Tag Archives: Overwatch League

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BOSTON UPRISING MAIN TANK ALL-STAR CAMERON “FUSIONS” BOSWORTH

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

Boston entered the 2019 Overwatch League with a retooled roster of both new and returning players. Several of these new players came from across the globe, among them British main tank Cameron ‘Fusions’ Bosworth. Riding his energetic shotcalling, aggression, and leadership, the Uprising snuck into the Stage 1 playoffs. Receiving league-wide acclaim, the rookie has been named to the All-Star game as a starter for the Atlantic Division.

Excitement followed the team as they started Stage 2 with two reverse-sweeps against Atlanta and Toronto. Unfortunately, the Uprising would go 0-3 in their next games, including an 0-8 map score against London and Vancouver. A win against the then-undefeated Stage 2 LA Gladiators would lift the team’s spirits before getting reverse swept by the then 1-win Washington Justice. Now the Uprising are on the outside looking in on the Stage 2 playoffs.

We were fortunate to have Fusions answer a few of our questions about how Stage 1 went, the roster changes throughout the season so far, and how far this team can go.

Note: This interview was conducted just before Stage 2 week 5’s matchup against the LA Gladiators.

Boston Sports Extra’s LoadScr33n: There were a lot of questions about the Uprising headed into the 2019 season considering all the turnover with the roster. Looking back, how would you evaluate the team’s performance in Stage 1?

Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth: First I think our performance in stage 1 was really good overall, we absolutely smashed our expectations and performed really well against some good opponents, the only match I was unhappy with was the 0-4 loss against defiant because I felt like we didn’t really give our all to that match.

LoadScr33n: Boston’s Stage 1 success has been widely attributed to your addition to the roster. What are some of the influential experiences in your amateur career that have helped you perform so well at the professional level?

Fusions: Prior to being in OWL I had a lot of experience as a shotcaller in multiple teams and lots of experienced players so that helped me adjust really fast, also I’ve had plenty of LAN and match experience prior to the Overwatch League so I wasn’t that overwhelmed coming into OWL.

https://twitter.com/BostonUprising/status/1124091950695682048

LoadScr33n: Let’s talk about the Note trade. You two seemed to have a great partnership both in and out of the game. What do you think makes Note a special player?

Fusions: I think the thing that makes Note so special as a player is the fact that he’s so consistent. I’ve never played with a player who does his job as consistently as Note did and still does with the Fuel and that’s something that we will greatly miss in our team.

LoadScr33n: Where were you and what was your reaction when you heard Note was traded to Dallas? What were some of your first thoughts about having rCk as a teammate?

Fusions: I was obviously sad when I heard Note was leaving but also optimistic about the rCk trade since I knew him from playing against him and knew he was a really good player, as well as meeting him personally in Poland during contenders LAN, so I was definitely excited to have him.

2019-02-14 / Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

LoadScr33n: Everyone knows rCk adds flexibility to the team with his Sombra play. What are some things he brings to the team that fans may not know about?

Fusions: As well as his flexibility and Sombra play, rCk also adds another layer to our comms as well as being a smart player than can come up with ideas on the fly, it’s always good to have players that think outside the box in certain situations.

LoadScr33n: Three straight reverse sweeps. What are the coaches and players saying at halftime that helped the most with you guys pulling it off against Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto?

Fusions: During halftime on the days of our reverse sweeps most of what was being said was about how to adapt to our opponents, but also a lot of everyone hyping each other up and motivating one another, I personally always try to keep my energy high and keep my team in high spirits because I know that if I ever show that I’m upset the team will immediately notice and worry.

LoadScr33n: The meta in Stage 2 is much more fluid than it was in Stage 1. We’ve seen you flex off Rein to play Winston, Orissa, and Hammond at different times. Which of those three do you feel strongest and weakest on and why?

Fusions: I think out of the 3 main tanks other than Rein I feel like I’m definitely strongest on Winston overall and weakest on Orisa probably since I play her the least of any of the main tanks, however I’d say I’m comfortable on every main tank now, if we were talking comparatively to the rest of the league I think my Hammond would rank as my highest of the 3 since I’ve practiced him a lot more than other tanks and my Winston would be my worst since the level of Winston in OWL is so high.

LoadScr33n: Boston has leaned into the DPS compositions, particularly when you played Vancouver this past week. Generally speaking, do you think the Uprising are a better GOATs or DPS team?

Fusions: I think we’re a strong team in either meta but I think we have more potential in a dps meta, Colourhex and Blase in particular shine when they’re on their dps heroes particularly Colours’ Widow and Blase’s Pharah/Doomfist/Junkrat so given time to practice in that I think we’ll be a team to be scared of.

Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

LoadScr33n: Speaking of Vancouver, they beat you in the Stage 1 playoffs when Boston played GOATs and this past weekend when the team played more DPS. What do you think it will take for the Uprising or anybody to stop the Titans?

Fusions: I think Titans are an extremely good goats team and beating them will be tough for anyone, but I think when the meta changes and they have to adapt at the same pace as other teams, coaching and player mentality/flexibility will determine the best teams in the league so we’ll see how they can adapt.

LoadScr33n: Stage 2 playoffs are going to be difficult for the Uprising to reach. What are some things the team need to work on to keep in playoff contention both this stage and for the rest of the season?

Fusions: In order to make stage 2 playoffs at this point we’d probably have to pull a miracle so I’m more focused on overall playoffs, the 2 matches this week are really important ones for our season overall so I really want to win them both. DC have improved a lot so are not to be underestimated and Gladiators are obviously a very tough opponent, hoping we can pull off 2 wins.

We’d like to thank Fusions for taking the time to answer our questions and give fans a view behind the curtain. Though eliminated from Stage 2 playoffs, you can see Fusions as a starter on the Atlantic Division in this year’s All-Star game, May 15-16. From there, he and the rest of the team will get a midseason break before reassembling on Friday, June 7th when they open Stage 3 against the London Spitfire. We wish him and the entire Boston Uprising organization good luck on the rest of the season. #BostonUp

All photos are by Robert Paul and courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

For more Boston Uprising content and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp

Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 2 Week 5

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

Entering the last week of Stage 2, Boston’s stage playoff chances were slim. To pull it off, they’d need nearly two sweeps against the LA Gladiators and the Washington Justice, and a whole lot of help from the rest of the league. Short of that, the team could only hope for a strong finish that they could build on going into Stage 3. How would they do against an LA Gladiators team looking for a perfect stage record, and a Washington Justice team who’d only recorded 1 win?

The Good

To be or not to be – GOATs

In my preview for the week, I said that Boston needed to decide what they were going to be – a team that stuck to GOATs comps 24/7, or one willing to spice it up with DPS comps. Well, seems like someone listened. And the answer is – they’ll do whatever it takes to win and play to their strengths. That’s why in both opening Control maps we saw rCk play – Mei!

