LanStory Cup 2018—Guangzhou Primer and Survival Guide

Overwatch Contenders China Season 2 may have ended, but the region continues forward. This is your LanStory Cup 2018—Guangzhou primer and survival guide.



Follow the tweets below for my thoughts and insight!

Some of China’s best teams are looking to continue their resumes for Overwatch League Season 2. 16 teams have been brought to four groups of four to qualify for this single elimination, offline event and will play for nearly $8,000 in prize money (¥ 50,000 CNY / $7,809 USD).



Group play would consist of four groups of four teams all playing a five-game set with the top two teams advancing. This would also introduce one of the first competitive environments to add the “Arena” game type to its ranks for both group play and playoffs.



Only two Contenders teams were missing from the pool of hopeful qualifiers; Lucky Future Zenith and Hero Taciturn Panther. While Legend Young Beyond forfeited their placing and bowed out of the tournament prior to group play.



From the group stage, teams were seeded into a single elimination, best of five playoff bracket that was chalk full of Contenders talent. Outside of Triple Six Legend narrowly losing to Fiat Lux, Contenders China dominated group play which led to a tight playoff bracket.



Team CC would go all five games and squeak out a win against my dark horse pick for the Contenders playoffs, Flag Gaming. And T1w Esports Club surprisingly dropped two maps to Lucky Future but managed to qualify over them with a close 3-2 victory.



LinGan e-Sports toppled LGD Gaming 3-0. And Moss Seven Club seemed to waver in their match against Fiat Lux narrowly claiming victory in another 3-2 match to advance to the main event.



With such a close playoff bracket, it’s safe to say that these four teams that are headed to the main offline event are some of the best Chinese players in the region.



We’ll begin to explore the semifinals with a Contenders team that has struggled to find consistency.



With a fairly weak group, Team CC coasted out of Group A as the first seed with a 3-0 match record and a 14-1 map score. While their performance in group play was strong, struggling against Flag Gaming in the playoffs is not a good omen for success.



This echoes Team CC’s issues with their single threat DPS line and their tank line who tend to venture too far forward. The Shanghai Dragons’ academy team needs Yakumo and ZiJin to show up big if they want a chance.



BTRG



Big Time Regal Gaming, formerly Moss Seven Club, advanced from group play with a 2-1 record and is one of my favorite teams in the Chinese region. While their creative style can be a double-edged sword this style carried them to a giant revival in season two of Contenders China.



Big Time Regal Gaming’s only loss in group play was to a noticeably weaker LGD Gaming, dropping the match 2-3. At times, their biggest issue is how creative their strategies can be and oftentimes, they defeat themselves. Keep your eyes on vanessa for some big hero swaps.



LinGan



LinGan e-Sports’ domination victory over LGD Gaming happened only 4 days after LGD knocked them out of Contenders playoffs in fairly convincing fashion. Their strong showing in this rematch speaks volumes about the team's ability to adapt.



While LinGan’s star DPS player uNdeAD dictates the pace of this team and leaves them vulnerable at times, I’ll be looking to their tank line of ZMN and Rapunzel to put on a good show if the team wants to take home gold.



T1w Esports



The only team to truly give Lucky Future Zenith a run for their money has been T1w Esports. After a strong showing in Contenders playoffs, a wide hero pool, and a deep strategy, T1w look to be the team to beat coming into LanStory Cup arrival in Guangzhou.



With an impressive 3-0 match score and a 15-0 map score, T1w are arguably the second strongest team coming out of Contenders Season 2. Silver3, Krystal, MoLanran, and Unhappy are all names to watch out for.



LanStory Cup 2018—Guangzhou begins with an amazing match between Team CC and T1w Esports Club set to launch in roughly seven hours. Follow the liquipedia link below to keep up with match results and news.



https://liquipedia.net/overwatch/LanStory_Cup/2018/Guangzhou





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