Overwatch League, Week 2: London Spitfire deny Dallas Fuel a chance at redemption

The London Spitfire look like one of the teams to beat in the Overwatch League.

Sitting pretty at 2-0, the London Spitfire started their second week of the Overwatch League with a match against the Dallas Fuel. And if you’re a team looking to remain undefeated, the Fuel may be the opponent for you.

Nobody thought that would be the case coming into the League’s first season, and yet here the Fuel sit at 0-3 after an ugly loss to their Texas rival Houston earlier in the week. And with Dallas’ xQc suspended after making some nasty remarks on stream about a Houston player, the Fuel look even worse off than they were before.

To notch a win against London would be difficult, but Dallas would surely give it a try by returning to their tried and true roster featuring Taimou and HarryHook.

Map One: Junkertown

On attack first, London immediately made a show of force with Profit sweeping through the Fuel as Reaper, taking out HarryHook on Zenyatta not just once but twice and with a follow up on Chipshalen’s Mercy. But it was Effect on Widowmaker that helped Dallas hold the payload in the second section of the map for quite a while, while Taimou pushed London back on the ground with a Whole Hog.

However, it would be Profit back again, this time on Genji, to bail his team out of trouble. A quick Dragonblade got London the second checkpoint, and then it would be birdring running inceptor on the Dallas players trying to get from their spawn point to the payload. Just as it seemed that the Spitfire had what they needed to roll to the end, the Fuel mounted a good defensive push to hold them off. In the end, it was the Spitfire diving onto the payload with less than a minute remaining to push the cart home.

London started their defense with a typical composition behind an Orisa shield. Dallas played their attack carefully, knowing that there would be a Junkrat lurking around for London. Unfortunately, Chipshalen would get taken down again and again, stalling any real strong pushes. With time ticking down dangerously low, Dallas finally crawled their way to the first checkpoint, officially improving upon their performance against the Houston Outlaws.

The Fuel had a much easier time taking checkpoint two and after winning one engagement, were sitting pretty on the payload with a support ultimate in their tool belt. But it was Profit’s Dragonblade that cleared Dallas out. With only 30 seconds remaining, Profit slashed through HarryHook, a player that he had successfully targeted all through the map. Soon after, Chipshalen fell just as he achieved the Valkyrie. Dallas was able to scramble back to the payload to contest it in overtime, giving it a good final push that nearly made it. But it just wasn’t enough and London took the map.

Map Score: Spitfire 3, Fuel 2

Match Score: Spitfire 1, Fuel 0

Map Two: Horizon Lunar Colony

Going into map two, the Spitfire subbed Rascal in for Profit, another DPS specialist known for dominating with unconventional heroes. Going into their attack, Rascal elected to play Widowmaker, threatening Dallas enough to force them to drop from the high ground. On London’s next attack, it was Bdosin on Sombra getting the first pick on Effect to give London the man advantage. Caught off the objective, Dallas just did their best to stall the point A take for as long as possible before the inevitable.

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Surprisingly, Rascal stayed on Widow as his team moved toward point B. Even though Horizon’s point B is not known to be particularly kind to attacking Widows, Rascal made it work, laying down damage from the high ground and able to get some key picks. London’s attack only truly died after Dallas finally turned to address Rascal instead of simply letting him have free reign over their squishy teammates.

Taking a moment to reset, Taimou decided to switch onto Widowmaker himself. As London moved through the bottom right corridor toward the point, Dallas’ Mickie on D.Va charged forward in an attempt to lay down damage and perhaps get a first pick. Unsuccessful, he was de-meched and eliminated early. Taimou also was unable to get any picks. The Fuel’s defense wilted as respawns and hero changes were unable to make it to the objective in time to prevent London from capping it.

