Overwatch League, Week 2: Florida Mayhem get their first win over the Shanghai Dragons

After getting swept again earlier this week, can the Shanghai Dragons find a way to redeem themselves?

The Overwatch League has not been kind to the Shanghai Dragons, who fell to the Houston Outlaws on Wednesday after going winless in week 1. Not only do the Dragon players have to contend with the difficult mental state that comes with frustrating losses, but they also have to handle the criticisms and rumors swirling around their organization.

Meanwhile, the Florida Mayhem also came into the match looking for their first win, falling earlier in the week to the unstoppable train called the Seoul Dynasty. But unlike Shanghai, Florida had moments of brilliance throughout the three matches they played. Would that be enough to hand Shanghai another loss, or would the Dragons finally find their footing as a team?

Map One: El Dorado

Shanghai’s first two attacks at moving the payload were unsuccessful, with Florida holding strong on the high ground. With their hold on the map confident, Cwoosh went ahead and charged forward with a Primal Rage, batting Shanghai around right in front of their spawn room. Finally, the Dragons decided to focus their attention not the Mayhem but on the payload. That decision helped move the payload past the archway but not too much else. With time running out, the Mayhem unloaded a Attack Visor into the Dragons, but unfortunately for them, Altering on Mercy remained alive. With a crucial Valkyrie bringing several Dragons back and sustaining those still standing on the point, Shanghai finally outlasted Florida to push the truck to the first checkpoint.

Unfortunately, Shanghai just didn’t have enough time to push the point to the next checkpoint. With their first attack repelled, they had just one more engagement before they were suddenly facing overtime. Altering flew onto the payload in a last ditch attempt to help Shanghai sustain a presence on the objective, but everyone from Florida was there to shut him and his team down.

With Florida only needing to push the payload halfway through the map but with a very full amount of time, it felt like Shanghai’s defense was only there to delay the inevitable. In the end, it was two quick headshots by Florida’s Logix that propelled the payload into the golden goal line, giving the Mayhem an early series lead.

Map Score: Mayhem 2, Dragons 1

Match Score: Mayhem 1, Dragons 0

Map Two: Temple of Anubis

Shanghai’s Undead got off to an impressive start with his team on attack, getting a huge headshot on TviQ’s Widowmaker. Unfortunately, the rest of his team was unable to break through Florida’s shielding and positioning up on the high ground. Upon his return, TviQ did his duty, zoning out Shanghai even while the Dragons tried to gingerly find their way around. Ultimately, it seemed like the Dragons hurt themselves by not playing aggressive enough and not taking advantage of kills that the tanks were able to get. Finding themselves in overtime already, Xushu finally found his team purchase with some excellent Winston play and the Dragons seized point A to gain a tiny bit more room to breathe.

Shanghai’s first push was able to get them a tick on the point, with a Valkyrie keeping them alive through it. However, Florida’s later Valkyrie prevented Shanghai from getting more. With time running out once again, the Dragons ran in one last time. Undead was immediately blasted out of the fight thanks to a Logix Pulse Bomb, and then TviQ took out Xushu and Diya with a Junkrat Riptire.

On attack, TviQ helped his team immediately with a huge headshot on Diya. Xushu jumped out of position in an attempt to dislodge TviQ, but all it did was cause Xushu to get cut off from the rest of his team. As the fighting ramped up on the point, it was Logix on Tracer saving Florida’s push by taking out the remaining Dragons clinging to the point.

Moving to point B, Florida only had to take that one tick to win the map. The Mayhem were pushed off at first despite Logix zipping right onto the point and getting a pick. But the stall wouldn’t last long. Florida’s next attack was all they needed to take control and move to a 2-0 series lead.

Map Score: Mayhem 2, Dragons 1

Match Score: Mayhem 2, Dragons 0

Map Three: Ilios

On the control map, it was Undead and Logix on the Widowmaker, and it didn’t take too long for Logix to win that duel. With Dragons falling all at once, Florida took the point first. As Shanghai attempted to put together a cohesive attack, TviQ badgered them as Tracer in the backline. Then it was Cwoosh locking down the point with a Primal Rage. It wasn’t until Florida was up to 99 percent that Undead and MG helped the Dragons elbow their way onto the point.

Suddenly, it was Diya’s Tracer going to town on the Mayhem as Florida tried to mount a retake of the point. However, his backline adventures were unable to prevent Florida from coming back and taking out the Dragons. With support ultimates to sustain them, the Mayhem came back and finished up the point.

Logix switched onto McCree for the next point, and it was his revolver that helped the Mayhem win the first battle for the point. After that, it became a Logix shooting gallery, with his McCree picking Shanghai out of the sky and inside of buildings. It was Altering that finally took Logix down, starting the Dragons take of the point. But with a Transcendence on the board, Florida came right back and stole not only the point but the win from Shanghai’s grasp.

Map Score: Mayhem 2, Dragons 0

Match Score: Mayhem 3, Dragons 0

Map Four: Numbani

For the last map in the series, Shanghai subbed in Fiveking and Roshan. On their Numbani attack, the Dragons seemed to finally find their footing. With Diya and Undead leading the way, the Dragons put together an impressive drive to the end of the map. With more time than usual left to them during the last portion of the map, the Dragons had time for extended engagements. Even with his teammates dropping around him, MG was able to get a kill with his D.Va Self Destruct. Shanghai’s furious final fight also featured Altering swooping in to get some final desperation resurrections. But credit needs to be given to Florida, who shut the door in Shanghai’s face with the payload less than a meter away from the end.

But it was Florida who took point one and point two even faster, with Cwoosh on Winston pushing the Dragons off the initial objective and Logix running rampant on McCree to ensure the payload notched into checkpoint two. It wasn’t until the last section of the map where Logix really turned on the heat as McCree. Starting with a quick stun-and-snipe on Diya’s Tracker, he followed up with a two-kill Deadeye. It wasn’t until the payload was perilously close to the end that Shanghai was even able to come out for what felt like a halfhearted challenge. It wouldn’t be long before Florida drove the payload and series home.

Next: Overwatch League, Week 2 recap: Seoul beats Boston to go 4-0

Map Score: Mayhem 3, Dragons 2

Final Match Score: Mayhem 4, Dragons 0

Player of the Match: Logix, Florida Mayhem