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Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 1 Week 5

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After an up and down start to the 2019 season, the Boston Uprising enter the final week of stage 1 with their playoff hopes still alive. While the hypotheticals are too much to go through, beating Dallas would certainly be a good first step. With Dallas playing well recently, many doubted the Uprising’s chances. Specifically, the Fuel have rCk on their roster – a well known Sombra player.

Boston had a lot of things that needed to go right if they were going to win. They’d have to keep Kellex and Aimgod out of EMP range with their ults ready to launch. Fusions, the vocal leader of the team, had to keep his aggressive style going and get the picks that the team needed. Lastly, Note would have to continue hunting down support players in the midst of battle to turn the tide of team fights. That’s a lot to keep together – how’d they do?

Ilios

Dallas unsurprisingly puts rCk on Sombra. He farms his ult impressively quick and hits his first EMP onto 5 Uprising players. Also, Fusions died first in first in the first three team fights – he either is gagging horribly or Dallas clearly is focusing him. Sadly, Boston gets rolled horribly and loses 100% – 10%.

After the devastation that rCk unleashed, Dallas oddly chose to put him on DVa. While a close back-and-forth happened all match, Boston was able to get timely picks and flex their strengths without the specter of an EMP. Boston wins 100% – 94%.

With rCk back on Sombra, the Uprising’s anxiety had to be shooting on all cylinders. As a result, the first EMP gets all 6 Boston players as rCk jumps down from the high point near Boston’s spawn. Dallas continued to spawn camp for a bit, but eventually Boston pushes through. Note gets a nice double kill with his Self-Destruct, as well as picking rCk to help cap the point. Using his second EMP, rCk hits everyone but Aimgod. This is that moment Boston needed – Aimgod hits Transcendence. Unfortunately, Fusions gets picked before he can close the gap and Dallas uses that to snowball the point, winning the map 100% – 83%.

Kings Row

After an impressive first map, rCk starts map 2 back on the Sombra. With his first EMP, he hits all 6 Uprising players leading to a team wipe. Next EMP, Aimgod finds himself out of range again but is unable to save Fusions in time. An ugly pattern developing for Boston. After another team wipe by Dallas, main tank OGE t-bags after Note’s baby DVas gets staggered. Suddenly OGE is aiming to join Neko as most hated player in OWL for Uprising fans. Boston falls to another EMP but is able to cap Point A only after Overtime. It becomes clear at this point that Dallas is focusing Fusions, who gets picked first in quite a few team fights. Sadly, Boston gets it to the tip of the final point but is unable to complete.

In what is quickly becoming a pattern, Fusions is the first picked on Boston’s defense. Fortunately, Aimgod gets a pick on Zarya that delays Dallas. rCk’s first EMP hits all but Aimgod, but again Fusions is picked off before the Transcendence can save him. Boston falls prey to the EMP over and over again, with small glimmers of hope when Kellex and Aimgod get an evade here or there. Unfortunately, Boston gets rolled, but not before Kellex goes to the Widow in desperation and gets a sick double kill. At least there was that – but no win.

Volskaya

Down 2-0 going into halftime, Boston needed to continue their dominance on Volskaya where they are 11-1-1 all time. Aimgod starts it off with a great pick out of nowhere on rCK! Boston gets a quick Point A cap and snowballs it into a quick Point B cap. Uprising finish with 5:44 time bank when rCk hits the EMP when Aimgod already had Transcendence running. Whoops. See for yourself:

On defense, Boston delays pretty well considering Dallas got a lot of picks on their second team push. Between a Sound Barrier then Transcendence, they hold for awhile past a big EMP from rCk. Interestingly, Note picks of rCk in a panic switch to Tracer during a stagger attempt. The stagger extends on Point B when Kellex avoids another EMP and gets a Sound Barrier to sustain the team. Boston eventually succumbs to the pressure but docks Dallas’ time considerably.

Back on defense, Note starts the round off with an aggressive pick on OGE seemingly out of nowhere. Dallas seems to be on the cusp of capping Point A, with Kellex bunny hopping around looking for a boop in hilarious fashion. Dallas secures Point A with only 20 seconds left. Aimgod gets a huge pick on rCk right before he uses the EMP on Point B that helps steamroll Dallas and prevents them from getting a pick.

Back on offense, Boston needs Point A and a tick on Point B to keep their hopes alive. rCk gets a big EMP on Point A that hits everyone but Aimgod, who doesn’t have the Transcendence ready. After a steamroll and back on a team push, Dallas wins a fight without the EMP. On their third push and down on ults, RCK drops an EMP immediately which hits everyone. Despite their time advantage going into the round, things start looking bad for the Uprising. Note’s seemingly misdirected Self Destruct gives Boston positional advantage to win a team fight and get Point A. Good timing allows a nice snowball on Point B to win the map.

Dorado

Hoping to get a reverse sweep, Boston started Dorado on offense. Pushing the cart nearly to Point A, rCk hits an EMP on all Uprising players for a team swipe. This delays the cap on Point A. He hits a second EMP on all 6 Boston players again halfway through to Point B that Dallas sweeps. Fusions hits a great Earth Shatter in aggressive fashion that snowballs to a Dallas team swipe, leading to a Point B cap. In one of the more heated exchanges, Fusions blocks one Earth Shatter and hits one of his own on 4 Dallas players to start the push towards Point C. Kellex drops the Sound Barrier early as the cart rounds the final corner. The risky move pays off when rCk launches the EMP that the Uprising push through to cap the final point.

Needing to get the cart through to the end to win the series, Dallas had a tall task. Unfortunately, Boston answered the bell. Aimgod continually hunted down rCK. When the EMP came up, the Uprising had a Transcendence or Sound Barrier ready to pop off. By the end of the round, Boston had pulled off a full hold on Point A – and WE’RE ONTO A FINAL MAP!

Nepal

In a winner-takes-all final map, Dallas gets the first cap but only reaches 9% before the Uprising sweeps them off the point. Aimgod gets a double kill on the formerly t-bagging OGE and unkoe, repelling the Dallas push. Boston easily wins 100% – 9%.

With their backs against the wall, Dallas response. After losing the first fight, the Uprising have to wait for Note to remech outside the point. This costs them significant time, especially when they get swiped just as they start a push. Fusions hits a huge double kill with the Primal Rage as Dallas tries to cap the point. Going into Overtime down, Boston tags onto the point several times but not enough to make up for the ult disadvantage. Dallas wins the stage 100% – 90%.

With 4 maps down and 2 stages past, it all comes down to this. Boston reaches the point first and plays footsies with Dallas. Once OGE becomes the first death, Boston snowballs for the team kill and cap. rCk’s first EMP hits all 6 Uprising players. Interestingly, Boston all but gives up – jumping off the stage and giving the point to Dallas. Going into the next team fight, Boston has all 6 ults with Dallas having the 5 non-EMP ults. Boston wins the fight and retakes the point. In the next team fight, Boston’s remaining ults put them at the advantage which they use to earn the team wipe. In a final frenzy, Dallas rushes the point. Even with an EMP, Boston keeps their supports back to repel the offense and clear the point for the win. REVERSE SWEEP! REVERSE SWEEP!

Analysis

Would you really have expected anything different to close out Stage 1 from the Boston Uprising than a 5 game throw down? An all-time, heart attack inducing reverse sweep? What better way could you sum up the Uprising’s season than the chaos that unfolded Saturday night? After taking a night to let the adrenaline of the win work through me, I’m here to give as sober a review as possible.

  • How do you grade the Uprising’s Sombra counter? You could say it was a tale of two halves, as rCk was thwarted much more after halftime than before. But there were still enough big EMPs on Dorado and Nepal to think Boston isn’t where they need to be. Aimgod had some unbelievable picks (as did several others) of Sombra, but there is still room to improve.
  • Uprising fans should be absolutely salivating for Stage 2 after seeing Note switch onto Tracer and Colourhex onto Widow and get the quick picks they did. What a tease of what this team can do once the meta shifts.
  • OGE t-bagging on King’s Row almost put him in the pantheon of OWL villains had they won (right next to Neko in my book) – but the gag job in the second half makes it just a footnote in a tome of epic Overwatch disaster.
  • Colourhex will go unnoticed by most observers, but shouldn’t. He had his energy up exceptionally high and flourished with the attention being given to Fusions. He took full advantage of having no DVa on the Fuel, landing precise and timely Gravitons. He’s been a bit inconsistent on Zarya all stage, but came through this week when the team needed him.
  • Boston’s tenacity can’t be overstated. After a deflating first half, the coaches deserve all the credit in the world for keeping the team focused. Rather than tossing it in, Boston rededicated themselves and played cohesively the second half to earn their first reverse sweep of the season.
  • As I mentioned in my match preview, Volskaya Industries continues to be Boston’s official HQ. Boston moves to 12-1-1 on the map.
  • Fusions’ flex onto Winston worked more often than not. Many wonder if he may be a one-trick and I think tonight he stated his case for being as flexible as anyone in the league.
  • Someone get Fusions a box full of throat lozengers – hopefully they have a long run starting on Thursday that runs through to Sunday.

