![]() ![]() However, Los Angeles dominated on Oasis this time, taking the series with a 3-2 victory. Once again, the two teams battled it out on every map they played, forcing the game to a fifth map once again. This time, however, the Valiant came prepared in full. The Playoffs RunĪs the third seed, Hangzhou started off stage playoffs with a rematch against the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Valiant. With that, they finished up the stage with an impressive 6-1 record and ultimately secured the third seed in stage playoffs, right behind the New York Excelsior and the Vancouver Titans. The Spark cleared each map with ease, ending the night with a 4-0 victory. Between Hangzhou’s consistent improvements and Florida’s continuing struggle to lock in their roster changes, the resulting match was fairly one-sided. The Spark moved on to finish up against the Florida Mayhem. With their second 3-2 victory against the Valiant, it seemed that this could be the beginning of a beautiful rivalry. Once again, the game went to a fifth map, before the Spark pulled out a decisive win on Oasis. The match proved a testament to how much both teams had improved since then, and they battled it out just as hard this time around. They started off by facing down the new and improved Los Angeles Valiant, who had taken them to map five when they last fought in Stage 1. Week 4 Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment.Īs Hangzhou didn’t travel to Atlanta for the homestand event there, they closed out the stage with two Week 4 matches. Ultimately, Hangzhou rallied for a tough fight on Oasis, claiming the series with a 3-2 win. By the time the Spark fought back, Seoul had claimed the second two maps, forcing the game into a fifth map. ![]() However, the Dynasty swapped out their entire roster for the second half of the game, which caught Hangzhou off guard. The Spark started out strong, taking decisive wins on Ilios and Horizon Lunar Colony. ![]() They took the series with another 3-0 victory.Ĭlosing out the week with a match against the Seoul Dynasty kept Hangzhou on their toes. With aggressive offenses and airtight defenses throughout the match, the Spark shut down their opponents at every turn. Besides that, however, they took the remaining maps with ease. They continued to struggle to assert themselves on assault maps, ending Horizon Lunar Colony in a draw. Hangzhou powered on into Week 3, this time taking on the Dallas Fuel. They completed the series with a 3-0 victory, putting them in a strong position for the rest of the stage. However, Hangzhou looked organized and aggressive throughout the series. The Justice put up a good fight themselves, forcing Paris into a draw. Moving on, the Spark returned to form against the Washington Justice. In an exciting series that got fans of both teams talking, Vancouver took a 3-1 victory. However, the Titans’ dominance and clutch ability continued to reign supreme. They won Horizon Lunar Colony, and proceeded to battle hard on Numbani and Havana, nearly forcing the game to a fifth map. After their 0-4 loss to the Titans in Stage 2, Hangzhou looked to put up a better fight this time, and they certainly did. The Spark kicked off Week 2 with a rematch against the Vancouver Titans. The Spark came out on top with an easy 4-0 victory. ![]() Although Philadelphia regrouped once more and made a good effort on Watchpoint: Gibraltar, their bright pink opponents, still shut down the attack. Many were surprised at just how easily Hangzhou breezed through the match, shutting down their opponents with ease for three maps. The Spark started the stage off with a dominant showing against the Philadelphia Fusion. Stage 3 Review Weeks 1 and 2 Courtesy of Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment. Many now consider the Spark to be among the best teams in the league, and it’s a perfect time to look back at how they earned that reputation. Though they fell earlier than expected with a quarterfinal loss to the Los Angeles Valiant, they still put on an impressive show over these past few weeks. They finished out the stage with a stellar 6-1 record, matching the Vancouver Titans in both record and map differential and earning the third seed in stage playoffs. The Hangzhou Spark used Stage 3 to lock in the improvements they had made during Stage 2. ![]()
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