The Call of Duty League Championship is unravelling in Canada as you read this, but not everything is going as everyone expected. In the opening round, almost every fixture went an entirely different way from what the power rankings suggested would happen, with some monumental upsets being dished out across the board.
Right now, we stand on a precipice. Both Atlanta FaZe and the LA Thieves have been forced into the lower bracket and must make a no-holds-barred run to make the grand final, while OpTic Texas looks ready to win it all and go back-to-back.
Drama in Kitchener
Say what you want about a Thursday in the Call of Duty League, but this was a corker of a matchday. It opened with Boston Breach casting the LA Thieves into the lower bracket for the second time this season, and was followed up by the only predictable win, with Heretics toppling Vancouver Surge.
From there, Toronto Ultra punished the Royal Ravens, using a home team buff to get the job done. However, the pick of the fixtures has to be OpTic vs. FaZe. It was the first time these two teams had met at COD Champs since 2017, and it did not go the way of Atlanta.
OpTic Texas steamrolled over Atlanta FaZe with reckless abandon, producing the first 3 – 0 sweep of the tournament thus far. Mercules was especially white-hot coming into this fixture, prompting many to ask what OpTic Texas has been doing during the ‘month off’ between Major IV and Champs.
Dashy was so excited about the win over FaZe that he started celebrating way too early and wasn’t joined by anyone on the squad!
Atlanta FaZe must now defeat the Royal Ravens in the elimination bracket to stay in the running. Earlier this year, the Royal Ravens handed the FaZe squad its first 0 – 3 loss in almost 600 days.
Similarly, if LA Thieves fails to defeat Vancouver Surge, it’s farewell from Kitchener for the top seed coming into this tournament. If this season has proven one thing, it’s that the LA Thieves has Surge’s number with a 6 – 0 win/loss record over the team.
There’s plenty to play for today, and some banger matches are lined up. Insider Gaming will be attending the event live, so be sure to stay tuned for exclusive coverage.
For more Insider Gaming esports, check out the news that Sapporo is the home for ALGS Champs going forward
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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