Philadelphia Fusion vs London Spitfire

After six months of highly competitive play, we’ve come to the grand finals.

This really isn’t the finals anyone expected, but it should by all means be an incredibly exciting one. Both teams are insanely skilled and highly adept at the current double sniper meta, and they’re both entering the finals after spending months as the underdogs.

They did have varying degrees of success during the regular season. London managed to take down New York in the Stage 1 finals, but ever since that achievement they’ve been pretty silent. A couple of upsets here and there, but never strong enough

Philadelphia’s road to the finals was absolutely insane. They entered the playoffs as the sixth seed, and against all odds they actually managed to make things work. They took down every opponent - including the New York Excelsior. And they’re not winning off of luck or cheese comps - they’re just better. They adapted to the current meta and they have one of the strongest DPS duos in the entire League.

EQO is an absolute beast regardless of the hero he plays, and he’s able to clutch things out at the most opportune times - like his last second switch to Pharah against NYXL on Dorado. And of course, Carpe is as strong as he ever was and this is the meta in which he revels in, especially if you get him on Widowmaker.

London on the other hand remains an enigma. They entered the Overwatch League as one of the favorites, but their play was often lackluster. You could always see their potential, and when they did get on the same page it was an absolute masterclass in synergy and execution, but the individual inconsistencies and the constant roster reshuffling never allowed London to develop enough cohesion in order to compete at the highest possible level.

They were also fairly one-dimensional, and they were often amongst the last of the teams to adapt. With Western teams stepping up, deepening their arsenal and changing-up their rosters, London didn’t have the edge.

However, all of that changed with the playoffs. After three stages of mediocrity, they entered the playoffs swinging. They’ve been unexpectedly dominant throughout regardless of the opponent. Individual players said that something just “clicked”, they started adapting, changing team comps and strategies on the fly. They always had mechanical skill, but they were often lacking in other departments.

If we take a look at the map pool, there is only so much info that we can gather. These two teams are playing very differently than how they did back during the regular season. They weren’t even supposed to be here, and yet they stepped up and defied the odds when everything was stacked against them.

So the sheer fact that team A has a higher win ratio on map B when compared to team C means absolutely nothing right now.

Predicting the outcome of this match with confidence is next to impossible. Anything can happen, and the fact that we get to see two teams that have somehow managed to adapt the quickest to the meta makes things even more complicated. Any of the data we had from the Overwatch League gets negated.

At this level of play it’s all a matter of styles and match-ups, and going off of head-to-head records can only get you so far. It’s a new meta, and both teams are playing far differently than they did in Stage 4 - they’re far quicker to adapt, more aggressive and willing to go for plays. Philadelphia has the edge in the head-to-head department, but all of that goes out the window - this is a different London Spitfire, much stronger, much more aggressive and willing to adapt.

We are siding with the London Spitfire, ever so slightly. Their road to the finals was anything but easy, and they’ve proven their worth time and time again. The fact that they had to overcome so many hurdles throughout the regular portion of the competitive season is absolutely mind-blowing.

Much like Philly, they’re somewhat of a momentum team. When they’re confident, they’re capable of doing anything they want. If, on the other hand, they fail to impose their playstyle they often fumble and lose. So far, they’ve won matches when no one gave them a chance, and they’re leading against Philadelphia with the first match already completed.

With so much momentum, it shouldn’t be too hard for London to take Philadelphia down once again. They already have one hand on the trophy, and playing from ahead should give them the necessary confidence to close things out. That said, if there is any team that’s capable of turning things around and making a match insanely competitive, it has to be the Philadelphia Fusion.

Either way, we’re in for some of the most explosive, high-octane Overwatch of the year.