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Overwatch League 2021 Week 9: Shanghai Dragons' Top Plays, Prize Money
June 13, 2021
Run it back. The Shanghai Dragons got yet another rematch with the Dallas Fuel, and this time, they made it count.
In the May Melee, Dallas was a surprise winner—sneaking into the tournament and robbing Shanghai of its $100,000 first-place prize. And it looked like that would be the case again in June, as the Fuel dropped the Dragons into the Loser's Bracket and then took a 2-0 lead in the Grand Finals when Shanghai clawed back up.
But the Dragons showed as much resolve as has been seen in OWL history. Forcing a Map 7 and forcing Dallas into new hero compositions, Shanghai shifted momentum and made sure that June's $100,000 prize would be going to a new bank account.
Thursday, June 10
New York Excelsior 0-3 Atlanta Reign
Dallas Fuel 3-0 Shanghai Dragons
Friday, June 11
Dallas Fuel 3-1 Atlanta Reign
New York Excelsior 0-3 Shanghai Dragons
Saturday, June 12
Shanghai Dragons 3-0 Atlanta Reign
Shanghai Dragons 4-3 Dallas Fuel
Practically nobody thought Shanghai was going to win this matchup. Before the Grand Finals, Dallas had lost just one map since April 24 and had already swept the Dragons once in bracket play.
But things can change quickly in Overwatch, and Shanghai made instant adjustments after starting down two maps. While superstar DPS Fleta shook his hero pool up, dabbling in some Soldier 76 alongside his now-patented Echo, flex tank Void had possibly the biggest play of the entire tournament: a five-kill D.Va bomb.
Ultimately, though, Shanghai's teamwork and resilience got them into Map 7 and into the big money. The team weathered kills and attempts to regain momentum by Dallas, securing eliminations from multiple players to win on Eichenwalde defense.
After the match, Dragons main tank Fearless simply dubbed his team's revenge effort a "work of art."
After the stark momentum shift, the Dragons finished the job on Junkertown. Winning this match, they close the Fuel's lead in the global standings and get to leave Hawaii with fatter wallets. Now, Shanghai and Dallas get to sit back and relax after their battle, as their next matches won't be until the first week of July.