Full Wrap #22

Another year, another Major 1 banger. A weekend loaded with series and play-of-the-year candidates, this wasn’t one you wanted to miss.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WEEKEND

CheckM8

The long-awaited first event for Paris Gentle Mates fans, and they came in as the 1st seed and one of the favorites. So long to the days of the Paris Legion and LAGM8’s.

Paris opened their weekend with a dominant showing in the respawns against KOI, taking the series 3-1. The series was highlighted and capped off by an 11 spree from Neptune in the closeout Map 4. As per usual, Neptune led the way with a 1.20 K/D, and M8s advanced to Saturday. Pass Toronto fans a CleanX.

A red-hot Thieves were waiting in the next round, and M8s made sure to shut them down early. Ghosty once again showed LAT that they made the wrong decision, leading the way with a 1.27 in a swift 3-0 victory. Neptune was great again, dropping a 1.24, and the duo combined to go 20/4 in the SnD. How long does revenge match juju last?

In the Winners’ Finals, M8s were brought back to Earth in a big way. OpTic sent them to Losers’ Finals in one of the fastest series of the weekend, and they were in need of a quick regain in a win-or-go-home match against FaZe.

Gentle Mates' confidence had seemingly taken a hit from their loss, and FaZe took advantage, jumping out to a 2-1 series lead. Fortunately for M8s, their Hardpoint’s had been good all weekend, and they stayed alive to force a Map 5. With their backs against the wall, down 2-5, M8s found a spark. It was once again Neptune. He stole victory from FaZe in Round 9 with a 1v3 clutch, and that was just the beginning. In Round 10, he aced FaZe, finding a ridiculous two-piece to clutch again in a 1v2. Those back-to-back rounds set the stage for Round 11, where Sib found an equalizing kill to make it a 3v3 and then called game, taking a route down mid to flank and two-piece FaZe for the series. Like a record on repeat, Neptune led the way with a 1.06, headlined by his 13/6 Map 5. Somebody check on Neptune’s back.

Gentle Mates were Grand Finals bound for a rematch against OpTic, this time with a newfound life, and they were pulling out everything they had, including a new jump spot from Neptune on every map. They carried the momentum from their win over FaZe and turned it into a Map 1 win. OpTic had seemingly stabilized in Map 2, jumping out to a 2-5 lead, but M8s had been there before. Another 2-5 comeback to take a 2-0 series lead. That lead didn’t last long as OpTic answered back to tie it up 2-2. The series shifted again when M8s took Map 5 6-2 and took a 3-2 lead. To nobody’s surprise, the battle-tested OpTic roster had another answer, handing M8s their third straight loss in Overload. In Map 7, it was M8s turn to take a 5-2 lead, and OpTic threatened a comeback of their own, stringing two straight rounds together, including a potential legacy 1v2 from Mercules. OpTic found two bloods in Round 10 and a Round 11 for the Major was looming until M8s evened it up to 2v2, followed by a couple trades to make it a 1v1 with 13 seconds remaining. Ghosty vs. Dashy, event on the line. Ghosty threw some shoulders, played the time, and avoided a gunfight to seal the victory. It’s just Dashy in Grand Finals.

Neptune was named MVP for his steady play throughout the weekend, ending with a 1.07 K/D, highlighted by his unbelievable clutches against FaZe to keep M8s alive. While Neptune was outstanding, it was Sib who stole the show in the Grand Final. Sib finished the series 139/107 (1.30) to go along with his 18,230 damage, leading in all three categories. No other player even had 16,000 damage; safe to say he was ripping. He was also a massive reason for their SnD success, changing rounds with his sniper play, going 25/18 with eight First Bloods across the three SnD maps. 

Empty Search Result

Coming into the event, there were a lot of questions around OpTic’s current form, having dropped three of their last four matches, with their lone win coming against the last-place Surge. Those questions were answered immediately.

OpTic started their Major 1 hot, dispatching the Falcons in a dominant 3-0 fashion. Mercules (1.30) and Shotzzy (1.23) led the way, and it was evident that OpTic was back on LAN.

