Full Wrap #10

In what was potentially the most unpredictable weekend in CDL history, FaZe and OpTic both found the W column, while the Major 3 Champs failed to get a win. The final stage of the season just kicked off, and you do not want to miss out. Unless GentleM8s are playing.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WEEKEND

OpTic Champs Hopes Alive and Well

Following another disappointing Major with a top 8 placing, OpTic was derided for their decision to stick with Skyz as the fourth member of their roster. However, the ire of their reactive fans may have been misplaced. OpTic came into the weekend with just a 30-point cushion over Minnesota, but they’re leaving it with a 40-point lead over Minnesota and Cloud9. Minnesota kicked off Major 4 qualifying with a shocking loss to Vegas (doubly important for OpTic, who shake the distinction of being the only team to lose to the Falcons this season) before OpTic came out hot against Surge. 

Shotzzy ran absolutely wild on Skyline Hardpoint, dropping 48 kills with nearly a minute in time. Every member of the Green Wall posted at least 36 kills in the map, while the only member of Surge to break that mark was Neptune. The Search was more of the same, as Shotzzy and Huke’s combined 17 kills nearly equaled Surge’s collective 18 kills in a 6-3 win. After dropping the first round of the Control, OpTic reeled off three rounds to cap a 3-0 upset against the two-time defending Runners Up. Skyz did his best to justify his roster spot, having his best match of the season at 61/49 (1.24) despite not being able to comm for three hills in the Hardpoint. Maybe the refs should mute Skyz more often. 

This win is one to build on for OpTic, as it was just their first win over a top 8 team since Major 1 Qualifiers. Next week they continue their Qualifiers with two very winnable matchups in Boston and Carolina. Is a run at the 7th seed still in play?

Revenge For FaZe

After a tough event at Major 3, FaZe came into this weekend locked in, starting a stage 2-0 for the first time this season. What makes it more impressive is that they did it with matchups against Surge and Thieves, the teams who made the most recent Grand Finals. Their first match vs Surge was anything but easy, and their Hardpoint woes continued, dropping both Map 1 and 4, failing to reach 200 points in either map. Luckily, FaZe was able to do what they do best, and that’s win SnD’s and control. It was a masterclass in these modes, winning 12-4 in Search rounds and 3-0 in the Control. Simp was the catalyst for FaZe, as he finished 20/7 with four first bloods in the two Search maps and 20/9 with eight tick captures in the Control. Neslo should be asking FaZe for royalties.

Whatever FaZe did before their match Sunday needs to become their match day ritual. They came out hot and only got hotter. Nobody on Thieves was able to crack a 0.9 K/D thanks to the one and only Cellium. A staggering 1.95 K/D in the series for MC had Thieves on the back foot the entire series. Drazah takes another round in the head-to-head with Scrap, flipping the script from last season. A statement win for FaZe in a potential Major 4 Grand Finals preview.

Championship Hangover for LAT?

Thieves were finally able to secure a Major win last split, but it has seemingly come at a price. After only losing one match in their last twelve qualifier matches, they stumbled out of the gate this split, dropping both of their matches this weekend to Miami and Atlanta. Did they celebrate their victory a bit too hard?

In the marquee matchup on Saturday, the Thieves came out swinging. They dominated their favorite Hardpoint map, Red Card, improving their undefeated record from 7-0 to 8-0 with a 250-125 win. Miami quickly answered back on Hacienda, evening the series at 1-1. Thieves pulled ahead in Control, winning their tenth straight in the mode as HyDra dropped 27/21 (1.29) and Ghosty captured eight ticks. The wheels fell off after that, as Miami dominated map 4 with a 250-137 showing on Hacienda. In the end, game five stretched to Round 11 and a 1v1 where Ghosty was unable to clutch a 1v2. LAT will look to bounce back next week with just one match against Vegas. Hopefully they aren’t going Ghost(y) right before Champs.

Surge Drowned Out

A 0-2 start to Stage 4 was the exact opposite of what coach Rambo was hoping for, especially with matches against a struggling OpTic and a FaZe team that Surge had found success against ever since the addition of Neptune. Did the league figure the Surge out, or was this weekend just a Major 3 bowling hangover?

Vancouver will need to bounce back quickly to avoid missing Winners’ Bracket, and it starts with Control. After winning the Hacienda Control over FaZe, Surge went an embarrassing 1-18 in rounds. The Control spawn changes might be the best thing that could happen to Vancouver. Their upcoming matches are anything but free as they play Breach, Ultra, and Rokkr to finish their split. Back-to-back Major Grand Finals to a Losers’ Bracket start?

