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Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 1 Week 4

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

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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Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 1 Week 3

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

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 BlasĂ©. 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 Week 1 Preview: Excelsior and Outlaws

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Thursday, February 14th @ 8:30 P.M. – Boston Uprising vs. New York Excelsior
Sunday, February 17th @ 3 P.M. – Boston Uprising vs. Houston Outlaws

Boston Uprising vs. New York Excelsior

Whoever is running the Overwatch League clearly knows the Boston – New York rivalry is import. Boston’s match opens up the season right after the Grand Finals rematch between Philadelphia and London. How does the Uprising follow up an inaugural season where they claimed the only undefeated stage and surprised everyone by making the playoffs? If you’re Robert Kraft’s team you charge headfirst against the juggernaut that is the NYXL with a chip on your shoulders looking to silence your critics. And there are plenty out there with things to say about the Uprising.

It’s High Noon

Criticism isn’t unwarranted. The offseason has been tumultuous for the Uprising as DPS Notes and Striker have left for greener pastures and main support Neko has joined the Toronto Defiant. Additionally, team captain Gamsu was just sent to the Shanghai Dragons two days ago and Fusions has been called up from Boston’s minor league Contenders team. Along with the departures of bench players like Kalios, Avast, and Snow, Boston is coming into its second season with a lot of question marks. They have promoted main tank Axiom, also from their Contenders team. He’ll be under pressure to live up to the performance of Gamsu. Also, DPS players blasĂ© and Colourhex were picked up along with Alemao as a backup support. How these new players will meld with the returning core of Aimgod, Note, and Kellex will be the story of how this season plays out.

Tonight’s matchup will feature Nepal, Numbani, Horizon Lunar Colony, and Route 66

Match Preview

When facing the NYXL, the Uprising have to hope the past stays in the history books. Posting a 2-3 record against the Excelsior last year, the Uprising have their work cut out for them. Unfortunately, that losing record includes that crushing defeat in the Stage 3 Finals all the way back on May 6. New York didn’t post the league’s best regular season record by being slouches. Seven out of their ten players made last year’s Atlantic All-Star team. This includes league MVP Jjonak, human highlight machine Pine, and arguably the best DPS player in Saebyeolbe. NY is a coach’s worst nightmare to plan against, and President of Gaming Huk and his staff have their work cut out for him.

Odds are not in the favor of the Uprising against the NYXL. Getting the new players to gel with the returning core likely will be a season wide struggle. Starting the process against the inaugural season’s best team, who will come into the season with a lot to prove after disappointing in last year’s playoffs, is less than ideal. If you want to be an optimist, the path for the Uprising is very clear. With Colourhex’s suspension, they’ll be playing GOATS. We know it, they know it, NYXL know it. If somehow Axxiom steps up and plays out of his mind, Alemao and Aimgod gel right away, blasĂ© plays well on Birgitte, and they win those coin-flip type team fights, they may have a chance.

Prediction

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1092977582453215237
Most optimistic statistic I could find for the Uprising…

Realistically, if the Uprising can put together a solid gameplan and put up some degree of resistance they may likely steal a map. But fans should temper expectations – expecting the Uprising to win the entire match may be unfair of a roster of strangers playing together for the first time. Consequently, if they can walk out of the match showing some signs of life, fans have reason to be hopeful for the season. But if the NYXL’s roster flattens the Uprising, fans may have to #riseup to get their team to put it together as the season may unravel before it even gets started.

Boston Uprising vs. Houston Outlaws

While they’ll be facing an unstoppable force in the NYXL their first game, the Sunday matchup against the Houston Outlaws is a different story. The Outlaws are the Overwatch equivalent of vanilla ice cream. First, they posted a slightly above the mean 22 – 18 record. Second, their sole post-season experience was losing to London in the Stage One playoffs. Though they made up significant ground in Stage Four, they were on the outside looking in when it came playoffs time.

Justice Rains from Above

If the Outlaws are vanilla ice cream then consider their rainbow sprinkles to be the unofficial league spokesmen Jake and Rawkus. Appearing seemingly everywhere – these two haven’t shown the performance that warrants the attention they get. Jake’s “Jakerat” play may be popular with fans, but it’s unlikely to do anything against the presumed GOATS comp the Uprising will run. There is no statistical evidence to show that Rawkus is an elite Zen, Ana, or Sombra player. Additionally, their much hyped main tank Muma is more style than substance. Looking at his stats, he didn’t actually show anything outside his Stage One Winston play. His inability to adapt to past the dive meta portends poorly for the Outlaws.

Sunday’s match will be played on Nepal, Hollywood, Volskaya, and Dorado

Given this background what exactly have the Outlaws done to improve? More than any other team in the league, the Outlaws doubled down on their roster. While scrapping several bench players, all their core starters from last year have returned. Given their middle tier status, that decision is questionable. Their only notable roster change was to add former San Francisco Shock dps Danteh. As he mentioned in a Players Lobby post – his inconsistency throughout the inaugural season gives no reason to fear he’ll be the Uprising’s undoing. As a result, the Outlaws enter the 2019 season thinking their experience, team camaraderie, and growth will carry them through this season. Considering Boston has had a nearly complete roster overhaul, a meta battle of team building strategy will be fought in Sunday’s game.