Playoffs

While the win was nice, the map differential (+1) for the night wasn’t enough to lock in a stage 1 playoff spot. Instead, Boston would rely on the remaining teams who had to play on Saturday and Sunday. See the sequence of league standings and playoff positioning throughout the remaining games:

Right after the Uprising/Fuel match
After the Atlanta/Chengdu match
Atlanta beats Houston – Dallas is out and it’s down to Boston/Guangzhou
Vancouver beats Guangzhou and Boston is officially in!

And with Vancouver winning over Guangzhou, Boston is officially in. Based on the seeding, Boston will open up against the Vancouver Titans. Remember back to opening night when Boston started the season against NYXL and just barely lost, 2-1? Given that the Uprising has had 5 weeks to build up since then, the Uprising could be just the type of trap game that catches the entire league by surprise. Next week will be an exciting playoffs. If the Boston can show the type of cohesion from map 1 through an entire match that they showed in the second half this week against Dallas – watch out.

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Uprising Stage 1 Week 5 Preview

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Saturday, March 16th @ 6 P.M. – Boston Uprising vs. Dallas Fuel

We’ve reached the final week of Stage 1 of the 2019 Overwatch League season. For some teams, this weekend’s game is nothing more than an exhibition and opportunity to retool before Stage 2. Those teams are on the outside looking in. For other teams, this is an opportunity to sharpen their swords as they prepare to capture the Stage 1 title. Then, there are 5 teams whose fate is undecided.

Boston Uprising are one of those teams.

With two days of matches left, and 5 teams on the bubble (Guangzhou, Houston, London, Boston, and Seoul), there is plenty to watch for this weekend. Boston has a complicated set of hypotheticals that boils down to this:

  • They have to beat Dallas on Saturday
  • God forbid Guangzhou wins against Vancouver, they have to be +1 on map differential to get a play-in match
  • If Seoul wins they have to at least tie the map differential of the Seoul/London match
  • Conversely, if London wins, they just need a +2 map differential

Those are the basics of the weekend’s hypotheticals. With that as background, let’s get the background on this week’s opponent, the Dallas Fuel.

It’s High Noon

At 4-2, Dallas has their spot in the Stage 1 playoffs locked in already. Their +1 map differential is the lowest of any team poised for playoffs at this moment, suggesting their record is a bit deceiving. They’ve got two wins against Shanghai, one against Seoul, and one against Philadelphia. Not exactly a gauntlet of opponents. Additionally, they were swept 4-0 by both Guangzhou and San Francisco in their only two losses. Take from that record what you will.

Looking at their typical team comps, Dallas has ran the 3-3 consistently throughout the season. Interestingly, they haven’t been afraid to bring in the Sombra or Winston, with rCk on Sombra and OGe on the Winston. It’s likely we’ll see some Sombra as many teams have tried to use that against Boston since their collapse against Shanghai in week 2. What will be most interesting is who Dallas puts on Zarya.

Akm and Effect have switched off and on the Zarya all season, with many considering akm the better off-tank. In fact, Effect didn’t see playing time the last two matches. Therefore Boston should be preparing for the Colourhex and akm matchup on Zarya. While Colourhex’s performance on Zarya has fluctuated all season, he’s more than capable of stepping up in big spots. Saturday will be a perfect opportunity to show how far he’s come this season.

Justice Rains from Above

A new part of these weekly previews will be looking at the map pools and win-rates. Taking a look at the map pool gives an interesting forecast for the matchup:

MapBostonDallas
Ilios
76%
(13-0-4)		29%
(4-0-10)
King’s Row
42%
(5-0-7)		38%
(5-0-8)
Volskaya Industries
92%
(11-1-1)		25%
(2-3-6)
Dorado
46%
(6-0-7)		31%
(4-1-9)

First, Volskaya Industries has been unofficially labeled “Uprising Industries” from all the way back last season. Their 92% win rate makes it hard to believe Dallas could upset them on that map. Both Dorado and King’s Row seem like a toss up. Likely the biggest surprise will be whether or not Note puts on the Reaper again on King’s Row, and if he can land the Death Blossom without getting booped off the map this time. Lastly, I also would love to see Boston pull out the Hammond on Ilios, as I think Fusions is begging for a chance to unleash what he has on the hero.

Predicton

I don’t see Boston letting the opportunity to crash the Stage 1 playoffs slip through their hands. Dallas appears to me to be a team that’s just barely squeaked by thanks to a soft schedule and has lost against any reasonable degree of competition. As a result, Boston needs to step up and take control early. Not only do they need to win, but map differential is going to be critical in securing their spot in the playoffs. They cannot afford to let any map go as it could unseat them from their spot by the end of the weekend.

Boston needs to stick to what has gotten them this far in Stage 1. Aggressive, vocal-cord killing shot calling from Fusion, timely pick offs by Note, Kellex and Aimgod coordinating to counter any EMPs, and Colourhex playing at worse a mediocre Zarya. Oh and Blase can just do Blase things. He seems to be desperate to play Doomfist (judging by his Twitter and his post-game interview last week). Hopefully the new patch will give him the chance. In the meantime, Boston has to stay focused, listen to their coaching, and believe in what’s gotten them through this far. Prove. Them. Wrong.

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Exclusive Interview with Boston Uprising Main Tank Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth

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After releasing star players Neko and Striker in the offseason, the Boston Uprising came into the 2019 Overwatch League season with several question marks. Surprisingly, unofficial team captain and main tank Gamsu was traded to the Shanghai Dragon just days before opening night. With no time to spare, Boston called up main tank Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth from their Contenders team to fill in. Critics and observers were shocked when the Uprising nearly defeated expected champion NYXL. What followed has been an up and down Stage 1 that has many believing Boston can be a playoffs team and a force to be reckoned with in the league.

Fusions first came onto the scene with London Spitfire’s Contenders team the British Hurricane. They won the 2018 Contenders Season 1: Europe Championship in his first season with the team. From there, he was selected to be a part of the UK’s Overwatch World Cup team as their main tank. His standout performance on Reinhardt caught everyone’s eyes, and many anticipated a future Overwatch League debut.

We were fortunate enough to get to speak to Fusions about what it was like as he prepared for the 2019 season. As part of the Uprising Academy, he was set to play in Contenders until the Gamsu trade. We talk to him about how it all went down, what being a part of the Uprising has been like, and how far he thinks the team will go.

Boston Sports Extra’s LoadScr33n: Fusions – just a few weeks ago you’re on the Uprising Academy and I imagine you’re preparing for the new season of Contenders. Where were you and how did you find out you were getting called up to the main roster?

Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth: I was busy preparing for the upcoming contenders season with Uprising Academy when Huk called me when I was at home to tell me that I would be called up to the main team in order to play. It was about a week and a half before the first match so I had to prepare fast to make sure I was ready to move.

LoadScr33n: What was that moment like? What were your first thoughts and who was the first person you told?

Fusions: When I was told I was really excited. It came as quite a shock since I really had no idea I would be brought up. I told my family that same night and my closest friends a little after. 

Fusions was playing the same type of aggressive Reinhardt all the way back in Contenders

LoadScr33n: Could you walk me through those few days between when you got the call and touching down in LA? What was that like for you and your family and what was the biggest hurdle to get to the states?

Fusions: To be honest there wasn’t really any big hurdles into leaving for or getting to the US. I was prepared with my visa already for about a month before that so all I really had to do was pack and be ready to go. My family was upset to see me go, especially my mum, but they were expecting that I would have to move at short notice for a while before that so they understood.

LoadScr33n: You land in LA and you have a day or two to prepare to play against the NYXL – currently the top team in the standings and widely expected to win the championship this year. Can you give me an idea of what those days were like?

Fusions: I just did my best to fit in and help out the team. Realistically we couldn’t make any other huge changes right before the game, so I went in giving 100% and we put on a pretty good performance.

