The Korean superteam London Spitfire has completely run over the Philadelphia Fusion in the Grand Finals, and are the Overwatch League’s (OWL) first ever champions.
THE LONDON SPITFIRE IS THE 2018 @OVERWATCHLEAGUE CHAMPIONS! #AcesHigh #ItsComing짐 #CaptureHistory pic.twitter.com/NckQwXEhD3
— London Spitfire (@Spitfire) July 28, 2018
London came into this weekend’s events with a ton of momentum after simply outclassing the Los Angeles Valiant in their home town. The Spitfire were looking like a completely different team from the regular season. Additionally, every single player was running on all cylinders, looking confident going into Saturday. The runaway train that was the London Spitfire did not stop for anyone on Friday. Their ability to control the map with expert movement and great picks were on display. Also, the Spitfire’s star DPS duo, Park “Profit” Jun-young and Kim “Birdring” Ji-hyeok, was on point this whole weekend.
A double edged sword of the Philadelphia Fusion is how they play with so much emotion. When they were able to upset the dominant New York Excelsior, they used their momentum and aggressive play with DPS duo Josue “Eqo” Corona and Lee “Carpe” Jae-hyeok. They came into the OWL Grand Finals with a great amount of momentum themselves. However, they were still a huge underdog going into the matchup against London. On Friday, they were pulled back into reality. The Fusion could not use momentum alone to beat the Spitfire. It would take everything they had to beat the best team in the Overwatch League.
Map 1 – Junkertown
The first map, Junkertown, is a pretty straightforward win for the London Spitfire. Junkertown is a sniper’s dream, with lots of open space through the first point and lots of long corridors through the next two points. This would be a battle between the DPS duos of each team, and like Friday, Profit and Birdring would reign supreme. Not only that, but Spitfire main tank Jae-hee “Gesture” Hong would also play brilliantly on his Orisa, catching multiple people off guard with her Halt! ability.
NOT so fast… @GestureOW @PROFIT_OWL #OWL2018 #TheFirstFinals
LIVE: https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/0nM37poeGp
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) July 28, 2018
However, Philadelphia would make things interesting when the sides would flip. The Fusion’s push through the first two points is actually very effective. A great ult from Philly flex tank Gael “Poko” Gouzerch would secure them the second point of the map. It would look like Philadelphia would be able to take the map back, and take a lead against the London Spitfire.
You can run, but you can't hide! #OWL2018 #TheFirstFinals
Cause THAT'S A @poko-BOMB!
LIVE: https://t.co/U6dIioZfOU pic.twitter.com/YKpXoEONag
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) July 28, 2018
Unfortunately, London Spitfire would be able to lock down the third point with more great play from their DPS players and Gesture. The Philadelphia offense would stall in the multiple choke points towards the third capture point, and the Spitfire would take the map.
Map 2 – Lijiang Tower
Lijiang Tower is just more of the same from the Korean powerhouse. Gesture is constantly shutting down Carpe and Eqo, who are the win conditions for this Philadelphia squad. On the other hand, Profit and Birdring keep showing why fans consider them the best DPS duo in the world. They would consistently find key picks on the Fusion which would cause Philly to back up and slow their offense.
JUST who @PROFIT_OWL was looking for 👀! #OWL2018 #TheFirstFinals
LIVE: https://t.co/U6dIioZfOU pic.twitter.com/N784Ckl029
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) July 28, 2018
The Philadelphia Fusion are known for being a very emotional team. They run off of their momentum as a squad and when they are winning, they are hard to stop. However, when they are put on the backfoot, they have a very hard time coming back from any kind of deficit. Lijiang Tower was a perfect example, as their first loss on Junkertown plus their overall loss on Friday was taking a toll on them. Carpe, who was an OWL MVP candidate for the season, was kept quiet all night and could not shoulder the team to victory.
Map 3 – King’s Row
Again, the Philadelphia Fusion were practically down and out by the time King’s Row came along. Carpe and Eqo would try their hardest to keep their team in it, but they looked completely lost and outmatched. The London Spitfire were simply too coordinated, too aggressive, and too talented to lose the Grand Finals. Profit and Birdring won the DPS duel, and the rest of the team would follow. The Spitfire have looked like the best team in the OWL ever since they beat the Los Angeles Valiant. They were not to be denied the championship this year, and they deservedly raise the trophy over their heads.
😍😍😍 INCREDIBLE @GestureOW! #OWL2018 #TheFirstFinals
LIVE: https://t.co/U6dIioZfOU pic.twitter.com/8trCm15O0l
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) July 28, 2018
Final Thoughts
1. Don’t Doubt Philadelphia
Let’s not undermine the amount of work the Philadelphia Fusion had to do to get to the Finals this year. They are a gritty, emotional team and when they are on top of their game, they can take down giants. It just so happens that they run into the best iteration of London Spitfire, but believe that they will be back and more motivated than ever. There are some problems that they must address, but they should be another team to watch out for in the next OWL season.
2. Profit is the Best DPS in the World
If it was questioned before, it shouldn’t be now: Profit is the best DPS player in the world, until someone proves us otherwise. He was the x-factor for the London Spitfire for not just the Grand Finals, but the whole Playoffs. Without him, we might not even see London get past the Los Angeles Valiant. He outplayed Eqo and Carpe at every corner of the map and rightfully holds the title of best in the world.
I'm the world BEST DPS
— 박준영 (@ProfitOW) July 28, 2018
3. Can the London Spitfire Repeat?
Obviously, it’s very early to decide whether or not the London Spitfire can make it back to the big stage next season. However, London looks like a team that can remain champions and contenders for a long time. With multiple new teams coming into the league next season, it will obviously be much more difficult. The Spitfire might even lose a few of their players if a new organization comes and scoops them up for the right price. I do think that if they can keep their core DPS duo together and main tank Gesture, they could last a long time as top dogs in the Overwatch League. Maybe then, we will see them in the Grand Finals of Season Two.
What are your thoughts on the London Spitfire’s dominance against the Philadelphia Fusion? Who do you think will step up in Season Two of the OWL? Let us know in the comments below! If you want more Overwatch content, check us out here!
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