NEW YORK — In front of a wild sold-out crowd on Friday night at Barclays Center, the Fusion put the London Spitfire on the ropes, but couldn't find the finish, as the Spitfire took the series, 3-1, in an electric Game 1 of the Overwatch League Grand Finals.
Map list
Dorado: 3-2 Fusion
Oasis: 2-0 Spitfire
Eichenwald: 2-1 Spitfire
Volskaya Industries: 2-1 Spitfire
Junkertown: N/A
But all is not lost for the underdog Fusion. Down 1-0 in the series, the sixth-seeded club will regroup for Game 2 against the No. 5 Spitfire on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Barclays Center.
News
• It was an absolute slugfest on the opening map, Dorado. After taking all three points on attack, the Fusion gave ground early but made a nearly five-minute hold on the final point thanks to some dramatic tank play from the Fusion’s Su-min "Sado" Kim’s D.Va and Hong-Jun “Hotba” Choi’s Winston.
• The 3-2 win on Dorado was not unexpected from the Fusion, who have a near 70 percent win percentage on the map. It’s one of their best. They also might have taken advantage on some early nerves from the Spitfire.
• But that success didn’t continue to Oasis. The Fusion weren’t able to turn the tide with key ultimates, allowing the dangerous Spitfire to easily sweep the king-of-the-hill style map, 2-0, to tie the match at the half, 1-1.
• The energetic Barclays Center crowd was nearly two-for-one in favor of the Fusion. The club gassed up two busses of Philly fans that made the trip to Brooklyn from Xfinity Live! to help that cause.
• Looking to turn the tide on Eichenwald, a hybrid map, the Fusion’s Gael “Poko” Gouzerch subbed in for Isaac “Boombox” Charles, pushing “Hotba” to Tracer. “Poko” made his presence felt with three of his patented D.Va bombs eliminations, but the Fusion struggled to follow up, dropping the map, 2-1.
• Looking for a last-gasp win on Volskaya Industries, a two-point king-of-the-hill they aren’t particularly good at, the Fusion left “Poko” in. He was his typical productive self, and the Fusion were dominant at points, but they couldn't finish off a wounded Spitfire squad that claimed the map, 2-1.