Los Angeles Valiant vs Dallas Fuel

For our first match of the day we have a fairly interesting match-up between the Los Angeles Valiant and the Dallas Fuel. Now this is an incredibly important match to both teams for completely opposite reasons. The Valiant are currently in top form and at the very top of the standings for Stage 3 with three wins, zero losses and a perfect 12-0 map record. They're looking to further develop and continue dominating as they know every single map could make the difference when the playoffs come. (especially given how they missed out on the playoffs in Stage 1 due to an unfavorable match differential) Fortunately for Valiant fans Dallas should be a relatively easy opponent and LA needs as many of those as possible before they go up against a powerhouse like New York or even another top tier Western team like Boston or Philadelphia.

Dallas Fuel remains one of the only teams that really didn't show anything worth mentioning over the last couple of weeks. That statement is also somewhat debatable when you look at their last 2-3 loss against Seoul Dynasty but a highly important question rises - did they improve or did the Dynasty crumble? Their potential is undeniable but whether or not they will ever reach it remains to be seen. Improvement are evident however, they took Seoul to five maps, they almost beat New York at the very end of Stage 2 and they became more adept at starting the right players for the right maps and strategies. That might seem like a given but Dallas struggled doing the logical thing for the majority of their Overwatch League stint.

It's also hard imagining them taking down the Valiant as even though they have some star DPS players of their own in EFFECT, AKM and Rascal, they cannot compete with the Valiant's tank and support lineups. (Space and Fate are looking as one of the most frightening tank duos in the entire League right now) To Valiant's credit they looked fairly good even before the third stage began but it was surprising to see just how dominant they were even against teams that by all means had the tools to at least take a map. They

Regardless of the potential within this Dallas squad, the Valiant are currently on an insane map win streak. They're looking rather unstoppable and they've finally figured out a fantastic starting line-up that is able to perform at an incredibly high level consistently. Their mid-stage signings and roster changes paid off in spades as they're a very lethal team at the moment that is the frontrunner for the playoffs along with New York. They know that Dallas is just a small obstacle in the way but they're also intelligent enough not to underestimate what the former EnVyUs organization can do. They're struggling, but they're also not a team that shies away from a fight.