Los Angeles Valiant vs Toronto Defiant Predictions: Toronto Defiant Shuffle Heroes Far Too Often

• The Los Angeles Valiant face Toronto Defiant this Friday. There is a big gap in quality between the two teams, which is why Toronto Defiant are such strong favorites (-2000). 
• Los Angeles Valiant are yet to win a match this season. They’ve played six matches and lost all six. They’ve also won just three of their 21 maps. Only two of their members seem to have fixed on a hero. 
• Toronto Defiant haven’t really been setting the world on fire in 11th place, but they’ve at least managed to get some wins on board.  

Los Angeles Valiant vs Toronto Defiant Pick

• Los Angeles Valiant to win.

Los Angeles Valiant vs Toronto Defiant Predictions

This is a fascinating match as far as predictions are concerned. There’s almost no value in betting on the favorites, Toronto Defiant, in this tie. This would naturally urge everyone to pick the Los Angeles Valiant, who offer great value but have yet to win a match this season. 

Toronto Defiant haven’t really been setting the world alight this season, with just three wins out of seven matches. However, the bookmakers still believe that there’s almost no outcome where Toronto Defiant don’t come out victorious. 

Toronto Defiant are far from a flawless outfit, so it’s hard to pick them with any conviction. The Los Angeles Valiant are yet to win a game, but Toronto Defiant are a more even opponent for them than most other Overwatch League teams, so there isn’t much to lose by picking them for this match; a small wager will do the trick. 

Los Angeles Valiant Are Yet to Get Off the Mark  

Los Angeles Valiant are still looking for their first victory of the season. They’ve played six matches and lost them all. They’ve got company in the Vegas Eternal, who’ve played four and lost four, but that hardly makes things better. No one enjoys being the basket case of the league, and the Los Angeles Valiant have got as good a chance as any all season to change that this week. 

They’re facing a Toronto Defiant side that’s far from good. The Defiant have won just three matches of their seven and are just two places ahead of the Valiant, so if the Los Angeles Valiant want to open their account, there aren’t many better teams in the league to help them with that. 

Unlike the Vegas Eternal, Valiant have won more than just one map; they can certainly get something out of this game. The question is if they can win enough maps to register a win. The first thing the roster members need to figure out is a hero. 

Clay, N25, and Seeker have still not figured out who their main hero will be. If that’s the case, there will never be cohesion within the squad. They’ll always be a bit unpredictable. The two other starting members, Krawi and Lyar, have had less trouble with their heroes, but Lyar is a healer, so his overall impact is minimal. 

Atlanta Reign, who are currently at the top of the standings, are on top because most of their members have stuck to one hero. Los Angeles Valiant have also got just one player on the bench to add something, whereas most other sides have got at least two or more options. 

A loss here would almost confirm no spot in the Midseason Madness, which is a bit discouraging so early in the season. This is one of their more winnable games, so they need to pull out all the stops. 

Toronto Defiant Shuffle Heroes Far Too Often  

Toronto Defiant haven’t had the best start to the season, but they’ve done much better than Los Angeles Valiant. They’ve won three of their seven matches and six of the 17 maps they’ve contested. Unlike some of the teams above them, they’ve played just four matches until now, so a win here would help them climb a few places with a game to spare. 

They won’t get a better opportunity to climb the table because the Los Angeles Valiant have been dreadful so far; only Vegas Eternal have been worse. If they win their next two matches, they could go to sixth place on the table from 11th, so there’s a lot at stake in this match. 

The bookmakers clearly have them as favorites, but a closer look at their season doesn’t really promise long-term or short-term success. They’ve got even bigger issues with respect to cohesion than Los Angeles Valiant. Other than Speedily, most of their roster members have been shuffling with three or more heroes. This is unacceptable for any top team once the season starts, never mind four games in. 

Speedily uses Tracer, a damage hero, on most occasions, so the impact is minimal. The team needs to build around the strengths of their tank, which hasn’t really happened as Coluge, the tank player, has been switching between Winston and D.Va all season. 

A loss to Los Angeles Valiant would be a big blow in their hopes for Midseason Madness qualification, so this is a must-win game. A loss here would not just stop them from achieving their targets for the season but also lead to a psychological blow. 

How to watch Los Angeles Valiant vs Toronto Defiant

• Teams: Los Angeles Valiant vs Toronto Defiant
• Location: Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, California
• Time: May 19, 2023 
• How to watch: Twitch, MLG.com, the MLG app (on iOS and Android), and OverwatchLeague.com. You can also watch games on the Overwatch League app on iOS and Android devices