Going against all the odds, Philadelphia Fusion have navigated their way through a long season to play in the Overwatch League Grand Finals this weekend.
The plucky underdogs’ hard work is paying off as they take on the London Spitfire in the Grand Finals.
Fusion have an incredibly strong roster, with players from all over the world coming together to beat some of the best Overwatch gamers in the world.
The Grand Final at the Barclay’s Centre in New York is set to be an epic showdown, but can Fusion snag a victory?
Who plays for Philadelphia Fusion?
Philadelphia Fusion holds one of the most diverse rosters in the entire Overwatch League.
Featuring players from more than nine different countries, the team have had to contend with language barriers and different play styles within their own team as well as world-class opponents.
Fusion had a strange road to the Grand Finals, winning 24 out of their 40 matches in a topsy-turvy season.
A hot and cold team, Fusion are capable of sensational plays when they are firing on all cylinders but have been guilty of posting poor results against weaker teams.
Part of the early problem was finding a successful duo.
Early in the season, the Fusion used Georgii “ShaDowBurn” Gushcha and Jae-Hyeok “Carpe” Lee in the damage slot, but the roster has slowly evolved to feature Simon “Snillo” Ekstrom and Josue “EQO” Corona as their main DPS players.
An embarrassment of riches mean Fusion can rotate out their damage players as and when they need them, with each player boasting expertise on different heroes.
For example, Carpe is deemed one of the best Widowmakers in the world, posting MVP performances in almost every game.
While ShaDowBurn is a Genji and projectile-character master and Snillo is an insane Tracer.
To support the damage dealers, Fusion possesses a broad range of talented healers.
Alberto “Neptuno” Gonzalez Molinillo has been their main healer on Mercy for much of the season, while Joseph “Joemeister” Gramano assists when they need a strong Lucio or Moira.
One of the only two British players in the entire league, Isaac “Boombox” Charles is considered among the best Zenyatta’s in the league.
Fusion also has Jeong-Hwan “Dayfly” Park, who has not played much of the season but has been vital none the less.
The frontline tanks are some of the best in the world, with the Korean duo Su-Min “Sado” Kim and Hong-Jun “Hotba” Choi taking all the heavy lifting with their incredible Winston/DVA play.
Fusion can also rotate out other talented tanks in the form of Joona “Fragi” Laine and Gael “Poko” Gouzerch, who are world class in their own right.
The team are not to be underestimated, playing a chaotic and disorganised attacking style that often catches opponents off-guard.
Their ability to create cross-fire angles that are impossible for enemies to cross is devastating.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, British support god Boombox said the Fusion feel confident going in the game, and that he has the measure of his Korean opponents.
Boombox said: “All our hard work has come to this point and we feel really proud to have got here.
“We had a difficult start to the season and the language barrier was a big challenge but we all work hard for each other and the work has paid off.
“I think Profit and Birdring could cause us problems if they are on form, but we aren’t worried. I think we can win.”