Falcons Grounded

Surprisingly, it took until this weekend for the Falcons to be mathematically eliminated from Champs contention, and it came on the weekend of their second win. Despite that, their win over Minnesota could prove to be a dagger to the Rokkr season. Their only respite could be to play spoiler over their last three series. And trying to keep themselves from going into the record books as the worst CDL team of all time.

New Look Cloud9

Things were looking grim for Cloud9 after a 1-5 Stage 3 where they placed T12, which included getting 3-0’d four times. Help was needed, and help has arrived. Cloud9 found instant success with Capsidal and Spart added to the roster in favor of Attach and Mack. The reinforcements brought C9 a 3-0 victory of their own over Falcons. The entire team finished the series positive, including a 1.14 from Spart and a 1.12 from Capsidal. They lost their next match 1-3 to Toronto after taking Map 1, but anything other than getting 3-0’d is progress. New life in New York?

TOP PERFORMERS

Huke: If there was ever a time to step up for Huke, it was this weekend. Potential roster changes swirled this team following Major 3, and a big win is the best way to prove the doubters wrong. It wasn’t just a win either; Huke the Nuke was in full effect, ending with a 76/55 (1.38) scoreline. Search was where Huke shined, going 10/4 while finding three first bloods for OpTic. He continued his dominance in the Control with a 28/18 takeover. Was Huke the right SMG for OpTic all along?

SupeR: Since his debut in the league, SupeR has become a mainstay in our top performers. In his first map of the weekend, SupeR went double negative, 15-30. After that, he woke up. Over the rest of the series, he posted 78-41, ending the series against LAT with a 93/71 (1.31) scoreline, and was the only Heretic with a positive statline. He was dominant in the Search maps, going 12/5 in Map 2 and closing the series out with a 16/4 showing on Rewind, finishing Round 11 with a 360 kill on a defusing Ghosty. 

SupeR followed up his 93-kill showing against LAT with a 92-kill showing against another LA team, this time the GentleM8s. He came out hot in Map 1 this time, dropping 36-23 (1.57). He went double positive again in the Searches with a combined 13-6  statline. Overall on the weekend he was 185-144 (1.28) and an astounding 41-15 (2.73) in Search and Destroy.  

Cellium: If you were only able to tune in for Friday, Cellium’s inclusion on this list might be a head scratcher after his 68/69 (0.99) against the Surge. But if you missed his performance against LAT, go watch it now. The Vanguard MVP showed he still has the ability to take over any map and any series he wants, no matter the opponent. On Rewind Hardpoint he did exactly that, soaking up a map-high 93 seconds in the hill while also posting a map-high 37 kills and map-low 17 deaths, a 2.29 showing. His rampage continued on Dealership, posting a 7/4 (1.75) with one First Blood. He ended the weekend with a 26/16 (1.63) on Protocol, where Faze snapped LAT’s ten-map Control win streak. Overall, MC posted a ridiculous 72/37 (1.95) KD in the 3-0 win. Could a second MVP be in Cellium’s future?

Wrecks: If we had a section for Worst Performers, Wrecks would have been the top candidate during his first two weeks in the league. Two of his first three series were against the LA Thieves, and he opened Major 3 Qualifiers with another top team in Toronto Ultra. This time though, he held his own. His 90/85 (1.06) statline was not the most impressive, but he led his team in K/D and damage. He was also a huge reason for their 6-5 Map 2 win on Dealership, picking up 11 kills and two First Bloods.

He built off of that performance in Carolina’s second series of the weekend versus the Boston Breach. His 73 kills, 1.35 K/D, 1.26 BP Rating, and 9065 damage were all best in the lobby. His crown jewel performance was in the Control, where he racked up 33 of his kills and 4,501 damage. If Carolina has any hope of making deep runs at Major 4 and Champs, Wrecks will have to replicate this performance. Multiple times.

CleanX: The tissue was a major issue this weekend. CleanX reached 100 kills in wins over the Ravens and Cloud9 despite both series ending in Map 4. In his first series, CleanX went nuclear in the Search, breaking the kill record with a 17/7 performance for the L. He finished the series going 104/87 (1.20) while leading all players in kills, K/D, and damage, helping Ultra cruise to an easy series win.

CleanX followed his Friday performance up with a very similar one against Cloud9, finishing 101/85 (1.19) en route to another series victory. He was the lone player positive across all four maps and once again led the series in kills, K/D, and damage. Teams forget what a trade is when CleanX is in flow.

BONUS

Scam of the Century

Cammy came up with the clutch of the weekend in an otherwise disastrous series for Boston. In a Control round that looked over, Cammy would go on to pull off a 1v5. That would be the only round win for Boston, and the Ravens closed out the series 3-0.