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 Record | Boston Uprising | LA Gladiator |
| Oasis | 1-1-0 | 0-1-0 |
| Hanamura | 0-1-0 | 0-1-1 |
| Blizzard World | 1-0-0 | 2-0-0 |
| Rialto | 2-1-0 | 2-2-0 |
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 Record | Boston Uprising | Washington Justice |
| Lijiang Tower | 0-3-0 | 0-1-0 |
| Temple of Anubis | 2-3-0 | 2-3-0 |
| Blizzard World | 1-0-0 | 0-1-0 |
| Rialto | 2-1-0 | 0-4-0 |
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