Match Preview

If the Houston Outlaws are the sliced white bread of mediocrity than why are they seemingly favored by all the predictors? Nothing in their history last year should give any reasonable fan confidence in picking them over the Uprising. While Boston’s current roster may not go into the match with a history together, they’ll have already faced NYXL by Sunday. Given that experience on the stage and all their scrims in between, there’s no reason to doubt their preparation. While Houston’s sole bright spot from season 1 was their Stage One performance, 2019 is a different story. Jake’s DPS abilities, regardless of what you think of them, are largely irrelevant in the GOATS meta. Muma has not shown elite level tank play. They are who they are and there’s no reason to think they’ve changed.

That is not a player focused on getting better at the game…

Prediction

While there may be hope for a single map win in their battle against the NYXL, the real litmus test for the Uprising in Week 1 will be the Outlaws. Houston is as plain as a $1 Cumberland Farms coffee. If they can squeeze out a win they will instantly put all their doubters on notice. Most pollsters are expecting a decimation throughout the first weekend for Boston. However, I think the Uprising rebound from the NYXL match and show what they’re made of. Axxiom makes Uprising fans start to forget about Gamsu. BlasĂ© shows that Hex is the GOAT of talent scouting. Who knows – crazier things have happened.

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Who are the Boston Uprising? A beginner’s guide

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It can be a bit overwhelming to get into any new sport, let alone one of the biggest eSport league in the world. In an attempt to get you up to speed, I will be presenting a five part series to introduce everyone to the Overwatch League, the four different game modes, the basics of Overwatch’s heroes, some common terminology, and a look at the Boston Uprising’s roster. In this article, I’ll be looking at the Boston Uprising’s roster.

Roster Moves

Boston Uprising’s first season was nothing less than a rollercoaster. Experts predicted the unknown players would sink to bottom of the league. Instead, they went on to claim the only undefeated stage. Like many other teams, they went on to crumble in the playoffs. And lastly, they went on to gut their roster.

Striker, the star DPS of the team, was traded to the San Francisco Shock. Giving away one of the best Tracer players in the league raised a lot of eyebrows. Rumors of dissension with the coaching staff abound. Uprising’s oft-lauded support Neko was also released and signed with the Toronto Defiant. The Zenyatta main’s coordination with fellow Korean players Striker and Gamsu is likely what propelled the Uprising to their highest successes last season. Other players Kalios and Snow both were let go.

Going into the 2019 season it seemed the Uprising would rely on their core of Gamsu, Note, and Kellex to bring continuity to the team. Then this happened:

With two days to go before the season starts, the Uprising sent Gamsu over to the Shanghai Dragons. While it was a shocking move, there is a certain level of sense to it. Given the overlap between Gamsu, Axxiom, and Fusions (more on them later), the Uprising had a surplus of main tanks. Moving one seemed inevitable. However, no one expected Gamsu to be the one traded. With him gone, a vacuum of leadership permeates the Uprising. Additionally, with only two days to go before the start of the season, how the Uprising regroup and create synergy will be a main storyline of their 2019 season.

Kellex

Another returning player to the Boston Uprising is the Danish main support Kellex. Last season he played a lot of Mercy, but with the addition of Alemao and Aimgod likely to take a more prominent role, many expect him to return to his main, Lucio. Last season, Kellex’s success seemed to flow along the same path as the overall team. As a result, many fans wonder if he can be the difference maker that other supports in the league are. To get to the next level, Kellex will need to show he can push his team over the hump when the challenge is at its highest.

Note

Note is the last of the three players on the Boston Uprising’s roster who played most games last season. An underrated DVa player, Note spent the off-season leading Team Canada to a bronze medal in the Overwatch World Cup. With Gamsu gone, how quickly Note can learn to work off-tank from Axxiom will be crucial for the Uprising’s success. While many thought the small DPS line would be the Uprising’s biggest weakness, Gamsu’s trade has shifted the spotlight to the tank line.

Aimgod

Aimgod is the second support player for the Boston Uprising. Though he played on stage towards the end of last season, his ability to contribute is still a question. As a Zenyatta main, Aimgod saw limited playtime at the end of last season. How he fits in with Kellex and Alemao is one of the bigger storylines going into the season.

Colourhex

One of the few New Zealand players of the league, Colourhex plays the flex DPS role for the Uprising. Going into season 2, he will be serving a two game suspension for player boosting. Uprising will miss him, as his Widowmaker, Genji, and Pharaoh specialities will surely be needed. Unproven on the main stage, the Uprising will lean heavily on him in the absence of Striker. Whether he can live up to that level of talent will direct how far the Uprising can make it in the 2019 season.

Axiom

Coming from Boston’s minor league affiliate Toronto eSports, Axiom is a main tank who mains Reinhardt and Winston, like Gamsu did. He played well last year in Overwatch League’s minor league Contenders, but hasn’t faced elite competition. Given the Gamsu trade, Axiom will face significant pressure to live up to the former fan-favorite main tank. Fans speak highly of Axiom from his performance in Contenders, Overwatch’s minor league. If he can bring that elite level of play and mesh well with Note, the transition could be a smooth one.

Fusions

Another main tank, Fusions is a British born player on a two-way contract with the Uprising’s minor league affiliate, Uprising Academy. With the departure of Gamsu, Fusions has been called up to the main roster as a main-tank sub. As a result, it’s likely he’ll get his opportunity to shine on the main stage in situational roles. Seeing as he wowed fans in the World Cup this past year, fans are anxious to see how Fusions plays on the Overwatch League stage.

