Olivia R. February 16, 2019
Toronto Defiant pulled off a rare reverse sweep against the Houston Outlaws, defeating the veteran team 3-2.
It was a close match that resulted in the Overwatch League’s first fifth round of Season 2.
The first map saw both the Defiant and Outlaws both reach 99% on the second and final control point before the Outlaws finally took it and the map, 2-1. While the Outlaw’s Jacob “Jake” Lyon started out with unorthodox DPS picks Mei and Soldier 76, the two teams wound up duking it out with mirroring compositions by map’s end.
The Outlaws seemed determined to keep breaking the GOATS meta, picking lesser used DPS heroes instead of the tried-and-true Season 2 GOAT composition. By the third map, the Outlaws’ DPS main Jiri “LiNkzr” Masali was frustrating analysts with his Reaper pick.
Defiant was able to easily deal with the Reaper comp, continuously keeping the Outlaws off of Point A, leaving analysts and fans to wonder why the Outlaws didn’t just switch to the 3-3 comp to break through.
On the third map, LiNkzr opted for McCree and Pharah at the start of Route 66. When his team started to fall behind, he switched to Brigitte to round out Outlaw’s 3-3 comp, but by then it was too late.
Going into the fifth and final map, commentators marveled that the Outlaws were keeping LiNkr on the roster for this crucial Busan brawl. But they quickly changed their tune when the DPS legend went on a killing spree with Widowmaker, including a headshot on Seung-hyun “Ivy” Lee’s slept Tracer before the hero could even hit the ground.
Unfortunately for the Outlaws, it wasn’t enough. LiNkr once again switched to Brigitte in hopes of taking control of the point and winning the game, but expansion team Toronto Defiant came out on top, leaving analysts to wonder if the Outlaws took too many unnecessary risks with their team compositions.
The Houston Outlaws have one of the most active fanbases in the league, and while they may sometimes get a little too rowdy, their unwavering support may be what the Outlaws need to make a comeback.