LoadScr33n: We know what the expectations for the Uprising were from outside the team (not good). What was the feeling from the players and management about how you stacked up against the rest of the league before the start of the season?

Fusions: Obviously we had an idea of who the stronger and weaker competition was going into the season but to be honest everyone knows not to focus on what people think of us on the outside. They don’t see our scrims or how we perform and hadn’t seen a large majority of our players play at this level, so we knew we could easily beat their expectations, the challenge is how much we could beat those expectations by.

2019-03-10 / Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

LoadScr33n: The team sent out a video at the start of the season with the theme “Prove. Them. Wrong.” What are the expectations within the team and what goals have you set for yourself this stage and the year overall?

Fusions: The general goal of the team is to polish ourselves as the season goes on and become a team that can compete at the top level and with any team. The potential in our roster is huge so we want to keep focusing and improving the more the season progresses. My personal goal is to by the end of the year be talked about as one of the top tank players in the game. It’s a tall order but I think with the help and resources I have, I can reach that goal, and I really want to push myself to be the best I can be.

LoadScr33n: Now that things may be settling down into a routine a bit, how are you finding life in the states, playing on the team, the daily scrim and vod grind, and just a complete change to your life than where you were just two weeks ago?

Fusions: I’ve gotten used to the routine by now, everything we need is prepared in advance so all I have to focus on is how to push myself in my free time. I really enjoy this lifestyle and living with the team because it really makes me feel like I’m competing at the top level and can invest every bit of time I have into being the best player I can be.

LoadScr33n: You didn’t get to come to Boston in the preseason visit with the rest of the team. Assuming you make it to Boston by the end of the season, anything specific you want to see in the city? Anything the other guys have talked about that gets you hyped for a trip down the line?

Fusions: My parents have visited Boston before and they really enjoyed it so I really want to visit at some point. My teammates talked a lot about stuff they did there and the things that really stood out was they mentioned an Escape Room they did in Boston that was a lot of fun and also how the sports culture in the city makes it a great place to be during matches across different sports.

2019-02-28 / Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

We want to thank Fusions for taking the time to speak to us. At 3-3, the Uprising have a great chance of making the Stage 1 playoffs if they can defeat the Dallas Fuel this Saturday (although there are some complicated scenarios at play). Tune into Twitch this Saturday at 6pm to see how the Uprising do!

All photos are by Robert Paul and courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

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Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 1 Week 4

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With two matches left in Stage 1, Boston has to take advantage of each map if they want to keep their Stage 1 playoffs dream alive. With several teams hovering at or above the .500 mark, the 2-3 Uprising can’t afford to give a map. Remember, after wins/losses, rank is determined by head-to-head, then map differential. With that pressure surround them, Boston faced off this week against the 1-4 Florida Mayhem. Fans of the Boston Uprising have reason to feel confident. Let’s take a look at how the match played out.

Busan

On control, Florida sent out BQB on the Sombra. Considering how well Aimgod and Kellex did against Seoul last week when they played Sombra – no reason to be afraid, right? Boston starts off by getting wiped off the point, but quickly rebound with Fusions scoring a triple kill to recap the point. BQB certainly lived up to his reputation as an upper tier Sombra, hitting a 6 person EMP on two separate occasions. However, Boston manages their ult economy better, and without a DVa, Colourhex has free reign to patiently aim his graviton surge without impunity. Boston smoothly cruises to a 100% – 63% stage win.

EMPs continue to plague Boston on stage two – the whole team gets hit on another two separate occasions. Unfortunately for Florida, they weren’t able to capitalize on them like NYXL or Shanghai did. Boston continued to play well behind Fusions. This stage was never close as Boston swept the map 100% – 47%.

Numbani

Boston started in hybrid mode on offense and faced little resistance until trying to round the final corner towards the final point. Through their first two pushes, the corner seemed to be an impenetrable wall. That is, until Note decided to do what he’d been doing since the start of the match – pop some self-destructs. He and Colourhex worked a Graviton/Self-Destruct combo for a double kill that snowballed the point with over 2 minutes left.

In an act of either outrageous courage or complete ignorance, Florida starts with a Wrecking Ball and is stomped. Getting demolished with the hamster hampered them throughout the attack. Behind in ultimates, out of position, and seemingly headed toward a full hold.

Then, with 40 seconds left, Xepher hits a self destruct that followed up a big earth shatter. Two of the Uprising go down to keep the map going. But father time remains undefeated, and the Mayhem fails to get the final point. Boston wins 3-2.

Horizon Lunar Colony

Coming out of halftime, Boston seemed as dominant as many expected them to be. It seemed like a full sweep was inevitable. Starting on offense, the Uprising forced their way onto A and dominate it. An attempt at a snowball fails. Fusions lands a great shatter on the team’s second push for Point B, but Florida responded in kind with their own ults. With 4 minutes left in the time bank.

Florida’s turn on offense starts with them putting BQB back on the Sombra to scout and pester the backline. In fact, BQB hacks Aimgod and takes him out which snowballs to an easy point A cap. Yikes. BQB has the EMP ready as they look for the quick snowball and he hits it on all but the supports. Unfortunately, that small victory is a hollow one as they lack the ults to counter it. Mayhem finally take advantage and roll Boston for the quick Point B cap and 6 – 4 minute advantage in the time bank.

Back on offense, the Uprising get pushed back in their first capture attempt. Several poke battles and ult exchanges drain their time but the Uprising capture Point A with just over a minute left. Fortunately, they snowball straight into a Point B capture with just over a minute left in the time bank. The math starts looking pretty bad for Boston and the need for a strong defensive hold is critical.

Florida takes their turn on offense, again putting BQB on Sombra. He tries to split the Uprising in half by back capping and gets a tick before Note engages. The Mayhem take point A with minimal resistence. BQB hits a big EMP on Point B but Kellex is there with the Sound Barrier – finally! Great team fights erupt on Point B that Boston keeps winning. Scrappy fights that see tanks go down early on both sides, and the Uprising somehow able to squeak out coordinated fights to win. Notably, Fusions goes super aggressive and pushes through the choke point to buy some time. Though Boston eventually succumbs as Florida caps Point B – boy did they suck up some time. Florida’s time advantage disappears as both teams get just over a minute for their next attack.

Boston caps point A with their turn on offense after winning a drawn out, pick-for-pick fight. Surprisingly, Fusions is one of the first to go down, but is able to make it back to the point as Wrecking Ball. His flexibility pays off as he pile drives enough of the Mayhem to help cap the point. With nearly no time or ults, Boston makes a weak push onto Point B that Florida repels.

Having to get through Point A and earn a tick on Point B to keep the match alive, Florida rolls out BQB on Sombra again. This time, Note’s directionless pray and spray pays off as he nicks Sombra in the room below the staircase. Pinning him there, the entire Uprising are able to coordinate against Florida’s push. After a quick brawl the Uprising repel the attack and win the map!

Dorado

Though the match is won, Boston clearly have their eye on their overall map differential and its role in securing them a Stage 1 playoffs spot. No time to take their foot off the pedal. BQB takes the Sombra role on defense and holds his EMP for what seems like forever. Which was appropriate as the Mayhem seemingly were having their way with Boston. Once BQB hits it, the EMP lands on both supports to cause a team wipe. Boston takes forever to finally get a good push on the payload that starts with Fusion landing a triple kill. Another double kill by Fusions on the top platform by Point B helps propel them through. Boston is unable to get the payload through to the end, and suddenly the brooms have to go back into the closet for the moment.

BQB comes out on offense on Sombra. Boston seems better prepared for it this time, as Kellex and Aimgod nervously play the backline to avoid the EMP. Poor time management by Florida happens when they traverse the long way around on Point B. Florida starts cruising though and it looks like they may play the spoiler role. However, Aimgod gets a big pick on BQB as time runs low right after point B. As overtime starts and BQB hits a big 5 player EMP – Aimgod swoops in with the transcend just like the coach drew it up. A few gravs, shatters, and every other ult gets thrown in, and Boston wins the map, match, and earns the 4-0 sweep!