Alemao

Brazilian flex-support player Alemao was well known in Overwatch League’s minor league Contenders league. While he was on Brazil’s Overwatch World Cup roster the last two years, he has no Overwatch League experience. As the first Brazilian on an Overwatch League roster, Alemao will have a lot of pressure on him to perform well. A true flex support player, he is known to be just as productive on Mercy, Lucio, or Zenyatta.

Blase

Relatively unknown among Overwatch professionals and observers, Blasé comes to the Boston Uprising as a flex DPS with a lot to prove. As a Genji, Junkrat, and Doomfist main, he has a flexibility to play multiple roles. Given the loss of Striker and Mistakes, Blasé comes to the Uprising with big shoes to fill. How he adjusts to being on the main stage and depended on to produce at an elite level will be evident quickly.

Outlook

What does all this mean for next season? Looking at their schedule, the Boston Uprising have a long road ahead of them. Out of the gate they start day 1 against the NYXL, last season’s most dominant team. They finish week 1 against the Houston Outlaws, another playoff team. If they can’t squeak by with a win there, they’ll be showing signs of blood in the water if they can’t manage to top the winless Shangai Dragons in week 2. This matchup will have more attention paid to it given that Gamsu was just traded to the Dragons. It could get ugly real fast so the Uprising need to come out strong.

Tanks

How will they succeed in the 2019 season? First, Axxiom and Note need to get on the same page. There will be little time for Axxiom to adjust to the Overwatch’s top level. Success came aplenty to the Uprising in the dive meta, which relies heavily on aggressive tank play. Strong tank play is central to success in the Overwatch League. Therefore, if the Boston Uprising wants to reach the playoffs, they need to confidently rely on their tank line. Fortunately, with Fusions on the roster, the team has backup on call if things turn south. Given that Gamsu was traded two days before the start of the season, Uprising fans may rightly be anxious about the play of their tank line.

DPS

Strong tank play can get you far but it won’t get the job done alone. Alongside their tanks the Uprising will need strong DPS play. This is where many see a weakness of the team. Unfortunately, BlasĂ© and Colourhex have no Overwatch League experience. The void left by Striker, Dreamkazper, and Mistakes looms over the whole team’s head. Many expect the Uprising to sign additional DPS players as two DPS is not going to cut it. If BlasĂ© and Colourhex can come out early in the season and show what they’re made of, all the skeptics can be silenced. If those two falter, they may become the center of the storm for the team.

Support

Lastly, the unheralded support players need to do their part. With Kellex on Lucio, Aimgod on Zenyatta, and Alamao on Mercy, the Uprising seem to have a reliable support line. If these three can step up and do their part they will play a critical role in the team’s success. Kellex has done admirably in the past and looks to continue his success. For Aimgod, he needs to continue his growth from where he ended last season. Many saw him as a strong Zenyatta main last year. If he can continue playing at a high level, he could claim the title of unspoken hero of the team. Alemao, as well, needs to face the pressure head-on and show he can perform at an elite level.

Prediction

There are plenty of questions headed into the 2019 season. As you can see here (here, here, and here) there are a lot of doubters. Not many expect the DPS duo of BlasĂ© and Colourhex to perform. Many also wonder about our support line. Losing their star main-tank two days before the start of the season certainly raises more questions for the Uprising. I believe if players can buy into their coaching and follow the leadership established by Kellex and Note, the Uprising can outperform expectations. Last season saw the Uprising silence their doubters quickly. There’s no reason to think they can’t do it again.

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

Basic Overwatch terminology. A beginner’s guide

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It can be a bit overwhelming to get into any new sport, let alone one of the biggest eSport league in the world. In an attempt to get you up to speed, I will be presenting a five part series to introduce everyone to the Overwatch League, the four different game modes, the basics of Overwatch’s heroes, some common terminology, and a look at the Boston Uprising’s roster. In this article, I’ll be looking at the Uprising common terminology.

If you talk to Overwatch League fans or listen to a broadcast, you will hear some terminology you don’t know. If you’re not careful you’ll be easily left behind! As a result, a basic understanding of some common terms and concepts is worth reviewing. This won’t be an exhaustive list, but should help you sit through a game of Overwatch and feel comfortable knowing what’s going on. Let’s try to hit the basics.

Meta

Overwatch League teams interface with a constantly changing dominant strategy as other sports teams. Whether it’s moving to a 3-point heavy shooting in basketball, pass-focused offense, or the defensive infield shift, rules and tactics are always changing. ESports has this type of meta change often. Regular patches to the game change the fundamental ways it can be played. In addition, in Overwatch new heroes and maps continue to be updated on a regular basis. This means that the meta, or the commonly accepted primary tactics used by teams, is constantly moving. For example, dive was a dominant strategy for the first three stages of the inaugural Overwatch League season. Stage four saw the introduction of GOATS which teams had to quickly adapt too.

Team Comp(osition)

The heroes that you choose for your team are the foundation of any strategy in Overwatch. Whether you choose all support characters, 3 DPS and 3 tanks, or any other combination will dictate how you play the game. Commentary around the game is often focused on how different hero classes are chosen. Different team comps become so popular that they get their own name (see dive, goats, 2-2-2, etc).

