Overwatch League 2021 Week 18: Chengdu Hunters' Top Plays, Prize Money

Just as they did prior to the Summer Showdown, the Chengdu Hunters have once again smashed through tournament qualifiers, securing their trip to Hawaii for the Countdown Cup.

Week 18 was the final week of the Overwatch League's 2021 regular season, and Chengdu made it count. 

On the back of Leave's surging MVP campaign, the Hunters went 3-0 this weekend (making it 4-0 in the tournament's qualifiers) to ensure a chance at the Countdown Cup's $225,000. Perhaps more importantly, Chengdu's late-season run of form pushes it to 11-5 on the season—prime position for placement in the $3.2 million OWL playoffs. 

With arguably the most flexible DPS duo in OWL history, the Hunters looked unbeatable.

Thursday, August 12

Paris Eternal 2 - 3 Toronto Defiant

Florida Mayhem 1 - 3 Houston Outlaws

Friday, August 13

Hangzhou Spark 1 - 3 Chengdu Hunters

Los Angeles Valiant 0 - 3 Guangzhou Charge

London Spitfire 0 - 3 Paris Eternal

San Francisco Shock 3 - 0 Vancouver Titans

Florida Mayhem 1 - 3 Los Angeles Gladiators

Saturday, August 14

Los Angeles Valiant 0 - 3 Chengdu Hunters

Guangzhou Charge 3 - 2 Hangzhou Spark

London Spitfire 3 - 2 Vancouver Titans

Los Angeles Gladiators 3 - 0 Houston Outlaws

San Francisco Shock 3 - 1 Toronto Defiant

Sunday, August 15

New York Excelsior 1 - 3 Chengdu Hunters

Seoul Dynasty 3 - 1 Philadelphia Fusion

Paris Eternal 2 - 3 Toronto Defiant

Dallas Fuel 0 - 3 San Francisco Shock

Toronto Defiant 1 - 3 Atlanta Reign

San Francisco Shock 2 - 3 Los Angeles Gladiators

You don't go undefeated over a multi-week stretch in Overwatch without exceptional teamwork, so serious credit goes to Chengdu's tanks and healers. However, you can't talk about the team's weekend without focusing on the DPS duo.

Dropping the Spark, Valiant and Excelsior on a 9-2 map count, the Hunters' damage-dealers were dominant. Most teams have a primary hit scan and projectile DPS, splitting the hero pool up between them. Chengdu, conversely, has two DPS who can seamlessly overlap.

As part of Leave's MVP campaign, the Hunters have begun tweeting out highlight reels for each of his various heroes. Watching his Tracer montage might seem like he only has one skill, but he's far from it.

But while JinMu runs Sombra when Leave is on Tracer, the two proved the value of their versatility most prominently against New York. With Pharah back in the meta, Leave shifted to Sombra, allowing JinMu to take control of the skies.

Chengdu has yet to win a 2021 tournament, but this is the best it has looked all season. With the current meta allowing for heroes such as Sombra and Pharah, one has to imagine we're on pace for a (delightfully alliterative) Chengdu Countdown Cup championship.