they went with lunax they met in week two and it was quite frankly it was a very long side of the pair
was the only match in fact around the next, didn't even win a map in this
series. Other than that they played pretty close and pretty well against most other teams.
That said though, as she kind of made everyone look scrubby, so that's just a dominant team.
Yeah, they look so amazing though.
Fight, what, 5-0 plus 13? Oh, I just did. This team is just so sick.
like
There's no words. There's only emotions fire. You see motion. Yeah, we project our feelings
And a therapy session
But they've looked good in like like the old metacop with the cat fashion also like the new bit of what the jump to
are you guys just so sick man? Like revitalize completely, just do well at a land, do well
at a land, do well at a land, like, we're a map.
I think that's the vengeance, that's the vengeance they're coming into, right? Because
they kind of bombed out so roughly in Japan, like they want to do better, they can do better,
they have what it takes, they play the seiches really really smart, right? The timings are
great, the engages and disengages are great, they look cohesive, they have a good grasp
good idea on the meta and their style within it. So yeah, I think this SSG can be a contender for sure
and they definitely are setting their eyes on the price here because if they win their first bout
they punched their tickets already in the season championship. Now also of course on the other
side of the bracket or like still the upper side of the bracket but like the other match, I don't
know what I mean, that is fuel. They are left with a team liquid. They of course have also played
They're in a group search and so it's around Robin. So it's kind of obvious but yeah
That was back in week two. So some time has gone past sins and this was a one-sided affair team liquid
Did steal away one single a map new junk city, but other than that. It was pretty much just out of fuel like let's be real
It was one of those losses where you couldn't really take anything with you. You're just like, all right go next like
We just got actually dominated on all maps
maps. What it was away says here on Dorado, everyone just looks silly on Dorado against
Talos Fuel. So, you know, if you're team Liquid, like, don't worry too much. They did win New
Junk City. And I do think that the changes to the map pool are quite good for team Liquid.
So maybe they'll have a better time just around.
Okay, I'm excited. Let's take a look at our map pool in case you missed it over in EMEA.
We already saw a new map that has been added recently into our map pool today.
Fine.
Whatever, this sentence makes no sense.
But the new map that has recently been added to the game and now has been added into our
map pool, there we go, I've got there, it took a little while, but that's okay.
Yeah, Neil Junction, we already saw it in action.
It's looking to be an exciting map, especially in this meta.
Now the push changes could be a little rough for some teams.
Atlas back in the mix.
Junker town. I know Jack and I are
Gadsford. Big fan. Big fan.
Biggest hater on Junker town.
Alright, come on now. We had a
conversation pre-show about Junker town. Yeah, we don't need
nothing. Save here.
We will be rehashing
what we talked about over there, Johnny.
There's some interesting Widowmaker
Hunts of Comps back in our workshop about that.
So I guess if you're a fan of double sniper
comps, then yeah, maybe Junker Town is your
channel.
I'm not a fan of Neo Junction though. I like
And we're gonna get just that in Paris very very soon because the mid-season championship is so so very
Close at the end of this map. We will map month. I don't operate in
Anymore anyway, and of the month we're gonna abort them planes and you can too or maybe you live there
Then definitely drop by get 50% off 15 not 50
that would have been a real deal. I lost, I could only offer you 15% like I actually make the offers that rules here. I don't have that power. But yeah, Scandi QR code is what I'm saying.
Johnny, you're a massive fan of Paris.
Yeah, I've been once for 20 hours. I love it. And I was there for a war tournament.
And then I went home to my Swedish village again. So that's been my time in France.
But look, I'll say this so, I'll say this so, okay? Last year at Mitzu Championship,
the crowd was way more into it. They're like cheerful than I actually anticipated.
like they popped off in Rio, they really made it so electric to watch those games.
I'd say the French crowd is the one crowd that I trust to kind of like rival that.
The French crowd is always electric as well.
So I'm really looking forward to the new season in championship,
just to see how the crowd can rally behind some of these teams.
Yeah, the French crowd always shows up.
Those fans are insane and that will motivate those teams to do extra well when they are on stage.
Now, let's find out which two teams from NA will be definitely going to joining us on that very stage.
We're going to have SSG coming up first. They've been, you know, definitely the upper dog in this region.
They've looked like world beaters. They looked untouchable for any of those teams.
So it's going to be a tall order to go up against for Lunax.
Yeah, SSG, this stage, you've just been the team, but you can't really point them.
I would say it might be a little bit dangerous going into an international competition, because
if you've been stomping a region this hard, then going into an international and playing
against teams that you've not been streaming, you've not been playing over the course of
the last couple of months or so, it might be a little bit dangerous going into an international
competition.
international and playing against teams that you've not been streaming, you've not been playing
over the course of the last couple of months or so. It might be a tougher art for SSG. Although,
just in the taste test, just in the eye test, this team does look so good. We know they can do well.
And yeah, I don't think there's going to be a competition or like a meta shift or any way,
so SSG, they're going to be locked in no matter what happens.
Yeah, yeah, that sounds about right. They did send the interview though that they did screen
an EMEA team and they kind of like underestimated how good EMEA was.
So maybe that also helps to your playing jobs, maybe that helps just like wait a minute like
we think we'll go with it but we're actually not go with it so we gotta practice order
and keep and learning even more so that maybe set the parlor that's for instance a championship
but they gotta make it there first. Yeah that's right but that reality jack definitely came in
time and now they just have to best one single team in order to qualify for the mid-season championship
and then the rest they can figure it out with that right for now though let's take a look at the underdog of our first series here
It's blue makes maybe the underdog, but then this is the people's champion
Okay, we want to see those players on the alarm. They think you're grinding in that for so many years
We've been part of all of their journeys for such a long time. So the opportunity is literally within reach
maybe not in this first match, but then maybe in the lower bracket because
it's gonna be it's gonna be an up high uphill battle against SSG. Yeah, nothing to lose though, right?
Absolutely. I think with them not having that experience too if they managed to make it that's
gonna be such a massive blessing for the more like imagine like having your first land be like
that would be would be ridiculous. I think like you said Zoe, everybody's sharing from right now
and I hope they do well. SSG though might not be the series they get.
That's okay. It's just a warm up and then they battled with a lower bracket.
I believe. I see it. I'm manifested. That's the vision, okay?
We want to see them succeed, but SSG has been absolutely dominant
and that's why for the predictions, you just kind of have to go with SSG.
Got to vote for the brain, not with the heart.
Yeah, yeah, same. That's it. SSG.
I've already got too much otherwise. I've already kind of picked them up.
already kind of picked them up. I'll put it down and pick them up. Yeah, it's SSG.
Yeah, SSG are the favorites. But you look, we've been surprised before.
Like maybe Luna's got something up to sleeve. You never know with the new map pool what the SSG is your favorite.
Never stop believing, Johnny. You're a good guy. I like Hopium. I love Hopium. I make the Hopium.
That's right. Put it in our veins straight in there. We're ready for our first series here in N.A. in our
offer bracket semifinal loot eggs going up against ssd guys take it away yes thank you
very much sorry yeah johnny i will say your hopium level is almost like 2022 yaki kind of
hopium level what sorry you lost both bro can you explain please can i explain when everybody is
i also believe that yaki was going to be the one of the greatest players but oh unfortunately
I didn't know that, sadly.
Yeah, it wasn't a great day for us Yaki heads.
I can't speak to that.
No hate against Yaki, but I was not on board that day.
Yeah, but there definitely was a community.
It was a group of people.
Oh, yeah.
Half-size community.
And he bet the house on it, and he lost the house.
So, yeah.
SSG, their rank 1 coming in, Johnny.
They are number one seed.
They are the top dogs.
They are the strongest team in North America right now, not dropping a series, barely dropping any maps.
Lunex coming into the 40th, being chosen by SSG2, so straight thrown into the corner in a match-warner playoffs.
Yeah, this is going to be an interesting one.
Lunex, obviously, the way they've been winning matches is through the brilliance of Somba.
They've done tremendous work on the Xeon release ahead of week two.
And then also Zed playing as Orisa. That is kind of the ace up their sleeve, except the ace has been on full display now for months on end here for Lunex.
And so, versus G, you know what you're going to deal with. Now it's all about execution.
Yeah, cap action at 4, SSG.
I love that point too, because Zed has been fairly easy to tug out on maps that Orisa isn't really strong.
And if you'll hold 2, you're going to be, you're going to be so hard as being in the pitch van as well.
There is a team of Apple who next at this first map, so they're hoping that one really early
Good kill onto top of some sugar free or he's taking the high ground forcing the lamp out of the back teeth to
Cx 10 she's rolling away in the distance there sugar free is gonna get piloted all the way to his backline now
There's a deal with both said them why I'd extend who she gives Hawke but the points gonna be sg's and the confidence from as it's
G it's just unbelievable
The way they're navigating this cat fashion
composition to get the most out of the turret mode and lethal just roaming on
this castle as well doing so much damage into lunix it's almost like you got so
much to deal with if you're lunix you're trying to protect yourself from
the bastion while at the same time just being aware of everything else going on
it's it's a tough composition to face your full lunix is it trying to get a grip
I love the left and high got high ground control with the castle I think it's so
no import to put your cast up here.
Zombo, no Tracer, over to Reaper.
Something that else can kind of counteract this Orisa coming out from North,
but also get in the face of Lethal too, that TP up to high ground.
Let's take a substantial amount of damage.
Requires Admiral to pay him a little bit of attention.
You may send him to point the lab,
but it looks like Hawke actually ignored the frontline of Lunax complaining
just ran down X-10.
They do trade for sugar-free, but SSG,
they're in a decent spot still.
Hawke's coming up on all.
Orbital raise once, money holds the fight, it's going to be able to steal the steam home, if Alunix is uncapped.
Yeah, they can hold pretty here on the point 4 now.
As long as Hawke can contest here, I mean, we got a bastard in the sky to help cover lethal here now.
Look at that, I don't quite catch anyone here but Alunix under self-affection.
Try to go for the Cat Noon, Zee on the high ground.
She's completely isolated right from the rest of the team like that.
Eris is going to be there to peel for you in some regards, but Zee also wants to play a little bit more aggressive.
You want to get on angles with that, right? You want to be almost ultraviolet in the way that you pay back to East.
Just go in for aggressive plays, but it's tough against this cat comp, who can just, what a cast they wrap on your face.
Yeah, we saw in that previous fight, Sombra almost playing the indoors of the lighthouse itself.
And I feel like Lunex here, they don't really have anything to deal with all the damage coming their way.
Lugo, dead eye though. That's always an opportunity to get an entry into these fights.
Katnune, or Skynune, whichever one you want.
XN doesn't land a shot.
Zombo goes down, despite that orbital ray going off.
But XN gets flattened.
But then why actually, with a good Katnap, kill Sugarfree.
April now alone, away from the rest of the team.
Zombo and Zed still alive, and they do Katpapo through that fight.
Pre-emptive push there from SSG, with Ultra Violet using the ray.
And that's normally a fight winner, but it found nothing.
Yeah, and that felt like a street getting a little bit ahead of themselves, right?
right? Like they were positioned so far forward that allowed Lunex to kind of rotate two wards to
point and then like you said the Skyrim made things real difficult versus G as well. Still though
99% just need one fight now to close this roundout and Lunex forced to make a bit of a move here,
try to get some value out of this batiste before SSG get aerial dominance when we test back in.
Well looks like they're trying to set up the Zombo shirt. He's got Death Blossom,
However, Z is already dead.
You saw the idea there from there, why looking as on the just teleporting that Reaper straight into the backline, but the fight was already done.
Now someone just dies with ults. There's the pick, there's the C-Terracell from Z, the last Pharah for Lunix on this round.
The C-Captain, only 43% on the other side.
I think Space Station Johnny, they're just playing at a different tempo, like they're playing quicker than Lunix from Reakti.
Yeah, I mean, let's be honest, that was not close Joss.
They absolutely dominate it. And this has been SSG throughout this entire stage, because I talk about sugar-free, obviously having the aerial control on the Bastion, and then we saw lethal flanking on the Castle as well.
But in the middle of that round, Hawk was the one going on a flank, and sort of pushing around the team of Lunix and finding that opening frag.
And so they're just so confident in their ability to control the objective, and then also hit Lunix from all these angles.
Well, this is a team that is playing with full confidence and I think throughout the series
It's going to be a real tough task for Lunex to deal whatever space engine is throwing their way
I mean, this has been the same story for the whole stage that confidence
You don't normally see the Orisa like you mentioned die bomb a Cassidy is it's quite rare
Holds for filer on the honor on this map. I mean putting the honor on this high ground see
Yeah, this is going to be tough. I mean you can't really peak the honor so you're just
gonna force to force it to put pressure elsewhere here, but this is going to be an SD you can
sit back here and just get so much benefit off this honor like they don't want to push
too far away from both of the side angles here. We can see how much healing and damage
is pushing out here. You can scrape as well if you're ultraviolet. You can scrape here
It looks like UP does enough. Just getting back down to ground, but it would be a moment's
noticeable Admiral can just pop it back up on the height if he so chooses. It's got
like a SIMTP and yeah, there you go. I just said it.
I thought the Tracer's going to try and deal with Ultra Violet now, but instantly, April
turning 180 degrees, helping out Ultra Violet, keeping him alive and that frontline duel
is one hand elite by Space Station. This boy is just so strong for honor if you get
in a spot where she's unkillable and this is also sg recognizing that looting someone playing the
cat bastard themselves right because if there was a cat bastard on the enemy team like suddenly
you're really thinking the honor being played at all here but now recognizing that he's playing
the category someone's on the tracer it tried to put pressure here but you know that someone's
gonna be here to help out will cover that where is admiral in a moment like this okay
Okay, let's push forward with the Sky Nude actually.
At least we'll find some pick.
Yep, and oh my.
That third shot was crazy.
And yeah, all the meanwhile, Ultraviolet is dueling Zomba, who's extremely low.
Both of them set each other low, and then UV gets healed.
Zomba can even use Pulse either, so...
Let's look at Zomba. We've seen the same clip three times, got me.
Zomba in the same spot, he's gonna blink up onto this high ground.
Okay, that works.
Okay, it works when you've got the ult.
Alright, there's a player down now.
Sombra goes low, hits the recall, high noon, sky noon.
The X-10, over the point.
Spear's been used by Hall.
Just stand up, going down low, eventually fell.
That gold and giving him extra resistance towards the very end of that.
So it wasn't a guaranteed kill from X-10.
I'll say it's half a fight.
So you got two, Johnny. Just kill the honor.
Good pulse.
Just kill the honor for it.
It's that easy.