That’s right – in both matches we saw the Uprising open on Control with a Mei. More surprising – it worked! rCk played the snow queen perfectly, raising walls on chokes, sniping with icicles, and dropping the freeze ult for cc expertly. It’s no wonder they had no problem cleaning up on Control.

Additionally, we saw Boston pull out all types of DPS heavy comps. This included Blase on Doomfist, alot of Colourhex on Widowmaker, Pharmercy, Aimgod on Ana, and Hammond let loose. Not that the Uprising didn’t play their fair share of GOATs, because they did. But seeing the team lean into their strengths a bit more and defy the meta worked more often than not. Boston was 4-0 on the weekend on Control and Assault, both of which they played heavy DPS comps. Coincidence?

LA Gladiators

Overwatch League fans were all high on the LA Gladiators – and who could blame them? Undefeated in Stage 2, the Uprising were the last notch in their belt for an undefeated record. Sadly, Boston played spoiler and ruined the fairy tale. Even better, it was a total team effort. rCk getting some great SDs, Kellex seemingly always having a sound barrier when the team needed it, and Fusions having his way with the hammer. They out GOATs’d them at every turn, as Colourhex racked up energy easily and threw several great gravitons at them.

There was a lot of clear fight from Boston throughout the match. On Blizzard World, the first several waves on attack were thwarted. Just when it looked like they’d be full-held, Fusions dropped a perfect shatter past the Gladiator’s shields, and the team mopped them. From nearly overtime on Point A, to almost getting the payload through to the end, Boston showed a lot of fortitude in the face of all that pressure.

Trash Talk

A lot of spice came out of the LA Gladiators before the match. Leave it to Huk, within seconds of the Gladiators losing, to remind them of it.

Not that the players themselves didn’t partake this weekend.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1125157201327292416

rCk

The MVP in my mind of the two matches was the Finnish master of all heroes. Besides his Mei play (which was excellent) – I thought he showed a lot of doubters just how good his DVa could be. Time and again he peeled off to the backline to bail out the Brigitte, picked off the weak support, or landed a great SD. Working with the rest of his team against LA, he hacked and EMPd them several times to score team kills effortlessly.

I will say I thought his Sombra play against the Justice was particularly poor. He threw several focused EMPs at a sole or pair of heroes throughout the match. Rarely did he hit a whole group with his ultimate. Not sure if it was symptomatic of how the whole team underestimated Washington, but his Sombra play in the weekend’s latter match was underwhelming.

The Bad

Washington Justice

Let’s not sugar coat it – if you want to claim you/re a top tier team you have to take care of business against weaker opponents. It doesn’t get any easier than the 1-11 Washington Justice. This should have been Boston’s second 4-0 of the year. Easily. Instead, they crapped their pants. After opening up with the same DPS comps on Control and Assault, they climbed to an easy 2-0 lead. Things were looking great at halftime – I think I spoke for everyone.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1125153034328211466

Then Washington came out and put on their big boy suits and went to work. How did it happen? Bad ultimate economy. Fusions getting focused. Missed pics. Out of alignment. Fusions dying. It was a mess. Boston just didn’t seem to be on the same page. Maybe Boston spent all week focusing on the LA game and took Washington for granted. Can’t say anyone would blame them. But this being their GM’s last game, the number of losses stacking up, and playing for free ice cream from their new support Sleepy, Washington went ham. And now Boston has over a month to think about how they got reverse swept to end the stage. That’s going to sting for awhile.

The Uprising

-Getting reverse swept is bad. Making it to the 3rd stage of that 5th map, up 99%-0% and blowing it is as bad as it can get. That is a horrible way to end the stage. The 5 week break is going to be a long one.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1125171382676086785

-I think Kellex was sneaky sneaky the MVP of the Justice match. Him booping people off ledges and into the drink on Rialto was great. Whenever the team got gravitoned and there was no transcendence, he always seemed ready to pop a sound barrier. Loved the Uprising OG’s play today.

-The casters called it right during the Justice map – their strategy was clear. Focus Fusions. Take him out and the shotcalling goes. And they played it to victory time and time again. Now how much of that is Fusions responsibility? There were certainly several times in the Justice-Uprising match where he didn’t help matters. Using the shatter erratically to no good effect. Being aggro where it made the Justice’s focus job easier. But on the flip side, the Uprising need to respond. Peel to your All-Star main tank! Punish the other team’s focusing solely on one of your players. It’s like Lebron playing with the Cavaliers all those years they choked in the finals. Give the man some support! PS – this is a rough look:

-Blase has to feel good being given the reigns to play Doomfist. Thought he did a great job wreaking havoc. Need more of this, please.

-Now officially eliminated from Stage 2 playoffs, Boston will have a long 5 week break before Stage 3 starts. They’ll have a chance to show if they can get back to stage playoff contention when they open up against the London Spitfire – who just swept Boston last week 4-0.

For more Boston Uprising content and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp

Uprising Stage 2 Week 5 Preview: Gladiators and Justice

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

Friday, May 3 @ 8:30pm: LA Gladiators

Sunday, May 5 @ 4:45pm: Washington Justice

What’s the best thing you can hope for when you go 0-8 in week 3? A bye week – and that’s just what the boys in blue got. Not having to fly out to Dallas hopefully gave the boys time to stop, reflect, and retool. Will the layoff work in their favor? They’ll have two chances to show whether that’s the case as they play against the LA Gladiators and Washington Justice. Two very different teams. And with Stage 2 playoffs technically a mathematical possibility, it should be an interesting weekend.

LA Gladiators

Far and away the big test of the weekend comes tonight when Boston faces off against the Gladiators. At 6-0 in Stage 2, the Uprising are the only thing between the Gladiators and a perfect stage. Certainly a tall task for anybody, let alone a team that just got broomed twice in a row. LA sits atop the Stage 2 standings. Is there a path to victory for the Uprising?

Any match against LA will revolve around their All-Stars Surefour and BigGoose. Surefour is a top tier hitscan player, and Boston would be wise to prepare counter strats to his Widow and Bastion. With a meta that has shifted chaotically across the league this stage, it’s hard to predict just what we’ll see. In week 3 Boston played GOATs against London and DPS against the Titans. Who knows what they’ll throw at LA. For their part, the Gladiators has not shied from DPS, Sombra-GOATs, and bunker comps. Here’s hoping we see shifting comps between maps and offense/defense and maybe set a record for heroes picked.

