xQc Weighs In on the Reaction to Philadelphia Fusion’s Upset Over New York Excelsior
Robert Paul for Blizzard EntertainmentFélix ‘xQc’ Lengyel has weighed in on the response to New York Excelsior’s defeat in the Overwatch League playoffs.
The New York Excelsior were defeated in the semi-finals of the inaugural playoffs by Philadelphia Fusion, who won back-to-back series to claim the match 2-0.
The Excelsior had been the heavy favorites to win the entire league after dominating the regular season. Over the first three stages they only lost three regular season matches, and it was only after they secured the number one seed in just the second week of Stage 4 that they showed any real vulnerability.
That period towards the end of Stage 4 in which New York sustained more losses than they had previously was characterized largely as the team slowing down somewhat, allowing their players something of a rest period in what had by all accounts been an incredibly draining season, before gearing up again for the playoffs.
Unfortunately, in the only playoff match they ultimately played, the Excelsior weren’t able to reclaim that previous elite form, losing first 3-0 and then 3-2 against the Fusion and being eliminated from the tournament.
Consequently, in the wake of the match, much of the reaction has focused on New York’s downfall, hypothesizing the reasons for their shortcoming. xQc argues, however, that the Philadelphia Fusion are more deserving of recognition for their victory, rather that attributing the result to NYXL’s failings.
The amount of excuses, over and over again I see when NYXL loses. Do you know how it feels to win and be discredited after beating a respectable opponent? Overwatch isn’t that complicated, they got rolled. Handle it.
— xQc (@xQc) July 22, 2018
Sandbagging, playing minecraft instead of scrimming, the format isn’t good, no extra week, bad meta for them bla bla bla. What else? The wind was blowing in their face and the stage was colder on their side? Talk about how team A won, not only about how team B lost.
— xQc (@xQc) July 22, 2018
The Philadelphia Fusion were the lowest seed coming into the playoffs and have now fought their way to the grand finals. The last opponent between them and the trophy will be the London Spitfire, with the finals taking place on July 27-28 at the Barclays Center in New York.
