Call of Duty League: Championship Weekend Preview
After eight intense months of competitive Call of Duty action, it all comes down to Championship Weekend where the final four teams will battle it out to be crowned the inaugural Call of Duty League champion, along with the lion’s share of $3 million in prize money.
The opening match consists of two North American powerhouses trying to be the first team to book their place in the grand finals, while the second is between the fan-favourites going up against Europe’s last hope as they look to defy the odds and beat North America’s elite.
In this article, we are going to preview all four teams, looking at their journeys to Championship Weekend, and weighing up their chances as they head into the final matches of the Modern Warfare season.
Check out our Call of Duty League World Championships Coverage Hub right here.
Atlanta FaZe - Can The Tiny Terrors Rule The Roost?
Click to enlargeHeading into Championship Weekend as one of the favourites to take the trophy, the Atlanta FaZe look to have rekindled some of that form which secured the team two Home Series victories early on in the season. Since their last victory at the Florida Home Series, their form has been consistent, placing no lower than the top four. Still, a shock loss to the Toronto Ultra followed by a Chicago Huntsmen sweep to knock them out of the tournament, the form of one of the most exciting and aggressive rosters in the CDL was called into question. Nonetheless, the team still secured one of the top seeds ahead of the season-ending Playoffs.
The first game of Playoffs saw a highly-anticipated match against the Chicago Huntsmen. As expected, the series was extremely close between two evenly matched teams. Throughout the series, Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris shone thanks to his unrivalled aggression with the SMG in his hands. Sometimes a player overlooked by some of his teammates, this half of the tiny terrors has the opportunity to cause some serious damage, as the FaZe attempt to dethrone the Dallas Empire in their first match of Championship Weekend.
Based on their Playoffs performance against Chicago, Atlanta can definitely bring the fight to the Empire, arguably the best team throughout the second half of the season. With aggression being the key component of Atlanta, Chris “Simp” Lehr, McArthur “Cellium” Jovel, and Preston “Priestahh” Greiner need to be in top form alongside aBeZy if they are to contend with season MVP Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro and Cuyler “Huke” Garland.
While the tiny terrors lead the charge for the FaZe, main assault rifle player Michael “MajorManiak” Szymaniak has a crucial role to play against the Empire. Locking down lanes and securing spawns against some of the most experienced Call of Duty players in history isn’t going to be easy. There may be plenty of focus on the Atlanta aggressors, but the key to beating Dallas could well be down to MajorManiak.
Dallas Empire - Taking The Throne
Click to enlargeAfter a shaky start to the regular season, the Dallas Empire have come on leaps and bounds as the season has progressed. Under the tutelage of Ian “Crimsix” Porter and James “Clayster” Eubanks, the young superstars of Shotzzy and Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal have had two of the best rookie seasons in recent memory, making it to CDL Sunday in every Home Series event they have participated in. Moving into Championship Weekend as the favourites to lift the trophy, the Empire has the chance to round off an incredible debut season by taking the ultimate prize.
Dallas kicked off their Playoffs campaign against an in-form Toronto side that were on the verge of sending the Empire into the losers bracket. But after falling behind, Dallas demonstrated why they are the best Modern Warfare team, displaying ruthless slaying in the Hardpoint and unmatched coordination in the deciding Search & Destroy to book their place in the final four. If the Empire can get the ball rolling in a similar way to the end of their match against the Ultra, the FaZe are going to be in for a bumpy ride as Dallas look to lay the foundations to their empire.
Since the transition to an online format, Shotzzy and iLLeY have managed to continue their form from offline competition. The young, dynamic SMG partnership often gets the upper hand over their opponents - thanks to the unmatched mechanical skill and outright aggression. The battle of the sub-machine gunners is likely to make all the difference as Shotzzy, iLLeY, and Huke take on the tiny terrors for a spot in the grand finals.
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Read More - The Favourite To Win Call of Duty Champs
Chicago Huntsmen - Time To Hunt
Click to enlargeThe Chicago Huntsmen have been a particularly interesting team to watch throughout the season. At times, the roster has looked unbeatable, winning two Home Series events but on other occasions, something appears to be missing from a team that may not have found the missing piece to the puzzle ever since Pierce “Gunless” Hillman was demoted to the bench.
The final three Home Series events were a mixed bag for the Huntsmen. A second-place finish at the New York event came between two top-six placements, where the Los Angeles Guerrillas defeated the Huntsmen. Despite the hiccups, Chicago entered Playoffs confident to avoid another upset. The first match against the New York Subliners almost saw the upset take place, but a stellar performance from the king Seth “Scump” Abner saw the Huntsmen avoid an early trip to the losers bracket. The next game against Atlanta was just as close, going all the way down to a fifth and final map but Atlanta emerged the victors, sending Chicago into the losers bracket for a classic showdown against fierce rivals OpTic Gaming Los Angeles.
At one point, the new-look Green Wall looked like taking it all. The match went all the way down to a one-versus-one duel in the final round of game five, which Dylan “Envoy” Hannon emerged the hero for the Huntsmen. Moving into Championship Weekend, Chicago find themselves against the London Royal Ravens, arguably the surprise entrant of the season-ending matches. On paper, the Huntsmen have the edge, but if London are performing at their very best and Chicago has an off-day, this series has the potential to go the distance and potentially a shock victory for the Royal Ravens.
London Royal Ravens - The Dark Horse
Click to enlargeIt’s safe to say that not many people expected the London Royal Ravens to feature in the final four teams at Championship Weekend. Like Chicago, London have been a very interesting team to view during the Modern Warfare season and could have secured at least one Home Series victory during the regular season. Despite not winning a Home Series and a couple of second-place finishes to their name, the Royal Ravens are rolling into Championship Weekend armed with the momentum on their side.
London kicked off their Playoffs campaign with a 3-1 loss to Toronto, sending them straight into the second round of the losers bracket, almost immediately mounting the pressure on the team. With no room for error, London dispatched the Paris Legion before a clash against the New York Subliners, a team the Royal Ravens has never lost to. This occasion was no different. Trei “Zer0” Morris managed to take revenge on his old team and move on where another battle against Toronto would await.
The Royal Ravens looked a different team, comfortably dropping strong numbers across the board while Sean “Seany” O’Connor cemented himself as one of the best assault rifle players of the post-season, making several high-impact plays with the M4A1 in his hands. With Seany finding some incredible form and the rest of his team doing just as well, London got the better of Toronto to secure a place in the top four, and to keep an unprecedented losers bracket run alive.
The Chicago Huntsmen await the Royal Ravens at Championship Weekend. The team has come extremely close to defeating the North American juggernaut in the regular season and looking at their current form, the chance to eliminate the most popular team in the CDL is undoubtedly there. Both Matthew “Skrapz” Marshall and Bradley “Wuskin” Marshall have been vocal in regards to how much a championship would mean to them, and this could be their chance to win their first tournament.
Match Predictions
- Winners Final – Dallas Empire 3-1 Atlanta FaZe
- Losers Final – London Royal Ravens 3-2 Chicago Huntsmen
- Grand Finals – London Royal Ravens 3-5 Dallas Empire
Images courtesy of MLG | Call of Duty League