2019 Map RecordBoston UprisingLA Gladiator
Oasis1-1-00-1-0
Hanamura0-1-00-1-1
Blizzard World1-0-02-0-0
Rialto2-1-02-2-0

Washington Justice

On the other end of the spectrum, the Washington Justice have been swimming in the toilet bowl since joining the league. Currently fighting with the Florida Mayhem for the #1 pick in next year’s draft, Boston has no business dropping a map here. At 13-36-1 for the year, those map wins haven’t come easy for Washington. If Boston wants to present themselves as the top tier team they think they are, here’s an opportunity to prove it.

In a stage that saw two reverse sweeps, a soul crushing map 5 loss, and being on the receiving end of two successive sweeps, a sweep would be an appropriate end to a smorgasbord of a stage. If Boston isn’t going to make it into Stage 2 playoffs, they need some punctuation on the stage to remind the league they’re still a threat. Wiping the floor with the Justice would go a long ways to do that.

Even Justice fans have to expect a shellacking. They just added San Francisco Shock’s rarely used support Sleepy to the team, while their GM just announced she’s departing the team after this match. While the team may be motivated to send her off with a win, it’s unlikely a cobbled together team, with a week to sync up with their new support, will turn things around. Washington is a juicy steak for the Uprising to pounce on. Hopefully they chew and digest quickly.

2019 Map RecordBoston UprisingWashington Justice
Lijiang Tower
0-3-00-1-0
Temple of Anubis2-3-02-3-0
Blizzard World1-0-00-1-0
Rialto2-1-00-4-0

Outlook

While there are some scenarios that could see the Uprising make Stage 2 playoffs, it doesn’t look good for Boston. More likely, they’ll be on the outside looking in. What matters is how the team performs. Can they rebound from a tough weekend and show they’re still in the mix? Will they show one of the supposed best teams in the league up? Which team comp will they throw out – GOATs, DPS, or something wild?

With no significant meta shift expected for Stage 3, Boston needs to decide who they want to be. Are they going to be the Sombra GOATs we saw against London and Hangzhou? Will they run DPS comps like when they played Vancouver? Are they going to be contextual, deploying certain comps based on map, opponent, and matchup? More importantly – can they hammer the nails lined up in front of them? Specifically, can they squash the Justice down where they belong? Will they stop the train that is the Gladiators? Strap yourself in Uprising fans – this weekend is going to be good. Let’s get to work.

For more Boston Uprising content and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp

What OWL could learn from the Uprising’s Collegiate Cup

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Boston Uprising’s second annual Collegiate Cup was held this past Sunday at the Back Bay Events Center in Boston. Defending champion Northeastern University found themselves in the semifinals along with Boston University, UMass Amherst, and Emerson College. A different type of venue, crowd, and competitors brought a different experience than the typical Overwatch League match. I think the league could learn from the good and bad that the college tournament showed.

Good: Hype Videos

While some Overwatch League matches have short vignettes that try to establish some personality to the players, I haven’t seen one that could hold the Collegiate Cup’s jockstraps. Each team got to make a quick hype video where players talked trash, made awkward poses, and made their case for why they’ll win. First, filming them on scene at each school added legit authenticity to the proceedings. Second, you could tell these guys put the videos together themselves. There is some real bravado in some of them. Giving the players the freedom to strut their creativity and let their personalities shine is much better than the pretentious, forced hype that OWL struts out for some of the teams.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1123037393676902401

Bad: Venue

I won’t sugar coat it for you – this place was a notch above your typical senior center bingo hall. I didn’t go last year, but I heard Laugh Boston was a dumpster fire. Well, this place was certainly serviceable. They had enough TVs so everyone could see the action. But the seats were cramped on top of each other, it was extremely dark, and the venue just seemed forced into this esports format. Now granted, there wasn’t much of a crowd. I can’t imagine more than 100 people were there. So I don’t expect the Uprising to host this thing at the Ritz. But maybe one of the schools should host on a rotating basis – say the defending champs? Hosting the event at a school would certainly draw a bigger crowd.

Good: Saltiness

In my post-match interview with Northeastern’s captain Matthew Lucido, he said:

“…the captain of BU he’s trying to get at me, he’s trying to assert his dominance. But, like, I know he’s coming. Once you figure him out he only does one thing. He holds W at you and then dies. So, like, I’ll save my cool down, save my shift for his hook and then after that he’s dead in the water.”

Matthew Lucido, Northeastern captain

That type of direct, aggressive call-out is exactly the type of rivalry and heat that Overwatch League lacks. Oftentimes teams have cringeworthy call outs to each other that are overly sanitized and harmless. These college players have no problem hyping them and their teams up. That includes putting the other team and their players down. And that’s what makes the event more electric. You can hear the fire coming out of him:

Good: Championship Cup

Unlike that ugly ass Reinhardt trophy you get for winning the Overwatch League, the Boston Uprising hand out some sick hardware. Take a look at that cup. Who wouldn’t want to raise that thing up? Not to mention all the things you can do with it. Drink. Eat. Beer pong. Mini golf. Did I mention eat? That is one piece of hardware that’s a party unto itself.

Bad: Timing

As I mentioned the venue didn’t help get anyone to show up to support their team, but the time didn’t help either. Starting at 10am and finishing at about 2pm on a Sunday, most college students aren’t even up by then. I don’t see early afternoon as the best time for this target demographic. A mid afternoon Saturday game that serves as a pregame for their weekend antics seems more appropriate. I did spot one kid wearing shower sandals and a bathrobe. Hey, not all heroes wear capes.

Good: Schools

What’s great about doing college sports is they have one thing already built in – deep seated hatred for each other. Sure, Boston and New York will never like each other, and you can try to ham that into an Uprising – NYXL rivalry. But the Boston area colleges already genuinely hate each other. There’s no world where BU and Northeastern aren’t going to fire up the crowd. From the US News rankings to the Beanpot, students are going to be fired up to see their schools at each other’s throats. While UMass’ run to the title despite no institutional support gave them a rags-to-riches storyline, you could hear the whispers of ‘safety-school’ and looking down at the sole public school from its wealthier peers. Only colleges can give you this type of built-in drama.

Good: Pro level support

You can’t say the Uprising didn’t go all in on this event. From having Avast (former Uprising player) and ZP cast on-site to the Twitch stream, the Uprising put a lot of investment on this event. They clearly care about the college scene. There were dozens of Kraft Group employees at the venue to help organize and run the operations that makes an event like this go smoothly. Whereas you had Dallas, the first non-Blizzard Arena homestand, get hit with a power outage. This event went off without a hitch. Also getting Huk on site to speak to the crowd, be interviewed by the casters, award the championship cup, and talk to the players was a treat. The moneyball recruiting-savant of the Overwatch League rarely comes out from his command HQ, so to see him at an event like this shows how much the team wants it to go well.


Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 2 Week 3

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

Admit it. Down 2-0 at halftime against both the London Spitfire and Vancouver Titans, you thought Boston could come back and reverse sweep. You thought there was some magic left down in the well. That the spark that lit the fire against Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto was still burning. It’s ok, I did too.

