It’s finally time for the Philadelphia Fusion.
11 of the 12 Overwatch teams debuted in the preseason, but the bumpiest ride to the Overwatch League stage belongs to the Fusion. First, they lost main tank SADO to a 30-game suspension for match boosting before the preseason even began. Then, days before preseason was scheduled to begin, the Fusion were forced to pull out of their two scheduled games due to travel issues.
The Outlaws had no trouble starting their season, but have started the league as the second-favorite team in the state. Dallas Fuel had a huge crowd for their opener on Wednesday, and look to be the biggest challenger to Seoul in the Pacific. But the other team in Texas has their own stable of talent, and they’ll look to earn some Lone Star loyalty in their debut. Houston have a larger American presence than their Dallas counterparts, including Team USA DPS Jake and popular flex coolmatt.
Tonight’s match starts at 7 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
The Philadelphia Fusion were ready to start their season, but so were the Outlaws. Houston got an early triple kill from Jake on Soldier, but Carpe and Shadowburn were overwhelming as a Tracer/Genji combo. Philadelphia pushed the payload through the first two points, until Jake hit a few nice kills on Junkrat to slow the push.
Jake opened on Pharah to attack, and he and Houston wasted no time pushing to the first point. Carpe and Shadowburn continued to give Houston problems, and Boombox on Zen was providing key support. On the second leg, Carpe switched to Widowmaker, and had one of the moments of the night. He picked off Jake as Pharah, and then picked him off again immediately after a resurrection.
Me when i try to be an adult #OWL2018 #OverwatchLeague
Jake switched to Genji and helped push Houston to the third leg, and Houston built momentum into the final minute. They entered the final seconds with all six members on the point, but a massive self-destruct ultimate from Poko took three Outlaws down immediately.
.@Poko_ow saves the game with a MASSIVE D.Va Self-Destruct 🐰 💥.
Watch #OWL2018 at t.co/AH9DBmNJjM t.co/eJSpRj2sKP
Massive D.Va ult from @Poko_ow to win the first game for the @PHL_Fusion! #OWL2018
Watch Game 2 Live: t.co/U6dIipgQGs
Philadelphia Fusion – 1, Houston Outlaws – 0
Game Two – Horizon Lunar Colony
In the first Moon Mission of Overwatch League, the Fusion capped the first point early. Poko has been a monster on D.Va, and stormed Houston’s back line with reckless abandon. Philly capped easy, but Houston regained composure and made switches. Linkzr was special as McCree on Point B, shutting down attacks from the back corner. On one side of the Houston spawn was Linkzr getting picks, while Shadowburn was relentless on the other side trying to camp spawn.
The hero for Houston early was Rawkus, who scored key picks as Zenyatta to keep the Outlaws alive.
On attack, Linkzr switched to Sombra, and unleashed a devastating EMP to help wipe Philadelphia off the first point. With the entire squad intact, Houston stormed onto point two and kept the pressure on Philadelphia for the win.
Looks like @Rawkus knows what he’s doing. EMP to a triple kill. #OWL2018
Game 3: t.co/U6dIipgQGs
Philadelphia Fusion – 1, Houston Outlaws – 1
Game Three – Oasis
Philadelphia owned the control point battle of the match, sweeping Oasis 2-0. Carpe has been insane on Tracer tonight, giving Rawkus and Houston all sorts of problems. When it’s not Carpe it’s Shadowburn, who is living up to the hype on Genji.
Got to give props to @Reinforce who was bullish on Fusion even at the start of the season. Raw talent powering them right now but they should be much scarier with practice.
On the second map, Shadowburn switched to Pharah and was equally exceptional. He finished the map with a Rocket Barrage on Mercy, which ended with Shadowburn pointing his rockets skyward to take Winston for a third elimination. Shadowburn might lead the league in eliminations after the first two days of action.
.@SDBurnOW shuts down the Pharmacy and then some!
Watch #OWL2018 at t.co/AH9DBmNJjM t.co/iZFMpkn3l9
Philadelphia Fusion – 2, Houston Outlaws – 1
Game Four – Eichenwalde
On Eichenwalde, Philadelphia stuck to their consistent formula: rely on Poko, Carpe and Shadowburn to tear Houston apart. Poko got into the backline and was a disruption, but his High Noon shutdown was what locked down Point A. Once inside the castle, another big Poko ult decimated the Outlaws. Houston crashed the point to waste time, but Shadowburn picked off the scraps for the cap.
Poko needs to stop. These Dva Bombs are ridiculous! #OWL2018
Houston refused to yield, as Jake went to Junkrat to counter Carpe’s tracer. It worked out well, and Houston kept momentum to take the map. Jake was able to keep the heat on Tracer and Genji long enough for Houston to push all the way through.
“Watch your step!” – @jakeow & the @OutlawsOW #OWL2018
We’re going to Map 5! t.co/pBjIbxZTRn
The Outlaws coaching staff is happy after an exciting map 4 win!
We’re headed to a fifth map!
Philadelphia Fusion – 2, Houston Outlaws – 2
Game Five – Lijiang Tower
Houston’s weakness on control maps has been identified, as Philadelphia immediately went to work on Lijiang Tower. They did a great job supporting Shadowburn all match long, and he established himself as an elite DPS in OWL. Pogo made a clutch switch to Zarya, and Philadelphia’s DPS duo put too much heat on Houston’s healers.
The Fusion proved everyone wrong. That was a great game and it’s clear that the Outlaws need to adjust on the DPS side. This was brought up on Reddit but they need a Tracer player.
Damn good series! #OWL2018
Philadelphia, after not appearing in the preseason and having their main tank catch a suspension, have started the season with a victory.
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Overwatch League: Philadelphia Fusion vs Houston Outlaws Recap