Analysis

A 4-0 sweep is what most pundits and fans were expecting, and none left disappointed. Florida’s chaotic season continued as Boston showed their coordination, leadership, and strategy can guide them through a match. There’s a lot here to like as an Uprising fan:

  • Fusions playing aggressive as ever continues to be the centerpiece of the team. I’m thinking specifically of his push on defense towards the end of Horizon Lunar Colony. Down on ults, Florida with plenty of time, and what does he do? Meets the Mayhem at the choke off the point.
  • Note was handing out double kills with self-destructs like candy on halloween. I’ve been a bit critical throughout the season on this point, so this is me eating my hat and giving credit where it’s due.
  • We see you Kellex – dropping the beat emote before Numbani started, getting boops to ruin the Mayhem’s positioning (especially the one when they went around for high ground on Horizon), and hiding from the Sombra with Sound Barrier ready to go. Unheralded performance.
  • I think Blase wants to fast forward to the next patch – him on Doomfist before a Dorado started (and on Jayne’s Pro PUGS) clearly indicates he wants back in on the DPS bandwagon.
  • This was a small little detail – but did anyone notice the Uprising going through the high ground on Point A of Numbani? They have faked the high ground and gone low every time this season. I like that they’re not afraid to switch things up and ruin any VOD studying the other team may be doing.
Your match MVP

Things weren’t all sun and rainbows, though. Here are some things to think about as we look towards our last matchup next week of stage 1:

  • I thought our counters against the Sombra were okay. Yes, by the end of the nigh,t by the time we hit Dorado and Horizon Lunar Colony, we did fine. But if you weren’t nervous after Busan you weren’t watching. Good on the Uprising’s coaching to rally Kellex and Aimgod during halftime and turn them around.
  • Horizon Lunar colony got too tight for my liking. Getting snowballed on defense and having wave after wave held back was not what anyone wanted to see. While it was impressive to see Boston turn the tide through a long map like that – it never should have gotten that far.

Overall the night went Boston’s way and put the Uprising in position to sneak into the Stage 1 playoffs. They need to take care of business against Dallas and may need help from some other teams. Fans will be biting their nails all weekend as we work through the scenarios and probabilities through each match. Strap yourself in fans, we’re just about hitting the final climb as we brace for the big drop to hit!

We see you Stage 1 playoffs….

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Uprising Stage 1 Week 4 Preview

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Sunday, March 10th @ 6 P.M. – Boston Uprising vs. Florida Mayhem

Overwatch League’s 2019 season rolls on as the Boston Uprising continue to reach for the one thing that has alluded them all season – consistency. This roller coaster of a season has featured highs, like pushing the NYXL to the limit opening night, and lows like losing to the then-winless Shanghai Dragons. Last week was supposed to be different, though. It was at that moment that we had all our players (off of suspension, under an official contract) and none of the excuses. And the result was – mixed?

While Thursday’s match saw Boston take the Seoul Dynasty down 3-1, Sunday saw them lose to the Toronto Defiant, 1-3. To add to an already disappointing loss, Toronto premiered former Boston player Neko in their victory over the Uprising. Talk about salt on the wound. How will this week go? Enter the Florida Mayhem.

Sunday’s match will feature Busan, Numbani, Horizon Lunar Colony, and Dorado

Match Preview

At 1-4, the Florida Mayhem have a whole basket of issues. After dumping nearly their entire roster in the off-season (where have we heard that before?) Florida looked to rebound going into the 2019 season. What have they got going for them? BQB has been one of the better off-tanks that have flexed to Sombra throughout the 2019 season. While Boston showed they could competently counter the Sombra in their match against Seoul, they can’t become complacent. Look for the Aimgod/Zenyatta and BQB/Sombra cat and mouse between their ultimates throughout the match.

Florida has featured their new tank player McGravy after signing him to their roster just over a week ago. Signing/promoting a tank at the start of the season – where have we heard this before? Additionally, McGravy has lived up to the hype. Last week he played a prominent roll in taking down the Guangzhou Charge with his Grav-sucking Defense Matrixes. If Boston is to come out victorious, they’ll need to see continued growth and leadership from their new main tank, Fusions.

Lastly, Florida has also been willing to put out some unique team compositions. Apply popped off on Genji earlier this season, and TviQ effectively used Mei against the Charge. Boston will have to come prepared for the unconventional and unexpected. It’s likely that Florida will differ from the triple-tank, triple-support team comp that has dominated the current meta at some point. Multiple strats and counter strats will need to be prepared or the Uprising risk being caught sleeping on the job.

Match Prediction

It’s hard to be too confident about what this team can do – so far. We haven’t seen a consistent product put out on the field. Between the changing roster and the varying levels of competition, fans should still be trying to determine just exactly who the Uprising are. As are the players. Huk and the coaching staff will continue to determine what the future of this franchise is. Part of that will be what to do with new players like Alemao and Axxiom.

Despite all of that, it’s hard to see them faltering to the Florida Mayhem on Sunday. Florida’s sole win this season came against the Philadelphia Fusion, a seemingly major upset. Whether that was a flash in the plan or symbolic of the general parity across the league is anyone’s decision. But there’s no reason not to expect Boston to roll the Mayhem and put themselves in the conversation for Stage 1 playoffs. Given the bundle of teams on both sides of the playoff cutoffs, every map will count that much more going forward. I expect the Uprising squad to come out focused and play disciplined. Good luck to both squads.

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Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 1 Week 3

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Welcome to the Monday Morning Shotcaller column. For all you New Englanders, I hope you’ve shoveled yourself out and get a chance to build yourself a snow hero.

It’s been somewhat of a cluster for the Boston Uprising this year. Our new DPS player was suspended the first two games. Our star, called up from our minor league team, had to negotiate a new contract two games into the season. But no more! There’s nothing like waiting until 3 weeks into the season to have your house in order. Why have an offseason end at the start of the season?

That’s all in the past. Boston is 1-2 headed into stage 1 week 3. The starting roster is set. We’re locked in and ready to go. Fusions is in midseason form. Let’s get it started.

Boston Uprising (1-2) vs. Seoul Dynasty (1-2)

With all that drama as background, what was there to expect going into his match? First, we know Boston has failed time and time again against the Sombra play. After making Shanghai (and DDing specifically) look like the best team in the league, would Boston come prepared to counter the Sombra strat? Surely their supports, Kellex, Aimgod, and Alemao, would be prepared to take an EMP and twist it in Boston’s favor?

Second, would Fusions pick up where he left off? Clearly his last minute ejection from the starting roster had much to do with Shanghai’s win. Now that the Brit is under contract and had a week to prepare all the excuses are off the table. If he could continue his aggressive push into teams, timely Earthshatters, and possibly self-endangering shout calls (seriously dude, take a throat lozenge), Boston looked good.

But what about Seoul? First, they happen to have one of the best Sombra players in the league. Michelle as Sombra plays very aggressive – getting a lot of hacks but also a lot of deaths. Having a strong hacker would logically give Seoul an advantage. With wins against the LA Gladiators and the Chengdu Hunters and a loss against the Dallas Fuel, it’s been difficult to read the tea leaves on the Dynasty. They had just as much to prove going into this match as Boston.

Nepal

Capture began for Boston with Fusions playing on the Winston. Picking up right where he left off against Houston, he leapt into Seoul territory. While he occupied the Dynasty, Boston got the first capture. Playing a solid defensive front, Boston held on until Seoul landed a Self-Destruct on Kellex that spiraled into a team wipe. Up 69% – 0% at that point, the Uprising bided their time. Accumulating enough ults, Boston eventually recaptured the point. After several exchanges (including this Self-Destruct from Note that catches the Lucio, Zarya, and DVa) Boston cruises to a 100% – 27% stage win.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1101643146159669248

Boston gets the first cap on stage two, but Seoul charges in with several ults in tow (grav, rally, trans, earth shatter) to take it back. The stage features even exchanges on both sides for most of the match. The broadcast’s caster, Monte, started begging Seoul to go to the Sombra. To no avail. Michelle lands an unbelievable 3k as overtime starts to lead to a cap. With Seoul up to 88%, the Uprising charge in with a set of ults only to have Jesce boop the team right into a Michelle Self-Destruct 4k. Despite a decent last second Wrecking Ball by Fusions the delay doesn’t work and Seoul wins 100 – 99%

In sudden death, Seoul decides they don’t want to let Boston be the aggresor anymore. Fortunately for the Uprising, the initial push fails and Boston gets the first cap. Typical GOATs exchanges rules the match until the game goes to Overtime. Fusions gets a critical shield from Colourhex’s Zarya and times a perfect Earth Shatter in OT to lead to a 100% – 99% win.