We know how that worked out.

For the second time in team history, Boston’s weekend comes up empty as they get swept off the stage in both matches. It was ugly. While there were flashes of brilliance, it’s hard to draw something positive out of a double-zero on map wins in the span of two matches. Let’s break it all down.

The Good

There’s a good argument to be made that in a weekend where Boston doesn’t win a single map this space should be blank. But we look on the bright side around here on Boston Sports Extra – let’s go!

Fusions

What’s it say about you when the other team considers you prime target number one? Against London, the Uprising’s main tank was the clear go-to for focus fire. Conversely, the Brit didn’t get as much help from supports. Against London, where rCk played a good amount of DVa, his sustain seemed to be the team’s focus. That combination seemed fatal. Looks like Fusion’s notoriety from Stage 1 has made him many team’s go-to focus fire target.

He had his moments all weekend. Slaying Vancouver’s Lucio and Brigitte on Paris’s Point B on offense as Rein. His Rein was very good in both matches. It’s clearly still his strong suit. I also thought his Winston was much better. He still had a few times where he’d charge with no backup and get focus killed quick, but he also used his Primal Rages alot better.

I’m not as convinced his play on Wrecking Ball is as legit. Too many times we saw him get picked first and early on the hamster. That may just be because the character’s kit isn’t meant to be played as the Uprising deploy him. But to my eyes, Fusions isn’t S-tier on him. Also – I thought his play on Orissa on both Paris and Gibralta, against Vancouver, was admirable. Those shields were right where they needed to be and his firing was well done.

DPS Comps – Against Vancouver?

In my weekend preview, I said that Boston should ditch GOATs and go DPS heavy. They didn’t do that against London, but they certainly did against Vancouver. Opening on Leijing Tower with Pharah-Hammond-Sombra-Widow-Ana-Mercy, Boston consistently played DPS comps. Bunker comps on Paris defense. A pirate ship on Gibraltar that got the third highest time on attack. They looked great! While they couldn’t get a win against Vancouver, they were clearly much better running DPS against Vancouver than when they did GOATs a few weeks ago.

Which makes you wonder why they didn’t play these comps against London. Why wouldn’t they use that as a formal practice for the Vancouver game? Heck, they could have won against an inferior GOATs team like the Spitfire! Why they felt restricted to the GOATs meta in that game is beyond me.

Blase

DPS trained, American born, Blase has been in the Brig all season. While he’s a good Birgitte player, you know he’s pining to get back on DPS where he’s comfortable. Didn’t happen against London, but he was let loose on Vancouver. And we were better for it! On Pharah, he was pog champ. For example, his ult on stage 1 of Leijing saved the team in OT against Vancouver. His Roadhog on Gibraltar against the Titans was even more pog champ. He even whipped out Doomfist. You have to wonder what it’d be like to see him play DPS full time.

Aimgod

I should put the flex support first. Far and away the most consistent player all weekend, Aimgod faired well against both teams. Playing primarily Ana and Zen in both matches, and had some great moments. His snipe on King’s Row Point A on London’s Bdosin single-handedly got London to flee the point both on offense (1st lap) and defense (2nd lap). While he didn’t have to dodge any EMPs like the Spitfire and Titans had to, he certainly held his own. Also camping the Titans after the rest of the team got wiped took balls. Especially with an emote.

The Bad

(This is an abridged version. A full itinerary of all the bad things that happened this weekend will be submitted for publication in the case we don’t make Stage 2 playoffs).

Ultimate Economy

All weekend it seemed like Boston couldn’t maximize the value of their ultimates. Now, that’s hard to separate from the myriad of other issues that were going on in the debacle of a weekend they had. But, time and again we saw London and Vancouver either make due with less, save ults intelligently, or counter what Boston threw at them.

We saw this on Busan against London. Up 77%-28%, London having control, and Boston with all 6 ults, the Uprising’s win condition was clear. Draw out any of the Spitfire’s 4 ults in one or two fights using as little of their own as possible. Swoop the point and win. How’d it play out? To start, rallies on both sides. Gesture Shatters and Fury’s Self-Destruct picks a demeched rCk whose own SD does nothing. Colourhex wakes up from the Shatter and shoots his Grav, but rCk’s SD isn’t in position or timed well enough to do anything. Profit hits his Grav which forces Kellex to drop his Sound Barrier to save the team. Now it’s 77%-48% and both teams are wiped of Ults. Would anyone say that was the best use of ults?

Boston also gambled playing strats that required post-point switches. We saw all weekend that London and Vancouver stuck with 3-3 all match while Boston switched. This gives the other team ult advantage from the start. Boston would play from behind, needing two team fights just to farm enough ult to compete. It’s a hard decision – go all in with a comp you know you’re going to switch off of, but do so knowing it gives you the best chance. It’s a bit of an all or nothing stat. Something for the coaches to chew on.

rCk

I do think every player had good moments and great plays at some point this weekend. But on the sum, if I’m putting one player in the bad category, it goes to the freshmen team member. While the Finn played a mix of Sombra/DVa against London, we saw him play almost exclusively the hacker against Vancouver. And the hacker didn’t do what we needed.

For example, on King’s Row against London, the payload is just about to hit the end when he tosses the Translocator. Then, he immediately EMPs – but he doesn’t hit Bdosin’s Zenyata. The Transcendence hits and he immediately gets picked and the team gets wiped. That should have rolled the Spitfire for a map win. Then again, in overtime, he clearly learned and stalked the back line to pick off Bdosin and Nus’ Lucio without dropping an EMP. But after holding onto it, he jumped at Bdosin and dropped the EMP. Except, there was a wall between them. Transcendence dropped. Boston wiped. Overtime over. Map – London.

This happened with Vancouver, too. You could tell what a difference the enemy team’s comp had on him. On King’s Row, his Sombra ruthlessly shredded Vancouver when they played the Ana. Fight after fight, he had no trouble dropping an EMP and having his team roll. Once the Titans switched to the Zen, he had trouble connecting to the omnic healer. At the final hour, he was unable to hit Twilight who immediately used his Transcendence. Boston’s attack was stimmied and Vancouver won the map.

As Uber said, you can hack the entire team but if you don’t get the Zen whose got a Transcendence ready to launch, what’s the point? If rCk is going to be as great as we know he can be, he has to focus his ult much more effectively in the matches to come.

Paris defense – Vancouver

Is the last minute choke defending Point A on Paris against Vancouver the worst ever? I’m not saying it is, but I’m not not saying that, either. Because with Overtime looming, the bunker defense running in high gear, the Titans took an unorthodox attack. Switching to a Sombra and Wrecking Ball, Vancouver got a last minute miracle capture. They snowballed it into an easy win. I think Boston will be watching tape of that whole exchange for a long time to come.

