Last weekend, the Call of Duty community held their breath for the CDL Los Angeles major event, as everyone expected FaZe Atlanta to take the event flawlessly. However, CDL LA would only go on to show that this year, competitive Call of Duty is the most competitive it’s ever been and nobody should feel safe. Read on as we’ll recap the event, highlighting all of the upsets and surprises which made LA such an incredible event – as we previewed in an earlier article, LA would certainly be the battle of the bottom.
Group A
Group A had a couple of questions to answer, as Minnesota, Seattle, Los Angeles Guerillas and OpTic Gaming matched up:
- is Minnesota truly a top-three team?
- have Seattle Surge improved after two weeks?
- will OpTic Gaming win their first game?
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on OpTic Gaming, as they sat at the very bottom of the Call of Duty League, with no CDL points whatsoever and a roster bursting with unrealised potential. he rival homestand match between the two LA rosters; the Guerillas and OpTic Gaming would match up and the GreenWall would finally be able to celebrate their first win. Dragging it to a game 5, the stars of “Dashy” and “TJHaly” rose to the opportunity, with the support of the crowd, rose to the opportunity to finally show up on the mainstage.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Surge would indeed come out flat against the calm and calculated Minnesota Rokkr, as “Karma” and the oldest roster in the team couldn’t hold off Minnesota’s core three of “Silly”, “GodRx” and “Assault” who took the Seattle Surge apart in a 3-1 manner. In the second round, they would match up against OGLA, with the odds in their favour. However, OGLA shocked everyone not just by defeating Rokkr, but by sweeping them away in a dominant 3-0 fashion to win their second series of the League – the second greatest upset of the event.
In the bottom half of Group A, Seattle would kick out Los Angeles Guerillas; the young team still recovering from a recent roster change. Seattle would then match-up once more against Minnesota following their loss, only to lose once more and leave the competition.
Group B
Group B was more predictable in its outcome, and for the most part, nobody was surprised. Atlanta FaZe and Dallas Empire were the favourites and did reach the second round after defeating the Florida Mutineers and New York Subliners respectively. Unfortunately, Florida was missing their main star in “Prestinni” due to potential mental health reasons while New York had just swapped out “Zero” for “Happy” – a move nobody in the community has really supported, and it showed heavily.
In the second round, Atlanta and Dallas would match up for one of the most anticipated matches. Sadly for Dallas Empire, Atlanta would not budge and sweep them away, going 6-0 so far in the event. Dallas would drop down to the Losers’ bracket to send Florida home; contemplating the fact that Dallas has only ever lost in the CDL to the Huntsmen and of course, Atlanta.
Finals
- OGLA vs Dallas Empire (1-3)
While everyone was cheering OGLA after finally breaking the doughnut with a win, asking for a win over Dallas was rather too much. Following their role change, putting “Shottzy” in a slaying role while “iLLEY” and “Huke” would take care of the objective. While the SMG in the hands of “Dashy” certainly brought some damage to the series, Dallas would seal the deal and make it to the grand finals yet again the CDL League, hoping to finally close out with a win.
- Atlanta FaZe vs Minnesota Rokkr (2-3)
Now this, this was the greatest upset of both the event and the entire league so far. Going into this event, Atlanta FaZe was untouchable in the league, not losing a single series and showing the promise of establishing another era as they brushed aside the top competition with ease. Minnesota, however, would come out red hot into the series, determined to show off why they are one of the top teams in the league right now. Shutting down the young guns of Atlanta FaZe was incredible to observe. On the back of a spectacular performance from “GodRx” and “Asim” in the Search and Destroy, literally claiming every single kill for their team after six rounds, Minnesota began to overcome Atlanta, dragging them to a game five once again.
After sending the Chicago Huntsmen home in Atlanta, Minnesota would now send Atlanta packing too; earning them the title of ‘Grim Reaper’ of the CDL.
- Dallas Empire vs Minnesota Rokkr (3-2)
What is with Minnesota and game five? This time though, against Dallas in the Grand Final, it would be too much. Determined to prove themselves as the team who isn’t just ‘good online’, many players of the team were determined to claim their first-ever win such as “Huke”, “iLLEY” and “Shottzy” – and would get there on the back of the veterans. No credit is to be taken from Minnesota though, as they are a team to watch out for.
Conclusion
Finally, the CDL standings now act as a true representation of the structure and how the 12 teams stand. There may have been no trophy or MVP award, but everybody knows that Dallas is the third-best team in the scene, right after FaZe and Chicago. Meanwhile, expect some roster changes down under.