It's always easier now when you have point control because now the Ana can't really set up.
What is my X-10 here? Okay, we're going to swap over to the Bastion.
We'll be able to get back here relatively quickly too, but SSG now.
Able to set up. Ultima has this Nano in hand.
I guess it's going to come out onto Sugarfree here.
Got a ton of damage.
Reunited, so, yeah, there's an Anabasian.
Whoa, Sugarfree has to just pop, oh, a sleep bug to X-10.
Deem the sky as well. Catnap, and then my drag should be off the edge.
But it's a 3v3 now. Space station's still with two ults, sugarfree in trouble.
Pops to bastion form, though, and I was on, but a quick kill onto sugarfree.
Who's gonna meet next? Who next? The rest of the gang.
Ah, who's gonna win that fight?
Do you think sugarfree tried to, like, parry there?
Because there was an orbit of ray on the battlefield,
and just recognizing there was a lot of damage coming their way?
Yeah, well, essentially, yeah.
Yeah, which they would be out of bonus area.
Hit the Dark Souls, Barry.
Yeah, but come on, I like the Timonauts.
I like it, yeah, you got a little bit of help.
I like it.
Oh, it's Lethal.
What is happening here?
Oh, I see what's happening.
Yeah, but an X-Head just throwing themselves
into Lethal's own bank.
A little rough there from a Lunax.
They just need to get run over.
Again, the idea was there, X-10.
And then, well, I get a four-position kill, Lethal.
But the high noon damages this, plus the heals.
Yeah, that's not working out nine times out of 10,
Unfortunately, it gets found as well.
Touch that top 10 for Lunex, they lost their tracer.
Yeah, they need to make a move now.
X-10 has to come up big time here with the turret mode,
but already it's G, they control the point.
Zep's got to touch here as well.
Touches, oh, an amazing Terrasurge.
Kitsetsu comes in for Zep.
Sugarfree goes down, eventually there is X-10,
is he airlifted into battle.
Kitsetsu still has his Terrasurge,
so Borg's gonna succumb to that.
Once Ragnar is the open again, we're the rest of the Lunex can focus fire.
The cat in disguise gets focused down by Zeph, so actually Lunex, on what was a horrible first pick there,
for then they ended up losing Sombra. Come out on top anyway.
Why was Sugarfree so far in the frontline?
I think Hawk was obviously trying to do some work with the Terrasurge holding people up like he said,
but Sugarfree gets caught on the Bastion and now 86% here, X10, looking for targets,
but so tough to get value for their ultimate.
Ultraman has to nano.
This needs to get value if his team wants to win this round.
Here we go.
Nano, Lito, Nano, my dude.
I mean, what's scary is that?
Drops straight on the cat.
But the cat's a little bit too quick.
You're shocked.
Yeah, my torch is out of the way.
Lito's got to hit a couple here.
All right, it's up to the supports then, I suppose.
Ultra Violet kills two in the end.
That high dude could have been the end of it all.
And luckily, of course, Lito has got the teammates
to back him up.
SSG 2-0, Ilios.
Yeah that looked comfortable. That looked pretty clean, although I will say as in Street, as much as we glaced this team because they've been amazing in stage 2.
I feel like every series is a little bit eventful. Like they win all the maps, but somehow the middle of the maps, the actual execution of the map wins.
It looks a little shaky at times. Like let's remember when they beat Lunax 3.0 in week 2. They went to overtime.
it went the distance almost or it did actually on Newjunk City and so they did
take very close even though it was an SSG 3.0 and I feel like we're getting a similar
kind of outcome here we'll have to see what they have in store for map 2.
Yeah I could agree with that sentiment. It does feel there's something
something crazy happens in the SSG series despite them not even losing a single one
and losing barely any maps as well. Yeah we're in nice stuff to start off with.
I made it for a little bit of juice, honestly, I'm here for the random, like random acts of violence coming from the next.
Yeah, I mean, even Sombos pulls from that will stay in the memory for a little bit, just like so fed up with ultraviolet on the ledge that I'm going to essentially stand still, blink in, hit the pause, and finally we got the on or down.
We can, we can win a team fight five versus four.
So yeah, it's very entertaining towards us.
You dominate.
It's always fun.
We've got it guys. We've got another one.
So I tell you what you can get as well if you're watching right now on YouTube or Twitch
is the new drops that are available currently.
So make sure you link your Battle Nerd account to YouTube slash Twitch and start earning
yourselves some drops.
A couple of eSports loopholes are up playoffs.
So yeah, you're looking forward to that one I'm sure and the ODBCS Maldon.
There you go.
Now I was playing in a played spot, not permanently, but he's speaking his head in there.
Oh, no, that's Malga. Wait, they just built the same.
They built the same. Dude, they're both like giants. Like, is this silhouette? Yeah, no,
no, no. I mean, Malga's beast. It's bloke. Okay. I know, I know the Malga Reaper in
I think the NMEA wasn't everyone's favorite, but I have been liking a little bit of Maga here and there.
You know, even with some cat fashion.
Yeah. Come on. We're not going to be on Junction though.
At least today.
Or the next two, surely we're going to, I mean, you get it over the next two days. I really want to cast the Red Launcher.
There's so many little Easter eggs on the map. I did a good job of adding like so many little bits and pieces.
New map? No. Kings Road.
No. We go back to the map that was released in 2017.
It's uh, it's it's over 10 years
Yeah, so who cares about that came out one month ago or the tenure of math
Oh, yeah, the tenure of math these honey old man barely any change. I think actually here's one to Tony
How many changes they made to Kings?
I
Know they added me out of spawn the big boss never used to be there
overall like it's not it's not been on nimbani kind of map you know like overall it's pretty
reliable and that's kind of a perfect map it hasn't had many changes in 10 years it's
it's not so the map is so old now that we have like king's row of vintages of like which meta
did he prefer him we got the 2017 kings row we got 2021 kings row like which which which kind of
I did enjoy when attack used to be all double sniper. It's just like we're going to roll out
We take the high ground for free and we play gonna make a Hunso
That was before the defense figured out that high ground is actually beneficial and we're going to try and take it
Yeah
someone in the 26
they were like
No, bro high grounds good when you have it on the offense you can shoot down at people
Dude, the Romans were thinking that, man.
Like, what are we saying, man?
They even knew about the high ground to the low ground.
Come on, you ever went sun-zoom there?
Come on, come on.
Yeah, yeah, you have some great tactical innovators
back then for the Romans and the Greek.
Yeah, they were.
Oh, I think it was so much.
Great tactical innovators, grabbing the high ground
and also the Lucio's not playing on the ground permanently.
I mean, the first battlefield general
that's figured out that angles is good. I mean, we should just credit that general for like doing great work there and it's beating it over to 2026. We're still, we're still the point.
Yeah
That way you know in a castle if you look outside some of the walls especially English classes
If you look from the outs the inside out
The slits in the walls that you could fire your boat. They're much wider on the inside than the outside
Do you have room for move on the outside? It's just like a very thin split
So you can't I mean I mean come on now angles, baby
Whoever came up with that give them a race
Give them a raise give them an extra copper coin for their troubles
Patience that that's brilliant. I didn't even think of that, but they did way back when when they started building
I mean genius idea. Yeah, they weren't commentating Roman light or like battles like being you a commentator right now
Yeah, they did
Well, King's Row. We're here. We're so back. Lethal jumping on the ash. Okay. We've seen a little bit more ash than I'm
I'm always surprised to see ash actually when sojourn is available
But I don't hate it especially on this map sigma ban and a she on ban
You've got to get that out of the hands of Zomber and I think this is a really good match to do it as well
There are a lot of nice little off angles you can take with that character especially on this person second point
So look though X10 then why back on the cap action
Okay, interesting.
Oh, seven at the border!
Me, though!
Watch out!
Okay, good.
Good, good.
Oh!
Sombra's not in Sombra.
Sorry, got a Baskin.
Okay, no turret form, pay 8-10, and guess who's behind them?
Oh, let's go!
Flank!
No solo one.
Yeah, with this may as well, it's gonna be very tough for Lunex to actually contest
this high ground.
It goes out there to have a staggered Horde right now, but Horky's having the worst time
any tank player could possibly have.
An arrest of a high-diver basking in front of him, both unloading clips, forcing him to hit Nemesis 4, port goes down.
Lethal though ends up on a killing spree somehow, with his armor coming back from spawn and immediately sent back on the fara.
I said, gee, they've lost ground though. Zeb is on the point, Captain.
It is noteworthy that they were able to kill Aramatra, who was blocking that way, so take that into your rankings.
There's a decent progress here, but gotta be careful here as this may kind of re-engage it.
They have a pretty stable composition here, but Lunex, they're pretty happy just poking from far away for the time being.
Right, there's the ult, come up.
Surely you need to just get out, yeah, there's the teleport, there's the sidestep, no problem.
All kills, Tnemy's in form, and now the battle's in trouble.
Instant freeze, and a good headshot, follow up 2 on Z.
It's shot from sugar-free.
Yeah, the one thing you can't let the Mei do is just get behind your team like that.
Get on that Bastion, that's a no-go.
If you're Lunex, they got 52% low, only a single tick.
Two minutes to go.
So I think it was kind of noteworthy that Sombra actually, for a quick moment,
swapped over to the Pharah, thinking maybe they can out-poke the composition that SSG has,
because it is a very slow composition.
The Romateron may paint together lots of health in the frontline.
front line and so the options for a lunix are hope or they don't want to wrap
around and put pressure on the back line and having a tough go at it at the
minute add one also but it's a great job staying alive yellow spot to do big
flying on statue you already saw the Arissa oh man why drop basically oh
wait wait oh that poor sad cat did you see the body of my wall behind the wall
oh that's rough hope dead though it's not let's just need to get up the tempo
They need to just get in there. Rush is definitely going to help with that. Get Zeb in the mix. Get him in the back line. Get him here and then ult.
Lunix are going to get two ticks. Hawks coming back in just a moment. There's another rush. There's a chance here. Four space stations to touch, but they're not going to.
They don't want to over exert themselves on this push.
Yeah, the time for Lunix to go was when Hawk went down. I'm curious if Hawk overextended there for a brief period.
Maybe following that kill to Nendu I had an opportunity to retreat and just keep doing your thing on D-Tens.
But the Remarker goes down and that was go time for Lunaxe.
We're not pushing onto the second point here.
Looks like we can't quite bend a thing.
Orbit the Wraith from that one.
Hit that Torque there.
Yeah, Orbit the Wraith.
Ravel, do you say Horp who got dropped in the backline?
But probably not the member you want to go for a hit that month.
Seriously, if it was aimed at Horp or someone else,
and you just accidentally grabbed the Remarker instead.
I think I'm the best not yet
again, but now comes the pain
the torture for Zed as he has
to fight against this may wall.
They managed to get it out of
him thus far, but Horng does
have an all available in just
a moment. They're even gonna
rush it again. Just keep off the
tempo place. He used a couple
of fights. Go meaning that he's
definitely not gonna have it.
Terrorist is using us a quick
back off from SSG as they
fight and joke again. I felt
like this is so difficult for
Linux. Yes, they unlocked the
first point here, but overall
Relatively easy to play free a lot of pressure onto objective here. Lunax. They need playmakers. Can somebody it?
You already forced the teleport there. You see much for the suzu. Okay, there it is just came out blues and now fought by
Sugar free
Isolating seven the corner they can get this kill do a really good look
But a quick suzu is gonna help them escape alive and now it's on that again pilot on the pressure with the tracer
But they get shooting into a rematch. It's just not a good angle here
Zomba desing the postbomb to carry potential to the tracers is so damn high, but Zomba just needs to connect
So has to get sooner or here it's going to drop it actually and this is really making some progress here now
But this is she they're waiting calm here as they build towards this double support open of no need to kind of rush things here as well
Keep pulling these corners and might be from hogs well onto somebody with the tracer gone
Like there's no one really here for Loomix to make that thing to win this fight back
Then why goes in for the catnap just get shut down
Yeah, it was a right click from sugar free that connected the zombies face and walk with a quick follow-up
Rocking what that is up at the Atlas?
It is sick
All right couple swaps here. I actually quite really like the soldier and swap here from extent
We're going to get a lot of energy and a rail gun pick could be everything you need here
against an SSG backline. That is quite fragile but it's so much value. Samba over onto the
Reaper as well. He's going to aid in that front line duel versus Hawk and Sugarfee.
A lot of ultimates here for SSG. Just a minute fifteen to drain his heroes.
With Hinder, wow, this is the true hero. Really wants to make sure he's on the stage alive there.
There's the rush, splits the team up. Ultra Violet goes down though ahead of the game.
Was a UZ in the fight but Lethal just sends it down solo.
And with only a minute to go, Lunex got to make a choice. I think Zeb's gonna try and make something of this fight.
But Lethal's already found another kill with the Hainu, and a policy to separate the team again to Zeb is just having no real conviction in this fight.
There's not really a point where Zeb's in a position where he can succeed, if there was like, as Lunex the force to reset.
Yeah, but I think you just have to take that fight loss as a street. It's off the
kids sooner rush the blizzard and dead as well from lethal. This needs to be the
fight now and they've started building up to it some after these
compositional swaps 25 seconds. It's going to be a long second point if
winners are going to make this one up with so much pressure on to the back end
already. Yeah, both the Cp and the Suzu and now it's on the annihilation. Extends dead.
Only damage now is Zomber realistically. If he's been walled off, he has to shoot
two silver bulls killed lethal hunting lichens right now
let's see that's the ace the lethal there at the very end I mean come on
there's like a bounty on each one of their heads man SSG hold off that first
point everyone was just shooting the romagra and it's like surely we can
kill the ram right? like he'll die here surely surely you know lethal just
cleans up everyone in the meantime yeah then literally just shooting the ram I
mean and then lethal gets nice even pro players are naive enough to think that
you can actually kill a broken ramatra that ass the bronze james when he uses
all his cooldowns on an ultimate rematch right yeah it happens it happens to the very best
i mean that is that is kind of the same though lethal has just kind of been chilling throughout
this entire series so far even on elios sugar-free you know in the sky on the bastard doing tons of
work and lethal just on the caster you just chill in roaming getting picks 5k to wrap things up there
on the defense I think that is the Cassidy player mindset almost like the ranked Cassidy players
are just kind of their vibe maxes they're just there in it for the ride they're gonna click a
couple of heads maybe get a cool clip like straight chilling yeah if someone mains casted it for
like that's a queen flag oh yeah what's the red flag who they made it for it to be a red flag
Oh, we can't talk about this.
Oh, we have to.
No, we can't. We can't talk about this.