Colourhex

It was a mixed back for the kiwi on Zarya this weekend. His Graviton getting fed to Fury on Busan and King’s Row in critical moments didn’t help. I don’t think his Zarya is bad, but the lack of consistent team cohesion and synergy puts him at a disadvantage.

Of course, when he played against Vancouver and got to switch to a Bastion or Widowmaker, he proved himself again. He had some great kills on nearly all the maps as a DPS. Makes you excited for when the meta shifts more into his wheelhouse.

The Uprising

  • Valskyia Industries may be Boston’s official home base, King’s Row is their ninth circle of hell. The boys are now 0-5 this year on the hybrid map.
  • Vancouver opening their Paris offense with a pretty Symmetra teleport onto the point play was delicious. Seeing them run it was fun – especially when Colourhex shredded them all into oblivion.
  • That time on King’s Row against Vancouver rCk saw the Zen use Transcendence. You knew he was thinking, THIS IS MY MOMENT – LETS EMP AND ROLL THESE JERKS. He hits the EMP… but there is Lucio with a Sound Barrier. Vancouver gets the sustain, team wipe, point capture. Every Uprising fan had to be thinking – what is it going to take?
  • It may have been short lived, but I loved the Symmetra, Bastion, Baptiste, Orissa, Mercy comp to open Junkertown against London. Seeing them teleport the bunker comp around the map was neat. Except when they switched to 3-3 it was too late. The Junkertown curse continues.
  • Kellex got quite a few kills on Bumper. We see you Uprising OG.
  • Hexagrams called Boston a “resilient cockroach of a team” which he meant in “the nicest way possible.” Hmmmmm.
  • Love the tbag by Aimgod on Bumper – just down the street where Bumper did the same last time these two played. These two are getting quite salty against each other.
  • Hearing the overtime music refereed to as Hans Zimmer (from Inception) blew my mind.
  • What was with Junkertown starting with Blase on Sombra and Aimgod on Moira? Did they quit on the last map?
  • I really hate Bumper. This didn’t help.

For more Boston Uprising content and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp

Uprising Stage 2 Week 3 Preview: Spitfire and Titans

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Saturday, April 20th @ 3pm: London Spitfire

Sunday, April 21st @ 3pm: Vancouver Titans

After a frustrating week which saw Boston narrowly lose against the Hangzhou Spark on the match’s fifth map, the Uprising are back at it. This week they face off against the London Spitfire and Vancouver Titans. Last year’s champions, the Spitfire, started off a surprising 3-4 in Stage 1. They’re off to a hot start 3-0 in Stage 2. Meanwhile, the Titans remain undefeated at 10-0. What can fans expect to see from the Uprising this week?

Ready Player One

Boston needs to go into this week forgetting the mistakes made against Hangzhou. Does the Uprising have to keep playing GOATs? Last week they certainly seemed to think so – and look how that worked out. This week they’ll be going up against the Titans – easily the best GOATs team in the league. They’ve been playing the 3-3 team comp since season 3 of Contenders last year. Why should Boston try to play a mirror? The boys need look no further than week 1 of the stage to see what works for them. Using DPS comps, playing surprise tactics, and playing to their strengths seem the clear path to victory.

For DPS comps, will Boston gamble and let Blase out of the Brig? We saw him on Hammond, Soldier 76, and Pharah back in week 1. Colourhex also put everyone on notice. The kiwi, he of 41% critical hit accuracy, showed he’s an elite Widowmaker. Will Huk and the coaching staff let the DPS players loose, or will they be fixed to their Brigitte and Zarya roles as they were last week?

Can Boston continue to deliver the set plays, unorthodox strats, and strong off-meta comps they have in weeks past? It will be fascinating to see which tank Fusions gets put onto. We’ve seen him stick to Rein when the team went GOATs, but have also seen him play considerable time on Winston and Hammond. Then there’s rCk – how much Sombra will we see? Boston could lean into Sombra GOATs or continue to play her intermittently? These small decisions will have major consequences.

London

A lot of people are buying low on Spitfire stock, and for good reason. A 3-0 start to a stage is nothing to smirk at, and their level of play has picked up considerably. While Stage 1 saw the defending champions of the inaugural season look sloppy, the Spitfire seem to be returning to form. But look how they got that record. They barely squeaked by the Florida Mayhem, winning 2-1, and then swept the Atlanta Reign, who seem to be in free fall this stage. London also won 2-1 against the Philadelphia Fusion last week. Needless to say, they haven’t played high tier competition this stage. Boston will be their first real measuring stick of where they stand.

Looking at the maps helps inform what we can expect to see. London are 3-0 this stage on Control, 2-1 on Assault, 1-1-1 on Hybrid, and 3-0 on Escort maps. In all those games, they haven’t played any of the maps they’ll play Saturday.

Boston, on the other hand, has played a few of these maps. They played Control maps 6 times in 3 matches, thanks to each going to a 5th map. They have a 2-6 record, winning only when it was the last map. This includes winning Busan against Atlanta to end a match, and losing it against Toronto to start a match. They have a 1-2 record on Assault and 3-0 on Hybrid maps, but have yet to play Paris or King’s Row. Lastly, the Uprising are 2-1 on Escort maps, including that horrible Junkertown they played against Hangzhou last week where they were full held before the first point. If Boston can’t fix the complete embarrassment they showed there last week, it’ll be a long night for the Uprising.

Prediction

You have to think London has an edge on Control and Boston has it on Hybrid. Boston thrives off of Hybrid/Escort maps because they operate in a highly coached, set-play driven style. They scrim with specific comps on different pieces of maps with well rehearsed strats. If Boston can hold their edge on Hybrid maps and split the Assault/Escort with London, I like their chances in a sudden death Control. They just barely lost last week on Leijing Tower against the Spark, and are well versed in playing under the pressure of a 5th map. London, meanwhile, has only played a 5th map two times this season. They beat the Washington Justice but lost to the Shanghai Dragons. There are clear paths to victory for Boston.

Vancouver

Stage 1 champion seems to be just the beginning for the accolades Vancouver may amass by the end of the season. They’ve looked even better in Stage 2, dropping no more than a single map in any of their first 3 matches. After rolling Boston 3-0 in the Stage 1 playoffs, does the Uprising have a prayer?

I think we’re going to see just how stubborn the Uprising coaches are in this match. No one is equipped to out GOATs the GOATs masters. If Boston runs something off-meta that Vancouver isn’t prepared to counter, they may have a prayer against them. Even if it’s swapping in a Moira or Ana if the map geometry accommodates it, that may throw off the Titans.