Dive

Team comps centered around quickly mobilizing towards a goal are called dive. Generally the idea is for a team to pick an enemy hero and have all heroes converge (or dive) on that single target. Given that the team that gets the first kill statistically wins the most team fights, dive is popular because it prioritizes achieving the first kill. Dive is generally created with a core of Winston, Dva, Zenyatta and Tracer. For more info, see here.

GOATs

Another popular team comp that includes 3 tanks (Rein, Zarya, Winston and/or DVa) and 3 support (Lucio, Birgitte, Zenyatta, and/or Moira). Originally used by a North American Contenders team called GOATS, this team comp is the primary meta for the start of the 2019 Overwatch League season. This team comp is focused on tanks being blanketed with constant healing, making them difficult to take down. With Lucio onboard, they are also able to quickly get from point to point.

Triple Tank

Any team comp that includes three tanks. Arguably a meme until GOATS came around and showed the team comp could succeed. With the addition of Hammond the triple tank has seen renewed attention.

2-2-2

Generally the default team comp you see in online play. This includes two tank heroes, two DPS heroes and two support heroes.

Pirate Ship

A team comp on escort/hybrid maps where teams set up on the payload. Generally this means putting a Bastion or Torb turret on the payload with a shield and/or a pocketed support. As a result, the payload becomes almost a mobile weapon for the offensive team

CC (Crowd Control)

Crowd Control is a catch all term for hero abilities that limit or stop a hero’s movement by either slowing or stunning them. Examples of this include McCree’s Flashbang ability, Mei’s ultimate Blizzard and Endothermic Blaster, or Ana’s sleep dart. Therefore if you hear something like “Winston is popping his ultimate for CC” you know Primal Rage is coming.

POTG (Play of the Game)

At the end of a game of Overwatch a single highlight from the match is replayed. Play of the game, or POG, is the name of this end game highlight. When watching a game from the Overwatch League, fans often call out “POG!” when something exciting happens. Think of it as the eSports version of being on Sportscenter’s Top 10 Plays.

POG

An online meme that is used when someone is excited. Often you’ll see Twitch chat fill up with “POG!” after an exciting play. You can follow an online rabbit hole to find out more about the origin.

A changing meta throughout a season of Overwatch League means that the most flexible team will be rewarded. If a team is only strong in one meta they risk being left behind in the next meta. As a result, teams have to develop a roster of diverse skillsets in order to convert to the dominant meta of the time.

Buff/Nerf

Regular patches to the Overwatch game itself by Blizzard change the characteristics of the game’s heroes. They can be both positive and negative. For example, if a hero’s guns are changed to an additional amount of damage per bullet, this positive change is called a buff. Conversely, if a hero is weakened by a patch it is called a nerf.

Shoutcaster

The eSports word for an announcer. Because everything has to be different in eSports.

Main/hero pool/one trick

All phrases that refer to the primary or set of heroes that Overwatch players have the most expertise in. To main a hero is to default them – the one you have most familiarity with. While you may main a certain hero, you can still have a hero pool of other characters that you are competent at. Conversely, to be a one-trick is to only have one hero that you main and not have any others in your hero pool.

Boop

A type of attack, special ability, or ultimate that pushes other characters back. Certain levels where enemies can be pushed off the map to their death make booping useful. An example of a boom attack is Lúcio’s Soundwave.

Squishy

A hero that is ‘squishy’ is anyone with a small health pool/health bar. Non-tank characters are generally considered a squishy and ripe to be taken out quickly by most other characters.

Peel

To peel is to essentially drop everything you’re doing and get to your teammates who are under attack. This was first prominent when dive was meta in the Overwatch League. If the enemy team dove onto a teammate, the only response would be for everyone else on the team to peel to the one under attack. Another way to get a team’s front-line attack to stop is to get them to peel. Attack the backline and get front-line attackers to peel back to help. There is more information on peel here.

Choke

A choke is a location on the map where there is generally little space a team has to traverse through. By focusing on choke areas, the opposing team knows where the other team is going to be and can set up their position to respond. Oftentimes escort, hybrid, and assault game modes see the defensive team focus on choke points to thwart the offensive team.

Front/Back line

The front/back line is a generic way of understanding how teams orient themselves on the map. Generally a team’s frontline consists of its tanks and dps characters. They are first to engage the enemy or reach the goal on the map. Back lines are made up of a team’s support characters. Heroes that get hurt in a team fight will flee to the back line to get healed before reentering the fight. Also, the backline is in constant need of peeling from the front line in the event of an attack. The balance between the two lines is what makes a team formidable.

Ultimate

An ultimate is a power that heroes gain after a fluid amount of time. While players can theoretically just wait for an ultimate to charge, often they aim to charge it through actions. This includes using other powers, both offensive and defensive. Additionally, some heroes are able to charge their ultimates quicker than others. For example, Tracer’s Pulse Bomb and Sombra’s EMP are ultimates that can be gained quicker than DVa’s Self Destruct or Zarya’s Graviton Surge.

Ultimate economy

At a meta level within a game, teams are tracking which heroes are accruing their ultimates and have them at the ready. Ultimates often dictates the winner of a team fight. As a result, the careful accrual and expenditure of ultimates can dictate the overall game. Therefore, the team that is constantly tracking their ultimates as well as the enemy’s within the context of the broader game has a better chance of winning.

