CDL Dallas: Final Day Recap – Florida Mutineers Win Dallas Home Series
One could say this was the tournament of the underdogs. Most people favoured Dallas Empire to hold their home series, or Chicago Huntsmen to sweep aside everybody in their path to go top of the league, with few seeing past these two CDL monsters. With the two favourites in different groups, it was all but set for Dallas to meet their rivals Chicago in the final, but this is CDL and where the underdogs purr the Empire is hunted.
The day kicked off with a hardpoint between Florida Mutineers and Chicago Huntsmen, who were both coming off the back of 3 – 1 victories against Toronto Ultra and Paris Legion respectively. Chicago came out of the blocks strongly, looking for revenge since the Mutineers got the better of them in Atlanta last time they met. With another huge game from Envoy who racked up 34 kills, Chicago took the game with a 51-point lead. But the resurgence from the Mutineers was too strong for the Huntsmen. As a team, they stuck together during the SnD on Picadilly, with Fero and Skys answering back to some incredible solo efforts by Scumpy and Arcitys, leading to a level game. Florida pushed on from there, absolutely annihilating Chicago on Domination and edging a closely contested Hardpoint on map 4 to take an overall victory. An underwhelming performance by Chicago Huntsmen as they were dismantled by Frosty and the Mutineers, who were worthy winners, moving on to the final.
Minnesota Rokkr, like Florida, had progressed through the knockout matches after falling at the first game, finding their form to overcome their defeat the Chicago. Having left Los Angeles Guerrillas and Toronto Ultra in there wake though, the Dallas Empire was looking to defend their home series. Starting with a Hardpoint on Rammaza, Alexx and Assault racked up 71 kills between them to control the rotations and cut off points, with Assault also racking up and incredible 2 minutes and 29 seconds in the hill. One of the greatest individual efforts of this series from Assault. Map 2 saw Crimsix turn up into his usual SnD form on Piccadilly to level the tie 1-1, picking up 10 kills in the process. But the fightback was short-lived. Assault stepping up again to answer Huke’s impressive objective plays, Rokkr was able to pip the map 3 domination, setting themselves up to progress if they were to see out Hardpoint on Hackney Yard. And they did just that. Hitting out incredible rotations, Rokkr limited Dallas to a lot of scraps, limiting the Empire’s map control and ultimately their points. Winning from the first 2 seconds of hill time on the third hill rotations, Rokkr squeezed the life out of Dallas to advance to the final.
The final was beautifully poised. The two teams on the brink of elimination after round one resurrected to overcome the giants. North vs South. Fourth vs Fifth. Rokkr vs Mutineers. First map, Azhir Cave, Hardpoint. This map should be renamed the GodRx battleground after he went huge for the Rokkr. Picking up a whopping 42 kills and 10 assists, he outgunned the assault rifle runners from the Mutineers and was the decisive difference between the two teams who were only separated by nine points. Rokkr managed to secure map one 250 – 241. But the downfall of Rokkr’s semi-final was up next, and GodRx did not show up this time. Struggling with his sniper, he managed very few picks and an incredible Florida performance saw them sweep the map 6-2. As M4A1 and MP5 runners, Skys and Fero headed the spear that drove through Rokkr defence and tied the final 1 - 1. With Florida’s confidence sky-high, they were able to start map 3 in great style. With an amazing play to leave B at the start of the map and take the Rokkr spawn, controlling A and C, Rokkr had to revert to A to pick up a spawn, giving Minnesota easy access to B. They then suffocated their opposition, shutting down any pushes towards B and kept them limited to just 117 points, whilst gaining 194 of their own. Total domination. This left it at 2 – 1 going into Hardpoint on Gun Runner. Again, Mutineers were on fire. With not one Rokkr player ending positive, Florida rotated around the map superbly and broke through enemy lines swiftly and easily to wash out their opponents in one of the most one-sided affairs in a final this season. Florida won 250 – 115 and was crowned worthy champions of the Dallas Home Series.
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