Week 2 of the second stage of the Call of Duty League featured exciting matches with unexpected outcomes. The new Minnesota ROKKR roster defeated two of the best teams in the league. London and Toronto also managed to secure a win with their rookie players.
Minnesota put on an impressive peformance during week 2. Image via Call of Duty League
But 100 Thieves failed to win either of its matches despite making changes to its roster, and OpTic Chicago surprisingly failed to win a single map all weekend. A new rookie-led is brewing in the Call of Duty League, and teams are embracing the benefits of raw talent.
A new rookie meta?
Multiple teams made adjustments to their lineup in preparation for Stage II. The Minnesota ROKKR removed Call of Duty veteran Michael “MajorManiak” Syzmaniak and replaced him with former amateur Eli “Standy” Bentz. Some fans were concerned about the switch, but Minnesota’s dominant performance during week 2 confirmed it was the right choice.
Minnesota’s first match of the week was against OpTic Chicago. Considering Optic’s consistent performance so far this season and Minnesota’s troubles, many expected the match to go in favor of OpTic.But Minnesota not only defeated OpTic 3-0 but swept the team in a one-sided series. Minnesota beat OpTic 250-81 on Raid Hardpoint, and only one of the OpTic players managed to maintain a positive kill death ratio.
OpTic did perform better during Raid Search and Destroy, but Minnesota still took the match 4-6. The young rookie Standy led the team to victory with an impressive 13-4 performance. Minnesota ended the series with a 3-1 Raid Control win, and Sandy and Dylan “Attach” Price both put on a dominant show.
Many were impressed with Minnesota’s performance against OpTic, but the team was not done proving itself. Its next match was against the Dallas Empire, which is currently the second-best team in the league.
Dallas started the series strong with a 250-180 Checkmate Hardpoint win. Minnesota answered back with a Moscow Search and Destroy victory, and Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi performed exceptionally well.
Minnesota continued its rampage in the following map, but Dallas forced the series to gave five with a Hardpoint Raid victory on map four. But the entire Minnesota squad pulled together to defend the 2020 champs and defeated another top team.
The Toronto Ultra’s newest member Jamie “Insight” Craven, also performed well in his debut with the team. Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Guerrillas 3-2. Insight ended the series with a 1.32 kill death ratio and was the star performer in the final Raid Search and Destroy match.
The London Royal Ravens went 1-1 during week 2. Paul “PaulEhx” Avila performed well in both series and is an excellent addition to the roster. The team could not beat the New York Subliners, but this was expected as New York is one of the most consistent teams in the league.
Further changes needed
Not all teams that adjusted their rosters performed better in week 2. The Los Angeles Thieves lost both of their matches during the week and only won one map. LA played London in its first match of the week and started the series with a close 250-243 Checkmate Hardpoint win.
But London won the next three maps to win the series. LA faced the current number one team in the league, Atlanta FaZe, in its second game of the week. Atlanta quickly swept LA in a 3-0 series.
Unfortunately, the LA Thieves roster changes did little to help with their overall performance. There is still time to improve before the next Major, and the team will have another chance to improve at the LA Guerrillas Home Series.
The fall of OpTic?
OpTic Chicago entered week 2 in the third-place spot. Its poor performance during the week dropped it down to fourth place as it failed to win a single map in both of its matches.
OpTic played the Minnesota ROKKR in its first match of the week. Minnesota pulled off an impressive upset against OpTic, but OpTic still had one match left against the Florida Mutineers.
The Mutineers started with a 250-221 Raid Hardpoint win. Joseph “Owakening” Conley performed well during the series and helped the team secure the win. Checkmate Search and Destroy went to round 11, but Florida ultimately won the map. Cesar “Skyz” Bueno finished the map 12-7 and led the team to victory. It is worth mentioning OpTic’s Dylan “Envoy” Hannon also went 12-7, but it was not enough to win.
Florida closed the final map with a 3-2 Control Checkmate win that sent OpTic home without winning a map.
Three other teams, Paris Legion, LA Thieves, and the Los Angeles Guerrillas, also went home without winning a series. These teams have been inconsistent all season, and many did not expect to see OpTic associated with them.
CDL Standings
Here are the current Call of Duty League team standings:
Atlanta Faze – 155 CDL Points
Dallas Empire – 120 CDL Points
New York Subliners – 110 CDL Points
OpTic Chicago – 90 CDL Points
Los Angeles Thieves – 80 CDL Points
Minnesota ROKKR – 60 CDL Points
Florida Mutineers – 50 CDL Points
Los Angeles Guerrillas– 50 CDL Points
Toronto Ultra– 40 CDL Points
Paris Legion – 40 CDL Points
Seattle Surge – 30 CDL Points
London Royal Ravens – 20 CDL Points
Teams will have one more chance to earn CDL Points at the Los Angeles Guerrillas Home Series on April 1st. The second Major of the season is scheduled for April 7th-11th.
