Eight teams set out their stalls for the OWL 2019 season.
Our Overwatch League 2019 Day 1 match report covers Hangzhou Spark v Shanghai Dragons, Philadelphia Fusion v London Spitfire, Seoul Dynasty v Los Angeles Gladiators and New York Excelsior v Boston Uprising
The first four matches of the Overwatch League 2019 took place yesterday evening, with newcomers Hangzhou Spark seizing an overall 3-1 win against last year’s eternal underdogs, the Shanghai Dragons.
For more on last night’s action, take a look at our guide to the 8 Must-See Moments from Day 1 of OWL 2019!
Shanghai Dragons v Hangzhou Spark
The Dragons lost the first two matches 2-1 in both Busan and Hollywood, before bouncing back with a more promising 3-2 performance on Horizon Colony.
Alas, Hangzhou Spark were able to seal the deal with a final 2-1 win on Rialto.
Despite the loss, there were highlights for Shanghai Dragons throughout, including this rather cheeky play from Geguri as Wrecking Ball while the team was on attack in Rialto:
Philadelphia Fusion v London Spitfire
As for last year’s finalists, Philadelphia Fusion managed to get one back on winners London Spitfire with a solid 3-1 scoreline.
In terms of rounds though it was a tight affair: 2-1 (Ilios), 3-2 (Hollywood), 4-5 (Volsakaya Industries) and 1-0 to Fusion in the final match on Rialto.
Here’s how Fusion’s Zarya got a sneaky Graviton drop against the Spitfires on Hollywood:
Seoul Dynasty v Los Angeles Gladiator
Seoul Dynasty took a 3-1 overall victory against Los Angeles Gladiator. That latter team had taken Ilios with a 2-0 straight win, but Seoul Dynasty quickly bounced back 3-1 on King’s Row.
Another 1-0 victory for them on Horizon Lunar Colony followed, before they wrapped up the showdown with a tight 5-4 win on Route 66.
Only one replay will really do for this match, and that’s Roar’s superb Winston multikill that saw the other team being blown out of the airlock and into space. Classy stuff.
New York Excelsior v Boston Uprising
Finally, there was the match between New York Excelsior and Boston Uprising, which ended in a 2-1 scoreline to the Excelsiors.
They opened up the scoresheet with a 2-0 victory on Nepal, before Boston bounced back 4-3 on Numbani. A 4-4 draw on Horizon Lunar Colony was settled with a 3-2 win for Excelsior on Route 66.
We’ve no stand-out clip for that encounter, but let’s end with another highlight from the Seoul Dynasty v Los Angeles Gladiators match.
It just goes to show that even the sniper pros get tunnel-vision from time to time…
