The second week of Stage 2 was littered with clashes between the best teams in the league, though few games lived up to the hype. With the table starting to take shape in the new Mercy-free meta, it is once again the Koreans who seem to be starting strongest after a string of dominant performances in Week 2.
Meanwhile, the Boston Uprising are in a free fall and the Philadelphia Fusion are struck once more by inconsistency. While not the most spectacular week, the quality of play was high and there was a pleasure to be found watching the masterclass from the Korean contingent.
Game of the Week: Houston Outlaws v Philadelphia Fusion
Both teams looked to be in fantastic form in Week 1, and as they clashed here it started with annihilation by the Houston Outlaws, but the Philadelphia Fusion pulled it back to make one hell of a series. ShaDowBurn returned to the starting lineup and was excellent as always, but the real star for the Fusion was Carpe. The Korean has been putting in big performances all season, but he made his mark here, outshining Jake on Tracer.
The decision to keep Carpe on Tracer and have ShaDowBurn flex to Widowmaker and Sombra proved beneficial, though the biggest difference for Philadelphia in Stage 2 has been their support line. Stepping up once again, neptuNo and Boombox were superb . Teams have struggled all season to contain the Houston DPS players but the Philly support line put in the work here making this, undoubtedly, the Game of the Week.
Other notable games:
Seoul Dynasty v Dallas Fuel
Since the introduction of aKm and Rascal, Dallas Fuel have started to look more like the team their history indicates they could be. The Frenchman continued to impress here partnering with EFFECT, but it wasn't enough. Seoul Dynasty are in great form since the patch change and continued their hot streak here.
As always with these two teams, it was a fascinating clash of styles and strategies. While results wise it ended up being another rough week for Dallas, their performances are getting better, and this was a great demonstration of that.
Houston Outlaws v New York Excelsior
This game was set to be a clash of the best Western team and the best Korean team, but it was a complete blowout. Like a lot of games this week, it was meant to be close but ended 4-0. The reason to watch this game is just to admire the masterclass put on by New York Excelsior.
It’s hard to pick out an individual on NYXL as every single player has their highlight moments and clutch plays. The Korean teams look head and shoulders above the rest of the competition right now, much as they did at this time in Stage 1. So while not a nailbiter or instant-classic, of all the steam-rolls this week, this was certainly the most impressive and entertaining to watch.
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