CDL London: Day One Recap
The first day of overseas play for the Call of Duty League has concluded. The London crowd gets to rest their voices for one night then it’s back in action tomorrow for the final day of CDL action. In regards to day one, the matches were a bit lopsided with the exception of one or two. However, teams really showed what they were made of today as the group stages got underway. Let’s take a look at which teams shined and which ones failed to show up.
The Chicago Huntsmen remain undefeated
Coming into CDL London, the Chicago Huntsmen looked to be the second-best team in the league behind Atlanta. Of course, the two squads haven’t played each other yet so it’s hard to gauge where either one is at in terms of head-to-head skill.
However, after day one, the Huntsmen look like they can take anyone down even on an off day. First up, they took on Patrick “Aches” Price and the L.A. Guerrillas. Aches has long been a thorn in the sides of Seth “Scump” Abner and Matt “FormaL” Piper, so this one had some extra zest to it. Though, the Guerrillas paled in comparison to the sheer talent of Chicago, as they were swiftly swept.
Next up, Chicago faced off yet again against the Dallas Empire. After a 3-1 drubbing at Launch Weekend, Dallas had something to prove against the Huntsmen. Although, like L.A., the Empire simply couldn’t keep up with Chicago enough to win more than one match. However, Dallas did secure their first win earlier on in the day.
The Huntsmen were the first team to make it into bracket play, where they’ll take on the winner of Dallas vs. L.A./Seattle. That match takes place tomorrow at 6:30 P.M. GMT (1:30 EST).
London shows out in front of the home crowd
The other team to make it into bracket play was the hometown team, London Royal Ravens. Coming into this weekend, the Royal Ravens were a squad that could go either way. They looked great at times two weeks ago but also had some moments where things seemed grim.
Click to enlargeMaybe it was the emphatic crowd, but London is currently on a roll. Starting off the day, they took a not-so-close series against the Toronto Ultra by a score of a 3-1. To conclude the day, the Royal Ravens played in the best match of the day against New York. Though it started out bad, with New York gaining a 2-0 series lead, London clawed their way back to secure the reverse sweep and a 3-2 series win.
The Royal Ravens face the winner of New York vs. Paris/Toronto tomorrow at 5:00 P.M. GMT (12:00 EST).
Images via CODLeague on Twitter and main image via Activision.
