Dallas Fuel, Houston Outlaws have turned ‘Battle for Texas’ into Overwatch League rivalry to watch

For three seasons, the rivalry between the Houston Outlaws and Dallas Fuel played out at the bottom of the Overwatch League standings.

In 2021, however, The Battle for Texas — seriously, the league has pushed the matchup to the point it has its own formal name — is playing out in some high-stakes situations.

They squared off in the first match of Overwatch’s fourth season on April 16, with Houston taking the last map for a 3-2 victory. The Fuel enacted revenge 16 days later with a 3-0 sweep during qualifiers to advance to the May Melee, which they went on to win in Hawaii.

“Neither team were really pushing for the top,” Dallas general manager Mat Taylor told USA TODAY Sports. “It was just our own battle. Now, it’s great to see.”

Still, the Outlaws are undefeated during the regular season and are tied for the best map-differential in the league (+9).

The respective turnarounds for each side means The Battle for Texas finally has the spotlight.

'So far, it's looking good' 

Jake Lyon was burned out. A member of the Outlaws for the first two seasons of the league, Lyon — simply known as “Jake” in the Overwatch community — said negative results combined with a desire to better his health led to his decision to step away.

“You have to understand, when you do something like that, you’re probably not ever going to play again,” Lyon told USA TODAY Sports. “This was a sacrifice, but it was the right call for the personal well-being.”

Source: Read Full Article