The Los Angeles Gladiators earned a victory on Friday to move into second place in West Region action at the Overwatch League’s Midseason Madness qualifying competition.
The Gladiators raised their record to 8-2 by cruising to a 3-1 win over the Toronto Defiant (5-5).
In other Friday play in the West, the Houston Outlaws (7-3) squeaked by the Atlanta Reign (6-5) by a 3-2 score. The London Spitfire also moved to 7-3 by virtue of a 3-0 sweep over the Paris Eternal, who fell to 1-9.
The Defiant grabbed the early lead by taking Ilios 2-0 in the opening map. The Gladiators responded with three straight map wins, claiming King’s Row (2-1), Circuit Royal (3-1) and Colosseo (1-0).
The victorious Outlaws also fell behind early, losing their first map 2-0 on Lijiang Tower. Houston took King’s Row 3-1 to even the match, but Atlanta grabbed a 2-1 lead by winning 3-2 on Route 66. The Outlaws rallied with wins on New Queen Street (1-0) and Ilios (2-1) to complete the comeback.
The Spitfire reeled off three straight map triumphs, winning 2-0 on Oasis, 3-1 on Eichenwalde and 3-2 on Circuit Royal.
Qualifying for the Midseason Madness tournament continues through July 10, with double-elimination bracket play scheduled for the following week.
Matches continue on Saturday with six head-to-head clashes:
Seoul Dynasty vs. Guangzhou Charge (East)
Los Angeles Valiant vs. Chengdu Hunters (East)
Shanghai Dragons vs. Philadelphia Fusion (East)
San Francisco Shock vs. Vancouver Titans (West)
Los Angeles Gladiators vs. Washington Justice (West)
Toronto Defiant vs. Paris Eternal (West)
Overwatch League Midseason Madness standings, with win-loss record, map differential and league points:
West
1. San Francisco Shock 10-0, +23, 11 points
2. Los Angeles Gladiators, 8-2, +17, 11
3. Dallas Fuel, 7-3, +10, 9
4. Houston Outlaws, 7-3, +7, 8
5. London Spitfire, 7-3, +7, 7
6. Atlanta Reign, 6-5, +4, 7
7. Florida Mayhem, 5-5, +3, 6
8. Toronto Defiant, 5-5, -1, 6
9. Washington Justice, 4-5, -1, 5
10. Boston Uprising, 3-6, -7, 3
11. New York Excelsior, 1-8, -16, 1
12. Paris Eternal, 1-9, -21, 1
13. Vancouver Titans, 0-10, -25, 0
East
1. Seoul Dynasty, 6-2, +10, 9 points
2. Hangzhou Spark, 7-2, +13, 8
3. Shanghai Dragons, 5-3, -2, 6
4. Philadelphia Fusion, 4-5, 0, 6
5. Chengdu Hunters, 4-5, -1, 4
6. Los Angeles Valiant, 3-5, -2, 3
7. Guangzhou Charge, 1-8, -18, 1
–Field Level Media
