The New York Excelsior pulled off a reverse sweep to beat the Toronto Defiant 3-2 on Friday in West region qualifying action for the Overwatch League’s Countdown Cup.
The Defiant claimed the first two maps before the Excelsior took the final three in the first qualifying match for both teams.
In other West matches on Friday, the London Spitfire defeated the Paris Eternal 3-1, and the Los Angeles Gladiators downed the Florida Mayhem 3-1.
Toronto jumped in front by claiming Oasis 2-0 and King’s Row 3-2. New York then rallied to seize Dorado 2-1, Colosseo 1-0 and Nepal 2-0.
The Spitfire took Ilios 2-0 and Eichenwalde 2-1. Paris extended the match with a 3-2 win on Dorado, but London clinched thanks to a 1-0 win on New Queen Street.
The Gladiators opened with a 2-1 triumph on Lijiang Tower and a 3-0 rout on King’s Row. After Florida pulled out a 3-2 win on Route 66, Los Angeles sealed the series with a 1-0 victory on Colosseo.
The six teams in the West Region that finish the regular season with the most league points will qualify for the playoffs, while the top three finishers in the East Region will do the same.
The other berths in each playoff bracket will be determined through the play-ins taking place Oct. 14-15 in the East and Oct. 21-22 in the West as part of the Countdown Cup. Two West playoff bids will be awarded via the Countdown Cup, while one East playoff bid will be at stake.
The double-elimination playoffs begin Oct. 30. The playoff bracket will culminate in the first in-person Grand Finals in three years at the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center on Nov. 4. The grand prize is $1 million, while the runner-up team will earn $500,000.
Saturday’s qualifying action consists of six matches:
–Shanghai Dragons vs. Seoul Dynasty (East)
–Chengdu Hunters vs. Guangzhou Charge (East)
–Philadelphia Fusion vs. Los Angeles Valiant (East)
–Vancouver Titans vs. London Spitfire (West)
–San Francisco Shock vs. Washington Justice (West)
–Florida Mayhem vs. Boston Uprising (West)
Overwatch League — Countdown Cup standings, with points, match record and map differential (*-clinched playoff berth)
West
T1. London Spitfire, 1 point, 1-0, plus-2
T1. *Los Angeles Gladiators, 1 point, 1-0, plus-2
T1. Boston Uprising, 1 point, 1-0, plus-2
T1. *Dallas Fuel, 1 point, 1-0, plus-2
T5. Atlanta Reign, 1 point, 1-0, plus-1
T5. New York Excelsior, 1 point, 1-0, plus-1
T7. Vancouver Titans, 0 points, 0-0, even
T7. *San Francisco Shock, 0 points, 0-0, even
T9. Houston Outlaws, 0 points, 0-1, minus-2
T9. Paris Eternal, 0 points, 0-1, minus-2
T9. Washington Justice, 0 points, 0-1, minus-2
T9. Florida Mayhem, 0 points, 0-1, minus-2
T9. Toronto Defiant, 0 points, 0-2, minus-2
East
1. *Seoul Dynasty, 1 point, 1-0, plus-3
2. Chengdu Hunters, 1 point, 1-0, plus-2
T3. Philadelphia Fusion, 0 points, 0-0, even
T3. *Shanghai Dragons, 0 points, 0-0, even
T3. Guangzhou Charge, 0 points, 0-0, even
6. Hangzhou Spark, 0 points, 0-1, minus-2
7. Los Angeles Valiant, 0 points, 0-1, minus-3
–Field Level Media
