London Royal Ravens Secure First Win, FaZe Still Untouchable
The first week of Stage Two is now over, and what a week it was! Following an incredible first Major Tournament, every team in the Call of Duty League re-entered the regular season with a fresh perspective and some new talent. We saw Methodz get benched from Ultra to be replaced by Insight, and two players switched out from the side of the London Royal Ravens.
There were some huge upsets within the Major Tournament that were once again addressed this week, and while it was mostly easy to predict, a few matches surprised players and fans alike. From Clayster leaping clean from the map and NYSL giving FaZe its first SnD loss to the Royal Ravens picking up their first win of the season, this week was packed full of excitement and exhilaration.
Without further ado, let’s get into the breakdown and recap the last week in full.
New York Subliners vs. Atlanta FaZe
Result: Atlanta FaZe win 3 – 1
Our Prediction: Atlanta FaZe win
The Subliners played a remarkable first Major Tournament, taking it further than anyone else predicted they would. However, they did fall down to a dominant Dallas Empire side which kicked them from the tournament. This match-up was an important one, but NYSL was unable to defeat FaZe (which now sits on a 10 – 0 record), despite giving the Atlanta side a real run for their money.
However, the Subliners did give FaZe its first Search and Destroy loss of the season, taking the game to an eleven-round showdown.
Seattle Surge vs. Florida Mutineers
Result: Seattle Surge win 3 – 1
Our Prediction: Seattle Surge win
Seattle Surge is sitting second from bottom following this second week of play, and they have been in desperate need of points since they were kicked from the Major Tournament unceremoniously. Thankfully, they were able to secure a much-needed win against a somewhat weaker Florida side, dominating a Hardpoint on the new Apocalypse rotation, then winning a Search and Destroy, and finally a second Hardpoint.
The Mutineers gave them a real challenge in a round of Control on Checkmate, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the power of the Surge.
Toronto Ultra vs. LA Thieves
Result: LA Thieves win 3 – 2
Our Prediction: LA Thieves win
The first map five of the week came from Ultra and Thieves, with the former side seeking redemption against the LA Thieves, who removed them from the Major Tournament bracket just days before. Toronto Ultra faced a devastating 3 – 0 defeat at the hands of Thieves, following which they shook up their roster a little, dropping Methodz and picking up Insight in his place.
Ultra wasn’t going down without a real fight though, and the side managed to pick up two games – a Search and Destroy and a Hardpoint – to take it to a map five. It ended with a tense and neck-and-neck eleven-round Search and Destroy to finish. It was so close.
Minnesota Rokkr vs. Paris Legion
Result: Paris Legion win 3 – 0
Our Prediction: Minnesota Rokkr win
Paris is definitely on the up and up, and they’re proving that they’re not the paltry side people thought they were in the CDL 2021’s first stage. The Legion is dragging itself up from the bottom of the table step by step, and it is wins like this that prove they’re not a side to be messed with.
Rokkr was lacking somewhat in this face-off, and although they pushed the Search and Destroy to the eleventh round, Legion had no issues holding them back throughout the final game, a Control on Raid. This was the first 3 – 0 victory of the second week, and again, it showed that Legion has more talent than people have them penned for.
Paris Legion vs. OpTic Chicago
Result: OpTic Chicago win 3 – 1
Our Prediction: OpTic Chicago win
These two sides didn’t compete against one another in the Major, and this was the first time they’d met in the CDL since early February when OpTic handed the Legion a 3 – 0 loss. It almost went the same way again, with OpTic coming on as an extremely dominant side. Although they lost a Search and Destroy to the Legion, they came on strong in two Hardpoints and one Control to secure a 3 – 1 win.
There are plenty of fans calling for an improvement on OpTic’s Search and Destroy play, as it’s no secret that the side of FormaL, Scump, Dashy, and Envoy fares much better in a respawn rotation.
Minnesota Rokkr vs. Florida Mutineers
Result: Florida Mutineers win 3 – 0
Our Prediction: Minnesota Rokkr win
What a week for the Rokkr, falling to Paris Legion and then the Florida Mutineers – but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. With the exception of the final game of Control, this series was as balanced as we predicted, with the opening Hardpoint being taken right down to the line, and the SnD game being taken to the eleventh round.
Florida was putting out some big kills, with Cesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno picking up a huge 32 – 20 with the Krig, holding back the Rokkr for Neptune, the SMG objective man, to secure 2:18 total hill time on the Checkmate Hardpoint.
Seattle Surge vs. Dallas Empire
Result: Dallas Empire win 3 – 2
Our Prediction: Dallas Empire win
The second map five of the week came from the unlikely overwhelming competition of Seattle Surge, who pinned the Dallas Empire against the wall in almost every game. The Surge was likely riding high on the win against the Mutineers, and the likes of Octane, Prestinni, Loony, and Gunless weren’t giving up these points without a scrap.
Empire’s Huke was absolutely popping off, securing a nine streak and a double KD, overpowering Surge right from the start. The Surge was able to pick a Control and Hardpoint win back-to-back, but it wasn’t enough to pinch the Empire, who closed the series off with a tense eleven-round Search and Destroy.
London Royal Ravens vs. Los Angeles Guerrillas
Result: London Royal Ravens win 3 – 0
Our Prediction: Los Angeles Guerrillas win
London fans rejoice – the team has finally managed to secure a win in the 2021 season of the Call of Duty League! Although London still sits on the bottom of the table, the team has now secured an all-important win, which will hopefully change their fortunes going forward.
It was a relatively simple face-off, with the fresh talent of Zed and Paulehx really driving a fresh perspective for the yet-to-win side. These two new competitors brought with them some heavy KDs, clean feeds, and plenty of objective play to secure this win.
Toronto Ultra vs. Atlanta FaZe
Result: Atlanta FaZe 3 – 0
Our Prediction: Atlanta FaZe win
Unfortunately for Toronto Ultra, it proved to be, as the internet is crying out at the moment, ‘No Zinni, No Winni’. There are many critics who doubted the Methodz/Insight change would reap benefits to the team, and that seemed to be the case as they fell to an overwhelming FaZe side.
Ultimately, it wasn’t even a close fight, with Atlanta dominating the series in every game, picking up yet another win, making them 10 – o for the CDL 2021 season.
New York Subliners vs. LA Thieves
Result: New York Subliners win 3 – 2
Our Prediction: New York Subliners
The relatively rookie side of the New York Subliners just keeps on improving and surprising everyone who tunes into the Call of Duty League. The team had a fantastic Major and although they lost to FaZe at the beginning of this week, they brought it back strong against the LA Thieves.
It was a chase the whole way through, with the LA Thieves picking up two wins back-to-back, before being swept effortlessly by the New York Subliners, who now sit above the LA side in those all-important CDL standings.