More of the same for OpTic in the next round against G2, who managed to keep it close, but ultimately faced the same fate as the Falcons, falling 3-0. This time it was Huke leading the way, ending with a 1.31 K/D, and of course Mercules wasn’t far behind with a 1.25 of his own.

Entering Winners’ Finals having not dropped a map, it seemed like their first real test was coming. That test was elementary for OpTic, making M8s look like their easiest series of the weekend. Shotzzy showed out with a 1.37 K/D, but it was the SnD from the long-time OpTic duo of Shotzzy and Dashy that stood out. They combined to go 18/2 with four First Bloods, including a flawless 8/0 from Dashy, to close the map 6-0. The 2-0 series lead quickly turned to 3-0, and OpTic was headed to their third straight Grand Final since BO6 Champs. Drum cheese in full effect?

Unfortunately for OpTic, they weren’t able to find the same flow in the Grand Final, as the Gentle Mates made the necessary adjustments to right their wrongs from the earlier series to take it 4-3. The glaring issue with OpTic’s performance? The SnD’s. You won’t find much success in a Grand Final when you drop all three Search maps. On the bright side for OpTic, they showed they can turn up on LAN and still ended the event with the best map record, going 12-4, including a 6-4 tally against Paris.

No Trio, No Problem

FaZe returned to LAN for the first time under their Vegas branding, with this event marking their first CDL Major without the Trio. Checking in as the 2nd seed with seemingly the easiest WR1 draw, they were considered one of the favorites for this tournament. That quickly went sideways as their boogeyman G2 quickly dispatched of them in the first round on Thursday, sending them to the Losers’ Bracket and a matchup with Breach on Friday.

After their frankly embarrassing performance in a 0-3 loss to G2 on Thursday, FaZe turned it around on Friday against the Breach. There was no Cinderella run for Boston at this event, as FaZe won every respawn in a 3-1 victory. Drazah led the way for Vegas, dropping 95/71 (1.34), including a 33/22 (1.50) performance in a 4-3 Overload victory. Boston’s lone map win of the event came off the back of Purj’s 12-5 Map 2, punctuated by 3 kills in Round 11 of a 6-5 victory. 

Losers’ Round 2 set up a matchup with the Riyadh Falcons and a familiar face: Cellium. Until this offseason, Cellium had been the longest-tenured FaZe member, having previously played for the team his entire professional career. After both teams achieved an impressive 5-2 record in the online qualifiers, the uncomfortable truth was that one of the Trio would be going home with a Top 8 finish.

Four tightly contested maps set up a deciding Map 5 on Exposure, and in the end Simp got the last laugh as Vegas put away the Falcons 6-2. Abuzah closed out the series with a 1v1 dragscope on Exnid, fittingly, as he also led the way for FaZe with 111 kills and a 1.39 series K/D. Simp was right behind him with 104 kills, while Cellium tied with 04 for the least kills in the series at 82. Although for Cellium, the Top 8 finish is really a top $800,000 finish.

FaZe’s next series set up another Trio matchup, this time between Simp and aBeZy, as the LA Thieves dropped down after an 0-3 loss to Paris. This matchup was far less competitive, a quick 3-0 sweep for FaZe as Simp personally eliminated both his former teammates. Big three? It’s just big me.

The Losers’ Bracket run by FaZe had brought them to Sunday, where they revealed their Sunday Reds, a secret jersey for the final day of the competition. Across from them in their quest for Top 3 was a familiar and worrisome opponent. G2 had already racked up a 3-0 record against FaZe, beating them at The Launch Invitational, M1 Qualifiers, and already in this tournament with a combined 9-3 map count. This was a monkey FaZe needed off their back.

This was a back-and-forth series as Minnesota opened with a Hardpoint win before FaZe took the Search and Overload. G2 won the second Hardpoint to tie up the series 2-2 and set up a climactic Map 5 (or so we thought). FaZe dominated the final map 6-0 for the Neslo win, with Abuzah posting a flawless 5-0 scoreline while Estreal nearly mirrored him with a 0-6 donut. Drazah was FaZe’s MVP this series, posting a 98/83 (1.18), leading the lobby in slaying and damage (12,429). 