Numbani

Boston’s first offensive push was highlighted by their playing mind games with their route to Point A. Taunting the high ground but running low, Kellex comes out of nowhere to boop some of the Seoul down to ground level to steamroll a capture. They capture Point B with less than a minute to go after Aimgod and Colourhex each get a 2k.

At long last, Seoul pulls out the Sombra with Munchkin taking the hacker role. With a Phar-Mercy combo running, Seoul steamrolls Boston for a quick Point A. Boston gets 4 players hit with the first EMP from Seoul, but, they’re ready. Aimgod, having hung back, pops the Transcendence. Unfortunately, they lose as Note getting picked snowballs the team. But everyone watching learned something – Boston could take the EMP.

Back on offense after Seoul caps Point B, we see the Uprising do the same strategy. This time the Overwatch League meme it:

Boston uses the boop and Point A capture to snowball to an incredibly far push. Back on offense, Seoul runs the same DPS heavy comp to get Point A. Unfortunately, they have to reset their ultimate economy to get back to 3-3. Boston didn’t. Punishing the Dynasty with shatters and gravitons, Boston stops Seoul in their tracks to win the map.

Temple of Anubis

Boston and Seoul put on a GOATs buffet for fans of the 3-3. Discoordination and inability to combo ults doomed Boston from the get-go. Taking 3 attempts to get the final point, Fusions decided it was time to show everyone what they were missing from the Shanghai match:

Seoul decides they don’t want to get thrashed in front of the whole audience and put everything on the line. Punishing Boston’s choice of the Winston, they roll through Point A onto Point B using their cult advantage and picking off the right supports. They take Point B with a huge (5 minute) advantage.

After stopping the Uprising from capturing Point B, the door is open for Seoul. Note does a notable job on defense, particularly surviving as baby DVa long enough between team fights to call down the mech and push with the rest of the Uprising. Unfortunately, Seoul gets a 4k with the Self Destruct that they snowball into a Point A & B capture to win the map.

Route 66

Boston says they’ve had enough of the Sombra comp and pull it out themselves. Their first EMP hits 5 and allows them to get past the Bastion on offense. Munchkins’ first EMP does hit Aimgod, but Kellex is there with a Sound Barrier. The cat and mouse between Aimgod and Munchkin continues through to the last point, where this beauty happened:

After making it through to the end, Boston shows an impressive defensive effort. Between Note’s Self-Destructs and Fusion timing his Earth Shatters, Boston nearly gets a full hold. Seoul gets their act together enough through Point A, but the Uprising put an end to any thoughts of a reverse sweep.

Analysis

Boston Uprising fans were served a smorgasbord of deliciousness to chew on this night. Goodness gracious. Let’s start with an unsung hero in Kellex. First, his Lucio was seemingly in the perfect position all night. Whether it was hitting a boop to set up an ultimate combo or knock Seoul out of position, Kellex’s offense was fantastic. Additionally, he staggered the Uprising’s losses all night by wall riding into tough places to get picked off. Supports don’t get enough love and here’s some shine for our main support.

Aimgod and Kellex both did a great job showing that the Uprising were up to the Sombra challenge. The two positioned themselves outside of EMP range masterfully all night. In the future, when scholars look back at why a seemingly overpowered hero like Sombra wasn’t nerfed, they’ll study this game’s tape. Seemingly every time an EMP hit from Seoul, Boston triggered a support ultimate to weather the storm. Aimgod in particular baited Munchkin’s EMP all night and seemed to win each bout.

Our captain also showed he had something to prove. Has any Rein ever had over 100k in blocked damage on 4 maps? That stat is unbelievable. But the numbers don’t tell everything. Anyone with eyes could see Fusion was leading the Uprising into each battle, hitting his charges, sweeping the hammer, and knocking his Earth Shatters with surgical precision. If anyone thought the NYXL & Houston matches were a fluke, they are all certainly paying attention now.

At 2-2, with their full roster finally available, Boston was in the driver’s seat.

https://gfycat.com/gargantuanseparatecod
I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless. Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same -Fusions

Boston Uprising (2-2) vs. Toronto Defiant (2-2)

After the high of beating Seoul, Boston was feeling invincible. They’ve got the starting roster they waited all season for. Sombra no longer posed a threat. Fusions was destined for league MVP. NYXL was sweating playing Boston in the stage 1 playoffs. What could possibly go wrong?

Enter Toronto. Themselves waiting for their star player, Neko, to come off a suspension. Tonight was their coming out party, five games into the season. Who is this Neko guy? If you don’t know, Neko is the star off support Boston plucked from obscurity and built into a juggernaut last season. I’m sure that he has nothing to prove going up against his former team. In his first game of the season. With Boston playing the guy (Aimgod) that replaced him in the starting roster. Just another normal game!

Busan

Boston walked out in this game with their pants down. Weird/nervous switches from the very start from a tank heavy to a damage heavy and back to a tank heavy team comp. I haven’t seen such indecisiveness since I asked my wife what movie she wants watch on Netflix. More importantly, by the time they got their act together, Toronto had the point. Both teams ran the traditional 3-3 and saw the typical grav/self-destruct/earthshatter combos we’re used to. Only thing I saw that was interesting was Aimgod popping trans in a team fight towards the end of the stage that was too late to save Colourhex. They had baited Toronto into popping theirs, but lacked the coordination to fully counter with their own. Toronto ends up winning 100%- 84%.

Stage 2 was even worse for Boston. Kellex did a nice camp on top of the point to delay a Toronto cap at the start, but to no avail. That summed up the stage, too. Boston never seemed well coordinated, mismanaged their health and ultimate economy, and couldn’t hit their ultimate combos. Toronto wins the stage 100% – 43% for the map win. A pretty decisive first map win for the new expansion team.

Hollywood

After getting rolled on the first map, Boston came up flaccid on the second. Unable to pull off any ultimate combos or meaningful engagements, the team looked dead. Defiant’s Ivy on Zarya got several picks, especially on Fusions and Blasé. Note was Boston’s bright light, getting some great picks on Zarya and DVa. Once again, Note showed throughout the day how quick on his feet and improvisational he is. This is special, as his team operates based on set plays. Unfortunately, Aimgod was outmatched by Neko on Zen, as was Colourhex by Ivy. Defiant won handedly.

Temple of Anubis

Coming back from halftime, Boston faced a daunting task in having to get a reverse sweep. On offense, Kellex played a crucial role getting a pick on Neko that allowed the Uprising to cap Point A, and immediately snowball to Point B to finish the round with over 5 minutes in the bank. Taking note of how they just got rolled, Toronto pushes Point A and ropes the team wipe they unleashed into a snowball of Point B – also with over 5 minutes in the bank.

Back on offense, Boston had to keep up the pace from their first go-around. The back and forth on point A prolongs the round, but they capture it with under 3 minutes to go. Toronto holds several times. In fact, with nearly all six of their ultimates, Toronto pushes out past the entrance to hold off Boston. Unfortunately for them, Kellex booped them off the high ground and the Uprising feasted off the ensuing chaos. Boston pushed to the point and…

Toronto pulls one of the most egregious pauses in the history of eSports. Yes, we don’t know what happened. But after Toronto gets cocky enough to push out with six ultimates, under a minute to go, get steamrolled, and are about to lose the Point, who else did it? Regardless, Boston finished the push and went up 4-2.

Having to push back Toronto or else face another round on offense, Boston nuts up and pulls off a full hold. Toronto actually picks Kellex off at the last team fight first and eats the graviton. Unfortunately, they fail to put someone on the point just as the team fight is turning their favor. That’s Boston’s first C9 of the season!

Rialto

Coming out of halftime with something to prove, Boston was looking good. They turned things around coming out of Point A and put Toronto on their heels. Reverse sweep was hanging over Blizzard Arena. Uprising were not going to go quietly into that good night.

Then Rialto. What is there to say? Envy got a quad kill with the Self-Destruct. Oops wrong team. Boston didn’t give up the third point. Yeah! That’s it! Toronto couldn’t bring the payload home. There’s that.

Boston didn’t give up. It certainly looked like they were going to get full held at the first point. Leave it to Note to come in and pop a Self Destruct that clears the way for a cap. There was at least that. But not much else. Toronto wins the map and the match.

Analysis

Coming back to reality hurts. Whether you get a bad test back from a teacher, get scolded by your parents, step on the scale, or look at your bank account. Sometimes all the hubris and positive thinking in the world can’t obscure the painful reality of things. And that’s what this game was for Boston. Remember when the Boston Celtics used the fact that the Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kendrick Perkins squad never lost in the playoffs? Those excuses ended against Seoul for the Uprising. While the Celtics had injuries and nostalgic memories of championship glory, the Uprising had to put their nose to the grindstone. And they didn’t deliver.