AoE (Area of Effect)

Abbreviation for Area of Effect. Used to describe abilities or weapons that can affect multiple targets within a specified area. These are useful to get an enemy or enemy team away from a specific area on the map, like a payload or objective point.

Splash damage

Any type of attack that can hurt more than one target. Ashe’s dynamite, Pharah’s rockets, or Junkrat’s grenade launcher all do this. Oftentimes teams will try to focus all their splash attacks on areas of the map where they know the enemy will concentrate, like a choke point or an objective.

Staggering

Teams intentionally waiting to kill an enemy after a team fight to prevent them from getting respawned faster and thus preventing the attacking team to regroup faster. To delay or ‘stagger’ an opposing team’s respawn and extend the time needed for regrouping results in a smaller time bank. Staggering is a great way to force an opposing team to burn time while they regroup, or force them to make a mistake in their haste.

Hitscan/projectile

Heroes whose primary fire hits their targets instantly is categorized as a hitscan. In contrast, a projectile is an attack that launches from the attacker and delays in reaching the target. An effective projectile hero is an expert at tracking enemies and calculating the right place to aim their weapon to lead their target.

Full-hold

A full hold is when a defensive team prevents the attacking team from reaching a single tick on the objective point. This happens on assault and hybrid game modes. To be able to prevent the enemy from getting even a tick on the first point is quite the accomplishment, given that the offensive team spawns significantly closer than the defensive team.

C9’d

If a team loses an objective or fails to capture it because they accidentally either vacated the point, or did not touch it in time despite winning the fight, they C9’d. This term comes from the pre-Overwatch League APEX Season 2, where the team Cloud 9 (or C9 for short) made this mistake in several key matches. Today, people say C9 when a team leaves or doesn’t get on the objective, even if it was impossible to get on.

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

Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller

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Welcome to the first edition of Monday Morning Shotcaller, where I will be armchair quarterbacking the past weekend of the Overwatch League. As I clearly am writing for Boston Sports Extra, my focus will always be the Boston Uprising. I’ll be providing an analysis of the weekend’s matchups, try to provide honest reaction, give other OWL notes, and review the good, the bad, and the ugly. As this weekend featured the Community Countdown (OWL’s preseason equivalent) let’s get into what went down on the precipice of the 2019 Overwatch League season.

Now Loading…

Overwatch League announced on February 7th a Community Countdown event. Featuring a “series of rivalry-building scrims” and interesting custom games, the unofficial preseason gave fans anxious for opening day something to chew on. Dallas Fuel coach Jayne hosted the day’s festivities. Providing commentary and answering fans’ questions in Twitch chat, he let on how disorganized the event was. Oftentimes he had no idea why there were such long breaks in between maps. He also didn’t realize it was a best of three on maps until the second game ended.

Despite the disorganization and haphazard nature of it, the Community Countdown was still an opportunity for fans to see their favorite teams and players. How would teams treat it though? A legitimate opportunity to try new strategies or an exhibition to goof around in? Well, here’s what the Overwatch League commissioner had to say 1 day into the 5 day event:

https://twitter.com/natenanzer/status/1094401351960805377

Needless to say it was a disaster for those seeking high level Overwatch play. Teams played seemingly random if not meme-seeking team comps that were clearly meant for fun. The day’s first match between the NYXL and Paris Eternal symbolized what was to come. Coaches clearly didn’t want to show off the strats they had been working on in practice and private scrims. Better to save that for the regular season, so they’d say. But what happened when Boston took on the Atlanta Reign?

High Noon

The Uprising made it clear from the get-go how they were approaching the day. Opening roster on Ilios was:

  • Note (tank) on Mercy (support)
  • Axiom (tank) on Pharah (dps)
  • Gamsu (tank) on Lucio (support)
  • Blase (dps) on Hammond (tank)
  • Aimgod (support) on Roadhog (tank)
  • Alamou (support) on Orissa (tank)

Any hope for the Uprising taking the match seriously was quickly smashed. Players taking on unfamiliar roles told everyone what we were in for. Though seeing Note and Axiom run the Pharmercy pair was novel, the effectiveness wasn’t there. Boston only got a paltry 13% on the first stage. The second stage saw a bit more flair, with BlasĂ© playing Ashe in a preview of what may happen on Thursday’s opening game. Boston took on the control point for a bit but lost 100%- 95%.

The less we talk about that map the better. Considering the Uprising were fooling around there isn’t anything to read into it. They tried even less on King’s Row. Starting on offense, the Atlanta Reign got a full hold as Boston never attempted a coordinated strike. Seeing as all they had to do was get one tick on Point A, Atlanta had it easy. The Uprising didn’t put up a fight, although gems like this made it worth watching:

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1094770532237611016

Justice Rains from Above!

Atlanta saw their first stage appearance during this matchup. Many Overwatch fans were interested to see famous Overwatch streamer/Contenders player Dafran. The former McDonalds worker is famous for tilting and complaining, publicly. Such as this lovely piece of poetry:

Dafran clearly changed his mind and ended up signing with Atlanta. His team showed that they could coordinate and run what Jayne referred to as the TOAST comp. That’s Rein, Zen, Tracer, Zarya, Ana… and Tjorb. Two teams throwing off-meta team comps made for some interesting plays. But it makes it hard to draw any real conclusions. We’ll see how Atlanta does when the lights are a bit brighter and fans are screaming in their faces.