With the Fuel’s first attack stunted by birdring Widow picks, Dallas tried again by sending Effect and Mickie around through the hallways to the point. Even with Effect on Tracer dancing around the point, London smartly held their positioning instead of sending the entire team onto the point to take care of him. With less than a minute remaining for Dallas, it was birdring and Fury on Junkrat plinking away at the Fuel’s health meters. For Dallas’ last push, Taimou was immediately picked off by birdring, effectively handing London yet another win.

Map Score: Spitfire 2, Fuel 0

Match Score: Spitfire 2, Fuel 0

Map Three: Oasis

After halftime, Seagull came into the Dallas lineup for Mickie. With him on Junkrat, it was Dallas who won the first furious engagement on City Center, holding it until 62 percent. But it was Profit’s Junkrat play that became the highlight of the match. He was able to sneak a Riptire into the Dallas ranks behind the Orisa shield by rolling over the roofs and ceilings of City Center to drop right into the sweet spot at just the right time.

But Dallas would not let up, winning their next push. At 99 percent control, Effect on McCree took point on driving out the Spitfire, helping his team to take the first point.

On Gardens, it was London who took the point first behind Gesture’s Reinhardt shield. In the next fight, London tried to catch Dallas with an easy Deadeye after gathering them together with a Graviton, but Cocco’s Orisa shield took most of that ultimate’s damage. The Fuel ended up winning that fight, with Taimou on Roadhog holding down the point.

A Profit Riptire punctured Dallas in the vitals on London’s next push, taking out both Chips and HarryHook. With the map going into overtime, Dallas furiously took the point back. With four ultimates in the bank, Dallas seemed to be in a good position to hold. As the map went into overtime again, this time in the Fuel’s favor, the Spitfire’s frantic efforts to contest would go unrewarded. Suddenly, the Fuel were back in the game with a win on map three.

Map Score: Spitfire 0, Fuel 2

Match Score: Spitfire 2, Fuel 1

Map Four: Numbani

Whether Dallas would live to fight another map or go home defeated once again would be decided here.

London looked like they would lose their first engagement, but Dallas had trouble keeping all their players alive to sustain through the Spitfire’s damage. With Fuel players getting separated from each other and then taken down, London was able to take the first point.

Dallas would jump back on the defense quickly, attempting to hold the payload in front of London’s spawn point for as long as possible. Considering how quickly the Spitfire could return to the payload after dying, the Fuel burned a good amount of time off of London’s clock while also drawing out some of their ultimates in an overall insignificant fight.

London started down the last section of the map with just under three minutes on the clock. The Fuel mounted a final push, but it was London’s McCree that ended the lives of anyone who came close to the payload. With no one available to come out of the spawn point for Dallas, London tapped the payload home.

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Dallas’ first attempt at attack went poorly, with both supports quickly taken out. Undeterred, however, the Fuel rapidly came back and asserted dominance over the Spitfire to take point one. With Mickie on D.Va spearheading the push forward, the Fuel drove back anyone from the Spitfire who attempted to touch the payload. In the big fight over the second checkpoint, Effect executed an outrageously good Pulse Bomb, sticking both Nus on Mercy and Bdosin on Ana.

After taking the second checkpoint, Dallas ended up getting pushed back quite a bit thanks to a strong London defense and a couple stalling picks. With 30 seconds left and the payload barely past the archway, it was do or die for Dallas. The Fuel quickly used both support ultimates but the Spitfire’s Mercy was also picked soon after that. With the payload baring down on the goal line, London’s Gesture actually accidentally wandered away from the payload. That was all Dallas needed to notch the payload in and push the map to time bank rounds.

While the successful push was exciting for the Fuel, there would be no way for them to win the map because their finish was in overtime. The most Dallas could do was force the map to a draw by fending London off of the first point for a minute and a half. In the end, Dallas would not be able to do so, and with one big push, London would take hold of the point, win the map and win the series.

Map Score: Spitfire 4, Fuel 3

Final Match Score: Spitfire 3, Fuel 1

Player of the Match: Profit, London Spitfire