Where do we go from here? We’ve got Fusions. We’ve got Colourhex. Axxiom and Alemao, who have each shown moments of brilliance, are sitting there on the bench. Maybe Boston spent too much time training for Sombra. The fact that Toronto didn’t pull it may have hurt them. But there is enough tape out there on Toronto to not justify such a shortcoming.

Also screw this guy. Neko sprayed the Uprising logo throughout the match. In a post-game interview, he claims he hadn’t switched his setting. Right. And I have crouch speed-binded to the wrong key because I let my wife use my computer. This guy has put himself on top of the Uprising hit list. Public enemy #1.

Looking Forward

I’m not hitting the panic button yet. This type of humility, early in the season, could be good for them. At this point it seems likely that stage 1 playoffs are off the table. Short of a collapse by one of the higher ranked teams, Boston needs to prepare for stage 2. With only Florida and Dallas left to play in stage 1, there’s no reason they can’t build up some confidence. I’m sure the coaches are already looking at the PTR, studying Baptiste (and his Immortality Field), and drawing up strats. Still, today is a pretty dark day. It’ll be a long week before next Sunday’s match.

http://gph.is/1UOPmVL

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Uprising Stage 1 Week 3 Preview: Dynasty & Defiant

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New to Overwatch? Get caught up on everything Overwatch League by reading our introduction.

Thursday, February 27th @ 8:30 P.M. – Boston Uprising vs. Seoul Dynasty Sunday, March 3rd @ 3 P.M. – Boston Uprising vs. Toronto Defiant

What a long week for the Boston Uprising. It’s not a typical one when you consider they just became the first team to lose to the Shanghai Dragons. On top of that, many wondered if Fusions could get a full OWL contract negotiated before Thursday’s game. Boston’s schedule isn’t giving them a breather, either. Let’s check in with where this week’s opponents, Seoul and Toronto, are in the standings:

Seoul and Toronto, at 5th and 6th respectively, have been good this season. Additionally, Toronto will be playing former Uprising support Neko on Sunday for the first time all season. Getting shut out this weekend will most likely knock Boston out of the Stage 1 playoffs and force some serious questions about the team. Is there a legitimate cause for concern for Uprising fans?

Good news

Fortunately the Uprising have done a lot to prepare for the two games this weekend. First, they’ve settled the Fusions contract situation:

With the team’s stud young main tank secured and ready to go, one of the main excuses I and many others gave to Boston from Friday won’t be available. Second, the boys will have had another week of scrims, practice, and VOD review to prepare. Third, Colourhex has gotten his first Blizzard Arena match over with and can now settle down going into the week. Also, the GOATS meta has made parity across the league the rule rather than the exception. Seoul and Toronto’s records mean nothing. Lastly, if you need a new hype video, the Uprising have you covered:

https://twitter.com/BostonUprising/status/1100917309391069184

Taken together, Boston seems to have put the devastating loss against the Dragons behind them. They know what they need to work on (counter Sombra), where they’re good (Fusion’s shot calling) and where they’re going (big matches against Seoul and Toronto). What are their chances? Let’s break down the matches.

Boston Uprising vs. Seoul Dynasty

One of the questions the Uprising need to answer right away is who will play Lucio. Kellex was put in last Friday in place of Alemao and it’s anyone’s guess who will get the call Thursday. We saw at the end of the match against Shanghai that the supports became the key to countering Sombra. Kellex made several great plays wall riding around the team, dropping in after the EMP hit, and hitting his Sound Barrier. Blasé got a few nice stuns on Sombra to stop the ultimate hitting. It will be key for Boston to use this and other strategies to counter Sombra.

Match Preview

As a matter of fact, the Sombra fight will be the focus of this match. Both Sang-beom “Munchkin” Byun and Min-hyuk “Michelle” Choi of the Dynasty played Sombra more than competently in their last match against Chengdu. They are a big part of why Seoul had a clean 4-0 that night. I would expect to see a lot of Sombra this match, as it has been the thorn in Boston’s side all season. And the whole league knows it.

Thursday’s match will be played on Nepal, Numbani, Temple of Anubis, and Route 66

Then again, this is the same Seoul that lost to the 2-2 Dallas Fuel. Three weeks into the season, there have been very few teams able to distinguish themselves from the pack. Minus the loss-less NYXL, Vancouver Titans, or Paris Eternal, all teams are down in the mud with each other slugging it out for relevance. Still operating under a small sample size, we’re not yet able to tell where any of these teams are. After watching the hype video, you have to believe that Boston is focusing on the Sombra counters. If they are to stand any chance, they can’t keep getting hit with the 5 or 6 player EMPs.

Also – do we see some crazy comps come out again? Note’s turn on Reaper was one of the most unique team comps we saw league-wide last week. That type of boldness to counter the meta means you never know exactly what Boston will do. Huk likely has something cooking in his lab that his team will deploy. There’ll be some map or stage-specific scenario where I expect us to see an atypical hero get some play time. Here’s hoping it’s Soldier or Symmetra!

Prediction

Strap yourselves in Uprising fans, we’ve got us a slobber-knocker! I just don’t see Boston falling for the EMP for a third week straight. Assistant Coach Gunba and all the players mentioned Sombra in the hype video. The team is too focused to fall prey to it again. Maybe they change up the team comp, or just spread out more. Perhaps they swap in the Moira to hang back and toss Biotic Orbs out after the EMP drops. Kellex runs laps around wall riding as Lucio with his ultimate ready to launch. Who knows. I just don’t see them doing the same against a hero they know they’ll be seeing plenty of.

Losing to Shanghai had to have put a chip on Boston’s shoulder. Scratch that. A whole damn bag of Doritos strewn over all their heads. These guys must be itching for their chance at redemption. With Fusions back in the lineup, the British rookie has given us no reason not to believe in him. Taken together, I expect a close match, maybe stretching out to five maps. But in the end, I give the edge to Boston.

Boston Uprising vs. Toronto Defiant

After last week’s drama surrounding the matchup against our former captain and main tank Gamsu, Boston finds themselves playing against another former player. Neko, an obscure and unknown player when Boston picked him up, joined Toronto in the offseason after a successful rookie campaign. As mentioned earlier, this will be his first game of the season after serving a three game suspension for selling an account and obstructing an investigation. Last year, Neko made a name for himself for being the under appreciated Zenyatta of the league. He may not be NYXL’s regular season MVP JJonak, but the South Korean could make his presence felt. Given that the Defiant barely squeezed by with a 2-1 victory against the winless LA Valiant last week, the team and Neko come into the match with plenty to prove.

Match Preview

Just as Boston has had growing pains this season by incorporating new players, Toronto will get a taste of the transition game in this match. Can Neko come in as a starter and set the tone for the team? All eyes will be on his Zen and ability to gel with his teammates. If he’s anything like other former Uprising players Gamsu and Striker, who have each flourished on new teams, Boston will have their hands full.

Of course Toronto has their own fleet of competent Sombra players they’re likely to deploy. Besides Neko, both Kang-Jae “Envy” Lee and Do-hyung “Stellar” Lee both have seen playing time as Sombra this season. If Boston doesn’t figure out the counter strat for Sombra against Seoul, they’re in for a long match against Toronto.

Sunday’s match will be played on Busan, Hollywood, Temple of Anubis, and Rialto

Don’t sleep on seeing Colourhex pull out a non-GOATs DPS. Hollywood and Point A on Anubis have all seen some DPS usage. Do we get a Phar-Mercy, Bastion, Hanzo, or Junkrat? Not outside of the realm of possibility. Or maybe we just get more GOATs than we ever wanted.

Prediction

I watched the Atlanta and Toronto match last week. One of the only matches I’ve seen without Boston. What a match that was – two teams that could coordinate, make counter picks, manage ult economy, and get picks. After seeing that, I started to believe in this Toronto team. Selfishly, I’d like to see Neko drop egg on his face here, but I don’t see that either. Unfortunately, I think this is where Boston stumbles. Hopefully, like the NYXL match, the Uprising show up and push Toronto to the limit. While I don’t expect Boston to win this one, I do hope we’ll see a close match. Another possible 5th map match that reminds everyone across the league that Boston is a legitimate contender. And forget about that loss last week to Shanghai.

