CDL 2021: Rokkr Rookie Standy Sweeps The Week; OpTic Loses Every Map
This was a busy week for the Call of Duty League, and as we move ever closer to the second Major Tournament of the season, teams are starting to feel the pressure. We saw OpTic Chicago lose every single map they played this week, falling to both Florida Mutineers and Minnesota Rokkr.
Speaking of Rokkr, the team’s new rookie pick-up, Standy, has swept in fresh from Challengers with blistering skill and an eagerness to succeed. Before he was part of the roster, Minnesota Rokkr was losing back-to-back matches – this week, the team beat both OpTic Chicago and Dallas Empire.
Atlanta FaZe remains unbeaten and the overpowering side-handed LA Thieves a soul-crushing defeat on Saturday, bringing it home with a 3 – 0 win and humiliating the flailing Thieves squad. It was the LA Thieves who also made a change to their roster in recent weeks, but the rookie talent of Venom is yet to shine through, and the Thieves also lost both their matches this week.
So, let’s get into the breakdown and see what other upsets occurred throughout Week Two of Stage Two of the Call of Duty League 2021 season.
Paris Legion vs. Dallas Empire
Result: Dallas Empire win 3 – 1
Our Prediction: Dallas Empire win
It wasn’t a remarkable scrap to open the Second Week of Stage Two, but Paris Legion gave it their all against a dominant Dallas Empire side. This is the second week we’ve seen the new maps being put into the rotation, and it seems like Dallas Empire is yet to catch up, dropping the ball on an Express SnD.
It was a fairly close call in the third-round Control on Raid, but Paris Legion couldn’t overcome the Empire. The former team also lost a round of Hardpoint on Garrison, which was the first time they’d done so this season.
Minnesota Rokkr vs. OpTic Chicago
Result: Minnesota Rokkr win 3 – 0
Our Prediction: OpTic Chicago win
Last week, Minnesota Rokkr displayed one of the worst performances of the season, dropping both of its games 0 – 3 to relatively underpowered opponents. However, a shake-up on the roster came in the form of MajorManiak dropping out for Challengers rookie Standy, and what a change-up it was.
Standy was unstoppable, the team was ignited, and they swept OpTic 3 – 0. It wasn’t even close, with Minnesota Rokkr pulling a 250 – 81 on the opening Hardpoint, and a 3 – 1 victory on the final round of Control. And that was the start of a very bad week for OpTic.
London Royal Ravens vs. LA Thieves
Result: London Royal Ravens win 3 – 1
Our Prediction: London Royal Ravens win
It took them a remarkably long time, but the London Royal Ravens finally secured a win last week, and this week, they repeated that performance, overpowering the LA Thieves. Although, it was just as much luck as it was skill this week, with some close-fought Hardpoint rounds coming right down to the wire.
The opening Hardpoint went 250 – 243 in Thieves’ favour, and the final Hardpoint went 250 – 245 in the Ravens’ favour. However, LRR decimated the Thieves in a 3 – 0 Control on Checkmate, proving that it’s still a side to be reckoned with.
Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. New York Subliners
Result: New York Subliners win 3 – 1
Our Prediction: New York Subliners win
The New York Subliners continued its spree of domination this week, grinding the Guerrillas into dust across a four-map round that was relatively balanced, but just too much for the LA side to handle. It marked another drop in the table for the Los Angeles Guerrillas, who haven’t won a match since their opening Major match on the 4th March.
NYSL has been relatively untouchable in recent weeks, and the veteran hype-machine that is Clayster refuses to submit to any opponent. The New York side sits in third place as the competition pushes on.
London Royal Ravens vs. New York Subliners
Result: New York Subliners win 3 – 1
Our Prediction: London Royal Ravens
The London Royal Ravens were playing hot this week, pushing aggressively and dominating every round – a big change from their opening performance. Although NYSL picked up the win in this series, it was a close battle, with every game being pushed to the limit.
Bizarrely, the London Royal Ravens managed to choke the second-round Express SnD, giving up a 5 – 1 lead to a 5 – 6 loss to Subliners. That and a 230 – 250 Hardpoint loss in the closing game sealed their fate for this face-off.
LA Thieves vs. Atlanta FaZe
Result: Atlanta FaZe win 3 – 0
Our Prediction: Atlanta FaZe
It was yet another easy win for FaZe, who walked away with a 3 – 0 sweep, a scenario they’ve replicated four times so far this season in the Call of Duty League. It was something of a total failure for the LA Thieves, who have been suffering immeasurably in recent weeks.
The final round of Control of Checkmate was a total humiliation for the LA Thieves, with FaZe upholding dominating spawn traps that bled Thieves’ lives out at a rapid pace. The final kill was a brutal assassination at the hands of abeZy, and TJHaly ended the round with a pitiful 9 – 20 KD.
Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. Toronto Ultra
Result: Toronto Ultra win 3 – 2
Our Prediction: Los Angeles Guerrillas
The Guerrillas and Ultra sit side-by-side on the table, so it came as no surprise that this match-up was fairly balanced, coming through as the first (and almost only) map five match of the Second Week. While Ultra breezed through the first Hardpoint, the Guerrillas retaliated by picking up two back-to-back victories with considerable ease.
However, Ultra refused to submit, and a massive 6 – 0 win on the final round of Search and Destroy on Raid secured the Toronto win, the first the team had picked up since beating Rokkr on March 5th.
Seattle Surge vs. Paris Legion
Result: Seattle Surge win 3 – 0
Our Prediction: Paris Legion
Seattle Surge really needed a big win this week, especially as this was their only fixture in Week Two of the Second Stage. Fortunately, Paris Legion dropped the ball, giving up a 3 – 0 win to an incredible Surge side. It was an easy Hardpoint, a 6 – 1 victory on the Search and Destroy round, and an unstoppable, overwhelming 3 – 0 win in the game of Control.
Surge and Paris are alongside one another at the bottom of the table, but Paris Legion just has the edge. Can that change next week?
Minnesota Rokkr vs. Dallas Empire
Result: Minnesota Rokkr win 3 – 2
Our Prediction: Dallas Empire win
Nobody would have predicted this result following Rokkr’s recent performance, but here we are. Although Dallas came on strong in the opening game of Hardpoint, the reigning champions were swiftly subdued by two back-to-back wins. Rokkr’s ranks were seemingly bolstered by the rookie force of Standy, who put on a remarkable debut performance this week.
It was all wrapped up with a 6 – 4 win on the closing Search and Destroy round, and while the Dallas Empire still sits in second place on the table, there are now just ten points between them and the New York Subliners.
Florida Mutineers vs. OpTic Chicago
Result: Florida Mutineers win 3 – 0
Our Prediction: OpTic Chicago
And so, the week closes with a huge upset, as OpTic Chicago falls painfully to the power of the Florida Mutineers. It was a fantastic sweep by the Florida side, which is dead center in the table and has a lot to prove before the Second Major kicks in.
There are many OpTic fans calling for changes, suggesting a roster shake-up is needed, or, more prominently, OpTic Chicago needs a new coach. Regardless of the commotion, nothing can take away the fact that Florida was dominant in this series.