After dropping to the Losers’ Bracket in the first round, FaZe had managed to claw their way back to Losers’ Final and a guaranteed top three placing. That is where their run would end, as they broke down themselves against the Paris Gentle Mates, a 5-2 Map 5 lead slipping through their fingers as Neptune clutched a 1v3 and a 1v2 to send them home. 

During their run, Abuzah and Drazah traded off lobby-topping performances, while Simp was a consistent driving force for the team (and the only player to go positive in all six of their series). 04 was the biggest question mark for the team, and the offseason criticisms of picking him over Neptune have once again reared their heads: the former was negative in 5/6 series this weekend while the latter won his first chip and event MVP. Could FaZe be kicking the tires on a new sub during this week off?

Mamba Mentality

G2 entered the weekend as the 7th seed, but they had a lifeline: a matchup with a FaZe team they were already 2-0 against in this title. And what a lifeline it ended up being. 

Minnesota was dominant in WR1. FaZe led 12-2 early in the Hardpoint, but as soon as G2 grabbed the lead, they would not relinquish it for the rest of the map, winning 250-189. They carried their momentum into Map 2, earning every single First Blood as Skyz carved Vegas to the tune of a 10/3 scoreline and a 6-2 map victory. FaZe seemed to get their footing back in the Overload, with an overwhelming 5-2 lead in the second half. G2 still managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, scoring 5 times in the last 2:38 of game time to win 7-5 and stun Vegas in a huge upset.

Their second matchup was a quick one as well, but unfortunately for Minnesota, it was in the other direction. Huke and Merc dropped 72 and 71 kills in a rapid 3-0. G2 seemingly had signs of life in Map 3, but with just 30 seconds left, Huke slammed the door with a three-piece while carrying the EMP and scored the deciding goal in a 3-2 map.

After dropping down to the Losers’ Bracket, G2 squared up with the Heretics, who had already dispatched of their Spanish rivals KOI and the Vancouver Surge. This series was G2’s third 3-0 in a row, but this one was a bit mixier. Following a convincing Map 1 win for Minnesota, G2 and Miami battled it out in a Search that went the distance. G2 clutched it out in Round 11, winning the map despite losing the First Blood war 3-8, including the final round. Minnesota would finish the series in Map 3, bleeding a 3-1 lead down to a 3-2 victory after successfully parking the bus. Skyz was the MVP of the series, posting a 64/49 (1.31) overall scoreline.

Minnesota fell in their rematch to FaZe 2-3, but a Top 4 finish is a huge victory for a team that was projected on the Champs bubble. The sub duo of Kremp and Estreal looked promising, with both offering takeover maps throughout the first leg of the season. Mamba acquitted himself nicely in his first CDL LAN with a 260/265 (0.98) overall statline and looked very much like he belonged on this stage. Skyz was the biggest question mark for the team. He played poorly during Black Ops 6, but he showed flashes of his old self in G2 victories at this event. Still, in their elimination match, he posted a miserable 59/85 (0.69). Could the main AR slot be a possible upgrade for G2?  

Thieves Giveaway

The Thieves opened their tournament with a matchup against the red-hot Ravens, who had just ripped off five straight series victories. This was also a revenge series, as the last of those victories had come against the Thieves. LA didn’t mess around this time, as all four players went positive in this 3-0 while the Royal Ravens rolled out a royal red carpet. HyDra showed he is still one of the best players in the world with a 1.42 K/D while aBeZy went on a 12 kill streak in the SnD en route to a 14/3 statline. Revenge is no laughing matter.

In WR2 the Thieves had another Qualifiers rematch, this time against the top-seeded Paris Gentle Mates. They were unable to reverse the outcome, as they lost to the Gentle Mates 3-0 for the second time this season. Neptune dropped 11/2 in the Search while Kenny reverted back to his BO6 form, posting a horrendous 0.69 K/D in the sweep. To add insult to injury, Ghosty and Envoy got their second victory over their former team after being dropped in the offseason. Who were the real superstars of the Super Team?