Prediction

Will that be enough? Probably not. Vancouver have shown they are a juggernaut that will need a complete meta shift if they’re to lose. Boston can either run GOATs to see how their 3-3 can hold up in a mirror, or throw some crazy DPS comp out there to catch them off guard. Either way, Boston is going to struggle to avoid the sweep. Hopefully they can keep the maps tight and steal one somewhere in the match.

Outlook

After week 1, Boston was the talk of the league. Three straight reverse sweeps will do that. But now we’ve seen that Atlanta and Toronto are dumpster fires. Then they narrowly lost on another 5th map against Hangzhou. Now the Uprising face a tougher path to Stage 2 playoffs. They likely won’t win against Vancouver, but have every reason to think they can meet the challenge of the surging Spitfire. Boston gets a bye next week then has a double header against the Gladiators and Justice. There aren’t any freebies. Time to clock some wins and pave a road to Stage 2 playoffs. It’s now or never.

For more weekly columns and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp

Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 2 Week 2

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Happy Marathon Monday Uprising fans. Many New Englanders see the first pitch at Fenway as the first sign of Spring. Personally, it’s always been runners headed down Boylston that does it for me. Just as the warm weather erases all memory of the months of snow shoveling and cold weather, so must a new stage erase our memories of what’s come before. A new patch means a new meta. Teams will rise and teams will fall. And I clearly didn’t give the 3-5 Hangzhou Spark enough credit.

This new world looks different. Two weeks in and we see stage 1 playoff teams Toronto and Atlanta already falling to 1-3 stage 2 records. Suddenly those 2 reverse sweeps from last week don’t look so impressive. Where teams line up in the pecking order is in disarray. And though I thought this match would be a cakewalk for Boston, the Spark proved they were anything but.

The Good

rCk

Huk’s stunning trade before stage 2 continues to prove prophetic. Boston’s new off-tank rCk displayed his signature flexibility throughout the match. On DVa, we saw the Fin eat ultimates like on Anubis when Mei’s blizzard was tossed right into the Defense Matrix. How fun is it when you see the icon for devoured ultimates? Conversely, he lived up to his reputation as a great Sombra player. At Blizzard World, he hit a great EMP on offense that pushed the Point A cap, and seemingly within minutes started a steamroll through Point B. You could tell how paranoid the Spark were getting of him. Sitting on his EMP, he hacked just one player near Point C that spooked the Spark out of position. Boston got a team wipe from it without burning an EMP.

It’s safe to say that rCk was the bright spot in a sea of darkness this night. Boston continues to run most of their team play around him. The question is how do they decide to go DVa or Sombra? There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. While I believe he’s just as good a DVa as Sombra, Boston’s efficacy when he was on the DVa is suspect. Hopefully they can turn it around going forward.

Assault Strategy

As Sideshow pointed out at Halftime, Boston ran a fantastic offense around rCk on Anubis. Using his hacks on the off-tank Ria, Boston would dive the squishy targets knowing the Spark couldn’t peel to defend on Point A. On Point B, Boston did a great job coordinating onto the point and never letting go. After two matches in a row of futile assault maps, it was nice to see the Uprising come out and execute their game plan.

The Bad

GOATs

After a week of two matches that saw a mix of Winston/Hammond dive, Pharmercy, and DPS comps, Boston oddly decided that GOATs would be their approach. With little exception, Boston played the 3-3 all night. To little effect. I’m not sure the mentality here. Did they outthink themselves? Were they expecting Hangzhou to prepare for a mix of comps and then get leveled by GOATs? Did they think the Spark’s record suggested they’d get rolled by a simple GOATs comp? Regardless, it was disappointing to see, in a new patch/meta, such a fixation on GOATs. In their defense, we did see several teams go back to the well here so they’re not alone. But Hangzhou didn’t show such timidness, switching to a bunker comp on Oasis to great effect. Hopefully Boston loosens up next match and tries to switch it up.

Junkertown

What an absolute disaster. While I appreciate Boston not defaulting to the 3-3 and trying out the pirate ship, the Spark were ready. Again, Hangzhou showed superior coordination and synergy. Playing a triple DPS on defense, they made quick work of Boston once they got through the second turn on Point A. Offensively, they switched to GOATs once the payload got past the last turn on Point A. Boston strangely played a Roadhog/Moira comp on defense that did not work at all. Needless to say, I think the coaching staff need to go back to the drawing board when they play this escort map again.

Krystal

Known for leading China’s Overwatch World Cup team to the finals this year, Hangzhou’s unused DPS Krystal certainly sparked the team when he hit the stage. Why did they ever substitute him out? They won every map he played on. Apparently he speaks Mandarin while everyone else speaks Korean. No matter. His Bastion on Oasis’ stage 3 was devastating. Between getting Nano Boosted and his tank ultimate, Boston had no response to their bunker defense.

Funny thing is, Boston has been rumored to be seeking a trade for Krystal all season. You almost could see a twisted irony in him being used against the Uprising. At this point the GMs across the league have to take Huk showing interest in a player as them having a diamond in the rough. Would Hangzhou have played the DPS stud had Huk not called? We’ll never know.

Colourhex

No one suffered more from going back to the GOATs well as Colourhex. After his unbelievable 41% critical accuracy last week, the sniper was stuck on Zarya almost the entire match. There were some low points there. A Graviton sucked up by a Defense Matrix on Oasis. Some bubbles that seemed untimed with teammates. But it didn’t get much better for the kiwi when he got on DPS. His Genji on Anubis wasn’t anything to write home about. Undoubtedly the low point came at the most crucial moment. Up 99% on Leijing Tower, Colourhex got spawn camped by IDK and booped off the map while sitting on his Graviton. To make matters worse, the very next life saw him Whip Shotted off the map by Brigitte. Not pretty.

The Uprising

You have to feel for Blasé being stuck in the Brig as I’ve seen it called. While he’s a serviceable Briggitte, he showed last week he has a wide enough DPS pool to warrant being let loose.

Even at the very end Boston was in it. On Leijing Tower’s third stage, Boston coughed up the point two times while at 99%. Still, you felt that this was just the type of pressure Boston had proven themselves adept at. What a disappointment.

Also about Leijing Tower – how do you have 5 ults after getting up 99%-0% and lose? I think Huk and company will be watching the film on that for awhile. The hubris to burn through those ults and lose the stage like they did was nothing short of embarrassing.

I threw a bit of shade at Fusions last week, wondering if he could stay as relevant in this new meta. I don’t think we have a definitive answer this week, especially because he stuck on the Rein so long. However, I do think he played well tonight, and had some great moments throughout the match.

I’m convinced Kellex is the best stall Lucio in the league. You saw him hopping around on Oasis and Leijing Tower several times. It’s always funny to see the other team have to track him down and kill him like having a fly in your food.

Was it me or did Hangzhou come out to some rap music entrance? Can we get on that bandwagon? Let’s get some Dropkick Murphys or something. Whatever it is we come out to just isn’t cutting it. There are some cool themes out there.

