📝 Team Liquid vs. Team Falcons Full Match Recap

Capping off the second day of the OWCS World Finals was a clash between the defending champions, Team Falcons, and the number one team from North America, Team Liquid.

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On Day 1, Team Falcons had a concerning 2-1 victory over VARREL — a team they should have decisively defeated in a clean sweep. Meanwhile, Team Liquid had eagerly watched that game, looking for any possible advantage that could swing momentum in their favour.

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Could coach Cas "Casores" van Andel’s roster of American talent take advantage of a shaky situation, or would Kim "Proper" Dong-hyun lead the team in a much-needed rebound?

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Map 1: Nepal (Team Liquid pick), Liquid ban Mei, Falcons ban Lucio

Team Liquid opened on Nepal Sanctum with a Ramattra rush to counter Choi "Hanbin" Han-been’s Zarya. Both squads opted for a Genji duel with a Kiriko-Wuyang-Ashe core. Although they managed to get over 60% progress, Proper’s Genji overwhelmed Liquid and allowed Team Falcons to win the subround.

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Heading onto Village, Team Falcons brought out their secret weapon: Mauga-Juno-Brig. Utilising the same composition that won them the 2024 World Finals, they easily overwhelmed Liquid. However, Xavier "zeruhh" Zambrano wasn’t ready to back down and brought out his own secret weapon: Pharah. Both the Pharah — as well as a massive Kiriko clutch from Rupal "Rupal" Zaman — brought Team Liquid back into the game and helped them tie Nepal at 1-1.

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The decider round on Shrine was when Proper truly came alive. His Tracer completely overwhelmed any Team Liquid attack and easily won them the map 2-1.

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The series now sat at 1-0, with Team Liquid looking to find their opening to strike.

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Map 2: Shambali Monastery (Team Liquid pick), Liquid ban Zarya, Falcons ban Venture

Against VARREL on Day 1, Team Falcons lost the Escort map. With that in mind, it's no surprise that Team Liquid took the series to the mountains of Shambali Monastery to try and get a point on the board.

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Falcons began their attack first by playing a D.Va-Symmetra style rush against the Echo-Ramattra of Team Liquid. But this time, the odds were in favour of the North American squad, as they were able to successfully halt the Falcons just outside of Point B with a full hold.

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Team Liquid continued their dominance on attack. Team Falcons had attempted a more aggressive execution to try and achieve a fuller hold, but Team Liquid had come to play. With the cart moving into the golden box of victory, Team Liquid won the map 1-0.

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With the series now tied at 1-1, North America was not going down without a fight.

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Map 3: King’s Row (Team Falcons pick), Falcons ban Wuyang, Liquid ban Symmetra

To bring themselves back into the series, Team Falcons substituted Ham "SOMEONE" Jeong-wan over Hanbin on King’s Row. They would begin their defence by putting in SOMEONE on Ramattra, while Team Liquid would match them all the same.

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The staying power of the Omnic tank helped Team Falcons hold steadfast on their defence, only allowing Team Liquid to reach 32 meters on Point C, assisted largely by Proper’s Echo.

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Team Liquid’s defence would not have the same luck. Proper again — this time on the Genji — absolutely crushed the opposition and helped Team Falcons reach Point C with 5 minutes on their attack. As Boston "Infekted" Fine’s Ramattra fell on the cart, Team Falcons won the map 3-2, bringing the series to a 2-1 match point.

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Map 4: New Queen Street (Team Liquid pick), Liquid ban D.Va, Falcons ban Kiriko

With Hanbin coming back in, Team Liquid hoped to take advantage of a substitution and ban out one of the legacy tank’s signature heroes in D.Va. If the 1st-Seed from North America hoped to remain in the Upper Bracket, they would need to win here.

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Team Liquid made the bold gamble to utilise Infekted’s Winston against Hanbin’s Zarya, with both backlines assisting on Wuyang-Ana. At first, it seemed Team Falcons would swiftly win Push, as they took an early 100-meter lead.

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But Team Liquid was here to fight. What ensued was a scrappy back-and-forth brawl that forced Hanbin to bring out his legendary Winston — nicknamed the “Hanbinston” — in order to deny the reverse sweep attempt. And Falcons were able to fly high, as they decisively shut down Team Liquid’s offence and won the map with a 3-1 victory.

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In the post-match interview, Kwon "Fielder" Joon did mention how Team Liquid’s unique compositions did catch the team off guard, which was partially why they almost dropped a few more maps. Fielder further acknowledged the “colours” each team has brought to Stockholm, which Team Falcons will need to overcome on their path to victory.

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Team Falcons now advances further on in the Upper Bracket to face the 1st-seeded EMEA powerhouse Twisted Minds. As Fielder mentioned, facing a team with such a unique style of play will prove difficult. But knowing the power within the players on this team, we are in for an exhilarating match.

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While it wasn’t the result they wanted, Team Liquid was able to show glimpses of brilliance against the defending champions. As they fall to the Lower Bracket, awaiting them is the 3rd-seeded EMEA Team Peps. If they are able to overcome this opponent, they would face either T1 or their North American rival, Geekay Esports. Given how other games have gone so far in Stockholm, underestimating either potential opponent is not something this team wants to do.