POG

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1094773254038929410

Considering this weekend’s games were a joke I’m not going to try to change the mood. Here’s a quick little interchange from the end of Boston’s Kings Row defense that made me smile. We’ll see you Thursday for our game preview for the first week of the 2019 Overwatch League season!

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

What are the different game modes in Overwatch? A beginner’s guide.

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It can be a bit overwhelming to get into any new sport, let alone one of the biggest eSport league in the world. In an attempt to get you up to speed, I will be presenting a five part series to introduce everyone to the Overwatch League, the four different game modes, the basics of Overwatch’s heroes, some common terminology, and a look at the Boston Uprising’s roster. In this article, I’ll be looking at the different game modes in Overwatch.

It is confusing that in Overwatch their are different game modes. Most sports have one goal and an offense/defense dichotomy (prevent/score goals, get outs/score runs, etc.). But in Overwatch there are four modes with completely different rules. Not to be confused with football, where you have three different phases of the game (offense, defense, and special teams). But in Overwatch, teams play a best of four map series. Each game mode has its own rules, scoring system, and strategies. Sometimes two competing teams require a fifth match to determine a winner. I’ll review each game mode and explain the rules. Additionally, I’ll point out the broadcast cues you should follow along with. Let’s go over the basics.

Control

Neither the blue or red team has captured the point yet (the circle around A is white). Blue team has 3 players in the control point and nearly has it!

In the Control game mode, teams start on opposite ends of the map with an objective area in the middle. This objective area, or control point, unlocks 30 seconds into the game. Once unlocked, a team can capture the control point by being the only team in the objective area. To do this though you have to wipe out the other team from the control point. The more players a team has in the objective area, the quicker they capture the control point. If the team vacated the objective area, the meter that measures how far along the capture process slowly resets back to 0.

Blue team has the control point (the circle around A is blue) but red team has two players there to capture.

Once a team captures the control point, they slowly move towards 100%. At this point the other team needs to clear the objective area of opposing players and capture the control point. The first team to 100% wins – there is no time limit. Additionally, once a team gets to 99%, the other team has to be cleared out of the objective area to get to 100%. A lot of times you’ll see scores of 99 – 100% as one team fails to clear out the control point.

When playing the Control game mode, it is first to 100% on a best of 3 maps. The winner of the best of 3 gets a point towards the overall series. If the overall series needs to go to a 5th match The Control game mode is also used . This is because Control always produces a winner and can’t end in a draw.

Assault

This shows the start of the Assault mode – Point A is ready to be attacked/defended

The Assault game mode is one where teams rotate offense/defense. When on offense, a team starts opposite of where the defensive team starts. While on offense, teams have to reach an objective area and capture it. Capture mode’s rules around capturing points all apply. There are two points to capture (point A and point B). Point A is always closer to the offensive start point, and further from the defensive start point. If offense can capture Point A their start point moves up on the map and they must capture point B.

The 3 below Point A means 3 offensive players are at the control point – the Contested means the defensive team also has players present at the control point

There are a few nuances that make assaulting/defending the objective areas a bit different than Control mode. Whereas Control mode has a circular meter to measure progress towards controlling the objective area, in Assault mode the meter has two checkpoints on the way to capturing the point. Offensive teams work to raise the meter to one of these checkpoints. That’s because even if they get wiped out by the defending team, the meter won’t reset beyond the last check. Additionally, the meter’s progress stops when the defensive team gets into the objective area. You’ll see the word “CONTESTED” underneath the capture point in the heads up display. Thus in Assault mode the assaulting team has to wipe the defending team off the capture point every time they want to move towards capturing the point.

Point B is open and has been taken past the first of 3 ticks – the control meter won’t reset back beyond the first tick now

Escort

The offensive team has two players on or near the payload with no defensive players to contest its forward progress

The Escort game mode is the most straightforward – teams take turns bringing a mobile payload (a big object like a battering ram on wheels, floating car, etc) from one end of a map to the other. To move the payload, the team on offense must be in close proximity to the payload – the more players on/near the payload, the quicker it will move. By being on or within range of the payload the attacking team is healed. Forward progress can be stopped in one of two ways. First, the offensive team is removed from the area on or around the payload. Second, the defensive team gets a player on or around the payload.

It’s overtime and even though the offensive team has two players on or near the payload, the defensive team has someone there too!

The offensive team has a set amount of time to escort the payload from the start to the end of the map. When the payload reaches one of the two checkpoints along the way additional time is awarded. If each team successfully escorts the payload to the end, teams get an additional turn to escort the payload from the start to the end with however much time they had left over.

Escort mode always has a winner – whoever moves the payload the furthest (even if it is the second, third, or more) lap through the map. The end of each round is also like Control. This means if the attacking team’s time runs out, as long as they have a player on or near the payload the round will continue. Oftentimes you’ll see teams with no time push the payload past a checkpoint during overtime. As a result they get additional time to play with to get the payload to the next checkpoint.

Hybrid

If you have your head wrapped around Assault and Escort mode, then you’re off to the races. That’s because hybrid combines the two. First games start with an Assault mode-type objective area which must be captured/defended. If the offensive team wins then it becomes an Escort mode.

Now that you know the four game modes of Overwatch, you’re ready to get on the Overwatch League bandwagon!

