Philadelphia Fusion vs Dallas Fuel

After four weeks of highly competitive, high octane Overwatch (and more than a few five map nail-biters) we've finally come to the epic conclusion. The fifth week of stage three is finally upon us and things cannot get any more exciting. We've seen old favorites stumble and fall (at least for a bit), new faces re-emerge and some old favorites get back into the mix.

We're currently at the point where anything can really happen and that is exactly what makes things so thrilling.

For our first match of the day we have a rather unimpressive clash between the Philadelphia Fusion and the Dallas Fuel. (unimpressive since it doesn't carry any playoff implications and overall significance)

Regardless of how well Philadelphia started off stage three they ultimately fell short of what was expected from them.Things were looking incredible when they were able to string wins against Florida, Houston and London however something broke within the team when they lost their second match against New York Excelsior in week three. (after getting reverse swept for the second time in three weeks) A loss to the San Francisco Shock the very next day basically sealed their fate when it comes to the stage playoff picture, and a close five map loss to a struggling Seoul Dynasty made things even worse. The Fusion are done for the stage - they gave it their best but ultimately it wasn't enough, things simply didn't "click". They were barely able to defeat Shanghai Dragons last week and while the Dragons did improve leaps and bounds when compared to how they played at the beginning of the stage it was still expected from Philly to come out and dominate in 4-0 fashion. Right now they're probably just waiting to end the stage and get some time off to recuperate and recharge for the final stage in a couple of weeks.

That doesn't mean that they will slack off - far from it. They know that every single map and match counts towards the overall playoffs and they're currently in the last playoff spot. (with a 17W-11L record) Losing another match (that they should win) could very well mean that they're out of the playoffs altogether. The Houston Outlaws are breathing right at their necks and they're by all means looking like the more hungry and capable team. (they also have a far better map differential so it will really be a game of inches going forward)

They know that Dallas is an easy win and that a clean 4-0 could not only get them some retribution after their recent losses but also give them a necessary push towards the season playoffs.

Going forward, every map counts for Philadelphia so they should be getting back to their old form. Maybe not this week specifically but next stage for sure.

As for Dallas, things aren't getting any prettier.

With only a single win this stage (against Shanghai) and just six overall (after 28 matches played) they're not only out of the stage playoff picture but the playoffs entirely. It wasn't a good season for the former EnVyUs organization but they have a lot of potential going forward for 2019. They can learn from their mistakes and take them as a necessary learning experience. They've effectively stopped trying to win and are just focusing on their day-to-day improvement which is a correct decision in the long run. With EFFECT out of the line-up their potential and overall strength is seriously decreased.

Last week we've seen them get 4-0'd in extremely quick fashion by the Boston Uprising and go 1-3 against Florida Mayhem - a team that's actually even below them in the standings. Overall there was a lot of good - Seagull's play, Taimou's aim and overall performance on hit-scan heroes, but a lot of bad as well. (sloppy support play, Mickie underperforming and being out of sync with the team at certain moments) While they looked completely lost and outclassed against the Uprising they did put up a better fight against Florida but not by much. In short - much of the same. Their only shinning light perhaps was just how well fan-favorite Seagull performed on a plethora of heroes even though he shifted towards the flex tank position months ago. If they can find a way to actually incorporate him into the line-up better and use Taimou and AKM for the right map pool then they should be able to bounce back. That said they had the right tools for months now and they've failed to adapt, failed to play the way they should so things are really looking dire.

While the Fusion aren't looking that dominant right now (especially barely winning a five map brawler against Shanghai) they're still the favorites going into the match with Dallas. With EFFECT out of the line-up and Mickie playing really badly they shouldn't be able to keep up with Philadelphia. That said it could be a lot closer than most people expect.