Los Angeles Valiant took down Houston Outlaws on Saturday in four straight maps, clinching the Overwatch League Pacific Division title as a result. Though the series was closer than the score makes it seem, the Outlaws now need a miracle in the final week if they want to make it to playoffs.
Valiant already had their playoff spot secured thanks to their now second-best 26-12 record for the regular season. But until tonight, the Los Angeles Gladiators still had a shot at stealing that Pacific Division title from their cross-town rivals. Earning this title was important for Valiant because they’ll now get a playoff bye, placing them in the playoff semifinals and guaranteeing them a six-figure prize purse.
The Outlaws also had their playoff hopes at stake on Saturday. They needed a win in order to keep up with Philadelphia Fusion, Los Angeles Gladiators and London Spitfire. Instead, they now fall to 21-17 on the season and are two games behind their competitors.
Houston will have to pull off a win next week against the league’s top team, New York Excelsior, and get some help from other teams in order to make it to Stage Four playoffs.
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The Outlaws’ loss is the Uprising’s gain, however, since now Houston can’t surpass Boston’s 24-14 record. This means Uprising now has their playoff spot all locked up.
To their credit, the Outlaws did make Valiant earn the win on Saturday. Houston looked like they had it all under control on both Blizzard World and Oasis until Los Angeles pulled off some clutch fight wins in overtime to steal both maps. Clutch overtime victories like this have become Valiant’s signature move throughout the season, so that should keep playoffs spicy.
So far, three teams have been eliminated from the playoff run completely: Shanghai Dragons, Florida Mayhem and Dallas Fuel. San Francisco Shock aren’t ahead of those teams by much, though, and will have to be at the top of their game if they want a shot at Stage Four playoffs.
After Stage Four ends, six teams will qualify for the Overwatch League Playoffs, which will run from July 11 to 21. The team with the best regular season record in each division will get a first-round bye. The next four teams, no matter which division, will also qualify. Those playoffs will culminate with the Grand Finals, where there will be $1 million on the line.