Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
Celtics vs. Knicks.
Bruins vs. Rangers.
Jets Giants vs. Patriots.
Any good sports league needs a rivalry, and Overwatch League is hoping they can get one with the Uprising and NYXL. It didn’t look so intense in the preseason, when New York stormed to victory. Excelsior won’t be at full roster strength for most of the season, but they still boast one of the more complete teams in the league.
One player NYXL will be adding is JJonaK, who will be making his major competitive debut on Thursday. JJonaK climbed the Korean ladder as a support main, and will be paired with the young prodigy Fl0w3r later in the season.
It’s a big start for Boston, who stayed together over the holiday break to practice and prepare for the season. It isn’t a positive sign that they only barely snuck by Shanghai in the preseason, who flopped 0-4 to LA Gladiators on opening night.
Tonight’s match starts at 9 p.m. Eastern and can be seen via Twitch, MLG or by logging into Overwatch and selecting the Overwatch League tab in the main menu. Keep this page refreshed for the latest match updates.
Game One – Junkertown
Boston Uprising started on attack, and rolled out with a bastion comp to start the map. It pushed effortlessly through the first point, and Neko stayed on Bastion through the second point as well. NYXL found their footing in the final leg, with Saebyeolbe playing well on Widowmaker.
No one can hide from @saebyeolbe. #OWL2018
DreamKazper on Genji was disruptive for Boston, but NYXL started very strong. Starting for Pine, Libero played well on Junkrat. NYXL takes the first map.
Game Two – Horizon Lunar Colony
On the Assault match, Boston stayed aggressive with DreamKazper on Genji. He and Striker formed an effective dive DPS for Boston that ran all night, and worked in stretches for the Uprising. It was most effective on this second map, where Boston pushed into tight corners and capped quickly.
Sticking with a 2-2-2 comp, NYXL methodically pushed their way through the first point. Look at this action with Moira and her tanks: NYXL is playing exactly where they want to play. Libero went to Sombra on B, and the same close-quarters strategy proved effective. Both teams finished with time remaining and played on.
This is the expected conclusion when you corner @JJoNakLove on Moira. #OWL2018
NYXL pushed first in the second round and did very little different. They capped A but couldn’t finish, leaving the door open for Boston.
NYXL held high ground for a good two minutes, but Uprising tank Kalios took two kills with a D.Va ult and Boston moved in for the win. Uprising had nearly three minutes to beat Excelsior’s mark of 40.3 percent, but a DreamKazper Genji ult ended the map far sooner.
Game Three – Illios
The third map of the night was a showcase for NYXL flex player Pine. He was absolutely dominant on McCree, finishing with 18 eliminations in two quick matches. He was sublime, forcing a Pharah change from Boston and giving them no chance to take the point. It was almost laughable how effective Pine was.
.@tf2pine‘s McCree was basically a John Wick movie. Go @NYXL! #OverwatchLeague
Pine played just one map on the night, and was still named MVP. I don’t even want to describe the round to you. The broadcast stuck with one player longer than it had in two days. It was all Pine.
Game Four – Numbani
Libero came back in for Pine to play Junkrat on Numbani, and Saebyeolbe took the torch on McCree. He heated up early, but Boston got great Tracer play from Striker and capped the first point. It seemed that Boston would be on their way, but Libero on Junkrat and JJonaK on Zenyatta made key plays to stifle the Boston push.
On attack, JJonaK closed the show with a bang. Libero picked up two kills on a Pharah barrage, but the young support main was an anchor as Zenyatta on the final map. NYXL marched the short distance to the payload, ending the match.