We see you Aimgod. He may not get the attention like Jjonak or get put on replay, but the flex support had some great picks this match. I also though he was brilliant in deploying his Transcendences tonight. He never got anxious and waited patiently to use it.

Looking Forward

After an exciting start to Stage 2, Boston took a step backward this week. They can’t take any of their matches for granted. Next week they face London and Vancouver. Obviously the still unbeaten Vancouver will be a tough match, but London shouldn’t be taken lightly. Last year’s champions are 3-0 this stage. I’m just as guilty as anyone as reading too much into the Stage 1 results. Boston needs a win to keep pace with everyone else if they’re going to make Stage 2 playoffs. Here’s hoping this was just a small misstep on a long road to bigger winnings.

For more weekly columns and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp

Uprising Stage 2 Week 2 Preview: Hangzhou Spark

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Friday, April 12th @ 8:45pm

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It’s week 2 of stage 2 and for some reason Boston has to play a game against the Hangzhou Spark. Hard to expect the Uprising to put on a show that lives up to the double reverse sweep they pulled against Atlanta and Toronto. I suppose we’ll have to settle for a stomping of the fun but unfortunately pink clad expansion team.

Yes, this should be a sweep. I don’t make predictions often but anything less than a sweep would be an upset. I said in my stage preview that Boston had to take care of business against the non Stage 1 playoff teams. That’s Hangzhou, LA Gladiators, London, and Washington. Do that, and Stage 2 playoffs is in the bag. Now that Atlanta and Toronto have run away licking their wounds, Stage 2 playoffs should be assumed. 

In fact, we need to look at what we can build from these near throw matchups. Let’s throw some crazy new comps out there. Let’s stick Blase on Baptiste in new and exciting ways. We can be the ones to show what this new hero can do. How about we drop Sombra for a week and let rCk pop off and show just how good a DVa he is. Colourhex should get perma locked on Widow just to put a nail on the whole ‘one match fluke’ fake news I’ve seen percolate around Reddit. Also, Fusions should roll, literally, Wrecking Ball all day. Give him some stage experience and show how good he can be in a post-GOATs meta. The Brit ain’t no one trick.

Basically this week should be nothing more than an exhibition showcase. Those trolls putting Boston outside the top 5 in their power rankings need to be put on blast. Never mind we’re 5th in the overall league standings. Forget how we just made the biggest in season trade in OWL history with Note/rCk. Don’t think about how we just body bagged two Stage 1 playoff teams. That when the pressure is highest, three times in a row now Boston has sacked up and laid waste to the other team

No, this match is about confidence building. About showing who runs this place. Building a reputation as the bad boys of Overwatch. And if three reverse sweeps in a row won’t do it, stuffing the pink colored Spark in a locker is a good start. 

Looking forward to the artwork though.

For more weekly columns and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp

Boston Uprising’s Watch Party in Worcester, MA:

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Going into Thursday night’s matchup against the Atlanta Reign, the Boston Uprising looked to come out strong in the first week of stage 2. On the other side of the country, Boston Uprising’s staff were similarly looking to come out strong with their first watch party in Worcester, MA. While the team had hosted two standing room only watch parties in downtown Boston (and one in Foxboro) – Worcester was the team’s first foray outside of the Boston metropolitan area. Would Uprising fans come out hyped to support their team outside of Boston?

Their was certainly an eclectic mix of characters at the Compass Tavern in Worcester, MA. College students rubbed shoulders with a dad and his teenage son. A young man, clearly dragging his girlfriend to the event, donned a custom Uprising jersey for the night’s festivities. A young woman, clad in a bright DVa sweatshirt, sat awestruck as the broadcast began. But why does the Uprising organize these events and try to get fans to come out for something they can watch at home?

I spoke with Julia Pagliarulo, Media Relations Coordinator for the Kraft Group (owners of the New England Patriots, New England Revolution, and Boston Uprising). For the organization, these watch parties serve as both marketing and community development. “We’re a new team and we’re trying to spread brand awareness and let people know about the team” she said. Watch parties have an added benefit of getting fans more engaged with the team. Looking at the fans that had turned out, Julia said, “fans having the opportunity to come out and support the team fosters a strong fan community and means a lot to the team themselves.” Nearly every attendee sported an Uprising hat, shirt, or other apparel. The night had clearly drawn fans that were all dialed in.

Fans got plenty for themselves coming out for the event, too. A banner being sent straight to the team was available for fans to sign. Plenty of posters, sunglasses, and stickers were free for attendees. Lastly, fans had a diverse array of standees and cutouts to use at a free selfie station. If that wasn’t enough, the night’s national broadcast cut to the party just before halftime.

So why did the Kraft Group pick Worcester to host an event?

“We thought having several colleges in the area – WPI, Worcester State, Clark, and being easily accessible made it a great spot” Julia said. While New England is rife with college towns, expanding into western MA was the Uprising’s first priority. Not that the Kraft Group isn’t interested in towns outside Massachusetts. “We don’t want anyone to be too far from a watch party” she said.

What role do watch parties play in fostering a fan base that the Kraft group hopes will turn out for a 14-game regular season home schedule?

“We really want to support the fan’s engagement and hope by giving opportunities like this more and more fans will commit to supporting the team” Julia said. Boston, like every other team in the league, has to foster a fan base they hope will fill whatever arena the Uprising play in. Getting the fans out, meeting each other, and interacting with the players and staff is a great start.

Fans who came out Thursday night were treated with an exciting match against the Atlanta Reign. After going down 0-2, the Uprising came out of halftime and pushed it to a fifth map. Coming out to meet up with other fans, with the rest of the place emptied out, on a weekday night, and the clock hitting 10:30pm, the Uprising faithful were rewarded. Boston completed the reverse sweep and started Stage 2 with a perfect record. With that type of momentum, the future looks bright for both the Uprising and their fan community.

On the way out, I spoke with a father I had seen all night having the game thoroughly explained to him by his teenage son. I asked him – what did you think of the night?

“I don’t completely understand everything that happened, but it was exciting. [My son] had a great time and it was nice being a part of it with him” he told me.

Would you come out again?

“Oh yeah. He wants to go to a home game next year and after tonight, I told him I’d go with him” he replied.

After Boston’s fans turned out for a well-received watch party, it’s hard not to think something special is happening. The team has the fan community to do something special, especially once home matches start.

You could even call it an Uprising.

Uprising Stage 2 Week 1 Preview: Reign and Defiant

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Thursday, April 4th @ 11 P.M. – Boston Uprising vs. Atlanta Reign

After a whirlwind Tuesday it’s become even more unclear what to expect this opening week of Stage 2. First, Persia becomes the team’s fourth support player. Second, Note has been shipped off to Dallas in exchange for rCk. Lastly, Overwatch’s next balance patch continues to distort what the meta will be. In short, the tea leaves ain’t any easier to read. Here’s a shot in the dark.

