There isn’t another team like New York Excelsior in the Overwatch League. Seeded into the semifinals thanks to a significant lead over other teams, NYXL is a team of superstars—one of them earned the title of the Overwatch League’s MVP.
NYXL has a clear advantage over Philadelphia Fusion coming into the Overwatch League’s semifinals matches at 7pm CT tonight. The two teams have met five times in the Overwatch League’s regular season, with four matches won by NYXL. Philadelphia hasn’t taken out New York since late January.
Related: JJoNak named Overwatch League’s inaugural season MVP
The matchup
New York Excelsior vs. Philadelphia Fusion
Philadelphia’s played the new patch on the big stage already during the quarterfinals matches. Though NYXL has been practicing on the patch, they haven’t played it on the Overwatch League stage. This can go either way—Philadelphia has the experience of playing it under the Overwatch League’s lights, but their patch playstyle has been revealed. Philadelphia is likely coming into the matches unsure about NYXL’s strategies.
Philadelphia is always called an emotional team, something that works both for an against them. When they’re doing well, they’re able to harness that emotion to explode with power. But when they’re losing, they shut down. This is a problem in comparison to a precise-based team like NYXL, a team that always feels sharp. The match is certainly in New York’s favor, but if Philadelphia can target the NYXL supports they may be able to dismantle the top team.
Players to watch
Naturally, keep your eyes on NYXL support player Bang “JJoNak” Sung-hyeon. JJoNak is a core part of the New York lineup; often times, the team strategy is built on supporting JJoNak’s aggression. There’s truly no player in the Overwatch League like JJoNak, and he’ll want to prove himself worthy of the MVP title.
On Philadelphia, Lee “Carpe” Jae-hyeok is the star player. He’s one of the best DPS players in the Overwatch League, known for his precision and skill on sniper heroes. Snipers are especially important in the current Overwatch League patch, which makes Carpe even more important for the team. Paired with Josue “Eqo” Corona, Philadelphia boasts one of the more flexible DPS duos in the league.
How to watch
Games are played live at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles in Burbank, California. Philadelphia Fusion vs. New York Excelsior kicks off the night at 7pm CT on July 18. The series will close out on July 21 at 6pm CT.
For those unable to attend live, games will be streamed on the Overwatch League Twitch channel.
The stakes
New York and Philadelphia are up against a best-of-three series; the first team to two wins will move on. The team that makes it out of the semifinals will move on to the Overwatch League grand finals event on July 27 and 28 in Brooklyn, New York.
There’s not just the championship title on the line, but money, too. The Overwatch League’s world champion will get $1 million, with the second-place team taking home $400,000. Third and fourth place get $100,000, while fifth and sixth gets $50,000.