I'm just gonna shout.
It's him. I'm sorry. It's him.
I said it. I said it.
It's a red flag if they're playing simp.
I will not speak.
Sombra on the flank here?
I'm Tracer.
They're holding the whole way at high ground in the big 26.
They've got it. They've got it.
They've lurked from 2016.
Oh, that hit shot was a Zombra from lethal.
Now this is really lethal.
Leethal is the best on this Hanzo.
Tree's been a nasty Hanzo, Leethal as well.
I think Hanzo's in North America.
They've got something to it.
There's something there.
They do make the character look different.
And Space Station, by the way, they flipped the map completely on Linux.
Linux is now forced to take Hotel and the Attack side.
Zombie is going to get forced for Recall.
Leethal is extremely low, but there's a Kiriko right next to him
and a cat that's flying in to provide emergency aid.
There is a couple of kills for SSG, but only lose some sugar-free and with no Suzu, it's Lunex and their days being fairly numbered.
There it is. Played up good. SSG are gonna get...
Yeah, I think it's so tough to kind of brawl against this Mei and this D.Va, all the meanwhile the Hanso is flanking around,
getting you from the back as well. It's a tough time for Lunex, and I think I'll swap over to the Mizuki here as well.
they haven't really found anything to get going here and as a GT there's kind of
figured out that I think the missing ingredient here is the North American
house of players like they just have confidence like they're just chaps they
like what about like yeah also Michael P. the best hero guess what
party dragon good work good work hope you get something well I can't work out
you know I mean on Kings especially a kill
Don't randomly get headshot by the main
They're gonna use this rush really early on but has got post pop in hotel
They're just trying to use ults here early to get an advantage just to get positioning on this main choke for SSG
Especially with Hawk and the Teeva, it's hard for them to actually do that.
Sure, we can get a Bury on Choke, but we can also just run around you and then flank.
Then we're going down to Storm Arrows, and Lunex, honestly, a little bit confused right now.
Then look at the confused kind of way to look.
Zombus holding down the fort in the front line.
Zed's going to use this Terrasurge, but Johnny, I hate to break it, it might just be all over.
SSG popped the Blizzard on, the point.
Hort gets another kill and that will be that. No real chance for a touch as X10 is the final
one to fall. That space station going 2-0 up. One more map away from securing themselves
about that. Yeah, I mean, let's just be real. The viewers
are seeing what we're saying. This has just been an absolute team gap so far. SSG just
playing on a different level so far in Stage 2. Boston keeps Suna Rush a little early from
Maybe did it allow us G to retreat them back off? Yeah, maybe but you're up against SSG
It's it's so tough. You want to make a play you want to be the first one to me drop an old be proactive in your game
Play I don't play in blueness for doing that, but this is she first like the one step ahead at the moment
They disengage from the kids sooner as they wrap around and then I can't nap pull in and then me
Enemy member and finish them off in your five versus four situation to close out the map SSG
They're just on a different level
One death for Abra, one death for Sugary, I believe Sugary ended last, bad one, zero death for Sugary.
No, it's not a zero death for Sugary. Last round is what I meant, not last round.
So, he only died once, and that was on that final round there. Crazy stuff from SSG.
Yeah, one map away from going to Paris mid-season. It's looking good for SSG, and you know, even if you're underestimating the EMEA teams a little bit,
You still got a lot of time to scream.
You still got a lot of time to practice.
Well, it's, what, 26 days away before day one of mid-season.
So, yeah.
Well, you really are counting on the dates.
Every broadcast, you got a day count on log.
It's impressive, honestly.
I'm ready for another LAN.
Yeah.
It's going to be a fun LAN for sure.
Yeah.
Tickets are available right now as well.
So we already showed the barcode,
but just in case you missed it, there it is on your screen.
15% off your tickets with the code OW 15
You've just spoiled our negotiation tactic on the broadcast. What are you doing?
All right, it's coming up a couple of weeks maybe three weeks
I can't the narrow down the weeks. I'm not sure but I know it's 26 days away. So it is not
Too long France is going to be a good time. Really a fun. Hopefully not too miserable in the heat
That is something kind a little scared of but you'll be a good AC conditioned arena
That is really important really important we need the AC. Yeah, honestly, yeah, that's that's a good job
That's a good job. You never know. No, I think this is a G team
I don't think it needs saying, but if they play like this, if they play like this, they
will be winning maps, unlike a champions clash where honestly this team just felt flat,
they're motivated, they have horrible screens going into the event itself.
This is just the SSG that we've been waiting to see, and they've been shining throughout
this entire stage.
I'm really looking forward to actually see how they match against some of these EMEA
teams.
Obviously EMEA is the better region, I think we can both agree on that.
Steel but you can't want to see a little bite from North America like that was fuel SSG
You want to see them take it to EMA and I think with SSG putting up performances like this it is possible
New junk city, but we're just going back to we're gonna pretend we don't have a new map
We pros like familiarity I will say that
Yeah, I wouldn't say I wouldn't say you don't you don't want to go into the unknown when the tournament light is on the line
And so you there are so many maps in the pool that like realistically you can't excel at all of them
And so you just kind of like
You know pick a map like new Queen Street. Just like okay. Well, we're not going to practice new Queen Street as much
but
It's like everyone wants to practice New York City
Yeah
is the consistent with like you
say is the consistent one series
in the last bad boys in this
one. So yeah, make sense.
Bastion ban and it's sorry about
for the other side. So, okay,
I look at the tanks again.
Thanks. You're always going to
be off the board in this series.
I think said there's been a real
difference maker for Lunax
throughout the stage, although
when it comes to hero pool for
said very, very good on the
ERISA. So now having that band
here, you're smiling. Good. So
you can just run it back with
this kind of brute force or
Rissa plate and then we're
that X10 and Sombra can kind of show up on New Jump City, want to go to extra maps today, but SSG
it is just a team death, uh, current moment, huh? Yeah, I mean, if you just take a step back here,
Joss, and you were thinking like, okay, what is, what is Lunix win condition in this series to upset
SSG? The only thing they really excel at is the Brawl style, when Cervus either on the Saria
or on the Orisa. The issue is SSG and this new look of theirs in stage two, they make way more
swaps and they talked about this in the interviews, they're just way happier to flex over to these
different kinds of heroes. So you have Sugarfree playing Mei, Sugarfree playing Symmetra, Ultramanet,
playing Wu Yang, Hawk, you know, playing Sigma, he's been brilliant on that hero for throughout
his entire career. And so you're looking at Lunax or anything, okay, like if you play Brawl
really good, you have a chance against SSG. The problem is SSG, they adapt so very well,
and they feel like they can play so many different compositions now in stage two.
Realistically, it feels like they'll always have the upper hand in the compositional matchups
and that just makes for a terrible time for Lunex.
The secret weapon is finally being showcased on the Shion.
Oh, by the way, last map.
And this map, I'd say, is even better for the Shion to be there.
So you're going to be pretty happy if you're Lunex.
Although against the Cassie, how do you think about that matchup, the Shion versus Cass?
Because at the moment the cast does feel exactly strong, even with how good she honestly is.
I mean, I feel like every time we see a cast on the battlefield, like the Cassidy can't pass the opportunity to take over the game.
And obviously, our Uncle Tosichio can do so as well.
But I think Lunis is going to have a tough time at finding these opportunities.
Really collapse onto SSG.
And you can see, SSG, how actively they are rotating around the map here.
They don't even want to give Lunis a win.
The point is unlocked, and so Seb is putting pressure on it.
pressure on it was actually somewhere for the time being so SSG we don't have to force your positioning here somewhat
They're in a 45 that entire time sugar free died super early and the lunatics are still not able to kind of collect kills and
fitting it 10% as well SSG they just sneak the point away
That's gonna try and get this girl won't go in again, but zombies already down a suzu a ton of healing off
They're just sent towards that too
He's really is just like not to borrow a phrase from Enre, but he is just a living weapon.
Even I eat a bite.
Oh, like, I don't understand. I don't understand hitscan players.
Like, I don't understand how they hit these shots sometimes. It's just ridiculous what they're able to do here.
And you get the benefit of a Symmetra Teleporter just like taking you wherever on the map.
So tough for Lunex here to set up. They have a Kitsuna rush, but it's just, gee, I think they're ready to disengage as soon as it comes out.
Here we go, and Lethal finds a pick up on the forces for the 4th, and it's 5 already.
Yeah. Oh yeah.
George is out to spin, no problem. There's the Terrasurge.
Oh, but he rolls back and still gets a kill on to X-10.
There was a couple of brains there I wanted to kind of talk about as this fight wraps up.
That teleport from Sugarfree, he put the TP in front of X-10.
X10 she backs up she uses the shrub to shot and she's literally looking at the teleport while lethal is killing Zumba
So like that's how much respect they're trying to put on the teleport and if lethal goes through
I need to pick up the kill on to lethal
But then you're just not in the fight and that like split second that three to four seconds that X10 was doing that
Lethal just wins them that
Yeah, this over both needs to go big here
UCSG giving no opportunity for X-Men Wheel here. Zomber from Admiral as well. It's going to be countered though by Ults from Lunex.
Yeah, Zomber kills it, he's okay. Got this spray available to him from Zomber on the point with the flux.
Gonna wait for people to get dragged into this fight and then make it messy.
Looks like the core is going to be actually just a wall and then Zomber is gonna get run down on the other side of it.
Yeah, the entire team is actually on this side of the wall. Zomber on the other side.
MSG once again, early in control there.
What's an opportunity there maybe for Loonex to push things, but, said, needs to regenerate
his armor and health going into this next fight on the street.
They cannot sit back with the stigma shield, they cannot dead-eye as well to be engaged,
force the positioning off Loonex.
Somba, can you make anything work with this streak?
So, streak coming in.
Oh, the TP out.
No sugar-free lethal escape to safety and then why it just gets creeped on there that was lethal slow
It's like a horror film all those is that why he's carrying in the corner a lethal holding the dead eye
Oh, man real rough stuff by
Fire to them like that fight. That's a cheek. They're gonna close this one out. It feels like yeah 80%
You've got like killin to Sam. It's just not just not a chance and they're gonna push
They'll they'll make sure to get value from this kid soon rush as well lunax now
Last opportunity to contest this round, since it's not here, I actually don't think you're going to go for it, really.
Oh, they touched. Oh, Zombo, that took time. That was half-hard.
That was half-hard, and...
Yeah, not gonna happen.
Zombo literally got on the bike, and then melted by a SimTone.
Yeah, this has been a tough series for you, next boss.
This is all just blazing as you see here. Alright, Nero, search.
search? What a season though. You see that? No loss any health for those old agents.
They win the fight, the rotation's easy. Yeah, they are living on easy here right now.
I mean, at the end of the day, Sev is running into Symmetra and as soon as you
activate some of these abilities, they are so quick to punish your Risa. You know,
the fortify gone, the spin gone, it's like, okay, well now this is our time to just ruin
their resource they is to be firmly controlled. I don't know some barrier
available here as well. No side mirror. X-Ten!
There's something here with the overhaul.
I don't want a headshot. Dogs out of the way of the rock. Good little slide swiped out onto
Hawke but not able to pick up the kills. Where's the backup? Okay eventually X-Ten
without the ult just has a general rail gun kill. It's amazing in kind and with this
wall, you're hoping that SSG can just sit and fight behind it. The rush comes through for
C, the wall ends up fading away, so teleport is directed again, SSG, they've lost lethal,
they lost sugar free, they're gonna lose the point too, but not before they get 50%.
SSG amassing so much percentage already now in a pretty good position to close out this
map as well, but Lune's got something going there after Hawk went down. Now you just have
to try and replicate this, and at the end of the day you're playing a soldier in composition
with this Gio as well you need to find some opening fixer. Atrox both run to the caster
as well so you lose some of that speed but they're looking to make place here with the
Casterly. I'm not sure I love this actually but you gotta put Crossy as Gio because he's
gonna work it out for him so far.
Yeah please let you benefit more from something else but if you're just facie flinging lethal
around and then uh getting fixed then you know it works it works. 2-3 doesn't go down
first look. Don't be careful with your Zomber stepping up like that. Yeah the point does end up getting
flipped as Stephen's doing a very good job of shepherding Lunex, putting him in the position
that they don't want to be in and then taking the space for free. Lunex killing Zomber too,
Zed has got this Terrasir, it's got a ton of Oval thanks to that Zambaria too so a kill on the
rock will surprise the Zed. There's a four player Terrasir for seven super free ends of going down
Again eventually you next gonna be able to regain control of the point
But because there says she manages to sneak this one out
It will give them another opportunity to finish this map here. Yeah, and the percentage is actually kind of awkward here
Is three members of SG going to spawn relatively late sugar free is going to get the touch here on the tracer
The one thing to watch out for here is lethal with the dead eye
I think you got a sky noon going here onto balloon is that could be devastating, but Linux has plenty of openers
Oh, straight onto X-10. It's just so hard to react to. It is so damn quick.
Little into Eddie R1 and oh, Charlie, I think that's about it.
The touch from Sugar Breeze in the sky. Noon was enough.
That is the rush used from Z. X-10's coming back in just a moment.
She can turn the tides with this OC, but if there's just neutral kills here
to space station Gany, it's gonna be tough to turn this one around.
Lethal's already got a couple. X-10's shots are just getting eaten.
and even the cat map of the end for Abril, it seals the deal for Space Station.
A-3-0 against Lunex, they booked their ticket to Paris in fine four.
Can't wait to see them on land. This is a team that has completely different vibes from the
history we've seen, but many months now it looks so much improved and I love actually how
how the way the cat's Cassidy worked there, it looked brilliant for them so, if you got
a Cassidy in the sky against a soldier and then a Shion, that's a pretty good matchup
and then it'll work.
I mean, if you have lethal on the Cassidy, they're a pretty good matchup, they're good.
Yeah, I'm just pretty good at that.
Right?
In the package, it's all half lethal, the end.
This is, Wadiad's Cup is exactly what you expected, the path to get there without some,
I did you put it random acts of violence from lunax
Very eloquently put here jack
Yeah, this was not lunaxes to win. I do think they you know, they still played it
Well, they fall back in there going team fight win here and there but overall as she has just been
On a different level if you're just compared them to the other teams in the NA region
So lunax has probably had their eye already on the potential lower bracket run in order to make it now with this victory
of course, there's SSG punching the ticket to the midseason championship.