Roster moves

Persia

The first roster change this week that Boston pulled off was signing off-support Persia. A peculiar move. Boston already has Kellex, Aimgod, and Alemao. Aimgod has earned several player of the matches (or at least been in the running). Kellex has mained Lucio nearly all Stage 1. Lastly, Alemao has had little stage time. It’s a bit strange to pick up another support. Not out of line – many teams have a full compliment of two whole 6 player squads on their roster. But knowing Huk, you see a move like this and start counting the days till some former diamond in the rough he bought low on gets sold high at top dollar.

Note

One of the Uprising’s few remaining OGs, Note was having by all accounts a great season. His nose for sniffing out supports amidst team fights has been mentioned by many casters. While I’ve taken issue a bit with the zoning and pick off efficacy of his Self Destructs, the Canadien has proven he play at a pro level.  Sure, his inability to flex to a Sombra like other DVa players league wide may have limited Boston’s team comps. But, his coordination with Fusions and peeling for the back line made him an effective player.

Trying to read into Huk’s thinking on this move is a fool’s errand. Clearly, the man has some balls. Note is probably the biggest fan favorite outside of Fusions. After trading away Gamsu earlier this season, Huk is showing no one is indispensable. It seems to me Note’s inability to flex onto Sombra limited Boston throughout Stage 1 and that was enough to force a move.

Note’s one-note hero useage in Stage 1 (I know, horrible pun)

Personally, I’ll miss Note. You could tell the kid had such an upbeat energy to him. Boston seemed to be a great fit for the off-tank. Thinking back, his leadership was a big part of the Uprising’s undefeated stage last year as the dive comps played around him. I hope to see him continue to pop off down in Dallas.

rCk

Well, what did we get for everyone’s favorite Canuck? Enter rCk, last seen hitting Uprising players with EMPs like fish in a barrel. Huk must be thinking if you can’t beat em, join em. I imagine the week 5 contest that went to a fifth map impressed Huk enough to seek a trade. 

rCk’s stats headed into his match against BU in week 5

Obviously we should all expect some Sombra comps this stage and beyond. rCk is an impressive Sombra player and a more than serviceable DVa. Boston may have gotten the better end of the deal if he can play as effectively in both roles.

rCk nearly split time perfectly between DVa & Sombra in Stage 1

Meta changes

No one knows for sure what teams comps we’ll see in Stage 2 until it starts. But, the news of GOATs death is greatly exaggerated. Lucio’s speed nerf may reduce Rein to specific map comps, but there’s no reason to think Winston 3-3 comps won’t pick up the slack. Additionally, none of the dps nerfs make them more viable than a high hp, shield boosting, stun disbursing Brigitte.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t see some exciting team comps out there. Everyone loved it when we saw a Widow or Tracwr last stage, and expect to see a more diverse array of heroes picked. I just think metas die slow in the face of small buffs, and nerfs handed out across all heroes. Players and coaches are risk averse and more likely to stick with what they’re comfortable with. Boston hasn’t been known for their experimentation either – so expect some 3-3 from the Uprising.

But let’s not forget the new hero Baptiste. His Immortality Field is a potential game changer. Will we see him deployed early or will he be a map and situational dependent hero? Look for the teams eager to experiment and shake up the meta to give the new hero his first pro level appearance. 

Matchups

Thursday – Atlanta Reign

While Boston has arguably the most last minute roster moves of anyone, don’t ignore what’s happening with Atlanta. Famous Overwatch streamer turned pro Dafran…. is returning to streaming. Despite being the top seller in player jerseys, and making the most pog play of the season, it’s likely the stress of the pro life that drove him away.

Well, Atlanta didn’t waste anytime. They picked up Baby Bay from SF. Shock’s former stud DPS player has been riding the bench all season, so predicting what he can do given his time off and the new meta is difficult enough. Additionally, just as this column was going to print Atlanta tweeted out they signing frd, a tank player from the LA Gladiator’s Contenders team. Why not have even more last minute changes? What could go wrong!

Sunday – Toronto Defiant

Boston’s second matchup of the week is against Toronto. You’ll recall the last time these two played, Neko, Boston’s former off-support, was spraying the Uprising logo every pick he got. He and Bumper – archvillains of the Uprising. Well, nothing would be more satisfying than seeing Boston steamroll the fellow Stage 1 playoff team.

Public enemy #1

Last time Boston was trounced 3-1. There were some bright spots. Boston pulled a C9 on Anubis. They pushed it to a map 4 down 2-0 at halftime. Toronto got full held on offense. That was fun. But generally, Toronto had their way with the Uprising that match. That was then and this is now. There’s a new meta out there. New players. New stage. The past is not the present.

Also, Toronto didn’t want to be left behind in the last second roster changes. On Tuesday, Toronto’s coach Don left the team and on Wednesday their DPS starter Stellar retired. Hey if everyone’s doing, why not them? Of course, Stellar was the Defiant’s Brigitte main, posting a 27/28 KD in his match against Boston. That leaves Toronto with just 7 active players on the roster – good luck with that.

Thoughts

We’re not sure where Persia fits into the team, so let’s just pretend that didn’t happen for now eh? But let’s look at the Note and rCk trade. First, let’s look at the data. Note played on DVa nearly twice as long as rCk, but many of the per 10 minute stats are close. You can see some symmetry in that Note has the edge in FK (First Kills – 12% vs. 10%) but drops in FD (First Deaths – 3% vs. 2.8%). That slight discrepancy gets a bit more spread out when you look at F3K (First Three Kills) and F3D (First Three Deaths). Note may be getting more of those first 3 kills, but he pays for it in dying in one of the first 3 spots.

What the data shows to me is these two are comprable DVas. There’s no case to be made that one is supremely better than the other. But, one can swap to the Sombra and the other can’t. That is an entirely different weapon in the arsenal of the Uprising. Why wouldn’t Boston want to equip themselves with as many tools as possible?

Not that the rCk and Note switch is all that there is to worry about. Given the rumors that have swirled the last few weeks about Fusions, it’s likely we’re going to see a change in the tank line. Axxiom, better known as a Winston main, is likely to get some additional playtime this Stage. Whether he’ll trade off/on with Fusions/Rein based on matchup or map remains to be seen. It’ll be an interesting storyline going into the first week.

There are roster changes across the league, with Boston, and both their opponents this week. A meta change will shift the landscape of the league. Questions abound again whether Huk just traded away the team’s best player. Sounds familiar. And so we have a familiar response.

https://twitter.com/BostonUprising/status/1096133294876327936

For more weekly columns and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp