The Call of Duty League’s Major 3 tournament is unfolding now at DreamHack Atlanta, and the event opened up with a landmark Pro-Am group stage, the likes of which has never been seen in the CDL. The monumental introduction lead to no fewer than four concurrent streams being hosted by the League, as Challengers and CDL teams alike did battle in Atlanta.
By the time the playoff bracket had been set, not a single Challengers team was left standing, with all four that had qualified being eliminated by the top-tier organizations. Despite that, the consensus is clear: we need more Pro-Am events, and Challengers teams need this top-flight representation.
Challengers Teams Put Up a Fight At Major 3
The concept of the Pro-Am event in the Call of Duty League is one that doesn’t surface too often, but when it does, it’s always exciting. It pushes the notion that any team could win the grand prize, even a second-tier organization that occupies a spot in the Challengers circuit. It makes the CDL teams work that little bit harder, to save face and earn more moolah.
Unfortunately, only one Challengers squad managed to eliminate a CDL team from the tournament, and that was OMiT Noir. The organization booted Vancouver Surge from the event, going on to ultimately be eliminated in the next round by Minnesota G2.
Elsewhere, almost every Challengers side managed to put up some kind of a decent fight. The Huntsmen took the Royal Ravens to the wire in a game five of an elimination series, and Project Notorious was just one round of Search away from eliminating Paris Gentle Mates, a team that won the opening Major of the season.
Saudi Arabia’s ROC Esports was the only Challengers team to not make an impact, losing 3-1 to FaZe Vegas, which incldued a 49 – 250 round of Hardpoint, then losing 3 – 0 to NY Cloud9.
But regardless of the performance spread, many have stressed that we need more Pro-Am representation in the Call of Duty League. It’s a topic of diversity, giving players a fair chance at a larger prize and deeper recognition, and allowing for better seeding of talent into the Call of Duty League.
Do you think the Call of Duty League needs more representation for ‘amateur’ organizations? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news about Heroic’s EWC club status loss
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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