Yeah, it feels like SSG this stage. Almost every single series has them taking a hammer
to a game of battleships. Like they just, they just crushed, they just stomp. It's been tough to
really, and what I mentioned at the top of the show is kind of analyze how they are, how strong
they are on like an international level. They've said they can script EMEA teams, underestimating
the team, and they're
actually doing well. Um in an
international is where I'm
looking at to really determine
how good this team is at scale
against some of these Korean
teams against some of these
Saudi Amir teams as well. I
mean, I'm kind of like
speechless. Like I feel like
we said everything for the
past few weeks, just like we've
endlessly been glacing this
team. It's just like the way
they're engaging this
engaging the hero pulls the
mechanical skill like
they're really good at
pull some mechanical skill like they got everything and everything is just clicking it so we just
keep glazing this team about how good they are and while they've established their dominance
here in North America obviously have to close things out this weekend against the remaining
teams here but this is this team is just unbelievable right now this is kind of what
we want to see you know going into this year with the new roster they put together here and it's
just coming to push it really beautifully. And I do love that if you're looking at the region
in general over the last couple of years like you have like different teams dominating within
this region this time it's SSG you know this is this is a organization with a lot of pedigree
obviously here like they once dominated over an E&A and they had a rough start in NA and now they're
coming into this year with this particular stage with this roster and they've just been looking
like they're on top of the food chain. So really great trajectory for ASCII.
Yeah, I think with how well they did, I mean, I'm stretching a little far back here, but
even with the 2024 major against Crazy for 2, the internet coming third there, they lost to C.R.
3.0, but like this team can't punch out, they can't. Oh, this brand can get to the very heights,
and I'm excited to see their trajectory moving on. I think a lot of people are going to be
like there's a ton of SSG fans out there we already know and they expect them to well not only here but in
Absolutely now we do have a lethal joining us for a quick chat after this dominant performance lethal
Welcome to the show. Congratulations. Hello. You seem relaxed and chill obviously you guys have been so dominant all stage long
So another day in the office, I guess
Um because you were so dominant though looking at your preparation for the playoffs
What was the focus on were there anything that you in particular felt like oh, we need to iron this out heading into the playoffs
Yeah, I mean probably like our team teamwork begin with our teamwork last stage was kind of disappointing
So our main focus on like today's stage like next stage in the future stages is our teamwork
Making sure our timings are good together and we're playing off each other really well. I
Didn't want to ask you about your own power level
We just brought it up before we brought you on, but how do you see yourself against the EMEA teams
against the Korean teams? Because it's hard to tell a team's true strength when you are dominant
in one region. I think Sugary was it that said, uh, struggled against the EMEA teams a little
bit in scrims, but where do you see yourself and where do you hope to be, uh, come international?
I mean, I agree with, with my teammate here. Our teammate compared to the EMEA teams are, is way
weaker, but our mechanics seem to be like actually stronger. Some fights where we win and like some
maps where we win is just based on like, we shoot harder than they can. But in terms of teamwork,
ults together, they, the EMEA teams have it on lock and we gotta, we gotta actually work on those
things like ASAP. All right, lethal, I got asked. As someone who's a washed up tank player and spent
primarily most of my time playing like, what is it like to just take over a lobby playing
Cassidy and just get like five case and just shooting heads up and then in the end you have Admiral and Kat on you
Don't see they just picking you up you get the dead eye to kind of like and right just what is it like to pay Cassidy in
2026 I
Mean it's nice when when you can you know play with the team that enables you like crazy
So that that's very helpful because I can just do my own thing. I don't even have to talk much
I just like make sure I click the heads my team is aware of this so they play around it
So it looks so fantastic feels fantastic
So I enjoyed and I love my teammates for that. I miss them.
Well, we've been enjoying seeing it in action on our screens as well,
although it's just a second-hand experience, obviously.
Now, SSG, you guys are playing in a different tier level, it seems from the rest of NA.
Which of the two teams do you feel are most likely going to qualify for the MSC?
Okay, for sure it's Dallas. 100% Dallas is number two.
number two. And I'm gonna say hot take. I think it's hot take. I think
Linux will get third. Genium. I think I'm gonna get third. I trust them.
We trust that we're all rooting for them. Honestly, like, as we talked
about it so often, how much those players have been on the grind. So
it would be so cool to see them on LAN as well. Lethal. Thank you so much
for joining us. Best of luck in your next match and not that you guys
need it. But you know,
where am I coming?
That was the most dramatic finish you can see.
Perfect way to end the day.
Thank you guys. I'll see you later.
I want to be very funny.
Stop saying so much.
Right.
You're good. You're good.
He's good. Absolutely.
Space Station Gaming
Making it into our top 3 for sure.
And they are very likely
going to take that NA crown
here as well.
Because as we said
time and time again, the glaze continues.
play on another level. I mean the way lethal was talking about his teammates or lovingly it's just
like oh it's just uncomfortable and like heartwarming. It was beautiful. You know what I love to talk about
lovingly?
Drops or something.
Hahaha.
That was great.
Hahaha.
Me?
Shillinghouse?
This is good.
No, listen though. Real talk. Real talk.
Cop it. Drive it.
Get it now. In our Shell. The eSports
Bundle is available right now.
I mean, look at the skins, but even more
importantly, look at our sprays and in-carts.
They are exclusive
to the bundle you can only get them here I mean I will say that's a real one
damn like the May ones the recolor from the someone may right that I really like
maybe the mask but the phrase yeah she's right she is she is there we already
really talked about the Mercy skin being and I know here reinforce you are
are hanzo stan fan i was going to say that i would let the two of you have fun
partying with the people in this bundle because i am way too boring uh for for the heroes in this
bundle this time around what does that mean yeah look i'm i'm self aware because you are so boring
you can you can add it up you know you can opt the ante by copying these skins it will translate
directly into your gameplay as well.
Play about hands-on, help me!
Beep!
Listen, if I see this hands-on in my game, I understand that this is a fun person play,
to say.
Now we're gonna have some more fun with our last match of the day as well, so don't go
anywhere, we're gonna head into a quick break and then we're back with the last one here.
you
you
you
you
you
you
I
I can't stop that, so I can move on, been on the wrong track, you're not the one, you're not the one.
Welcome back once again, so we're here, joined by Jack and Johnny, and that's all for this
intro.
It will be really funny to use my camera off its band, but then I remembered it's a DSLR
and that would have probably been a very costly joke.
So let's not do that.
Either way, we're ready for our last match of the day, Dallas Fuel going up against Team
Liquid.
Let's chat about how that one went down in Week 2, I believe, was the last time they
met.
It was a more or less one sided affair. Team Liquid did steal away a new junk city. We already talked about that.
But overall Dallas would look like they're playing on a higher level, on a different level.
Like yes, they also had a slow start to the stage. Kind of trying to ignore the new meta away initially it seemed.
But eventually I feel like they found their comfort zone. Speaking of comfort zone, like this last week, Kellen got to play Winston all as well.
Yeah.
Like Dallas, you know, they're playing Winston again. They're playing dive.
I like, um, lethal's take actually, um, with liquid not making it, I think with the how liquid
looked, especially at the start of the stage, not really back clean at all. And I think Dallas
filled up the complete opposite of that. It's like solid number two. I don't think there's been an
argument between that second and third spot with them. Yeah. Especially the playstyle as well.
I mean, they even said in the interviews, like, yeah, you can't really practice against us because
because we play so much like Winston and breaking ball that you can't really come prepared for a matchup.
It's just a nightmare of a team.
So, especially in a scenario like this, if your team liquid, you're just like,
why can't we have no one like a normal team in Vegas?
Why do we have to face their dive from positions?
It's just, it's so hard to prepare for Dallas Fuel.
Especially team Liquid, who are integrating two new members into their team as well.
And now you've got to be, the teamwork has to be brilliant for team Liquid to take on a Dallas Fuel.
That just feels like they're excelling perfectly as well.
Yeah, as we said already, Tim, they had a bit of a rough stage.
You mentioned that there are two new members which need to be integrated into your roster.
And then on top of that, you also have to deal with the new meta, right?
Like figuring that out. Like what works for you, what works for your new pieces, your old pieces.
So it's just been a lot of movement for this roster and not a lot of time because three weeks, realistically, that's nothing.
You really are not alone.
Yeah, absolutely. I love the additions I really do, especially attack. I love watching attack play. I think he has got
What it takes to be an exceptional tank player up there with the greats
Maybe but like at least a formidable
off-tank in like an international stage. So
I I'm I'll go against one of them said I think liquid will actually make it because I want to see them play and I want to see
infected with something around again. It got the tools. It's just like we said, Zoe, it's just not
enough damn time. They needed like maybe another week, another week. Hope him. Hope him. Hope him.
I'm different. They kind of did. It felt like they did figure things out in the very last match
against Cafe, the 3-0 Cafe, and playing a ton of broad compositions. It felt like the hero swaps
were on point and none of that like visual confusion. You can see like the five members like
scattering around with confusion. It's like, I didn't feel like we saw that at all as much against
Gaffay. And that's a weaker opponent. That's fair. That was going to be a way tougher opponent.
But I saw the improvement. I saw the improvement. And so the hope Pima moffers, I think they're
a way better team than they were last time they faced up against Ellosha. I love where you take
this, Donnie. You're so pure of heart. The map pool! The map pool! The map pool though, good.
not but yeah it's I think generally for this team it's really difficult to gauge their strength,
their current strength based on last week because they have to play against SSC,
completely beat them and then they play the dominant game against the cafe which is an arguably
much worse opponent where they had to win that one so like really what are you taking away from
that like we don't know and you know what it doesn't even matter last week is in the past we're
We're focusing on the now if they win this one that they will punch that picket for the midseason championship
So perhaps with that additional motivation
You know, they're gonna be stepping it up individually. We know what they have we know what they can bring to the table
That's it. We're gonna predictions. Yeah, yeah living in our guys. I mean the now I'm feeling Dallas feel
I think they have to be the heavy favorite here like it will be quite an offset in fact the team liquid
Winds as much as a lot
I said it. Yeah. Oh my gosh.
Yeah, she said she made it out
there. I said it. I think
it's about 30. But it's going to
be I've I've been voted for this
team and I will continue to do
so. Um throughout playoffs, I
think a list of business. She
just they probably will. But I
think the team is just too
strong at this current moment
in time. Liquid are slowly
leveling up, but it needs to
you Dallas field yep they are the favorite going into this one they have to be favorite but
manifesto three two maybe okay two quite bad banger i'm just i'm just saying i'm just saying
i think it's a better team liquid look you know the story about the person who stepped in the river
and something about them not being the same after a while or something like that this is the same
like liquid are different from the last time you played Dallas fuel that's what i'm talking about
They're not the same team the last time to play Dallas Fuel. They're a new team even though they're the same members
That's the Swedish thing for sure. I
Bring up the Roman Empire again, she's for the funsies. Well guys, we're ready for this match
We don't need to look up whatever Johnny has been cooking there like that
That's okay. We can take the time to do that. That's all right
read what the Google says right now.
Okay, okay.
Send us up with that piece of information.
I'm done. I just want to lean back
and enjoy the education.
So you can leave us.
You Johnny need to get us in.
Johnny.
Go. Speak your piece.
The famous saying, no man ever steps in the same river twice
comes from the ancient Greek philosopher
Heraclius of Ephesus.
No, I don't know.
It illustrates his core philosophy
that everything is in a constant state of change and flux.
The water and the river flows away,
and you are constantly changing too.
And ironically, team Liquid, or a different team,
than the one that played against Dallas Fuel in Week 2.
Damn.
All right, okay, I liked that.
One of the best openings we've had for a NoWCS match.
Who knows the stuff?
I'm going to load up on Greek philosophy clothes.
And everybody's going to be like, what is he saying?
What is Bro saying?
All right, here we go.
Ilios is going to be the first map here.
Kellen on the wins to no shocker.
There's an Ana ban for Team Liquid.
I really like banning the Ana here.
They actually are banning it second.
Dallas feel banning G1.
They're going to be like, oh, I'm going to be like,
They're actually not banning it second. Dallas Fuel banning Cassidy first, getting one of the main problems for the Winston out of the way.
But aren't there's going to be the big problem for the Fuel because it's Malga.
Yeah, he's already on high ground where the Winston wants to be.
Alright, so Stoicism aside, I am genuinely really excited for this series now. Dallas Fuel, they're going to do their thing still.
They're going to play this Winston and what they've talked about, just focus on individual skill, trying to break down their opponents over time.
Team Liquid is quite challenging so far utilizing the cat to drag the mauga away and put pressure on to various members of Dallas Fuel
Tree here gets an opening pick on the chronic
I think this shield and tracer look like a team Liquid could be the recipe for success here Jaws
That was a smooth kill by Tree that second one as well
We are in grease too by the way, Ilios. So you know there's another layer to the
and it's all coming together Johnny it's all coming together.
The script writers are cooking.
This Malgo is going to be so tough.
This map in general, Kellan play the Winston, I wouldn't be too fast if he'd just play
ball in all honesty.
Oh oh.
Chronic ends up shooting Pager out of the sky though so Invasion gracefully flutters
that back down to the earth and now Dallas Fuel, although losing CJ, are putting themselves
on point trying to get Cat.
Yeah, there's no healing though, but CJ going down is up to Lukimino to keep the team alive, but Dallas Fuel not able to do so, team Liquid.
And they are the ones this time around who is utilizing this mage beautifully to put pressure on Dallas Fuel on the walk up.
And Tree and Syrah they're navigating quite freely with all this mobility, and they are the ones who can wrap around and get to superior angles and beat down this Dallas Fuel composition of the Reaper and Bastion.
in a spot where he can shoot the back line and just shoot Vega, but it's infected of Vega.
He is the Bastion in this instance.
Look, it's the Bastion versus the Maga in the air, and then 3 is just picking up the
Fiends.
This cage is like, what is happening?
It's like they're taking on the high ground too, and they're just being basically suspended
in the sky so they can't even move.
3 lays down a Swift T-Bag onto CJ after he hits the Spree on him, and Dallas Fjord gets
team white.
There it is Dominic, Dallas Fuel at 5 ultimates and they haven't got anything going, Team
Liquid, they really are a different team the way they're looking right now.
Kitsuners are available for them 85%, Dallas Fuel are going to try to get this charge.
Just look at the aggression here with the Mauga.
I mean, Sarah managed to find the pick up of the backstab.
Team Liquid are here, right away with it.
I don't see a wall with Dallas Fuel coming back and they're still over the top.
snap on the Malva might just be the miracle they need.
Although Vega takes it to Lukamino,
Primal Rage to Kellen is what's going to have to end this one,
has to get back onto the point now,
so if I'm sticking over,
Sonjin ended via the bike.
This tree and Sarah are now playing on the point.
What a stick from Sarah!
