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Dominance in the West: Overwatch League Countdown Cup Play-Ins Semifinals Recap
The first round of the Overwatch League (OWL) Countdown Cup went down last night on the 21st of Oct, with the winners of the Bo5 moving forward to the Upper Bracket Finals. This tournament includes a total of 7 teams, 4 from the West and 3 from the East.
With the teams from the East having concluded their matches last weekend, the top 2 West teams will join Hangzhou Spark at Play-offs. Both semifinal matches are slated to play on Sat, 22nd Oct.
Florida Mayhem vs. Boston Uprising (3-0)
Winner: Florida Mayhem
Florida Mayhem took on the Boston Uprising squad in a 3-map series of dominance. Coming into the series, Florida enjoyed the position as favorites against a faltering Boston who have not made a showing at Play-Offs since 2018.
Map 1
Florida would shut down Boston’s early attempt for the point on Map 1, with Ham “SOMEONE” Jeong-wan closing the door on any attempt at a retake on his Zarya. On the second point, Florida would secure their 1-0 start to the series with an uncontested point secure.
Map 2
Eichenwalde would be apt for the second game, where Florida put on an iron clad defense against Boston. The Uprising side would manage to score a point take and push, thanks in large part to the efforts of rookie star Alex “Seeker” Taylor. However, they would falter against the power duo of Baek “Checkmate” Seung-hun and Isaiah “Hydron” Rodriguez. “Checkmate” especially put on a masterclass on the Genji, cutting down the Boston's lines repeatedly on the Dragonblade to take the Map 2.
Map 3
With a strong showing, “SOMEONE” would return in the third map to close it out once more on Zarya. Flanked by “Checkmate” and “Hydron,” they would prevent the checkpoint cap from Boston, securing their spot in the Upper Finals.
Toronto Defiant vs. Washington Justice (3-0)
Winner: Toronto Defiant
Tournament favorites Toronto Defiant took on underdogs Washington Justice to a similar theme of the night, dominance. Having struggled with middling results of 7th-8th place recently, Washington looked to change the narrative by qualifying to Play-Offs.
Map 1
DPS player Jung-woo “Finale” Lim led the way for an early point secure, piloting his Genji to perfection. He cut down Jung “Krillin” Yung-hoon’s Baptiste repeatedly in the backlines, ensuring there was no corner for Washington to inch their way back on to the point.
Map 2
Map 2 would Washington Justice show some mettle after early aggression from Toronto Defiant secured a strong 3-point start. Pushing hard, Washington would come just shy of securing the final point thanks to the heroics of Juseok “Twilight” Lee, taking down Kim “Assassin” Sung-won’s Genji in the final moments.
Map 3
The final map saw “Finale” live up to his namesake as he waved bye to Washington from the rearview mirror of his Tracer. A constant harassment of the backlines included eliminations on Justice’s supports and a pulse bomb that took 2 more eliminations.
With the conclusion of the OWL Countdown Cup Semifinals, Toronto Defiant and Florida Mayhem are scheduled to clash tonight, Oct 22nd at 8pm GMT. Boston Uprising and Washington Justice fall to the lower brackets, the winner of their match facing against either Defiant or Mayhem for the final qualifying spot.
Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment