The Houston Outlaws pulled off a stunning upset of one of the top-ranked teams in the West on Saturday, defeating the Dallas Fuel 3-1 in a qualifying match for the Overwatch League’s Countdown Cup.
Houston went ahead early with a 2-1 win on Oasis, but the Fuel quickly evened things thanks to a 4-3 triumph on Paraiso. That would be all Dallas could muster, though, as the Outlaws came back with vengeance to prevail 3-1 on Circuit Royal before closing things with a 1-0 victory on New Queen Street.
In other West action, the Atlanta Reign edged the Florida Mayhem 3-2 and the Los Angeles Gladiators ousted the Washington Justice 3-1.
Atlanta fought back from a 2-1 setback on Oasis to capture King’s Row 4-3 and Dorado 3-0. The Mayhem wouldn’t go down easy, winning 1-0 on New Queen Street. On the decisive fifth map, Nepal, the Reign slid past Florida 2-0.
The Gladiators dropped Ilios 2-0 to open their match with Washington, but bounced back to pick up 3-1 wins on Paraiso and Junkertown and a 1-0 victory on Colosseo.
The three teams in the East that finish the regular season with the most league points will qualify for the playoffs, while the top six finishers in the West 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. Seeding for the Countdown Cup is based on results in the ongoing qualifying matches.
Two West playoff bids will be awarded via the Countdown Cup, while one East playoff bid will be at stake.
The double-elimination playoffs will 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.
Action continues Sunday with three matches in the West region, and two in the East:
West:
–Paris Eternal vs. Vancouver Titans
–Atlanta Reign vs. Dallas Fuel
–Los Angeles Gladiators vs. Boston Uprising
East:
–Chengdu Hunters vs. Shanghai Dragons
–Seoul Dynasty vs. Philadelphia Fusion
Overwatch League — Countdown Cup standings, with points, match record and map differential (*clinched playoff berth)
West
1. *Los Angeles Gladiators, 5 points, 5-0, +11
2. *Dallas Fuel, 4 points, 4-1, +9
3. Atlanta Reign, 4 points, 4-1, +7
4. *Houston Outlaws, 3 points, 3-1, +5
5. Washington Justice, 3 points, 3-3, -3
6. Boston Uprising, 2 points, 2-1, +4
7. London Spitfire, 2 points, 2-2, -2
8. Toronto Defiant, 1 point, 1-3, -2
9. *San Francisco Shock, 1 point, 1-3, -4
T10. New York Excelsior, 1 point, 1-3, -5
T10. Florida Mayhem, 1 point, 1-3, -5
12. Vancouver Titans, 1 point, 1-4, -7
13. Paris Eternal, 0 points, 0-3, -8
East
1. *Seoul Dynasty, 4 points, 4-1, +10
2. Guangzhou Charge, 4 points, 4-2, +3
3. Philadelphia Fusion, 3 points, 3-2, +4
4. Los Angeles Valiant, 3 points, 3-3, -5
T5. Chengdu Hunters, 2 points, 2-3, -2
T5. *Shanghai Dragons, 2 points, 2-3, -2
7. Hangzhou Spark, 1 point, 1-5, -8
–Field Level Media