Ends up aiming it at Chronic, by the way,
but Kellen just get down, Mr. President.
Ends up going down himself.
A hundred to seven percent.
Team Liquid.
I mean Dallas you had to be shell shocked here a little bit
They surely could not have seen this coming out of team liquid
This is
I was like what a stump we saw there and little back
I mean, this is just ridiculous what we're seeing right here
The cage of the high ground so they can't even like get to the floor either
Yeah, that was not pretty in all honesty, but this is the big weakness with the Dallas fuel and how they like to play
We want to play kill on a whole we don't want to pay more Winston
He's not that Malga kind of guy like he wants to pay the eye tanks, but now he's forced to play Malga against infected
Serious going to come up on the better
I mean I
We usually talk about teams
not really having
You know like a special secret composition available like it's hard to surprise a team these days
But bring out that data like this routine liquid and this composition right now with the Mal'gai hat
They're really flourishing. Sunjung goes down five which is forced scenario already
And I bet you they're gonna keep pushing with the tempo this composition officer does
How close they all want to play as well?
They said it's gonna benefit so much from the Mal'gai hitting cardiac overdrive so much from
Kivis as well, landing, like, group Suzus, easy healing too, Xeris got decent sustain with the overhead slash, the big problem will be the cat fashion, obviously.
Kivis goes down, look.
He's just decent still alive, that's the important thing.
Tidec Overdrive's gonna top him up, keep him healthy.
But the Lucid Confector's gonna lose his life in just a swift moment.
Now there's this team liquid now on the back foot, Stella Sewell, I think they're gonna
have an easier time here playing the Bastion and on a map like this.
They're gonna play back and forth pretty linearly here with the engages of the Bastion.
They put pressure on both Vega and Kivus as well.
Obviously no Bastion here for Team Liquid.
Do you kinda like counter or contest Chronix pressure here?
So Serious Gunner just went off over to this Reaper as well.
This is kind of just admitting that we don't want to take the aerial fuel.
What about this composition from Team Liquid here?
Alright, considering the Dallas Fuel, Team Liquid have covered a bit of scurrying too.
I feel they re-barrage from...
The Vashnik Inter's Longing goes down to Zehra,
and now the Mega Health back controls the Dallas Fuel.
Pretty important here, because helping to stay alive.
See, that damage is taken in front line.
It's been too great for the backline of the Fuel to actually tear with.
Naked's also trying to running around for free too.
Alright Dallas, they at least get half the point done but team Liquid they got Cage, they got Catnap, they got Spree.
They can clean to this next fight.
Yeah and especially the way they're playing right now as well.
They can always threaten to utilize this cage fight early with the Spree from Tree here as well.
And so Dallas Fuel always have to be pretty cautious and be on their guard for what could be coming their way.
It would be terrible news if you really have to commit quite early here now.
It's a really spiffier. K5 does come out from killing this, so we can find some early pickups there.
Big slam there, from the high ground. That spree indicates good luck.
That was a knockdown, I think, from the Lukavino, interrupting the spree from 3.
Now he's to get the catnap on him, so he can't kill the ult completely.
That'll us you a regain control here now.
Once again, this Bastion here on the wall, it's going to be difficult.
Team Liquid because they're just playing this she on and this Reaper
In fact, it's going to be picked up here though. Change fight is still available if you can find someone to isolate here
Perhaps utilizing the cat speed
That's for a stomp here on to the front line
They're gonna die first now infected with this cage
It's gonna be good on the point a point fight is what they're after right now
Now, Tera has the rate walk away so there's going to be a little time before they actually regroup again.
It's our fuel, the point, an opportunity to peel back as well.
96 here for Dallas Fuel. It's a pivotal fight and talent. Already looks quite low. So, so let's go to the end of the line.
Speed, chronic, and it's a pick as well. This is Team Liquid.
It's dominating with the cage, in fact this cage was just straight up better there, but
the Dallas field ended up just saving ult, so it's like okay we lose to fight fine 99%
we got 4, like we should win here, there shouldn't be an issue, one bit.
Yeah we'll see the team liquid, they have the opportunity to make a play here still,
but they won't get soon rush.
I was wondering if you want to get them out early before Dallas field get towards the
point here.
Or if you just want to sit back here try to force one final fight here with the opportunity to close out the map as well
So about this third culture time being
Yeah, double note down there on the mouth is the kid is already dead
Rascal even has been popped but the death blossom from the high ground Sarah into killing chronic oh a diet triggers kill on to
Lucramino to
Teleport. Oh my goodness Sarah is doing it all for team liquid
There was a 4 ult dump for the Fuel and they lost the fight and Johnny they're about to lose the map too
Team Liquid, wow too close things out here, Stelos Fuel
Family can get two wars, the point there they do get the touch but there's a team that would be there in just looking for two dominance
It's no damage, there's no health, Pekas gonna be out of getaway as well, skirts under the map almost
team Liquid. What was it, Johnny?
Man who steps in the lake always comes out with the bang.
No man ever steps in the same river twice to us.
Damn, there it is. Team Liquid, looking fresh, looking clean on that first map.
I'm just saying, the Hokey was there. The Hokey was there.
What I think is so awkward for Dallas Fuel here, is that by playing this mauga,
team Liquid are essentially forcing Valus' fuel to just play this engage disengage kind of composition.
You see the Marga's trading blows, the overruns, the cardiac overdrives.
It really isn't the style that Valus you like to play where instead they can set up in the backline with the breaking ball,
with the Winston like we expected here on Lighthouse.
They're kind of playing brawl at the end of the day and you're thinking going to the stairs,
the stairs. Well, Team Liquid, their win condition is trying to force these brawl compositions,
you know, it's huge, junk city, stuff like that. And they were able to channel that play
style here on Ilios out of all maps. So mightily impressive by Team Liquid taking Dallas
Fuel on this very first map pick of their own. And look, you don't have to look further
than the interview we just heard, by the way, from lethal, who said that Lunix would actually
qualify over team Liquid. This is an unexpected toss.
Very much feels that way.
Forcing them to get down and die with the Malgo.
We will full shoot onto our level. You want to play Winston?
Ain't happening, Chief. We're playing Malgo. We're shooting you.
We've got the Cav bashing. We're shooting you some more.
Like, it's a hand that Dallas Fuel don't really want to play in all honesty.
They just don't.
They can't afford that TP as well.
Yeah, this TP was much better.
Nasty.
Nasty.
No matter how bad they want to play with, that's the game that they want to play.
We want to play, Winston.
We want to play everything else.
And you know where we're going next.
I don't need to tell you.
We're going to Dorado for sure.
If it's not Dorado,
I was going to say I'll issue.
But I'm not going to do that, just in case they actually have some crazy stuff in the back pocket.
And I don't want to issue.
No, it's, it's well.
I'm putting all my champions in front of me.
is it? Bam! I got like 10% back or something. That was like a 90 to 10
prep. Yeah, actually wise. Actually speaking of press Johnny, um Dallas fuel, the
the chap voted 85% in favor versus team because 15. 85% fuel.
Okay, always put the undercar. Really crazy. You never know. Seriously. You never know.
Don't forget as well. 3-2? We just uh, 3-2? Okay, why won't we see if it's 3-2 towards the fuel?
the
Don't forget the do hide at fire and hide bundle featuring
Flame bowed hanzo mercy and obviously the frayer and the mate as well johnny
You're not that boring funny. I know so he signed off saying you're not
But that
The fact that i'm boring doesn't mean that i i don't want to be fun
Like I would love to be a player and just rock this skin and rank and just take over of all these things
Freya, it's just I'm a mechanically incapable and so
You know when I when I role play
Being actually good at the game and being fun, then I do like to play and I would I would look that's fun with it
Look we can't all believe
We can't all believe
At the end of the day
You can pick up the skins right now. That is it. That is the end of the read. I promise
then it saves the Winston man and also Malga, Sky Malga get that out of my game and a deal.
They can't ban Arnor either team Liquid so you're out of luck. So what are they actually
banning? Okay Bastion, alright fair enough. Okay but um yeah alright so maybe like we don't want to pay
a cat bastion if we count the mauga. Okay, fair enough. I mean, we're, we're, we'll have
to see how team liquid kind of adapt here now, because I would have felt that maybe
the Mauga, you know, cat bastion or even the she on trace we saw like that kind of tempo
had a composition is what team liquid could have utilized to match Dallas use dominance
on this map. But the Mauga taking out, I think it's gonna be tough for here for team liquid
to keep that tempo up and put pressure on the Dallas Fuel because that is really how
you deal almost with the attack and the defense of Dallas Fuel here on the water.
So you just get a match of tempo, you can't stand still and put yourself in a position
to get engaged on, to get outflanked, to get out angled.
And so first you see how team Liquid, what kind of composition they're going to pick
here in the end.
You're gonna like try and take it to Dallas Fuel because you can't just sit back on this
to order man. Oh do we do we just see a mirror though because what do you think
about it like in fact it's not like a slouch on the ball on the Winston like I
don't think there's a tank in infected like real house I'm like oh man it's not
great I mean maybe the diva is like not crazy good for infected some of the like
Super Judicial off-time to pick.
Playing generally is very good.
We're not seeing attacks up to either.
So it's going to be an effective loathing for the TL.
I would love a team.
There was one team, this is the team to do it to.
Yeah, I mean, I love the pace.
From Team Liquid.
And they're actually...
I want to take towards playing a little bit of Sigma.
Wow, they're really...
Opposite end, yeah.
Hey, hey, hey, that's a fact.
They want to make sure he can't do anything.
Rain huge rangers have launched a stone for TL, I will say.
Yeah, I mean, the same rule kind of still applies though, right?
Even though, like, you're slowing down the tempo here,
you don't have any speed or any dive characters per se.
You still have to, like, move around with the Seema composition
and basically put pressure on all these different angles of Dallas fuel.
as they're trying to set up at the end of the day here.
Look, Amino's going to...
hint.
Maybe Alar here as well,
running over to the soldier.
And you can see Dela's fuel here.
Like, they want to get some poke in the back line here with Lugumino,
but they're also primarily going to rely on this Winston and Genji.
And so Team Liquid here,
how can they, you know, like,
move around on this defense?
And just put pressure on Dela's fuel to prevent them from getting a good engage in.
Oh, the Suggist is going to stay as well.
He's going to hatch it instead of a hammer.
Very good, very good.
This is one way to deal with this spot.
Raise his vitage to no problem. Go far as spam rockets.
Punch infected, punch Zera.
You gotta be careful of tree obviously, but it's not like Kiv is a beggar
and they're gonna do a crazy amount to you.
It's all about tree here.
You rotate, find picks, even hit headshots is going to
put Dallas Fuel on the back foot here.
You have to constantly worry of Sanjun.
That was cool. Working on the front lines right now. Just walking through the choke. Quite normally haven't set up a big flank just yet here, so...
Tell us again, a lot of damage on the walk-up here.
Yeah, that's pretty nice. Build over the only D'Lari and the Curie.
Just one.
Don't need to pay attention to Clara too much, although...
...we have time to think what HP has to go back to another pack.
That's perfect.
You can put the Pylon from Lucimino in a really strange spot like...
...on a high off angle, so if I get tagged.
But tree just debating whether you should punish Sunjin further or just fight the fight in the front line
Looks like it's gonna be a frontline duel
They rush with the use by the dows by team liquid. They run over Kellen
But that's perfect just that's exactly what you need to do
You drop the kid soon rush push forward aggressively and tree is just going back and forth
Putting damage onto Sunjin because like you pointed out like if Sunjin is, you know 50 health
How to go back to get a pack then you're suddenly five versus four in the front lines and tree fights a pickle to do to me
No, tree is doing me phenomenal work right now the way he's dealing with so many angles of fellas you let once
You cannot be going down like that. Look at me. There was on that ledge
He saw the shadow of the Alari on top of that little leg right here and then turns well
I imagine it was a headshot into a body shot and then took him out, but
Look at me. There should not have died there
Yeah, good place to match this gun here.
Blocks is gonna come in, but of course the sanctuary provides the cover necessary.
Zera might be dead, and if Dallas Fuel can stabilize back up after that Blocks shoot,
they could be in a good spot.
Barrage connects with Infection.
No sanctuary to help heal for them this time,
and it's going to die to the back line and punishes the Team Liquid players for being so far up.
This is going to be Dallas Field now, capping the first point.
Just to go for a bit of a recompense here.
Ah, they're gonna have a tough time.
CJ gets a couple here.
And I feel like this is a big point in the map here now, Jaws,
because we've seen so many teams on the defense do a decent job on the first point.
And then the second and third point, it just absolutely crumbles in this case, the Dallas Field team.
And so now, really important for Team Liquid to stabilize on this defense before the scouts stay awake.
They're the fastest pick for infecting now, right?
Oh, the recce portable things?
I mean, listen, the, uh, bits of infecting there.
I'm gonna help put pressure onto the cord, pressure onto Kellan here as well.
You have some high ground control here, but the payload is just moving forward, and it might be.
Kellan has a primary just well, but overclock comes out.
Oh, man, what a boot.
In the booper infected they actually helped chronic getting a better position where he gets two tap kibis
Bone core on the high ground great stuff. Poor she didn't pick anybody and
Infectible people get chased by kellis. I
Mean this is a snowball
It's happening and how do you push out of this choke now?
You don't have a tank to kind of help you get up onto one of these high grounds
You just have to push out now with the consumer rush
Try to buy some space here with the Jedi itself, but that'll see you look at their ultimates as well
I'm a rage but what they're biking up. They're kind of going in here, but they have good sewerage advantage as this fight progresses now Jaws
As it's all behind you guys
E on the back line, he has some melee chronic to death.
Effective dies, and with this fight being won on the point, a teleport away comes through
for Vader, but the Sanctuary comes in, and this might be enough, but Kellan's shield
is going to be just such a nuisance for Tree.
Rolls straight into Lukumina, picks up the pick, because Kellan is forced to evacuate
the area one meter away as Tree saves the day.
Tree literally just saved the day.
I mean, that was crazy. A couple of picks he got to end three in that fight and then survives with the Sanctuary as well and just carries.
Team Liquid's whole pill and Dorado is three having a phenomenal game and both on the first point and then saving the second point like that.
A minute twenty to go.
Three is giving Team Liquid a chance here. That was huge, best map.
It's not a long time at all.
Fakes it over to his third hero.
He's around so far over to Deeper.
Sondre with the barrage, I mean that is what helped them secure this last point. They've got no Sanctuary, they've got a dead-eye coming up, maybe the Slaughton Core like, this is all uninfected.
