London Spitfire vs New York Excelsior

The Mid-Season Madness qualifiers have kicked off and, needless to say, we're all incredibly excited for what's to come! What we're not all that crazy about, however, is the fact that we'll have to witness a bunch of lopsided mismatches before reaching the "main course," but that was to be expected -- you can't have the good without the bad, as they say.

The London Spitfire have definitely made us all take notice over the last few weeks and, well, it's safe to say that their best days are yet to come. With five wins and just three losses, they're the very definition of a feisty gatekeeper, and while that might not sound all that impressive overall it's still head and shoulders better than we thought we'd be able to say about the boys in blue. It's not a comparison that makes sense, but they *do* have the same overall tally as the Dallas Fuel which is definitely a praiseworthy feat, one that is made all the more impressive given their seemingly limited skill ceiling.

In true gatekeeper/dark horse fashion, London doubled down on their strengths and are working around the clock to not only grow and evolve as a team but also stand a chance against their more seasoned peers, all of which seem to be more capable and dangerous.

Whatever London might lack in experience or star power they more than make up for in determination and grit, so we really ought to give them a bit of credit -- they've successfully defied the odds many a time thus far and, odds are, they'll continue to do so over the coming weeks and months as well.

We're really glad they're better than expected as their stellar plays and overall feistiness have made (and will make) the Overwatch League a whole lot more exciting. They can never be counted out or ridiculed, lest their opponents run the risk of getting upset.

The New York Excelsior, on the other hand, are still about as dreadful as was the case from day one. There's so little to commend and single out and praise that we cannot help but feel a bit appalled. Alas, the only thing left is to hope that somehow, some way they, too, will grow and eventually present some kind of a challenge to their adversaries.

For the time being, though, they're a bottom-feeder and that's probably not going to change in the foreseeable future. There's simply too big of a gap between them and everyone else and if London bring their "A game" they should definitely be able to come out ahead and improve to an even more impressive 6W-3L record.