Dallas Fuel reach OWCS final

Dallas Fuel moved into the Overwatch Champions Series North America Stage 1 grand final after a 3-1 playoff win over Spacestation Gaming on Saturday. (deadspin.com) The match was the upper-bracket final of a double-elimination playoff that ran April 10-12, after a regular season that began March 21. North America Stage 1 featured six teams and a $75,000 prize pool. (liquipedia.net) Dallas opened the series on Busan, drew Numbani, won Watchpoint: Gibraltar, dropped Aatlis, and closed the match on Esperanca by 87.01 meters to 47.24 meters. Spacestation dropped into the lower-bracket final against Team Liquid for a second shot at Dallas later on Sunday, April 12. (deadspin.com) The result capped a Stage 1 run in which Dallas finished the regular season 5-0 with a +10 map differential. Spacestation entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed at 4-1 with a +8 map differential. (liquipedia.net) In the Overwatch Champions Series format, the top four North American teams reach playoffs and all four lock spots in Stage 2, while the bottom two teams fall into promotion and relegation. The grand final is first-to-four maps, while the earlier playoff rounds are first-to-three. (liquipedia.net, deadspin.com) Stage 1 also decides two North American berths for Champions Clash, an international event scheduled for May 22-24 in Tokyo. Liquipedia lists Dallas Fuel in first place and Spacestation Gaming in second, with both teams qualifying for Champions Clash and North America Stage 2. (liquipedia.net, esports.gg) By the end of Sunday, Dallas had beaten Spacestation again, this time 4-1 in the grand final, to finish Stage 1 in first place. The bracket turned Saturday’s upper-bracket win into the last step before a title, and Dallas converted it. (liquipedia.net, msn.com)