123 decimate Cloud9 in their hopes to make the playoffs in Overwatch Contenders

▲ Some teams already know their fate, while others still can't rest easy.


The final week of Overwatch Contenders is upon us as several spots still remain unclaimed for the playoffs hosted at the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles, California, this October. Europe hosted the final Friday of play as both 123 and Cloud9 were desperately searching for wins.


Europe

 

 123 (4-2) vs Cloud9 (3-3) 

 

Nepal – 123

Numbani – 123

Volsyaka Industries – 123

Watchpoint: Gibraltar – 123

With both Cloud9 and 123 having two games in the final week of Contenders, this victor of this game would find themselves in a favorable position for not only qualifying for the postseason but avoiding altogether Misfits in the first round. With 123 already having the two map advantage heading into this set, Cloud9 would need to find a sweep across the board to stay safe.

Cloud9 hadn’t lost a control point map since week one, meaning that taking an early win on Nepal would help them heavily in their journey to a victory. 123’s Simon “snillo” Ekström would face one of his toughest tests yet in Michael “MikeyA” Adams, but swiftly shut down any doubts within the first few moments of play. 123 opened up the match on fire, annihilating Cloud9 across the board on both Nepal and Numbani.

 

Cloud9 managed to clean things up late on Numbani on the back of Andreas “Nevix” Karlsson’s Genji Dragonblades, but they dug themselves into too large of a hole to match an incredible time set by 123. Weak initiation and poor Sombra play overall would need to be patched up if they hoped to take Volskaya Industries.

 

With Hafþór “Hafficool” Hákonarson on Genji and Finnbjörn “Finnsi” Jónasson on D.va for the attack, 123 looked like an entirely different team as Cloud9 nearly pulled through with a full-hold before faltering in the final seconds to give them additional time. 123 eventually followed through with a Point B capture only to then turn around and full-hold Cloud9 on the defense. It was a wild turn of events as both teams stepped up their defensive game and ultimately gave 123 the series victory.

 

With that in mind, another map victory on Watchpoint: Gibraltar would secure 123’s spot in the playoffs entirely. Cloud9’s continued struggles were more than apparent throughout this set. If they continue with this level of play they won’t stand a chance against Misfits if they happen to snag the fourth seed.

 

 

Cloud9 and 123 were expected to keep it close throughout the set, but 123 has proven they’re at the top in Europe as they separate themselves from the other teams. They’ll find themselves meeting up with Gigantti for a rematch from week four where Gigantti took the set 3-1. As for Cloud9, they find themselves with an easier matchup against Singularity later this weekend that they’ll need to win to ensure a chance for the postseason.



 Team Gigantti (6-1) vs Bazooka Puppiez (0-7) 

 

Oasis – Gigantti

King’s Row – Gigantti

Volskaya Industries – Gigantti

Watchpoint: Gibraltar – Gigantti

As a game that didn’t mean much for either team, Bazooka Puppiez went into this series with absolutely nothing to lose as they searched for their first victory of the season. As for Gigantti, a loss wouldn’t hurt them whatsoever as they had already secured a top three seed heading into this weekend.

As one of the more lopsided matches in all of the season’s play, I didn’t expect to see Bazooka Puppiez put out their best possible play given they didn’t have anything to play for other than pride and to enjoy the competitive side of the game. In order to have some fun early on, Bazooka Puppiez brought out a Bastion, Orisa, Roadhog, and Reinhardt composition on Oasis to protect the president.

 

With shields on both sides of the Bastion and a Roadhog to reel them in, Gigantti had their hands tied. That was, until Gigantti’s Jiri “LiNkzr” Masalin farmed up a Genji Dragonblade to carve through their entire line of defense.

 



Bazooka Puppiez kept up with the intriguing picks on King’s Row, sporting a quad tank setup with Reinhardt, Winston, Roadhog, and Winston as they faced off against LiNkzr’s defensive Junkrat. Things worked well for the Puppiez who against all odds managed to complete the map. Despite it being in significantly less time than Gigantti, it certainly was entertaining to watch a new setup.



Bazooka Puppiez’ season didn’t quite go as they had hoped, closing it out with an 0-7 record, but they certainly put up a fight in some intense games. As for Gigantti, this victory ensures their number two seed and will more than likely have them facing off against 123 in the first round of the playoffs.



Current Standings



Tomorrow’s Schedule

Europe

- GamersOrigin vs. eUnited
- Team Singularity vs. Cloud9

North America

- Team EnVyUs vs. Rogue
- EnVision Esports vs. FaZe Clan

 

Week six of Season One of the Overwatch Contenders will resume on tomorrow at Twitch.tv./OverwatchContenders at 10am PT/1pm ET.

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