The Atlanta Reign pulled out a five-map victory against the Toronto Defiant among first day qualifying action at the Overwatch League’s Countdown Cup qualifiers on Thursday.
The Reign surged out to a 2-0 lead by winning 2-0 on Nepal and 2-1 on Paraiso before seeing their lead evaporate via a 2-1 loss on Circuit Royal and a 1-0 defeat on Colosseo.
That set up a winner-take-all final map on Ilios, where Atlanta buckled down for a 2-0 win.
Joining Atlanta in the West Region winner’s circle were the Boston Uprising and the Dallas Fuel, both 3-1 winners.
The Houston Outlaws put Boston on its heels, taking Oasis 2-0 to open the game. The Uprising lived up their name, however, taking the next three maps. They won 1-0 on Eichenwalde, 2-1 on Route 66 and 1-0 on Colosseo.
Dallas was slightly more methodical in taking out the Washington Justice, winning Map 1, losing the second, and then taking the final two.
The Fuel won 2-0 on Lijiang Tower, lost 3-2 on King’s Row and then prevailed by matching 1-0 scores on Route 66 and New Queen Street.
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 three berths in the playoff 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.
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 Convention Center in Los Angeles on Nov. 4. The grand prize is $1 million, while the runner-up team will earn $500K.
Friday’s qualifying includes a full slate of games:
Hangzhou Spark vs. Chengdu Hunters
Seoul Dynasty vs. Los Angeles Valiant
Paris Eternal vs. London Spitfire
Florida Mayhem vs. Los Angeles Gladiators
Toronto Defiant vs. New York Excelsior
–Field Level Media