Outlook

Boston has two tough matches this week. After setting the league on fire after week 1, Boston hit as big a road bump as anyone could week 2. If they’re going to make stage 1 playoffs, there is no time like the present to make a push. Even more important, the Uprising need to show exactly what type of team they are. If they want to show that the Shanghai match was a fluke, they have a golden opportunity to do it now. Are middle of the road teams like the Dynasty and Defiant going to be the ones to put them away? Or can they take care of business and put the league back on notice? Here’s hoping we don’t look like Fusions when he saw us loose to Shanghai:

Same season. Same goal. PROVE. THEM. WRONG.

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Huk and Toronto slinging the mud before Sunday’s match

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The Fusions situation has hung over the Uprising all week. Would the upstart rookie get his contract solved before Thursday’s match? Enter Christopher “Huk” Lorringer, President of Gaming for the Boston Uprising. With the news that Fusions would be good to go for Thursday, someone had to alert the Seoul Dynasty and Toronto Defiant of what was in store for them this weekend:

I know what you’re thinking: not all heroes wear capes. I agree. Well, with shots fired, would anyone respond?

Ok now we’ve got us gunfight. Well, who’s gonna lay down a killing blow?

Ooof. Huk taking their words and not just making a early naught’s pop culture reference but matching the colors. It actually spun my head on a swivel when I realized the two point diss that Huk dropped in one Tweet. Hmmm. Well – would Toronto respond or just lay down and ask for their belly to get rubbed?

Kawhi Leonard? You pointing to Kawhi Leonard. Well, I couldn’t let the general of the army do all the dirty work. I’m just a foot soldier in this war, but I’ll come in when my number is called.

As of this moment Toronto has gone quiet. An amber alert has been signaled and the missing persons report has been filed. Please keep your eye out for the Defiant. If you see something, say something.

Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 1 Week 2

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New to Overwatch? Get caught up on everything Overwatch League by reading our introduction.

How much drama can you squeeze into one match of the Overwatch League season? Given the heights reached by the Boston Uprising and Shanghai Dragons on Friday night, the answer is – plenty. Controversy outside the team, the first example of possible officiating misconduct, personal rivalries between the teams, and heightened fan support led to an all-time memorable matchup.

Pregame

News broke earlier in the day that Uprising’s owner Robert Kraft was being charged with solicitation of prostitution. While none of the players nor staff have commented on the matter, Overwatch League fans pounced on it. Twitter, Discords, Reddit, and other areas of the internet were writhe with toxicity about the Uprising’s owner. Unfortunately, what would normally be a much bigger story than a normal match, which would nearly be forgotten by the end of the day.

Shanghai would go into the match with unprecedented fan support. From the last few games of last season, Overwatch League fans have wanted to see Shanghai get their elusive first win. Conversely, no OWL team wanted to be that first team to lose to the Dragons. Blizzard Arena was clearly on the side of Shanghai, as noted by casters Achilios and Wolf throughout the broadcast.

As I mentioned in my pregame analysis, a big change for Boston would be the addition of Colourhex. Coming off a two game suspension, the New Zealander was meant to help counter the Sombra triple tank comp that has been the thorn in their side all season. How well he could integrate into the team could be the lynchpin the whole match rested on.

Controversy

Before the 10pm match would begin, the Uprising would nonchalantly tweet out their starting roster:


Now why would I mention something as innocuous as the starting roster? For those who don’t have the Overwatch League’s official rules memorized, allow me to highlight part 5.16 subsection (e):

Part 5.16 subsection (e:)

Pre-Match Roster Submission. Teams must submit their Starting Roster (including seating order) for each match no later than two (2) hours prior to the start of the first match of the day. Changes to the Starting Roster after that time are subject to rejection by the League Office.

Overwatch League Summary of Official Rules 2019 Season

Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be the team that hit the stage. In an unprecedented, last minute change, Fusions was told he would not be allowed to play. As first reported by VPE Sports, Fusions was still playing under his two-way contract. In a statement released two days later by the League, it was explained:

As two-way contract player Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth had already played twice for the Boston Uprising in Stage 1, he was ineligible to play in Friday’s match against the Shanghai Dragons. Unfortunately the League Office did not determine he was ineligible until shortly before Boston’s match was set to begin, and we apologize for that oversight

Overwatch League official statement

Let’s think through this timeline:

  • 8pm – Boston submits their roster to the League
  • 9:43pm – Boston tweets out their starting six roster
  • Minutes before 10pm match start – Fusions is told he can’t play.
  • 10:36pm (well after the match started) – Boston tweets out this update

Who is responsible for this mess? Obviously, with the League apologizing, they hold some responsibility. More than anyone, they should have known who was eligible to play and responded swiftly to Boston’s starting roster. That’s not to say the Uprising is blameless. Teams and players are responsible for knowing the League rules and should have known this. Fusions was projected into the starting six and scrimmed all week with the team. Boston was at a disadvantage before the match even started.

Heated rivalry?

On top of this, you have Gamsu, Shanghai’s main tank. Boston’s former captain and fan-favorite tank player was traded to Shanghai just two days before the start of the season. Gamsu claims he was “blindsided by the trade.” However, Uprising Team President Huk disputed this on Reddit. These conflicting accounts only added fuel to the fire. Regardless of who is right, it’s unlikely that Gamsu didn’t play with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

Boston and Shanghai’s match had too many combustable ingredients for one match. Ownership drama. Officiating mistakes. Fans overwhelmingly on one side. Player drama. An upsurging, winless franchise. Blase’s birthday. How would the actual match play out?

Ilios

All eyes were on Boston’s hero selection. With Fusions pulled out, Axxiom took his spot on Rein. Colourhex played on the Sombra, Additionally, Boston played a Wreckingball, Lucio, Moira, Winston, and DVa. Interestingly, Shanghai would employ the Phar-Mercy combo. With no anti-air counter, DDing (on Pharah) and Coma (on Mercy) had free range to pepper the Uprising with Rockets all the way from their spawn to the point. Colourhex performed well enough as Sombra, but the Uprising were more often than not the worse victims of the EMP. This would foreshadow future problems. While it was a close stage 1, Shanghai would win it 100% – 48%.

Stage 2 saw both teams play mirroring three tank team comps. Unfortunately for Boston, Gamsu’s aggression steamrolled the Uprising. They took the point from the start and never let go. Winning 100% – 0%.

Kings Row

Boston would play on offense first. Surprisingly, they put Note on the Reaper. Was this a genius move? Hard to say. Throughout the round, Shanghai played with more trepidation and less willingness to engage. With the amount of damage that Reaper has, the dynamic changed. It proved difficult for Boston to get the last point after causing through the first two. Take for example, Note popping his first (and only) Death Blossom of the round:

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1099521892300533760

Getting stunned and tossed off the map after spending all round building to an ultimate hurt. Meanwhile, DDing on Sombra continued to pull off devastating EMPs. At the last defense, he was particularly effective. DDing quickly earned and used EMPs, a fatal blow after he often would hit all six Uprising players. What made DDing work so well was his coordination with Gamsu and his teammates. The EMPs were seemingly always followed by an Earthshatter or Graviton. After several pushes and with no time left, Boston was able to capture the last point.

With Shanghai on offense, Boston continued to fall prey to DDing and the Sombra. He methodically stalked the back line, hacking stray players, calling out the Uprising’s positioning, and fleeing the few times he was spotted. Specifically, between point 1 and 2, he hit all 6 players of the Uprising with an EMP on two separate occasions. The Uprising simply had no answer to it. Shanghai got through the last point with over two minutes. As a result, they made quick work of getting a tick on their next pass through to win the map.

Horizon Lunar Colony

First wave

Moving to Assault mode, Boston would plant the seeds for countering DDing and Sombra. How did they do it? First, Shanghai helped. Boston took the longer outdoor route and were instantly hit with the EMP en route to Point A. Fortunately, the Dragons weren’t coordinated enough to reap the benefits. Second, Aimgod started popping the Transcendence preemptively. This became a meta game between the two as they began baiting each other. Would Aimgod use the Transcend too early? Could DDing hold off his trigger finger and wait him out?

Shanghai got through both points with over two minutes on the clock, but that’s peanuts compared to the Dragons. On offense, Shanghai absolutely steamrolled, capturing both points with over six minutes in the bank.

