Fusion Overwatch Showcase Recap

On November 10th and 11th, N3rd Street Gamers hosted the final Fusion Overwatch Showcase of the year at Localhost Arena in Philadelphia.

What follows is one fan’s perspective and reaction to the tournament. We at NSG are constantly humbled and energized by our community, and when you reach out to us with your take on how one of our events went down, we take notice. So, we would like to give you the Fusion Overwatch Showcase, as experienced by Immanuel Monroe.

Action and Banter

The Fusion Overwatch Showcase kicked off at 9 AM and ran for over 8 hours the first day with non-stop action. Some teams arrived as a group of friends simply entering for the fun of it, others came as college teams looking for serious competition to allow their players to get some much-needed experience and scrim time at LAN events. Popular names in the community even attended for an opportunity at a prize pool of almost $4,000. Names such as Kephrii, Gale, HU Storm, Magna, and Drexel were all present and competing, thus making the tournament nothing short of high level game play. There was plenty of emotion through comms, 6-man Reinhart shatters, GOATS comps, as well as amazing commentators, and plenty of playful banter.

The @Fusion Showcase has kicked off here at @localhostphilly!



Game 1: @PathToPoverty VS Who?



You can spectate the @PlayOverwatch tournament in person or online at https://t.co/iggWgZuDv2 pic.twitter.com/v1kJOIAU3n



— N3rd Street Gamers (@N3rdStGamers) November 10, 2018

As the matches went on, a variety of spectators cheered on their loved ones as they pursued their passion. I resided in the spectator area for majority of the tournament and noticed many people were there for specific players and emulated the experience of being a fan, or someone who wanted to see an individual player excel. A child’s mom even brought enough pizza for everyone in the venue–which was great because I didn’t eat much that day. (Editor’s note: Kephrii, please thank your mother for the pizza).

Peak Hype

The final games of the event were the peak of hype as Path to Poverty took down the previous champions in a very entertaining set. There were high shifts in momentum when players such as Gale made amazing Ana plays to keep his team alive. The overwhelming synergy from Path to Poverty was lead by a very strong tank main by the name of Jolfe.

As this all played out, it dawned on me how significant the idea of a local scene can be in regards to the rise of future esports athletes. Some of the players who competed are ranked in the top 10% of the country and are still under 20 years old. The sky’s the limit for their potential careers.

THE CHAMPS HAVE FALLEN, @PathToPoverty is your @Fusion Showcase Champions!



GGs to OWL Rejects and all the teams that came out to compete. We hope you have a great time competing on LAN and we’ll see you all next time! pic.twitter.com/eTbVXQ7ncu



— N3rd Street Gamers (@N3rdStGamers) November 11, 2018

Passion for the Community

What makes the esports scene so special is its lack of pretentiousness in specific aspects. For example, League of Legends teams host a meet-and-greet with fans and take pictures with them after matches. They may be professionals in their respected craft, but it is essential to identify that, deep down, these athletes share the same passion as other gamers. Being able to personally talk to players that have thousands of followers on social media can be intimidating until you realize that they are no different than you or me–except that they are much better than me at the game they play.

NSG did an amazing job of hosting this event, allowing for those who were passionate for something to be united in one place as well as be a haven for aspiring players to continue to grow their skill in their respected game. To top this off, the staff at NSG are one of a kind. Each member is extremely passionate about the growing industry in esports and is willing to get their hands dirty to ensure that those who attend their events have a great time.

Not only are their overall production levels high, but so are their ceilings with such a strong mission statement. They look to set a home for upcoming esports athletes and give them a place to effectively train and grow as teams and individuals through creating a lower barrier of entry into competitive play. This weekend was nothing short of amazing, and I am excited to attend the next event! For those who are eager to get involved in esports, your local gaming center is a great place to start.

You can follow Immanuel Monroe on Twitter or Twitch.

If you have a recap of one of our events, a story from Localhost, or even a review you think we should read, email social@n3rdstreetgamers and include the words “Content Suggestion” in the subject line.

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