The third day of the 2020 Overwatch League postseason brought fans a variety of gifts, from clutch ultimate combinations to tense map-five showdowns. As the Asia region wrapped up single-elimination knockout rounds, two more teams were removed from playoff contention. On the other side of the world, North America began the true postseason bracket with double-elimination play.
Asia
New York Excelsior vs. Chengdu Hunters (3-2)
This new world of off-tank dominance and Sombra focus was incredibly advantageous for the Chengdu Hunters, but the New York Excelsior showed up when it really mattered in this knockout match.
Chengdu’s Yi “Jinmu” Hu excelled on Sombra, but he couldn’t stand up to the power of NYXL’s DPS, especially veteran Park “Saebyeolbe” Jong Ryeol on hitscan. The Hunters took New York to a map-five scenario, but the practiced attacks from the Excelsior squad were too much to handle.
Seoul Dynasty vs. Hangzhou Spark (3-0)
During the regular season, the Hangzhou Spark often won matches they shouldn’t have due to the raw skill of their individual players. While that was on display during this match, the Spark was no match for a Seoul Dynasty crew in playoffs mode.
Main tank Hong “Gesture” Jae-hee and DPS Park “Profit” Joon-yong won the 2018 Overwatch League championship as a part of the London Spitfire. In this match, the duo brought back that fire, sweeping Hangzhou and securing passage to the double-elimination rounds.
North America
Philadelphia Fusion vs. Los Angeles Gladiators (3-0)
Yesterday, the Los Angeles Gladiators seemed to come to life in a hard-fought match against the Toronto Defiant. The Philadelphia Fusion decided to take that ego down a notch in this clean sweep of a series.
DPS Kim “Birdring” Ji-hyuk and Kevin “Kevster” Persson of Los Angeles had big plays with lots of flair, but Philadelphia’s coordination on a team-wide level was too much to clutch against. Jeong “Heesu” Hee-su, playing Sombra, had a monumental game and set up innumerable Fusion plays.
Los Angeles Valiant vs. Florida Mayhem (3-2)
The Florida Mayhem and Los Angeles Valiant have traded blows throughout the season, with Los Angeles acting as a sort of kryptonite to Florida’s success. In 2020, the Mayhem have never won a match against the Valiant, and that held true today.
Throughout the series, both teams clashed in brawl-style fights that seemed to never end. A Sombra duel, layered with mind games, took place between Los Angeles’ Kai “KSP” Collins and Florida’s Lee “BQB” Sang-bum across nearly every map. The Mayhem dragged the Valiant to map five, but Los Angeles took their DPS and tank skills up a notch to secure a spot in the winner’s bracket.
San Francisco Shock vs. Washington Justice (3-2)
In the history of the Overwatch League, the San Francisco Shock have never won a reverse sweep game. Normally, the team doesn’t have to, since they’re usually in the lead. There’s a first time for everything. In this match, the Washington Justice destroyed the seemingly impenetrable defenses of the reigning 2019 champions.
On Oasis and King’s Row, the Justice barely let the Shock breathe, scoring a new league record for attack speed on the latter map. Jang “Decay” Gui-un continued his powerful Zarya play for the Justice, joined by ace shots from hitscan Lee “Stitch” Chung-hee. Just when all looked lost for the Shock, DPS Lee “ANS” Seon-chang came alive for the team.
San Francisco rallied back to bring the series to a map five, relying on clutch plays from off-tank Choi “ChoiHyoBin” Hyo-bin on Roadhog. Even though the Shock won this match, the Justice were, at all times, just a few clicked heads away from victory.
Atlanta Reign vs. Paris Eternal (3-2)
Map five series were abundant in today’s playoff games and the Atlanta Reign and Paris Eternal certainly got the meme. The focus for both teams was on off-tank dominance, with Paris’ Choi “Hanbin” Han-bin facing off against Reign’s Xander “Hawk” Domecq at every opportunity.
Atlanta easily took the first map but Paris came back swinging on King’s Row, setting up an enormous Earthshatter and Self-Destruct combo to finish off the Hybrid map. By the end of the series, the Reign called in Kim “Edison” Tae-hoon to dominate as Reaper on final map Ilios.
Sept. 6 matches
Double-elimination rounds begin in the Asia region on Sept. 6 as the true postseason bracket kicks off with the four remaining teams.
- Shanghai Dragons vs. New York Excelsior (4am CT)
- Guangzhou Charge vs. Seoul Dynasty (6am CT)
Tomorrow’s matches in North America will be split between the winner’s bracket and the lower, or loser’s, bracket. If a team in the lower bracket loses another match, they will be eliminated from the postseason.
Lower bracket
- Los Angeles Gladiators vs. Florida Mayhem (2pm CT)
- Washington Justice vs. Paris Eternal (4pm CT)
Upper bracket
- Philadelphia Fusion vs. Los Angeles Valiant (6pm CT)
- San Francisco Shock vs. Atlanta Reign (8pm CT)