It was on three shoulders a second ago, now it's on infectives, he's trying to stop Sondre, getting away with murder, three trying to take it off angle, and it's a silver bullet, shots, but Kronik goes down, okay, there you go.
It's Infect Diva paying off, and now Galasphil have one more attempt as they hit the retreat.
In fact, he's just doing his job right now, stalling the cart, utilizing the armor and the shotgun capabilities of this D.Va to just put pressure in the front line.
And that buys enough time for Tree to keep clanking, keep looking for picks in SIR in the meanwhile.
Well, that's also not a fun matchup for Kelantnau, Surgeon, looking to make a play here, but the great change from Vega.
Oh, they make it just there!
Oh, they got the TP as well! Matrix is good, but Vega, his TP was basically spawned trapped by Lukimino.
In fact, it gets rolled into the bank banks to that primal rage.
There's OT in a couple of moments then, but they've got time.
They've got the numbers.
Luke Amino does guy, short, but CJ and the rest of the gang
should be able to finish this one up.
Zero plays on this rush, but unfortunately, Kivis,
this was too little, too late.
Dallas Fuel in OT, cap second.
That's a bit of a sire of relief, something
that Dallas Fuel hasn't really been forced to do here
on Dorado so far, minute 20 to close out the map and this can be a tough point to
kind of break down. If you don't have the snowball in place Sarah's going to swap
over to Reaper here, make it extra difficult for Kallan on this Winston
and Sungen as well moves over onto the Genji now in these close corridors.
Lord of Ultimates here for Dallas Fuel, if Team Liquid could just weather this
initial storm in a good position to hold there.
much more efficient here is Zera playing on the Reaper. This goes portage. Good to be
able to see good time to go yet. As soon as you see that Reaper right for me, you want
to just go in with this Sun meter. Tree doesn't end up going down. Captain Sun collects one
and they're just piling on the ult. They need a decent time at all considering they entered
here with a minute and thirty and they're getting around the final bend here.
And they just need to buy enough time for Vega to come out with the Sanctuary.
So you can just fight on the point.
They're gonna use the rush, there's the Sanctuary, they deploy. It's not an awkward one though.
So Dallas Fuel, Argonina has to disengage for a brief moment, just wait for the Sanctuary to stay and it's already gone too.
A re-engagement, it's gonna be decent.
Asuzu to help with Vegas, say hello, alive for a moment longer. It's got self-destructs, it pops it on the point.
Mucomino fighting for his life on it.
Self-destruct only clears the pylon, but it is three and Sarah that are putting in the numbers
Tell them being alive
As well as Sancho pick up the kill on the tracely make sure they can deliver that point in no time left in the bank
But they're gonna be happy with that
Now let's feel still very much aggressive single second by bad single second literally a second. Yeah
So you need so you need I
I mean the Ellori and the the soldier who's got so much value over time, but I will say this is
Probably the best defense we've seen against team of Dallas fuel caliber here on the rotto. And so
Team liquid still showing that they're here to play in tree 12 and 3. I mean that just tells you the impact
that he was able to have on this defense and think team liquid are playing real well right now, but
Kind of feels hopeless playing Dallas fuel here on their best map
double digit lm's yeah hitting 12 the coonie player on his team to do so
man bang on a second too but this is I think where Dallas fuel almost level up
they get stronger on T fence because they can play on it they can have
lucabina sit all the way in the back they can have Kellan just Josh will
payload we throw nades and then we have Sonjin also firing rockets so yeah it
is really tough, I think, for Liquid to deal with. They got Ball, which is a decent count, as the other.
Yeah, I mean, last time, Team Liquid, they essentially doubled down on playing a slower
composition, and it does seem like they're doing the opposite here, with Infected Ober on this,
Racking Ball recognizing they can't just force the objective. Regardless how good they are putting
pressure on this objective, and just trying to buy time, not even against that last field,
can you make that work and so I'm just starting up the temple here infected
fix the hole down truly it's like once again serious over onto this castle you
know it's going to come down to these cat flags
he's making me to get behind them so you can just put Lucomino onto low ground
like that is gonna be plan A I think for the team even pressure in the bar to
been good for the ball it's Zarian a decent spot is gonna get checked across
the way and there's the pole over I'm not sure Lucomino went down and no he's on
the high ground safe and sound so far good sleep and yeah effective dead. Oh this headshot from
Xerathos register make the most of a dire situation with the infected dying. The Dallas
Fuel Team yes now running all the way back even Kalen caught out. Lukamino and CJ there's so much
effort into killing infected that they couldn't deal with anybody else. And the way Vega is playing
this cat now as well both on Ilios but also here on the Rado now they're just setting
team liquid up for success and so yeah in fact it goes down early but that flag
from zero is the magic required to cap the first point here and this is a
Dallas fuel team now there's kind of force to adapt they haven't necessarily
seen this look before used against them here on the water as a team liquid
showing they put their brains together and this is what they've come up with
and it's working brilliantly so far
I like the Wrecking Ball look. I really do.
It's pretty intimidating. You gotta flex the muddles.
The heroes.
Okay, not quite.
You gotta flex the hero pool if you're infected. Yeah, there you go. Another kill.
Pool's coming into a spot where he can't get away from the high noon.
He has to go into the pool room and then infects his way in there for him.
Nice stuff. They're getting the payload going.
Nano boosts onto Sonja though for people. One clip's kivis.
As we got recall, has to play safe there, it's up again now.
That nano health did not feel worth it whatsoever.
Trey and Tera come up with players.
There's Sonjun, they only granted the singular limb.
I think it's a 9-2 to respect it.
Yeah, this is a shook Dallas Fuel.
Like, it genuinely feels like they're on the back foot,
and they're just trying to figure out what Team Liquid is doing here.
Like, Team Liquid didn't care about that nano tracer at all.
Instead, Tera pushes to high ground,
puts pressure on the Ana, and they end up winning the fight after all that.
Now, Infected has the minefields, going to be pivotal here.
As he tried to cap the second pointer, Callum, force the Primal Rage here.
Primal gets the high ground, but yeah, absolutely nothing gained.
Back on the Alari is Lupimino, they've got a rush to play with.
Sarah's gonna be in trouble with playing on the rush, and pop in the high noon too.
Shaw Baker's already down, but Shara has the high ground.
They got the positioning.
The spree from three ends up just exploding the backline.
I mean, that is just not a close fight whatsoever.
Like any stress in the imagination.
That is still like getting snuffed out, Johnny.
Yeah, four minutes and 40 seconds, bro.
This is honestly crazy.
I didn't think any team in the re-drink could do this to that last field.
But his team liquid is able to close out this over time like that.
I mean yeah this is this is quite shocking the way Team Liquid are just
dominating right now and again this team they're just like like we were joking
about how Team Liquid got destroyed by Dallas fuel in their previous matchup
that this is such an upgraded team things are clicking for this team now
I thought they made cars.
Kellen's on Sigma.
He's playing Sigma on Dorado.
And there's another kill for Sarah.
It's over, Johnny. I hate to break it here.
I hate to break it. About 15%.
Smiling.
85%.
Browning.
Kellen's getting held in the mega room.
Wait, what could you do?
They're gonna send the bike in.
Kellen ends up getting knocked out.
They get playing around the corner, just trying to stay up.
There's a bit of healing aura there on it's a tree, but it's not like they let out the gas by any stretch of the imagination.
Sanshin though, you know, briefly picks up a kill, but still three and a half minutes to play with for Liquid.
It feels like Dallas Gilles finally, we're able to get a bit of a pause here, and hold steadfast on the defense,
but Sunderng goes down to Kibis, and once again with Zero on the off angle here.
This is an opportunity now for Team Liquid to close out the map.
Captain Sun, this Captain Sun has to hit this flank, but it looks like Zero is drawing the rest of the team with the high noon build up.
He wants to get to that high ground. That's exactly what he's going to do.
Vega, this might just be him tipping this fight over the edge.
Captain Sun gets absolutely zero. Nothing. Nada, Johnny.
Captain Sun does nothing, then Zero just trains up the rest.
Johnny, where is Dallas Fuel? They're not in the server right now.
Zero and three take over the last couple of moments of that round.
3 minutes and 49 seconds in the time bank. Going into extra round on Dallas fuels, best map with arguably the best band.
I mean, they're lost in the sauce. They are lost in the sauce. They just can't keep up with what Team Liquid are doing right now.
Picacity play all of today first from SSG and now as well here team liquid both
with Sarah and tree dominating by the way it was tree on the defense and then
Sarah just taking over the game on offense like it that's also what this
damage line gives you is just phenomenal the hero pool that's they have and it
when they figure stuff out like it seems they've done here team liquids skill
ceiling is just ridiculously high. And Dallas Fuel liked it. They don't have the answers
right now. I thought they could actually match the offense there on the defense when they
swapped over to the Sigma. They had a cast of you of their own. Look at me, there's
only a lawyer that's the only difference compositionally. But not even that, the Sky
Noon from Serah swept in, got a pick on the Kallon. And 4 vs 5, it's a tough going for
dollars fuel and young Callum was playing Sigma Johnny I mean it's not a bad
pick on that third point sure but this is not the fuel that we're used to seeing
on this map whatsoever they have a minute in the time and me you've been so good
on this map but you can't change either like you just got to double down on what
you're doing so well so see if you look at me know we're going to play this
double flex lineup. So much value into the back line here.
So we're going to go to the game for the time being, but the way the Cassidy has been playing
right now with Team Liquid, it's just been great for them. So far, I have no doubt they're
going to keep playing like this. Sarah, getting the pocket required. Keep hitting these shots
all to Dallas Fuel. Dallas Fuel are just left with questions right now. How are they going
Oh, dearie me. And DeKalem's going to get trapped in the room too. Three hits in execution as he jumps away, dies like 10 seconds to go.
This double flex support lineup. Lukimino's been caught off. Vega scratches him to death. The Dallas Fuel don't even get a damn touch.
it's been stopped right under the bridge that is an awkward spot for that payload to finish too
it's not easily defendable you can kind of juggle it like jiggle around the like the high ground
shore maybe but like it's this is this is it's too low i'm gonna call it now johnny this is
team nick who's going up two maps i mean if they if they yeah look i was gonna say if team
liquid wins this map, but it's like 99% certainty the team liquid wins this map now. Like Dallas
Fielder has to be boomed. This is crazy. No team has really taken it to to them like this.
They don't really have the answers either for what team liquid are throwing their way.
Where the where the court is, you just have to be aggressive and like play the rooftops and like
full hold team liquid essentially. Right. But what team liquid has done so well is that like,
They recognize that Dallas Fuel, they like to play the angles.
They like to have these individuals wrapping around and Team Liquid are just kind of outplaying them, just saying like,
okay, well, we're gonna play Kat's, Kat Cassidy, and just we're gonna keep outangling you guys instead.
And it's sort of like they are the ones actually hurting Dallas Fuel position and forcing Dallas Fuel to adapt,
which is just not the place they want to be in. They like to have the high ground control.
They like to have a tracer lurking on the off angle.
And you can see they're now positioned to try and replicate what Team Liquid are doing.
But it's just a matter of like, can you do it better?
And now Team Liquid are doing something entirely different!
And Surgent's caught up going, oh my god.
Oh dear, Remy.
Yeah, and Kennen's on D.va on the defense, I mean.
Hey, if you guys can do it, maybe we can.
Or just gonna come back on fire to the amusements in the skies.
Uh-oh.
How do we deal with this now?
Is payload is moving for free?
Infected basically 1v2ing right now?
He's keeping both Chronic and Lukimino at bay while the rest of the team is fighting back to front?
So actually, Team Liquid here, they throw out a bit of a curveball here playing this composition.
And we'll see if they actually decide to stick with it here now whether the jig is up, they've showcased what they can do already,
over onto the cat here as well. So this might be the Weisring move. You're thinking in three minutes
we can still utilize our cat and our caster to here to do what we've already done so far this map.
So this is good. This is good. You still have plenty of time here and you should be able to get
this payload across the finish line now. It's just a matter of chronic versus treat. You can
do the superior caster and mashup like this. I think you've put a lot of your channel points on
on three at this point, how this map has been going so far, taking a little bit of
the suppressing fire from Sun Jin, that's all good. Now he can get over this high ground
thanks to the cats, he's looking for somebody, he's hunting, he's searching,
but somebody in this little mini room, there's actually a fire that goes down,
and it's infected and three, well and Vega too, ends up taking down the fire in this guy,
They're just gonna chase chronic into the small room
Absolute cinema from team liquid a rush to finish this off and this is gonna be it
They're just gonna get rolled up. They've got the bodies
This is a killing self-destruct sure this payload moving. It's almost long gone. I
Need what I'm sure
Have to go ahead and change this right up
So I'm doing with the last air separate barrage and I'm I'm kind of shut myself. Don't like
Like how did they improve so much in such a short amount of time they're up to whoa against Dallas fuel
With midseason championship on the line
Yes
17.5 or give me an extra bit.
And I'm here at the same time with damage numbers.
Not looking nearly as impressive as Tree right now.
In fact, neither of the DPS on the side of the field are looking as impressive as Tree on the cast.
Really, just took over the game.
I mean, these kind of kills shouldn't happen.
On the Alari like that, it just shouldn't happen.
The Dallas Fuel and their best map go down to CL.
And now what do they do? Where do we go?
I mean, those fuels chance to choose again.
They've been very dominant. Only losing to SSG.
in the regular season, in the regular stage.
Wow, it feels like I looked on today, Johnny,
and I was expecting one thing.
On the first match, I got it.
On the second match, I'm getting completely opposite.
Yeah, I mean, the challenge point percentages
speak for themselves here.
This is a massive surprise to everybody really.
That team liquid, like, okay,
so some percentage of people, 15%,
they bet on team liquid, okay?
How many of those 15% do you think you genuinely in their heart were like,
yeah, I think Team Liquid is the better team.
And I actually think that they're going to beat Dallas Fuel here.
I guarantee you that almost everybody who bet on Team Liquid and Sario like this,
which is like, oh, they're great odds, like good return.
Like I bet on Team Liquid because it's 10%.
I didn't bet on Team Liquid because I think they're the better team.
Just on the off chance that they're going to win this series.
Like this, this would be such a massive upset.
I mean, the way they're doing it too is so impressive.
The way they're utilizing this Cassidy with the cat, it gives them so much, like, directness.
To some extent, when you play with the Bastion, you're kind of locked into the cooldown cycling of the turret form at the end of the day.
And obviously, when you push forward with that turret form, that is when you're most, you know, fear, you have the most impact, right?