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

Ranking the new Overwatch League Twitter emotes

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Overwatch League just announced they are partnering with Twitter to have official hashtags/emotes for the 2019 season. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, go on Twitter and put in any hashtag you can think of. A hashtag is a nice way to get your message circulated, but these Overwatch League ones are special. Put in one of the team/league specific ones and an emote is generated, like this:

Pretty sweet right? Well, for no other reason other than it’s what we do, let’s rank these bad boys. I’m judging these both by the hashtag phrase they use and the team’s logo. The ones I put at the top were the ones that sounded the most badass, while the ones at the bottom make me roll my eyes. That’s the barometer. Without further ado:

#20 – New York Excelsior

Ever upward? To what? Where? How? Why? What does this mean exactly? Also I am not a fan of that logo. Too on the nose for me.

#19 – Houston Outlaws

Such wasted opportunity. Loved that they used Texas, but hard? What is that about? “Texas Forever” is an all time TV line, but Texas Hard? Just an absolute swing and miss.

#18 – Vancouver Titans

That new logo is lit, but force of nature is too pretentious to make it move for me. There had to of been something better out there to pair with that awesome logo.

#17 – Los Angeles Valiant

Now we’re getting to the place where I don’t hate the hashtag but it’s just not getting me revved up. Something about wings coming out doesn’t exactly light the furnace. A valiant effort, I’ll say.

#16 – San Francisco Shock

No one will ever be shocked by the Shock. Just not going to happen. That logo has also always been a bottom feeder logo in this league, so I gave them points more for the hashtag than logo.

#15 – Guangzhou Charge

Seems like someone let the intern run the social media accounts. Feel the charge? That’s the best you could come up with? Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Feel like this was another missed opportunity.

#14 – Seoul Dynasty

I actually really like this one. I just like the others better. Good effort Seoul – here’s hoping your effort in the game matches this.

#13 – Toronto Defiant

Really like this one too – very straightforward, clever, and clean. Could see this on a billboard or poster or shirt. Well done.

#12 – Florida Mayhem

Another clever hashtag that matches up well with the logo. I like the branding and I’m sure their fans will too.

#11 – Atlanta Reign

This one is pretty well done too. Problem is I can’t really see the logo very well in this format. Weather it’s Twitters fault or not, that logo doesn’t shine as well as it usually does.

#10 – Los Angeles Gladiators

Only one team gets to use the word “Up” – and it aint you guys. I get it but sorry, no.

#9 – Chengdu Hunters

Everyone knows the Chinese expansion teams brought the heat with branding during the offseason. The Hunters have an all-time mascot. Pairing it with a fun, playful hashtag like that is a no brainer. Excellent job.

#8 – Washington Justice

Not sure why but after seeing this I feel like running through a wall and waiving an American flag. Just seems so well thought out. I want to see this blasted after every one of their wins.

#7 – Paris Eternal

I have no idea what any of this means but I had to give points for leaning in on the foreign language. No one else is doing that – very bold.

#6 – London Spitfire

Between these guys winning the championship last year and that awesome spitfire branding, how can you not respect this? Aces high just screams intimidation. This was well thought out and will likely be heard throughout the league all season.

#5 – Dallas Fuel

Dallas’ logo has always been top tier for me, and this hashtag has ups the ante. Really like how it connects to their logo. It’s straightforward and badass.

#4 – Philadelphia Fusion

This could have gone either way. If you cringed at seeing this I don’t necessarily blame you. However, I’m a sucker for a good pun. This one was too clever not to boost to the top.

#3 – Boston Uprising

Other than the Outlaws, no other team mention their home town. Whereas they got weird by saying “Hard” – this one makes much more sense. Pairing the city name with a connection to your logo is so straightforwardly brilliant. Why didn’t anyone else do this? Also, because it’s Boston, the greatest city in the world, it gets massive bonus points.

#2 – Hangzou Spark

I think the general consensus is that the Hangzou won the offseason expansion branding war. Both the baby blue/pink colors and the snapping finger logo are absolutely electric. Paired with the only one word hashtag, and that being the word “Bang”, almost wins singlehandedly. I can see fans shooting these suckers out everytime a Widow takes someone down. Whoever is running the branding ship over there is doing it right.

#1 – Shanghai Dragons

Everyone at the end of last season was rooting for Shanghai to win. That last game had everyone standing in anticipation of them getting their first win. We all are hoping for Shanghai to break through – so here’s me doing my part to get them there. I’m a believer.

What is the Overwatch League? A beginners guide.

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It can be a bit overwhelming to get into any new sport, let alone one of the biggest eSport league in the world. In an attempt to get you up to speed, I will be presenting a five part series to introduce everyone to the Overwatch League, the four different game modes, the basics of Overwatch’s heroes, some common terminology, and a look at the Boston Uprising’s roster. In this article, I’ll be looking at an introduction to the Overwatch league.

History

Overwatch is a team based, first person, hero based shooter released by Blizzard in 2016. Blizzard announced the Overwatch League at their annual Blizzcon convention later that year. Overwatch League follows the format of other US sports leagues. City based teams face off over the course of a regular season. Additionally, a seeded playoff and a championship match follows the season.

For us Boston fans, we can be proud to know that the Kraft family was one of the first in the door. Jonathan Kraft and LA Rams owner Stan Kroenke were first to pony up the reported $20 million franchise fee to join the league. With two well known sports team owners on board, the league gained credibility and snowballed to getting to the initial season’s 12 teams.

