The Lonestar Challenge Continues Between the Dallas Fuel and Houston Outlaws
| Tags: Overwatch
| Author Malik Shelp
The Houston Outlaws dealt the Dallas Fuel a hard loss during the Lonestar Challenge and took the Texas title.
Competing for the Home crowd
In 2020 the Overwatch League moved all matches to an online format, and with that change came the cancellation of Homestand events. The (official) Battle of Texas was postponed until further notice, so the Outlaws decided to host their own event. The series was back and forth between the two closely matched teams. However, towards the end, the Houston Outlaws found their stride.
The first series in this three-part challenge focused on showcasing the personalities and individual skills of the teams. This week the Houston Outlaws and the Dallas Fuel squared up for first to four series. The Dallas Fuel chose Ilios for the first map of the series and began the series with a decisive win over the Outlaws. The extreme dive with Echo took the Outlaws by surprise initially, but it didn’t take long for them to adjust.
What should we do first with our #LoneStarChallenge trophy after we receive it?
🏆#AnteUp pic.twitter.com/dgMtBtCvPb
— Houston Outlaws (@Outlaws) May 18, 2020
Going into King’s Row and Hanamura, the matches were fairly unexciting with teams alternating dominance between maps. Gui-un “Decay” Jang popped off on Hanamura and harassed Seung-soo “Jecse” Lee and the rest of the Outlaws’ backline the entire series. Just as things looked on the up and up for the Dallas Fuel, the Houston Outlaws found their stride, and Dante “Danteh” Cruz stepped up to bat. Rialto was a runaway game with Houston dominating the Fuel by managing the tank line with relative ease.
The Dallas Fuel lost to the Paris Eternal last weekend in a quick series that left many Fuel fans heartbroken. As the May tournament approaches the regional semifinals, the Fuel will need to step up their game and gain some stamina. The Houston Outlaws have been heating up in the previous weeks, but they are dependent on favorable hero pools to take down top dog teams.
Malik specializes in esports photography, videography, video editing, and graphic design. He has also written Overwatch and Dota articles for over 2 years for DBLTAP and other esports outlets. You can learn more about Malik on our About page.