It was a tough night of play for the Blinn College esports program Tuesday as the Buccaneers dropped an Overwatch match while going 1-5 in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate action.
Blinn, ranked 10th by the Overwatch Collegiate Rankings Association (OWCRA), took on No. 8 St. Clair College in a National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) bout and fell 3-0 in a best-of-five tilt.
Competing for the Bucs were , Haluk Tanriseven, Matthew Hutchings, Donnivan Straight, and Dhruv Pandrangi.
Blinn is now 2-4 in the NACE Super Conference.
Overwatch is a team-based, first-person-shooter in which players select heroes with unique abilities and work together to complete objectives across multiple map modes. Each team can strategically choose its maps based on team strengths and opponent weaknesses.
Each round Tuesday included a different win condition based on the following modes:
- Control: Teams fight to capture and hold a single point. The first team to reach 100% control wins two rounds in a best-of-three format, where the loser of each round picks the next map.
- Escort: The attacking team moves a payload to its destination while defenders try to stop them. The payload moves when attackers are near it, and the attackers aim to complete the route before time runs out.
- Hybrid: Teams capture a point and then escort a payload. The match is typically one round for attackers, who must secure the point first before moving the payload.
- Push: Teams battle to control a robot and push it toward the opponent’s side. The first team to push it farther than their opponents wins, with the loser picking the next map.
- Clash: Teams capture consecutive points, with the first team to a set number of points winning.
St. Clair earned victories in the Control, Hybrid, and Flashpoint game modes.
“Our primary focus coming into this match was fixing fundamental teamplay issues,” Blinn head coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto said. “Instead of dwelling on individual decision making or micro mistakes, we worked on staying connected as a team, trusting each other’s calls, and eliminating hesitation. Too often, our struggles have stemmed from second-guessing rather than execution, and tonight was about rebuilding that trust and cohesion. As the series progressed, the improvements became more evident. Communication was stronger, morale was higher, and our overall gameplay was significantly better. Holding one of the top teams in the nation to close margins of victory, especially after struggling against No. 21 Georgia Tech earlier in the week, proves that we are on the right path. While tonight was still a loss, it was a step in the right direction.”
The Bucs continue their Overwatch season with a NACE clash against Maryville University at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18.
To finish out the night, Blinn competed in six one-on-one NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate matchups.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a crossover fighting game where players, either in one-on-one or four-on-four matches, aim to knock each other off a combat stage. The objective is for players to inflict damage to increase their opponents’ likelihood of being knocked off the platform. In singles play, each player has a set number of lives or “stocks,” and the match is won by reducing the opponent’s stocks to zero. In crew battles, teams take turns battling, with stock carryover. The team that eliminates all opposing players’ stocks first wins. Series are often best-of-three or best-of-five.
Kiara Molina fell 3-0 to St. Louis Community College before dropping a 3-0 decision to Wichita State University-Tech. Gabe Pipes picked up a 3-1 win over Rose State College but fell 3-0 to State Technical College of Missouri. Joshua De Los Santos was on the losing end of a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Rose State before falling 3-0 to WSU-Tech.
Gage Cole was scheduled to play two matches, but his bout against St. Louis was rescheduled for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, while his matchup against State Technical College of Missouri was moved to 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 20.
Molina is now 3-5 in the NJCAAe Central 2 Conference; Delossantos dropped to 1-7 in the Central 1 Conference; Cole is 4-2 in Central 1; and Pipes moved to 5-3 in Central 2.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 49 national championships since 1987.
