The Los Angeles Gladiators Are Kickoff Clash Champions

Time Stamp: June 6, 2022 6:17 PM

The first tournament of the 2022 Overwatch League Season has concluded and the Los Angeles Gladiators are Kickoff Clash Champions. Though the season started shakily, LA dominated where it mattered most dropping only one map on their way to glory and earning their second-ever League tournament win.

Five Players – One Team

A lot of times in team-based esports, results usually boil down to which star player can shine brightest. It’s very rare to see each member of a team contribute near equally to secure the wins. The Gladiators displayed said rarity this tournament with every player firing on all cylinders. The Gladiators have to be one of, if not the hardest teams to decide match MVPs for. And no match better demonstrates that the Grand Finals itself. Map one was all Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway, Map two was another day at the shooting range for Kevin “kevster” Persson, Map 3 was clutched out behind Patiphan “Patiphan” Chaiwong and Map 4 belonged to practically everyone. As the saying goes, “there is no I in team”.

Unreal Flexibility

It can be argued which team is best at certain compositions, but no team looks as confident on every meta composition as L.A. The insane flexibility can be attributed to both an amazing coaching staff with Sam “face” Merewether, Max “Unter” Unterwurzacher and Bee-won “SMASH” Cho as well as rookie tank Corey “Reiner” Scoda being able to play any tank the team needs. From Winston, to Doomfist and especially Reinhardt, the mad man with the mullet to match can play it all.

Are Glads No. 1?

The Gladiators have always held the moniker of gatekeepers. Even this season, the team was stuck with the title of reverse sweep chokers. Now that they have the first tournament win in the West, it’s hard to argue that the team is not at the minimum top 2 in the League. The question can be more definitively answered once the regions clash during the Midseaon Madness Tournament. For now, both the Seoul Dynasty and L.A. Gladiators can rest on their laurels as the best in their regions. The Los Angeles Gladiators can say the are Kickoff Clash Champions.

Follow writer Brad Killion on Twitter @BradKillion for the latest opinions and musing in the world of esports.

Featured image courtesy of Los Angeles Gladiators

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