Overwatch League Stage 3, Week 1, Philadelphia Fusion vs Boston Uprising

We’ve already seen some excellent performances out of these teams so far, but this series proved to be a nail biter as the Boston Uprising managed to clinch a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Fusion. Here’s a brief breakdown of the match.

The first map, Volskaya Industries, saw the Fusion off to an ok start with their first attack. They were able to secure the first point, but ran into quite a lot of resistance on the second point as Boston turned up the heat to keep them away. The Fusion simply ran out of time in the end, capturing a reasonable amount on the second point but proving unable to fully secure the point. With Boston now on the attack, they quickly threw themselves into the mix with the Fusion, capturing the first point before moving to continue their assault. They proved much more successful than their opponents, managing to reach the required capture percentage with just seconds to spare to give them a 1 map lead.

The second map, Blizzard World, kicked off with a bang as Philadelphia started their assault on the defences of Boston. Though Boston put up a valiant effort, the Fusion were able to push through and secure the first point. With the payload now moving, the Fusion quickly continued their assault, achieving their goal of reaching all three checkpoints in overtime. With Boston now taking their attempt to attack, the Fusion worked hard to set up a defence that could repel the attackers. Unfortunately for the Fusion, Boston proved equally as well versed in attacking, and managed to secure the first point and move the payload to the end with time remaining. With both teams now having a second chance to attack, the Fusion were up first, and despite the best efforts of the Boston Uprising, the Fusion managed to secure the first point and start the payload moving. They would find reaching the second checkpoint to be impossible, however, as Boston held the line and stopped them in their tracks. With Boston now taking their second attempt at attacking, the Fusion reached deep to find a way to hold them back, and though the Boston attack was fierce, the Fusion defence was equally sharp, stopping Boston from securing the first point and equalizing the games score.

The third map, Ilios, was a chance for Boston to get revenge, and one they would not let slip away. The Philadelphia Fusion barely managed to get any time on the first checkpoint before Boston kicked them off again, ending the first round with a Boston victory. The second round was much the same, though the Fusion did put up more of a fight this time around. Ultimately however, the Fusion could not capture and hold the point long enough, while Boston managed to delay the game just long enough for them to claim the map victory and a 2-1 lead in the series.

The fourth map, Route 66, proved much more advantageous for the Fusion, as they quickly moved the payload through the first checkpoints before making their final push on the final point. Boston tried their best to stop them, but barely managed to slow them down before the Fusion reached the third checkpoint with over a minute to spare. Boston’s attack did not go as smoothly, though they were able to move the payload through the first two checkpoints. Boston’s final push proved to be inadequate in the end, as the defence from Philadelphia held them just short of where they needed to be. With the series now tied up 2-2, the two teams would be facing off in a final tie-breaker map.

The fifth and final map, Oasis, started out strong for both teams. Though Boston was able to claim the first round, the Fusion did put up a good fight, securing a lot of percentage for themselves. The second round was a disaster for Philadelphia, however, with their team structure falling apart in the face of the Boston assault. Though they continued to fight, the Fusion were unable to secure the point at all, leaving Boston to pick up the round, map, and series win.

For more Overwatch action, check out the match recap from the previous series, with the Florida Mayhem taking on the New York Excelsior, and for more information on when these teams will play again, check out the Official Schedule page, here.