From the brink of extinction to the shores of Hawaii, the Chengdu Hunters have booked their ticket to the $225,000 Summer Showdown. One of the Overwatch League's lower-ranked clubs, the versatile pandas clawed, tooth and nail, through this week of qualifiers to clinch their trip.

It's been a weird season for Chengdu, which has struggled to carve out its place in the standings despite a wealth of talent. While a fluctuating meta has hurt plenty of rosters recently, it has played right into the Hunters' versatility.

Helmed by arguably the league's two most versatile DPS players, leave and JinMu, Chengdu won three matches this weekend—including two that went the distance to Map 5.

Thursday, July 8

Atlanta Reign 3-0 London Spitfire

Boston Uprising 3-0 Houston Outlaws

Friday, July 9

Hangzhou Spark 3-2 New York Excelsior

Chengdu Hunters 3-2 Philadelphia Fusion

Los Angeles Valiant 0-3 Shanghai Dragons

Washington Justice 3-0 London Spitfire

Los Angeles Gladiators 3-0 Toronto Defiant

Dallas Fuel 3-0 Houston Outlaws

Saturday, July 10

New York Excelsior 3-1 Philadelphia Fusion

Los Angeles Valiant 0-3 Chengdu Hunters

Hangzhou Spark 1-3 Shanghai Dragons

Atlanta Reign 3-0 Boston Uprising

Toronto Defiant 1-3 Dallas Fuel

Washington Justice 3-2 Los Angeles Gladiators

Sunday, July 11

New York Excelsior 0-3 Shanghai Dragons

Seoul Dynasty 2-3 Chengdu Hunters

Paris Eternal 2-3 Washington Justice

Los Angeles Gladiators 3-0 Boston Uprising

Washington Justice 2-3 Dallas Fuel

Los Angeles Gladiators 2-3 Atlanta Reign

Of Chengdu's 11 players, four joined in November 2020 and two joined in 2021. It's one of the OWL's newer rosters, and there have been some understandable growing pains. Still, the Hunters proved their progress in Week 13.

Helmed by reputable veterans like Yveltal and JinMu, Chengdu found its footing this weekend. And its most impressive play was one that showcased both the team's versatility and growing cohesion.

Down 1-0 in the tiebreaking map against Seoul, leave's Sombra EMP connected with a number of Dynasty players. Instantly, ga9A tried to block off the opponents as LateYoung dropped in a massive D.Va bomb. Fittingly, JinMu provided aerial support as Pharah and cleaned up the scraps.

All weekend, leave and JinMu played a variety of heroes. Whether hitscan or projectile, the DPS duo proved why they're the most versatile in the league. Ultimately, that was to their benefit but will be interesting to monitor during the Summer Showdown.

Chengdu is best on its PharMercy composition but capable of switching on a dime. To secure the largest cut of the showdown's cash, it may need to do so. It will be the Hunters' first time facing Western OWL comps, and fans will be excited to see how they stack up.