Overwatch League Stage 3, Week 1, London Spitfire vs Houston Outlaws

These two teams have clashed many times over the course of this season, and with the exception of their meeting in the playoff rounds of Stage 1, the Houston Outlaws have managed to claim victory over the London Spitfire, with today proving no different. Here’s a brief breakdown of the match.

The first map, Temple of Anubis, got off to a great start for the London Spitfire. Attacking first, they were quickly able to gain a foothold in the area despite the defences from the Houston Outlaws. With the first point secured, London quickly moved onto the second point where they again seemed to have the upper hand in their engagements. London would ultimately secure the second point with nearly two minutes to spare, setting an impressive tome for Houston to beat. The Houston attack did not fare quite as well, however, as though they were able to claim the first point, they found themselves completely blocked by the London defence on the second point, and soon found themselves simply out of time as their attack ground to a halt.

The second map, Blizzard World, was an extremely close match, as London managed to secure the first point and start moving the payload. Though the attack from London was strong, they were unable to fully overcome Houston’s defences, and found themselves held up just shy of the second point. When it came for Houston to attack, they found themselves in a position very similar to London, capturing the first point and running into fierce resistance around the second. The best efforts of London could not stop the Outlaws in the end though, as they reached the required distance with scant seconds remaining on the clock to level out the score.

The third map, Nepal, was a hotly contested back and forth match that saw both teams doing their best to maintain control of the points. The first round went to Houston, as despite their best efforts London were unable to capture much beyond 50% of the zone. The second round also went in favour of Houston, with London putting up more of a fight but still falling short in the end. Houston would find themselves in match point position with a 2-1 lead.

The fourth map, Route 66, was all London’s show, as they managed to brute force the payload through the first checkpoint and almost reaching the second checkpoint. Houston managed to hold them shy of the line, giving themselves some breathing room for their own attack. When the Outlaws did launch their attack, they quickly found themselves stuck in a quagmire of London players, ultimately unable to even reach the first checkpoint. With their victory here, London had tied up the score 2-2 and set the stage for a thrilling tie-breaker round.

The fifth and final map, Oasis, was the make or break point for these teams, with neither wanting to lose out after such a tightly contested series thus far. Both teams battled hard for the first point, with the Houston Outlaws ultimately proving victorious after a very prolonged skirmish. The second round was just as tightly contested, though by this stage Houston seemed to have London’s number. With the clock ticking down, the defence from Houston continued to rebuff London, with Houston claiming the round, map, and series all in one fell swoop.

For more Overwatch action, check out the match recap from the previous series, with the Philadelphia Fusion taking on the Boston Uprising, and for more information on when these teams will play again, check out the Official Schedule page, here.