Their third match was yet another rematch from earlier this season, this time with FaZe. In the Qualifiers LAT picked up a statement 3-0 victory, but this time was anything but the same. The first map was an absolute slugfest on Scar with Abuzah, HyDra, and Drazah all dropping 40 bombs while Scrap was right behind with 39 as FaZe eked out a 250-235 victory. Vegas capitalized on six First Bloods in the SnD to pick up a 6-3 victory. In the Overload, FaZe took the lead 2-1 with a last-second score and held out to win 4-3. Drazah took over in this series with a 1.42 while Kenny yet again struggled with a lowly 0.63. And somehow, that’s only his second worst series K/D of the season.

A Top 6 finish for the Thieves is an abject failure. They disbanded their super team from last year to rebuild even stronger, but they failed in the worst way as they watched the two players they dropped win Major 1. Even worse, their highly lambasted Kenny pick up is not working out; he posted a 0.78 K/D on LAN, 44/48 of all players this weekend. With Nium reportedly having his number called off the bench, this may be the end of Kenny’s illustrious career.

Birds Not Built For LAN(D)

Arguably two of the hottest teams in the CDL, the Ravens and Falcons were ready to take their play to LAN. Or so they thought, because it never arrived.

The Ravens opened up the weekend against LAT, and they were quickly humbled, getting swept off the main stage. It was a red carpet across the board for Carolina, with every player going negative.

Entering Friday, the Ravens had the best case scenario: playing the worst team in the league to advance. Unfortunately, it turns out they weren’t playing against themselves. 

Carolina made Lunarz look like prime FormaL, as he posted a ridiculous 113/73 (1.55) across four maps to send them home Top 12. What makes it even worse for Carolina is that the two teams that beat them didn’t manage to win a single map against other teams, with Surge and Thieves combining for a 0-9 map count against everybody else.

Nero’s MVP-level play regressed to the mean, as he ended the weekend with a 0.81 K/D, including a 0.40 in SnD. Exceed and Craze didn’t perform much better, as both finished with a 0.86. The Burger King is indeed back.

It was a marginally better weekend for Riyadh. Emphasis on the marginally. They got 3-0’d by OpTic in WR1 and looked like a completely different team compared to their online counterpart.

Unlike Carolina, Riyadh was able to bounce back and handed Cloud9 a 3-1 loss. The SMG duo of Pred (1.26) and Exnid (1.14) ran wild, with both dropping 100 bombs in the four-map series.

Next up was a series for Top 6 against FaZe. The Falcons battled, coming back from 2-5 down in Map 2, and eventually found themselves in a Map 5. FaZe proved to have too much ice (on Saturday at least) and closed out the series with a 6-2 SnD victory.

Overall, not a bad first stage for the Falcons, ending with a 6-4 record. It ended up being a tough draw, as the two teams that knocked them out of the tourney placed second and third.

TOP PERFORMERS

Sib: Sib stuffed the stat sheet in his first Major win since MWIII. He put up a 1.14 K/D, the fourth-best mark of any player at this event. He did so mainly off the back of his 1.19 HP K/D (#3 overall). Sib backed that up with top five placings in HP DMG/10 (#3) and Kills/10 (#5). He led the tournament in First Bloods with 16 with a 64% OpD W% and tacked on a 1.13 OVL K/D for good measure.

Mercules: Mercules was stellar yet again for OpTic, as he has been since getting called up to the league. He finished just behind Sib with the fifth best K/D at the event, also a 1.14. He was one of the most dominant Search players this weekend with a 1.42 K/D and 0.87 KPR, second and third best of any player with four SnD maps played. His 1.14 OVL K/D was a top ten mark, and he was the second leading scorer in the mode with 7 goals.

RenKoR: The Rookie of the Year picked up at this event where he left off last year. He took the #2 spot for K/D with a 1.29 across three series. RenKoR paced the event in Hardpoint with the top K/D (1.42) and the second highest DMG/10 and Kills/10. He chipped in a 1.14 SnD K/D and a 1.16 K/D in Overload to boot. His second year may be even more formidable than his first.

Lunarz: After an up-and-down showing in Qualifiers, Lunarz turned up on LAN. He ended the event with the top K/D of any player, a 1.30. He was solid in every game mode, having the #2 HP K/D, #1 SnD K/D, and #3 OVL K/D. His pace was undeniable with the 4th best HP Kills/10 and the #1 SnD KpR. Surge may not be a top team, but they have good bones between Lunarz and Kremp.