LW Blue's exit from OGN Overwatch APEX Season 4 earlier in the month meant only one match was played Tuesday, but it was one of the most anticipated matchups in the group stage.
A rematch of the APEX Season 2 finals would see Lunatic-Hai take one of the most decisive wins in the tournament so far against RunAway.
Lunatic-Hai vs. RunAway
Map 1: Nepal (Control)
Map 2: Numbani (Assault/Control)
Map 3: Temple of Anubis (Assault)
The best moments of Nepal were the face-to-face duels between RunAway's Kim "Haksal" Hyo-jong and Lunatic-Hai's Lee "Whoru" Seung Joon. Both players are known for their Genji play, but this time, their matchups would be about who would destroy the opposing team first on Doomfist.
Haksal looked more practiced, but the Lunatic-Hai lineup itself meshed better overall. Lunatic-Hai's Lee "LEETAEJUN" Tae-jun used Tracer and a well-timed Pulse Bomb to stop Haksal and let his team take the first point on Nepal, which gave LH the momentum it needed to close out the map.
After losing Nepal, RunAway looked uncoordinated and unguided. Despite Yoon "Runner" Dae-hoon's skill as a leader in the booth, he seemed unable to keep the team on a level head, and Numbani turned into a blowout. Lunatic-Hai was able to stop most offensive pushes and halted RunAway in its tracks right before it reached Point C. Lunatic-Hai then rolled over RunAway on offense and finished out the map with five minutes left on the clock.
The final map of the sweep was just as decisive. RunAway failed to capture both points on Temple of Anubis, and Lunatic-Hai completed the map with 5:37 on the clock. This crushing 3-0 sweep over RunAway squashed the idea that Lunatic-Hai wouldn't have made it out of the first stage in its "Group of Death." It may have been defeated by MVP Space, but never count out the back-to-back reigning champions.