Second wave

With their second turn on offense, Boston continued to run to Point A through the longer outdoors trek. They captured it quickly, but were thwarted in a snowball attempt on Point B by more EMPs from DDing. However, they were able to stagger on the point. Shanghai couldn’t wipe them all out. Specifically, Axxiom showed up with a minute to spare, caught Gamsu out of position, and Earthshattered the Dragons. After the mop up, Boston took Point B with seconds to spare.

With all the time in the world, Shanghai methodically pushed through the two points. DDing continued to quickly gain EMPs, thwart the Uprising’s ability to respond, and have his main tanks swarm in and clean up anyone else. Notably, Kellex started to show his ability to counter the EMP. He played away from the rest of the team and dropped in after the EMP with his Sound Barrier. As a result, this helped the Uprising sustain until the EMP wore off and delayed the inevitable capture.

Third wave

With only a minute on the clock, Boston’s chances of getting both points were slim. However, they were able to push up to two ticks on Point A. Shanghai, with over two minutes, had more to play with. Sadly, they were up to the task.

Rialto

What do you do when you’re the first team to ever lose to Shanghai? When you’re a map away from getting swept? First thing you need is attitude. And holy hell did Boston have the attitude down:

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1099536781173755904
Kellex and Aimgod literally burned a hole through their monitor with those stares

Attitude may help but you still have to perform. And, well… with Boston on offense, they were unable to get to the second point. Kellex seemed tilted and was the first to get picked off by the Dragons in nearly ever fight. A full sweep seemed inevitable.

On defense, Boston started by hiding off-path of Shanghai’s spawn. While a novel idea, like everything else, DDing spotted them while cloaked and called them out. After getting swept out, Shanghai had little to do to secure victory. But as the round wore on, the Uprising did something they couldn’t pull off all night – consistently stomping DDing. Kellex wall ran around the map and swooped in again with the Sound Barrier after one EMP. In another misfire for Shanghai, Blasé stunned DDing right as he popped the EMP. Where were these EMP counters all night? And look what it got them – Boston held the point and saved some degree of face.

Analysis

What an absolutely horrendous night. Just about everything that could have gone wrong, did. It’s hard not to feel as an Uprising fan that you got kicked in the gut. I wish I could say a few days separated from it happening has made it easier to accept, but that’s not the case. Let me go through, rapid fire, the bad. Don’t worry, I’ll leave something hopeful at the end so you know there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Bad

1. Colourhex didn’t seem to integrate onto the team well. He had his moments where he pulled some plays, but he isn’t meant to play Zarya. With Axxiom forced to go from Zarya to Rein last minute, the whole team seemed uncoordinated. How much of that is Colourhex, last minute craziness, or the Dragons can’t be clarified.

2. Good god did DDing have a day. These numbers may stand the test of time. 152 enemies hacked? This guy must work for the Russians or something because he is a hacking savant. The Uprising have struggled against Sombra all season and until the meta shifts, they need to look at those few times it they countered the EMP and build from there.

The obvious MVP of the match

3. Excuses are a dime a dozen and worth less, but it’s hard not to wonder about ‘what if’. Specifically, what if Fusions is in this game? Does his aggressive style keep Shanghai in check? Without a last minute addition of Axxiom on Rein, do the Uprising play the way they scrimmed all week?

4. Where was Alamou? It seems like at some point Kellex wasn’t getting the job done and a change at support may have helped. The Brazilian is a Lucio main, and may have been better at dropping Sound Barriers to counter the EMP.

5. Blase did not bring any birthday magic. Sad.

6. Remember when we thought a charge of prostitution on the team’s owner would be the biggest drama of the night?

Good

7. Be happy for Gamsu. The former main tank was a great player for Boston and established a winning culture here. He gave us his all and was a part of many of the best moments from our first season. We shouldn’t harbor any ill feelings towards him. Maybe he was offered to go into coaching and thought he had something left in the tank. He clearly does. It’s nice to see him get a chance to play and show what he can do. You just wish it wasn’t against Boston.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1099541470527266818

8. Goodness must these guys have a chip on their shoulder. Losing to Shanghai is more than just lighting a fire under them, it’s like igniting a nuclear bomb under their collective rear ends. We’re going to learn very quickly how these guys respond to adversity. With a 1-2 record, there’s no time left to waste if they’re going to make it to stage 1 playoffs. The motto stays the same. PROVE. THEM. WRONG.

For all the latest on the Overwatch League and Boston Uprising, please follow me on Twitter #BostonUp

Uprising Stage 1 Week 2 Preview: Shanghai Dragons

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Friday, February 22nd @ 10 P.M. – Boston Uprising vs. Shanghai Dragons

​​​After opening week the Boston Uprising see themselves having scaled from bottom tier in most preseason rankings to tenth in the league standings. With only a Friday game on the docket, Boston has had a week to prepare for their one opponent – the Shanghai Dragons. Winless in the inaugural Overwatch League season and already 0-2 this year, can the fan favorite Dragons break through for their first win?

It’s High Noon

Most of the drama surrounding this matchup will center around Noh ‘Gamsu’ Yeong-Jin, the South Korean former main tank and captain of the Boston Uprising. Traded to Shanghai just two days before the season, Gamsu will play a critical role in the match’s outcome. One has to assume that he has a chip on his shoulder being passed over for Uprising’s current main tanks Axxiom and Fusions. Given Boston’s performance without him in week 1 he likely will be playing with an axe to grind. As a result, expect the broadcast and casters to focus attention on Gamsu. Lastly, he will have had a full week to prepare and integrate with his team. Look for his signature Winston to try to pop off and disrupt the Uprising in this match

Observant fans, however, will see the addition of Colourhex to the Uprising as the more impactful roster move. Coming off his 2 game suspension, the dps player adds flexibility the team sorely lacked week 1. As a result, the New Zealander likely would play either Zarya or Sombra. Colourhex’s ability to flex between the two gives Boston a better chance to not get rolled as they did last week. Shanghai may mimic the NYXL and Outlaws Sombra comp that consistently devastated Boston. Armed with a dps that can flex to a Sombra of their own, expect Boston to come out better prepared than they’ve been all season.

Boston and Shanghai will play on Ilios, King’s Row, Horizon Lunar Colony, and Rialto

With Colourhex in the match someone has to hit the bench. With Note on off tank and Colourhex on Zarya the choice falls to Fusions or Axxiom. Given his breakthrough performance in his Contenders call up and first OWL match (with two days notice!) it’s unlikely the Brit will be pulled. As a result, expect Axxiom to only see stage time if Boston runs a Winston comp. If Colourhex can adapt to his first OWL match and quickly integrate with the team there’s no reason to think the Uprising can’t beat their week 1 performance.

Justice Rains From Above

This is not to say Shanghai doesn’t have a lot to prove. Their current winless streak has brought them near universal admiration from the OWL community. Boston should expect to receive the full ire of of the audience. In their matches during the opening week, Shanghai stood out by playing unique comps. Playing dive and a 3 support, 2 dps, 1 tank comp, the Dragons aren’t afraid to play unconventionally. Boston will need to prepare for several possible comps.

Lastly, Shanghai’s off tank Geguri deserves a lot of credit. Not just the only female player in the league, but already a top Hammond player. Her play on Horizon Lunar Colony against the Spark was easily their brightest moment in the match. If her and Gamsu can get on the same page and get something from their support line, they could finally get their elusive first victory.

Match Preview

After being thrown in the trash heap by every talking head, the Uprising already put those hot takes into the freezer. Barely falling to the NYXL and enduring a 5 map match to the Outlaws, Boston is playing with purpose. They are a much better team than everyone (except us Uprising fans) expected. I love the passion that’s coming out of these guys. They have a chip on their shoulder and they want to prove people wrong.

Motivation and talent are all great but in a league with as much parity as this, Boston can’t take anything for granted. Fusions has to keep improving. Coaches are going to have to balance a stacked tank line to optimize for the GOATS meta. Colourhex will have no time to adjust and needs to prove himself straight away. Everyone has to fill their role.

Prediction

All that said, Boston should roll Shanghai. There won’t be any miracle happening in L.A. For a team that has language barriers, new players, and hasn’t sniffed a win in over a season, Shanghai isn’t ready for what Boston will be bringing. Expect this to be a statement game for the Uprising where they put everyone on notice. They’re coming for the stage 1 playoffs and no winless Dragons team or anyone else is going to stop them. 
This season’s goal remains the same. PROVE. THEM. WRONG.

For all the latest on the Overwatch League and Boston Uprising, please follow me on Twitter #BostonUp