Playing the Cassidy like this, you can, like, pick your moments a bit more, like, specifically, like, yeah, we can push in one second,
or we're going to go in two seconds like you're not reliant on the cooldown timing of the turret form and team liquid
Just their tactical awareness of what that is few want to do and how they're going to counteract that. I think what they're showing right now
It's just beautiful award
They're one map away team liquid one map away from locking their spots in Paris in midseason
It's three spots available. Of course, I said she has secured one and this map will decide the second
spot being secured. Don't forget you can lock your tickets in right now. Use that QR code or you can check the socials. Use good OW15 to get 15% off and come join us at the mid-season. It's going to be a balaa.
Make sure you drink lots of water when you're over there though. I know you use some of the heatwave.
But, as I said before, should be a nice cool conditioned AC gaming ball.
Alright!
Buy tickets, get AC access.
Get AC access with your tickets right now, I mean dude.
It is boiling over there.
Um, Dallas Steel choosing Kings Row and we are seeing a sub for Team Liquid.
Attack in, infect it out.
Yeah, so, less opportunity here for Team Liquid to kind of replicate what they already did on Elios and Duvado.
I have to say here, there's something like a Veloski or team that now wants to play a bit of a different ball game by going over to King's Road,
maybe a bit more linearly, maybe like slow things down here a little bit.
But at the end of the day, I kind of would have said that that is what Team Liquid wants to do anyway,
and so there's no great map to kind of take them to,
So given how Team Liquid has dominated these high ground, big vertical spaces so far in
this series, this is going to be a tough uphill reverse sweep no matter where you go in terms
of maps.
Yeah, reverse sweep, needed Symmetra Band for the Valos Fuel.
Bonehater.
Bonehater.
With attack coming in, we're expecting SIG, we're expecting off tanks.
I mean, what's giving you the biggest trouble so far. It's like it's going to be Malga.
I don't know about that, Johnny. I feel like they're so, they're so tactical right now
with what they're playing, that based on what Team Liquid has prepared over King's Row,
they're probably just basing this on the fact that Maga is a good hero for what we've got going here right now.
We want to play our game, and I think they've showcased at times, especially the last couple of series,
that Team Liquid's hero pools are deeper because they have more confidence in each other as players
to flex over and play all this different stuff, right?
When we initially saw Dallas Fuel dominate Team Liquid in the week two, okay?
Do you remember on Oasis and Team Liquid just like 5 stacks playing like a Lucio character composition on Oasis?
And those few are just like, you guys are 5 stacking, we're playing a Winston composition,
we're going to pick you apart as you walk up towards the point. This is not that same
Team Liquid team now, this is a team that is showing tactical versatility as their confidence
in each other's teamwork grows. And that is why Team Liquid now, they're able to play so many
different kinds of heroes and with that trust in each other, you know, they execute better
as individuals as well and so all this practice time all these weeks combined now in stage two
is the team liquid that has truly leveled up with all that experience with each other.
Yeah it has been a slow build for team liquid just like a slow drip drip into a stream into a
waterfall you know at the end of the day I think with how liquid are playing now you've got to be
scared even if you're space station I mean they end up sweeping the fuel if we end up this being a
3.0 like even SSG I mean lethal especially he just said like hey man what's
saying I think Lunax are gonna make it I think Dallas Fuel is a certain doesn't
feel like it maybe it's an off that's super off day for Dallas Fuel but it
honestly even after the first map it didn't feel that it just felt like T
Liquid have just gained a whole lot more momentum a whole lot more I've no
team work, power level, and however you want to say it, they just look better. They look good right now.
It certainly looks like Team Liquid has made Dallas Fuel uncomfortable,
and Dallas Fuel don't know how to respond to the punches being thrown at them.
They're just like, oh, yeah, do we play our game still? Do we change things up?
Like, how do we react in a moment like this? But what a treat this is. I mean,
this is what we wanted to see from the American region going into this year. And then in stage one,
Yeah, Delas Fuel, you know, feel good story that we're dominating.
SSG, they kind of fell flat. Team Liquid couldn't compete in stage one.
And now finally, we have so many great teams.
We have a top three here as Team Liquid takes it to Delas Fuel.
They just look like they're playing incredible Overwatch and really playing at their peak level right now.
And so I'm just rejoicing at the level of Overwatch we're getting to see right now.
see you right now this is what we wanted to see it just over here all right
liquid edinus are on defense Dallas fuel will be selling the pace car this
game for this map I love team liquid picking up attack I like them picking up
give us as well I think it gives their roster a lot more depth I think with how
things have gone with infected if they do need to hard to rely on like something
like a diva, something super heavy into the off tank pool.
I think it's been a fantastic addition
with a definite level up.
And the DPS have been fairly reliant.
I mean, Tree and Zara, yeah, sure,
they didn't look too hot throughout the stage,
but yeah, last week, now even today,
yeah, they look good.
All right, let's see what Dallas Fuel
have got to bring to the table.
So it's gonna be Kellan on Sigma,
Sondra back on the Pharah, and CJ just decides where he wants to go, it's definitely not going to be mercy, here it is.
So a little bit here, Polk from Dallas Fuel, I guess this is kind of like the alternate look we've seen from Dallas Fuel, obviously Sondra been playing a lot of Pharah to begin with here, so...
Very Polk heavy from Dallas Fuel, has to look to set up here on the offense.
Come on mate, already get an opportunity here in the sky, through a little bit of poke damage.
Let's see how Team Liquid respond to this, because they know they're going to be outcoked here.
Well, Serious going to respond with...
And then I'm killing Chronic here, so Fiverr's is forced into the situation.
Well, Team Liquid on this defense, they are the ones who's going to force to respond
to all this pressure that us who is dishing out with the F-R damage, with the Castery damage.
Uh... our cat is behind them.
Yeah, Luke would be there.
Completely caught.
that's definitely not good. I like the idea of the poke, I see Merrick to the far and Dallas
Fuel have made it worse over the last few weeks, but I will say the hardest thing about
the barricade and just poke up to the general is that you need to not die super big. Like
the idea of being liquid is it just kicks up a lot really fast and then you can survive
because there's one less player to come and kill me.
If they can just keep doing that, they can keep picking up Zeratul, they can keep picking up Connick.
That's going to be a good spot.
Now, Dallas Fuel are putting pressure on the opponent now, so you can see the percentage building as well.
This is where Team Liquid, they're going to be forced to contest at the end of the day.
Dallas Fuel and Dallas Fuel can do the most damage onto this defense.
You see, 70% now, like, Kelen is just racking up the potentiometer.
Ultimates are going to become available here, CD drops to get sooner, I should...
You can look on the back, look here!
Oh
Three years of going down to a stray rocket. They're from Sonja enough for high noon. Okay, both DPS 13
They're good already dead. Can we send up on that rush the nicely time TP past the rock?
They're waiting on Helen there to embrace the Kiriko. All right. There's the point
Tough come to execute on the defense though if they want to have a tack permanently stay high ground and Dallas
skill, noted that and put Helen on point and pressure them out that much.
Yeah and I think it was an awkward timing for Team Liquid because realistically I
think they needed that Kitsune rush from Kivis to contest the offense on
towards the point but Kivis was slightly behind in building that Kitsune rush
and that just gave way much percentage, two dollars' fuel and at the end of the
day Kivis wasn't able to get it online quick enough here. So I'm just looking for a
little something here. Has the barrage available?
I'm not sure you want to barrage, he's got one tap Kibbitz, ohhhh, if he outthaw and he really did think Johnny goes, he shouldn't barrage this one though, if so I'm gonna need to impress his Q.
current dive bomb on the casting now is never really low even gets nice little boop to such it's still connects
With a body shot there on to Sarah at the end
Okay, feel they still got something to them a teleport away straight for flood
What a perfectly time off from Kellen over to wait from Vega couldn't come down soon enough in fact
It was too late and I'm gonna be able to make use of that at all as it slowly drifts out of their periphery
Yeah, now Team Liquid hasn't been able to find anything here on this defense.
You lose the first fight, not getting any value from Kitsuna Rush.
You are not able to set up on the defense accordingly as the flankers get a cut off guard there
by Sengen, who's still made up for that barrage with a nice pick as well, and that
was Fuel now on towards the third point here already.
liquid. This map getting kind of away from them on this defense.
Realz between Liquid and God. In theory, a better flux.
Xerath on high ground. Nice spot for him, but the range disadvantage here is going to be
half against the Pharah and in fact has to just back out. Drops all the way down to low ground.
I get picked up again. Well, this time it's going to be a Sky Noon. Under the map goes
those new comedians trying to escape and no one from the Dallas Fuel end up
falling over to that a flashbang but a little boot percussion comes in for Sarah
as chronic takes it down it's silver bullets and finish off Vega too they
spent way too long in the backline and that spree was ambitious I'll say that
I'll be polite about it.
Dallas Fuel had a great opportunity to cap T-Series with 3 minute 20 they got so many
ultimates available still it's just been the barrage really they've been forced to
commit here. Attack over onto the diva here now, but I guess these ultimates are not
going to stand up against it. Catnap as well, trying to dunk it down. Oh! Attack into Killing
Lucanino! Catnap, not today!
Alright, so you get over to the three minutes here, guys. Three minutes.
This is going to be a tough defense for Team Liquid as you look to stabilize with the D.Va
here as well.
Zergen, we axe accordingly.
He's going to pick the Mei here.
And that'll feel quite comfortable now to slow things down as Team Liquid shifts away
from the same composition yourselves.
Hi, is there a- okay, how is there a in this spot for this long?
That's our easiest hit and in the high noon sky noon old narrowly there Vega
escaped one HD surely that you know falls in a minute moments a shield is
replenishing an execution as two players a cap in the point right now zero point
three six meters away from capping they almost managed to see nine them almost
managed to back up just like we drew it up just like we drew it up the last minute
Contest coming out from Team Liquid.
And they're still trying to make place here.
See, we just kinda caught early there.
Just caught again here by the Maywall.
Can't go down early once more here.
They need to build these support, Miss Team Liquid here.
Okay, they're just slowly burning up, and now Cannon has got Flux.
Orbs away from Beggar.
Might be good to just pop that Insta.
Although with that killing Sonja, maybe Dallas Steel will think better of this.
Maybe they back off first.
Definitely will now, after CJ,
Is that where they ice-push today?
It's interesting here now guys, we tree over on this may as well. It's not really a hero that we see, yellow tree.
But it's enabled, you cannot put that on a field, stop them in their tracks here, and now
Sunjoon's may pick here now.
So we're going to do them a lot of good. You have the blister available, but be able to get value out of this against him.
It was composition. That's going to be tough in and of itself.
can help guarantee you some room for the most part.
But this is the liquid that's purely stable last year. Lots of holes must be up now.
This is super early. Block and yeah, tree is gonna go down.
Block and then wall was used and then instantly at the feet for them.
Sontra throws the blizzard to isolate the kill onto the main.
Chronic hits the flashbang on the Divas. You can't fly.
Attack uses self-destruct. Ends up dying anyway.
Chronic peeking around this corner.
He's gonna have a good sightline on the back line now as the Dallas Fuel are managing to route Team Liquid.
Attack swaps over to the Obesity, there are a lot of things.
Ah, it's just going to be to get closer to the point.
Alright, attack already back into the fight, but Zero goes down already.
There's now Dallas Fuel looking like they're going to close things out here.
That's a boot! That's a boot off the map from Attack.
Get Sontin out of there, and now the Blitz is gonna come through as well.
Three ends are going down again, however the Sanctuary is gonna bathe Dallas Fuel in this red hue.
Over time, now approaching still, 5 seconds to go, attack gets rocked, there's the Deesu, they just need to finish in OT, they need to get him there, but it's 0.41 meters, they get it done, but Team Liquid, train that, back down for about 4 minutes.
Okay, that's a huge win for Team Liquid. Given how that defense started, and how one-sided it was there,
the fact that you're able to get to the third point and then stall out in overtime, that at the end of the day,
that has to feel good for Team Liquid. Because now you have a fighting chance on this map, especially the way they were steamrolling on Dorado there as well.
And I mean, this move from attack, okay, my brain is unable to process what is happening.
It's just so much. I mean, those, do you want to keep like two nasty headshots? Like, as that sanctuary hits.
And they're still able to live through the sanctuary too, like, attack's able to stay alive, he kind of jumps close to the payload, dodges some bullets, dodges some fire, miscellaneous shots hitting him.
Yeah, burn that time back all the way down. I mean, liquid in a still very winnable spot, admirable defense.
And that's just a jolt of good vibes immediately, which is like, okay, we held them, two overtime.
Now we can generate some momentum on our attack of our own, and if we're off to a hot start
here, like we capped the first point on the first or second fight here, there's a momentum
going into second.
Suddenly it feels like it's starting to become a really winnable map for Team Liquid, whereas
that has started out so poorly for them on this details.
rolling out on the soria here so this is obviously a look that things pretend to
bring out here when infected a syndomics but the emory and the vendetta you
don't see this every day yeah not anymore emory vendetta on azaria okay
yeah I mean it's kind of perfect bizarre this is kind of the old I was gonna say
It's not a classic, it was when Vendetta came out, but Vendetta, Zarya, probably Vendetta, she goes in, she sustains, she climbs the front line, like, straight chillin'.
I mean, Zera does, unfortunately, easy help here, but the overhead slash, when the attack go in low, Zera goes to ice, like, killin'.
Is Alice Fuel too concerned with healing Chronic up in that fight?
I have to wait for Kaleor, there's a big pick from Sondren actually, on to Syrah.
Gives you an opportunity here to at least contest this first point after he started out
so horribly for Dallas Fuel.
They're on their side of the map.
Sondren is up in this high ground.
In this house area, there's a man on the ground, surely he died.
The war intercom and he killed this May.
Okay, Sondren down.
Took him long enough and fell like in Lucca.
What is happening there?
Why is Lucca Meno there?
Why is Lucca Meno touching the spawn?
I mean, your two members down, Sierra's going to get a better spawn and roll out, Astavendet as well.
This should be Team Liquid stepping up now, and they're close to a rush.
Yeah, it's actually super high energy too. So, Kelen's gonna have to play very passively with his shields,
just hoping not to feed attack too much, and then farming up himself as he's close to this ultimate too.
High ground for Tree. Now, this is the god spot, unironically, for Tree here.
He just managed to stay alive and punish his attack, tell us if it could be good.
Sky noon, kills Kivus, no nano opportunity for CL.
Attack right click, wait attack just got a double right click, that wasn't even a single.
A double right click from attack, tanks the rock to the dome, chases down Kellan, nothing this guy can't do.
That's still, they're losing this first point.
