CDL Major II Day Two – Toronto sings from the rooftops as OpTic shine and Gentle Mates fall

As the Call of Duty League’s European return started with a bang, day one wiped four teams off the map in a whirlwind of chaos. But the stakes were raised for CDL Major II Day Two as the most in-form teams butted heads for a place in Championship Sunday. 

On a day where the home crowd ramped up the pressure and support for their last her standing, Birmingham played host to some seriously slick and confident Call of Duty, epitomised by OpTic Texas and FaZe Vegas, both of whom cruised through the upper bracket with ease.

Flawless CoD from OpTic and FaZe

While the Black Ops 7 season has been one of the most competitive and evenly matched years we’ve ever had, CDL Major II Day Two showcased that there’s a huge chasm in quality opening between those in the upper tiers of the league standings and the teams in the middle pack.

Specifically, the undeniable favourites OpTic Texas laid down the law in their Saturday fixture, continuing their unbeaten map count with a 3-0 thrashing of G2 Minnesota.

The tone was set in the first 20 seconds of this fixture as Mason “Mercules” flew out of the traps with a six kill-streak, including a three-piece on the Hardpoint hill, which snowballed into complete map control and a commanding lead. From there on, G2 barely laid a glove on OpTic, despite their best efforts, and it simply showcased just how far ahead the boys in green are.

FaZe Vegas, a team in disarray during the online qualifiers, has also pulled its act together in time for the biggest stage in CoD esports, having reverse-swept LA Thieves on Day One. Come Day Two, and the fixture was much more of a formality, as they put up an equally brutal thrashing of Major I champions Gentle Mates. A particularly punishing Search and Destroy whitewash proved that the puppet master Chris “Simp” Lehr has gotten his young teammates firing on the right cylinders, at just the right time.

• Read More: OpTic Dashy and Huke on Overload mastery, online attitudes, and the UK ‘mecca’ of Call of Duty

Toronto KOI plays the pantomime

Nothing quite sets the tone in a Call of Duty event like a villain and a hero. While Gentle Mates were unfortunately horseshoed into the villain role, the hero was crowned as Jamie “Insight” Craven, as the last Brit standing. And it played into Toronto’s hands, as the energy on the stage for a team steeped in European CoD royalty was electric. 

Making a deep run from Play-Ins to the lower bracket, CDL Major II Day Two saw Toronto face a Gentle Mates roster in all kinds of trouble, and the chosen rivals were quickly at a crossroads. While the opening Hardpoint was without contest (typical of Gentle Mates’ slow starts all year), the rest of the fixture was much closer than the scoreline suggests. With a SnD in favour of the French org, Overload was won with a last-gasp capture, and the two could only be separated by the final rotation on Hardpoint.

But it doesn’t matter how you win as long as you advance, and while Toronto KOI might not be playing perfect CoD, they are icing up when it matters. With a rally cry from Insight in the post-match interview, Toronto moves on to become the crowd favourites alongside OpTic, and will hope that extra boost can push them over LA Thieves.

For Gentle Mates, Stage 2 is one to be forgotten. An awful online qualifying stage left them lucky to be on the stage in the UK, and the overwhelming hostility of the crowd comes in as a mask to paper over the cracks of an unorganised roster.

• Read More: CleanX: “I wouldn’t be playing if I didn’t think I had what it took to win a ring”

The best thief is a silent one

Much of the attention over the last 48 hours has been on OpTic, Gentle Mates, and Toronto, whose matches have been rife with emotion. But LA Thieves have gone about business extremely well in the lower bracket run, after losing out to FaZe in a nail-biting opener.

But CDL Major II Day Two proved to be another example of how LA Thieves have been flying under the radar for once and playing some high-calibre Hardpoint. Ending the day with a bullish 100-point clubbing of G2 Minnesota, the silent assassins have crept into Championship Sunday.

Having raised issues in the early stages of the season, especially with Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris’ impact, the Thieves are beginning to click, and it could be an impressive heist if the SMG duo can continue to keep its synergy for the finals.

CDL Major II Day Two left OpTic Texas and FaZe Vegas in the Winners’ Final, while Toronto KOI and LA Thieves will fight out in the elimination Lowers’ Final.