Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment London will show they are worthy of the hype on Thursday.
After over 400,000 people watched the first night of action, Overwatch League returns on Thursday. Last night, Seoul Dynasty established themselves as one of the league favorites. Tonight, it’s time for London Spitfire to follow suit.
The Spitfire are made up of two Korean teams: GC Busan and Kongdoo Panthera. The combined squads add to a 12-team roster, giving London the largest player pool in the league. Keep an eye out for main DPS Birdring, who could start his MVP campaign tonight.
There won’t be any switching on the opposite side, as Florida represent the smallest team in the league. They only have six players on their roster, and most of them appeared as part of Team Sweden in the 2016 Overwatch World Cup. Florida was somewhat of a disappointment in the preseason, but hopefully the tight-knit group will unveil some new strategies in their season opener.
Tonight’s match starts at 5 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 – Dorado
After the entire desk picked London to win in a 4-0 sweep, word must have traveled to the Florida Mayhem.
London came out on attack with a Pharah-Mercy combo to clear Florida off of high ground, but struggled to move the payload past the first bridge. Florida did a great job early, especially Cwoosh playing Winston. Mayhem held their ground and ate a good portion of the clock, until a big Genji ultimate from Profit turned the tables.
A quick slice and dice from @PROFIT_OWL! #OWL2018
Profit’s ultimates defined London’s progress, as he switched to Soldier to move London through the first point. London tried one last push to cap the second point as time ran out, but they were off the point as time expired and were unable to score more than one point.
With only two points to cap, Florida were able to move London quickly through the first point. TviQ was excellent on Widowmaker, and Logix finished London off with excellent play on the Tracer. Bumpy start for the Spitfire.
London Spitfire – 0, Florida Mayhem – 1
Game Two – Temple of Anubis
London was determined to right the ship on Anubis, and took the first two points right down Florida’s throat. Birdring was electric on Widowmaker, and London had two points on the board with over four minutes remaining.
“Blades are swinging left and right.”
@PROFIT_OWL just reflected @MisfitsTviQuE‘s shuriken back into his face!
Watch #OWL2018 at t.co/AH9DBmNJjM t.co/066Ag0fD8k
Logix pushed onto the second point with a Dragonblade, but Profit responded with one of his own to keep the Mayhem from capping. Florida capped two-thirds of the point, but were unable to finish the job. Profit swapped to Junkrat for the final minute, and was able to snag a few crucial picks to prevent Florida from finishing the point.
London Spitfire – 1, Florida Mayhem – 1
Game Three – Oasis
Roadhog made his debut on Oasis, as Florida looked to reclaim the lead on the third map. Manneten scored a quick hook on Birdring, and Florida started on the point. Florida played anti-dive with Orisa and Junkrat and held ground, until London went to a three-tank setup and countered. Birdring had nice plays on Roadhog, and Gesture landed a massive Earthshatter to flip the momentum. London took the first map to 99 as well, and tense moments followed until Profit landed a Rip Tire on Zebbosai’s Mercy to crumble the Mayhem.
Don’t underestimate the sneaky Reinhardt plays. #OWL2018
No Deadeye needed! @FM_Logix is putting on a McCree clinic.
Watch #OWL2018 at t.co/AH9DBmNJjM t.co/j0ceFELvJk
London went back to a two-tank setup to start the second map, but continued to struggle slowing down Florida’s DPS duo. Logix was sensational on McCree, owning the high ground and picking Nus on Mercy. It required London’s full effort to pick off Logix, and the result was a wipe for London, taking their percentage on the map up to 90 percent.
Does anyone smell bacon? Because this Hog is ON FIRE! #OWL2018 @Birdring
t.co/U6dIipgQGs
Florida re-capped, using excellent Junkrat play from TviQ. It appeared that Florida would take the map, but some clutch Genji play from Birdring turned the tide. He deflected a flashbang to escape McCree, and was crucial in London winning the final engagement. Florida hung around, but London were persistent and came away with the map.
London Spitfire – 2, Florida Mayhem – 1
Game Four – Numbani
Florida played a standard 2-2-2 defense for their final map, but were pushed down the hill and out by Birdring on Soldier. London quickly capped, and Birdring continued to flank as Soldier to keep the payload moving. It was business as usual for London, who pulled the payload into the station with more than three minutes remaining.
Logix started the attack on Widowmaker, but Florida’s supports were picked early to fizzle the momentum. London refused to play the high ground, negating the Widowmaker advantage. Profit played textbook Tracer, and harassed Florida’s healers throughout. Florida didn’t cap the first point, and London exited the match on top as expected.