Yeah it has to be said at this point, as Street goes in for the bag on the third consecutive map,
that this is a composition that Team Liquid they practice so very much when
Vendetta was met a way back you know the pre-season bootcamp and all that
Team Liquid they were one of the teams that felt really confident playing a composition like this
and obviously attacking the mix now here with Xero as well but Team Liquid this is something they
pulled out from the strategy but composition that they've got so much practice time on
albeit now with two new members
We're a very quick Dallas Fuel able to regroup here and try and force toad for this area
and needs to get out of it.
Well, living weapon unlocked here for three, here's the override protocol, dome's chronic,
and this is gonna be a very swift end to the fight.
And now, Johnny, gonna speak too far into the future here, but that, time bank for the
Dallas Fuel, not looking so hot.
You can't wish you'd finished in overtime now.
You wish there was just a second on the time bank, like there was on Duono at this point.
Because you definitely don't want to get into territory now where Team Liquid get an opportunity to close out the series
without the worry of getting to lose them out themselves.
Rammacons are available here now, so we hope the rest of you all love this playmaking from Tealik down.
Yeah, really proactive. Chronokids are going down, they're not able to save Keleny, the Dallas Fuel need to fail him out,
They bail on that quick and unfortunately, I mean three is also taking over the game
The pro activity on second you've got it if you're the tank player you've got to be pushing for all she got
It's pushing the pills giving your team a much easier time getting around the streets face
Yeah, they're not letting that was she'll stabilize
That's going to be it. I'm pretty going to go for it here. Here. It pops the ordinance for good measure as well
can't touch actually they all touch different time being but it's going to be
kind of last step right there from Luke and Nino
there is in no just quite get away little shots there hey it's ever we stick
in the same thing
3 minutes 40 seconds.
It's pretty calm, it's pretty collected, got a good energy, just charged up, feels good.
He's got a good fight too, as well Johnny, I'm gonna be honest.
Feels like he's in this lane, forced to rise.
Alright, let's get some venned early again.
3 talking out of the way, pat that for new Camino.
They grab anyway.
There's a lot happening right now with double rushes on the field.
There's an attack to try to control this run-byes. Now the high noon into the sky, dodge though, the bubble was perfect from attack.
As sleep onto Kellen as well, mid-fight, that sleep was perfect from Kivis.
Stopping Kellen instantly activating the annihilation as soon as he dragged into the rest of the team in the teamfight.
That sleep lasted long enough for them to kill both DPS.
And now Lukimito is literally under the map.
Someone save, someone save the boy.
Attack, kill the widow.
Attack killed another one!
They're just cleaning up the spawn and Lukavino's just stuck here!
Lukavino! Get from under the map! Get to the rest of the team!
Lukavino! Please! Do it the rest of the team!
He's still touching the point for him!
Look at him contesting! Wait, he's contesting this whole time!
Up and down, up and down!
Attack is still killing people in this spawn!
Hang on, up and down, up and... Do they know?
IQ too high?
They found him! They found him! They found him! Get him out of the car!
Jump on him!
He's driving back on the wheel!
He's dead, but he keeps them a long enough time for the soldiers to get a kill.
Kenan's back, but unfortunately, he's still against Bissaria, and Attack is still murdering everybody.
oh my god that's my ranked warlord
you could put clown music out of the hand and it would fit perfectly
I just... wow going into this series the way we predicted Bella's fuel to dominate
Okay, I'll be honest. I'll be honest going into this one
We saw the previous match up on full like 3.0 and suddenly we're kind of in similar territory to EMBA
Where we're thinking like oh, please like drag it out a little bit like don't make it three two three
Oh's you know like give us like a back-and-forth series give us a good overwatch. I
Don't think we expected a potential 3.0 looking like this
Cinema
Where's that one of smash? There's a smash version of the cinnamon
Get that one someone add that to the
All right, well they got two minutes they got free attack
I mean he paid you to take a flash on the defense all the dars feel they got the rocket perk as well
Honestly the perfect response if you're if you're a good feeling that's their own tree gonna play this game
I don't hate the cab action. In fact, I love it
Yeah, especially in overtime as you get those missiles as well, the perk ready to go.
And now you can kind of play aggressive.
You can round this corner and try to look for picks.
Team Liquid though, recognize the threat of Chronic and are going to match you with Tree
over onto the Bastion.
Probably not going to pick that perk and actually isn't now.
Yeah, so they're responding perfectly here.
Not going to pick the missiles themselves.
Oh, and Zero Flanking on the Caster as well.
That's been the threat the entire series.
33% as well, Sharra. His man should get one.
Look at me go down, Johnny. That's it.
Surely, I mean, it's only Kellen and CJ, it's done.
It's over. Team Liquid are going to pass.
Then they're going to make the mid-season on what was a Team Liquid slow start to the season,
a disappointing start to the season.
Team Liquid show up in playoffs and destroy Dallas Fuel.
A 3-0 to round it out.
What just happened though?
At least expected result of the day, like, yeah, what happened?
I think we're nothing given the script for today's matches, it seems.
Yeah, I think my current age is like a fine raisin, that's where I'm at.
Honestly though, I'm so here for it.
I just can't fathom how, like, what weird training chamber has Team Liquid
but then put into it in order to improve to this extent.
Like this is giving Dragon Ball to me.
Like I don't understand where we're at here.
This makes no sense.
That looks lost.
Meanwhile, I seem like there's some sort of energy.
Like there are VKs that's been popping up
less than might.
And we saw the switches as well,
attack and infect it, like something in and out.
And no matter who it was in, like it just looked good.
It looked rehearsed.
It looked like a clear idea.
It comes to play it for clean.
What is happening?
Yeah, that's the perfect word.
So I think rehearsed.
I think you hit the nail on the head.
They, it looks seamless for the team liquid.
And I think he goes back to week one.
I think everybody's expecting him to play like this.
You know, play with attack in.
He's an experienced off-tank player at this point.
Like, and three pit, put our big numbers on the cast.
He looks like a beast.
He's a freak on the cast.
know that but like this was a new treat that we saw today. So when they dominated cafe in a 3-0,
I know it was cafe but you get the sense when you watch this you know you didn't get the sense
in week two but you get the sense that this is a team like you say that understands like what they
want to do like what their tactics are how they're going to play the compositional matchup and how
they're going to execute with these compositions and the first couple of weeks when they had limited
experienced playing with each other. They just looked like lost, like they were still trying to figure things out and they were caught flat footed all the time. Like you watch that cast the game on the rotto. And there was so much
intention behind every rotation. And every time they flanked with the cat. Like, it was just, it was just way better overwatch than we've seen from Team Liquid previously in the stage. And this is what I bootcamp is, you know, can provide you.
I think it's so true, I mean we said like setting up this match, they just needed more
time.
Well it turns out like three days or so is more time, that's the time they need, and
now here we are, they're moving on the air into the upper bracket final against SSG.
Let's hear it from Infected after this incredible series, we just got to witness.
Infected is always such a joy to see you, apologies are in order, I was not familiar
with your game, don't predict you, in fact I thought you know you're gonna get a single
map like what happened? What is going on? Where was this team liquid the last few weeks?
Yeah, I'd say the past few weeks were really just like experimental phases and just us like trying
to figure out how to integrate attack and give this like into our core. And I think right now we're
bootcamping out of the St. Clair facility in Canada. So shout out to them. Let's kind of say that.
I think this bootcamp has helped us a lot just like come together as a team and just like
Honestly just bond and like just gross energy and I think it really showed in this match for sure
And you got a boot camp every single week in the next stage as well man
I mean this was a crazy come up. I do want to ask actually with give us an attack coming in
What has been the hardest thing for you guys to integrate them into the like the system and the team as a whole?
I'd say the hardest is just the language barrier
I think when they both joined the team both of them and have saw the two our new coach
They're all from all from Korea. They all knew like kind of like a little bit of English
But they've been taking English lessons and
Yeah, I think the biggest thing is a language
But we've definitely fixed that just like being together in person and I think our comms are like really clean and good overall
So I want to go back to a very specific match
Previously in this stage and it makes sense you lost 3-1 to Dallas fueling week two and honestly like the kind of
way you lost as well obviously one new junk city in that series but the way
you lost just like a way since you're trying to pay this lose your carry
comp and you're kind of like a five sacking and it just looked like you
you it really looked like you weren't on the same page at all and it's such a
shift from back then as you reflect on that loss to Dallas fuel in week two
what do you think are the biggest differences from now to the team liquid
that we saw today that just dominated Dallas fuel what has been the biggest
difference in some honestly there's like 10 back and think of right
away like there were so many issues. I'd say the biggest thing is just us being on the same page
and actually playing as a team and I also think like especially in this match like our hero picks
and like our compositions I think that match when we lost to them we didn't have a good read on the
meta like at all and I think this match we had a way better read and we were like like the comp that
we pulled out on Dorado defense we literally just like saw VP play like a week ago I think and we
or like just pull it on the match like we had never practiced that at all so um I think just yeah
I think our hero swap is the biggest thing and just like just playing together as a team for sure
the fact that you do that on Dorado basically the whole map of Dallas Fuel that's that's a
managing right there in fact that you love to see it uh look at ahead now at this playoffs like
obviously bootcapping things are going well you're coming in confident do you think like do you
Do you think you can like take this all the way?
Like is this a NA winning team now for stage two?
Oh, of course.
I mean, I'm sure like, at least like in my head
a little bit, there was like a little bit of doubt
because we actually hadn't had like a big upset win yet
this stage, but like now that we just three of Dallas,
I'd say like, it wasn't that dominant for sure,
but like if all dominant from my side
and it felt really confident.
So I think because of that, like we know that we can do it.
We can 100% win the stage for sure.
I know SSG have talked about scrimming EU a little bit and they're saying okay
actually they got a lot more game than we thought they did no leaks obviously
but have you been scrimming EU and what do you think of their power level right
now just before the major no we have had some e-scrims I think they definitely are
stronger than NA for sure and I think also scrimming EU has helped elevate or
Yeah, elevate our play a lot too. So I think we can definitely reach up to them by the time that
EWC happens
Yeah, I'd say I'd say EMEA is a really strong region right now, better than NA
All right, infected before we let you go
It's obviously been up and down here for you guys
Disappointment in stage one and it was a tough stage two and you the job is not done yet
obviously you still got more matches to come this weekend, but this just has to
feel like such a relief to you guys, the way you dominate the Dallas few in this
series, the way you get a 3-0, it just emotionally what does it feel like after
everything you've been through this year? I mean like yeah especially just like
with everything that happened before the start of the year and just having to
like figure out how to be in like a new team environment, also like me personally
having to figure out how to like share play time with attack and be like a
a two-tank team. It's definitely been really hard and our entire team has been working so hard like these past two weeks.
We've been triple blocking every single day.
So it means the world and it's definitely like, it's definitely the biggest relief ever to know that we qualify for the land after missing out on the first one this year.
Yeah, it's been an incredible performance on display today.
day and we're so excited to see if you can come out on top of NA and what you're going to bring
to the table now that we know that you are officially qualified for the mid-season championship.
In fact, congratulations and thank you so much for joining us for a quick chat.
Thank you guys so much.
And of course, best of luck. I've never changed, friend. Never changed. Yeah, it's been so great.
And I think he just touched on a really, really important part there mentally, right? Like if
If you're turning into a two-tank team,
having to share that play time,
there's just a lot going into that.
Like, that's a huge shift for a team.
It's not just like a DPS swapping it out.
Like, the tank is the, that's the core of your team.
Like, teams revolve around their tanks.
Yeah, 100%.
I can imagine that it infected most of his careers
in the solo tank.
At the end of the day, you're not used to that.
You're not like, oh, okay, actually,
I'm coming out for this match.
Like I am, maybe the vocal, you know, like at least very vocal in the game at the current moment in time.
I still feel pretty strange for him, but you know, these things need to happen.
Your hero pool can't stretch like every single tanker be an expert on all of them.
So it's, it's cool to see personal growth from him and see it translate into the game.
It is as well. Then I, you know, looking, if your ass is cheating, I'm like,
I don't think you expected this. I don't think you were prepping for a team liquid
for your upper bracket final match Johnny but what we've seen from these teams
and do you think Team Liquid is going to stand a chance? I think it's going to be a
very competitive series impossible to predict but I think it's going to be a
thrilling series and look Jack we were casting North America so far this stage
we were casting Team Liquid losing to Dallas Fuel Team Liquid losing to SSG
What did I always say, Jack?
Oh, so you don't panic.
Look at that water in Venus.
Don't panic.
Don't panic.
Don't panic.
And all the hopeium, all the hopeium came true.
I'm just saying, I'm just saying, you clown on my hopeium?
I just told you, we were waiting for Team Liquid to rev up the engines and start playing
their best Overwatch and what a glow up this has been.
No one can possibly imagine $300 fuel the way they did today.
it's just magical. Yeah, no I mean even if she finds a corner, it's a lot of fun.
Either way, we were treated to a very entertaining day one of both Yumiya and Na playoffs. Honestly,
wow, I am just so excited to see Inczait, and Inczait, and Excite, Excite, and I can speak,
I know a hush, and I'm excited about the event. I'm about to make an exit, it's been a long day
for me mentally, I don't know why, but like these matches took it out of me, been wrong so often,
It's just hard, you know, on the mental, so I got to recover, but man, are we in for something?
Lots of teams, like, they really showed up for the playoffs, Jack.
Yeah, the Lunex Dallas Fuel, again, and where are the G-Expatients playing Team Liquid?
Probably not. Were Lunex expecting to play Dallas Fuel? Probably not.
We'll see how they end up handling the Dallas Fuel side, because you best believe they're going
back to Dorado and want to make it to the mid-season.
They're bouncing back.
to close out the days. Oh, you do. Heraclitus. Heraclitus. What a guy. What a guy. Look,
still rings true in the big 26. Still rings true. There was a different team liquid.
So you just gave me the exact same quote. Yeah, that's the quarter of the day. That's
The quarter of the day, that's the quarter of the day, it's lived on for the weekend.
26 years Zoe, so you know why we won.
You're brave.
That's so true, it's alright.
I don't know what I'm talking about.
Our store said you know, probably mostly in regards to competitive Overwatch, I think
all those quotes were in regards to competitive Overwatch, the more you know, the more you
know you don't know and that's me whenever I watch competitive Overwatch.
So yeah, perhaps tomorrow, you know, we have some answers for you, maybe, maybe we get
some praise right as well, that'd be crazy.
Either way, we're here for it, thank you both so much for calling the action, it's been
an absolute blast.
Thank you all so much for watching, we should be back same place, same time tomorrow, don't
want to miss it.
you
you
you
you
you