Jake and Houston take on Dallas on Thursday.
If you haven’t started watching Overwatch League yet, Thursday is a good night to start.
The three matchups are some of the best available, including an in-state rivalry with desperation in the air as well as a clash of undefeated teams.
First, Dallas will take on Houston at 5 p.m. Eastern. At 7, Pine and NYXL return to action against undefeated LA Valiant. In the finale, The Fusion look to go 2-0 this week against the LA Gladiators.
Houston got their first win of the season Wednesday night against Shanghai, but the tenor will be different in their second match of the week. Dallas and Houston have done well to establish passionate fanbases early in Overwatch League, and the first Texas Showdown could be one of the best matches of the season. It also features a Dallas Fuel team that surprised many by starting 0-2, and facing London on Friday could really use a win over the Outlaws.
Dallas has been struggling as a team, but star DPS Effect had a strong start to the season. He and Taimou paced the Fuel in kills according to data from Winston’s Lab, combining for 242 kills in their first two matches. The problems have been with the tanks, where Mickie and xQc have struggled early.
No one can hide from @EFFECT‘s sight.
Watch #OWL2018 at t.co/AH9DBmNJjM t.co/O6l1wayWxP
In the second match of the night, NYXL and Los Angeles Valiant will put their unbeaten records on the line. Valiant actually haven’t dropped a map to start the season, leading to some pundits placing them at the top of their power rankings. One of the biggest reasons of their success has been DPS SoOn, who only trailed Fleta in kills and picks in the opening week.
When you talk about NYXL, you have to talk about Pine. The McCree ace has only played control points this season, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a fan-favorite early. Pine’s dominance was pretty substantial, even compared to the top DPS in the league. After two matches, Pine led the league with over 42 fantasy points per 10 minutes (points are derived from kills, picks and ultimate use). For all of Fleta’s dominance, he only managed 31.74.
When Pine is subbed out, it’ll be all about how NYXL deal with SoOn’s Tracer. He’s the best Tracer the team has faed in the young season, and NYXL has struggled to contain back line DPS at times.
In the nightcap, Philadelphia look for a surprise 3-1 start to Overwatch League against the other Los Angeles team, the 1-1 Gladiators. It was an up-and-down start for LAG, who blew away Shanghai only to get tossed aside by Seoul. Fusion are definitely neither of those teams, but their star DPS duo could cause problems on the back line for Shaz.
Philly’s aggressive style won’t always work, but it helped them hold on for a narrow win over San Francisco on Wednesday. Carpe and ShaDowBurn are a massive headache for any opponent, but Poko and his D.Va ultimates are setting the tone. He’s been consistently picking off two heroes with his self-destruct, instantly creating advantages for the Fusion where other teams are not.
“We call this one the BIGGER bang!”-@ggDoA @Poko_ow #OWL2018 #pdomjnate
Every huge DVa ult he has from now on should be referred to as a Poko OhNo @PHL_Fusion @overwatchleague #OWL2018
Overwatch League runs Wednesday-Saturday every week for the next 15 weeks. For more info, check our Overwatch League tag.