League reach

What makes the Overwatch League unique is the teams are from all over the world. In the first season, the league featured teams from the US, China, England, and South Korea. Additionally, season two added teams from Canada, France, and another from China. Future seasons will likely see other internationally based teams (reportedly Australia and other European countries).

The 20 teams of the 2019 Overwatch League season

Matches for the first season were all played in LA at the former site of The Tonight Show. Blizzard Arena featured all regular season and playoff matches until the championship. The Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, played host to the championship final. As a result, a sold out crowd saw the London Spitfire take home the inaugural Overwatch League title, and $1 million prize. In addition, season two will also follow this format. Three separate weekends testing matches in other teams’ home markets are schedule for this year. Season three plans to play home games in each teams’ city.

Structure

One unique feature of the standard regular season schedule is the introduction of stages. Seasons have four 5-week stages, culminating in a short playoff to crown a stage champion and a share of the $125,000 prize. A meta change will occur between stages by Blizzard patching the game.

Player contracts are different in the Overwatch League. For example, players have a minimum of a $50,000/year contract. Teams also must provide health insurance, living/training facilities in-season, and at least 50% of any in-season earned winnings. Players are also subject to a code of conduct. Typical pro athlete issues such as interactions with fans and media, drug testing, and cheating can happen. However, Overwatch has a unique and common infraction called player boosting. This is when players sell their services to the Overwatch community. Players log onto accounts and level them up to top tier contention for a fee.

Overwatch League has all the accoutrements that other major sports have. For example, Twitch is the official streaming platform of Overwatch League, and select matches are being broadcast by Disney XD, ABC, and ESPN. Major sponsors of the league include Toyota, Spotify, T-Mobile, and Intel. Fans can purchase player jerseys, team apparel, and in-game character skins to reflect their favorite team.

Future outlook

2019’s season will see several changes to the league. For instance, eight expansion teams have been added to the league. Regular season matches dropped from 40 to 28. Lastly, there will be three separate away series played outside of Blizzard Arena. Games are played Thursday through Sunday with a better daily schedule for non-American fans. Overwatch League has plenty momentum after its first season. As a result, it’s poised to continue to grow into the premiere eSports league in the world. 

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


Why I Love the Overwatch League and You Should Too

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You may wonder why someone who owns eight Bruins jerseys, loves drinking $10 bud lights in the bleachers at Fenway, and thinks NFL Sundays are the only religious observance that needs to be made would be into the Overwatch League. It may be surprising to hear that just like traditional sports, the Overwatch League offers the same thrilling competition, ego driven player personalities, talking heads with their absurd hot takes, and questionable head coaching decisions. I’ve seen underdogs win it big and favorites handsomely dominate so much that you question how some players made it into the league. Since you’re still reading let me give you a rapid fire list of reasons why you should give the Overwatch League a chance. 

Competition

Anytime you have millions of dollars involved you will get the highest level of competition. Whether it’s Nathans hot dog eating contest or the Olympics, the cream rises when everything is on the line. That’s what makes those and other often obscure sports so exciting – you are seeing people who have trained their whole lives share their talent with the world. Put teams of them together and competition with one another and nothing short of fireworks will happen.

Play the game

Most sports fans have some connection to the games they watch. Maybe you played t-ball, pop warner, or rec league ball when you were younger. Be honest though – when’s the last time you really played? While it may have been awhile since you wrapped your hands around a controller, no matter what shape you’re in you can fire up a game of Overwatch and get into the same playing field the players use.

Schedule

Look I’ll be real with you. What else are you watching in the dog days of summer? The season starts in mid February and goes till September. I love the Sox like everyone else, and the Fort is sneaky sneaky the funnest spot to catch a game in all of Boston sports, but why not change it up and catch an Uprising game? Also they only play one or two times a week between Thursday and Sunday.

Referees

The worst part of all sports are the blown calls and drawn out replays. From the vague definition of what is a catch in the NFL, to the invasion of instant replay into baseball, all sports are ruined by these bureaucratic impositions. In eSports there is NONE of this. Because it’s a game, there is no question of who healed who, how fast a payload moves, or the range of a D-Va bomb. The game takes care of it. This removes all excuse making when your team wins or loses, and keeps the action going without a whistle blow.

Meta change

Football has gotten softer in recent times, defensive shifts are the norm in baseball, hockey is run more by skill than size, and the three pointer is more important than ever. These are changes to the meta of the sport and happen over long periods of time. In eSports, these changes happen multiple times a season. The Overwatch developers update the game between each stage, which always changes the way the game is played. Shifts in the meta makes the league more about which team can be most flexible and consistent rather than dominant in one particular way.

Health

The narrative of head injuries, concussions, and CTE is so normalized in sports today as to nearly be cliche. Whether you think supporting the sports that lead to lifelong physical and mental trauma is problematic is between you and your god. Conversely, you can see explosions, death, gun violence, and dismemberment – and the players are fine! You are guilt free watching eSports.

These are just a few reasons I think eSports and the Overwatch League is worth a try. If you can get through the rules and the little idiosyncrasies, you’ll find an exciting sport just as engaging as all the other sports. So pick up a controller, pick your favorite hero, and I’ll see you out there by the payload.