Los Angeles Valiant vs Los Angeles Gladiators

For our first match of the day we have a clash between two Los Angeles teams - the Valiant and the Gladiators! Both teams entered the winner's side of the preseason bracket after winning somewhat close matches against San Francisco Shock and the London Spitfire respectively. Those were some intense, high-octane games and if there is one thing that became clear after watching these two teams play is the fact that they're far closer to the top echelon than was previously considered.

Los Angeles Gladiators in fact went a step further a made the biggest upset of the preseason so far. Defeating the London Spitfire 12-man roster was a thing that was thought to be next to impossible just a day prior. After all, they have both the GC Busan and the KongDoo rosters signed which could very well be two top tier teams instead of one. Every member on the team carried their weight, with the Kungarna tank and Gigantti duo being especially well coordinated. Surefour and Hydration were no expection however as they went blow-for-blow with iddqd and babybad.

As for the Los Angeles Valiant, they're coming into the tournament with somewhat high expectations after their Contenders Season Zero triumph, however fans should keep their expectations mild even though this roster has a ton of potential. (Agilities isn't even a starter yet due to OWL's age restriction policy)

Unlike Florida's support duo that day, Valiant's were on point. Unkoe's movement as Mercy was what allowed them to play with less fear against the Korean giants. His ex-Rogue colleague SoOn was also a big factor on Numbani as well, a map they were known to be extremely strong on. They stormed through the map with relative ease utilizing picks like Soldier 76 and Genji to great success. It wasn't an easy match but they won it and that is exactly what matters.

Looking at this match specifically, it could really go either way. That said, it's hard to bet against the Los Angeles Gladiators after they managed to upset the tournament favorites - both the GC Busan and KongDoo lineup as well. Expect a bloody clash that will probably go the distance.