Hours ago, the final qualifying matches for Major II of the Call of Duty League wrapped up in an exciting fashion, setting the stage for the Major itself. As we head into the $500,000 Major, which will be held in Boston, the New York Subliners sit atop the CDL standings. It’s tough to pick a potential winner for the tournament ahead, as the skill gap this season is so fine it’s barely even visible.
The final qualifying week for Major II was an intense one, and some teams put it all on the line to secure even one massive win. For instance, the Las Vegas Legion beat OpTic Texas 3 – 1, marking the first time a Legion-branded team has beaten a core OpTic squad in the history of the CDL (not counting OGLA). However, just one day later, OpTic Texas bounced back and steamrolled over Atlanta FaZe, throwing out one of the most impressive reverse sweeps we’ve seen in months.
Major II Is Here, And It Looks Fantastic
It’s shaping up to be a fantastic Major, and with $500,000 on the line (plus a stack of CDL points), there’s so much to play for. Here are the matches confirmed for Major II at present:
Winners Round 1:
OpTic Texas vs. LA Thieves
New York Subliners vs. Rokkr
Toronto Ultra vs. Los Angeles Guerrillas
Boston Breach vs. Atlanta FaZe
Elimination Round 1:
TBD vs. Florida Mutineers
TBD vs. Royal Ravens
TBD vs. Vegas Legion
TBD vs. Seattle Surge
This is a high-stakes event, and every team is out to secure the top spot with a vengeance. At present, the best in-form teams look to be Toronto Ultra, OpTic Texas, and the New York Subliners. It was the latter team that secured the victory at Major I in December, going on a monumental run that stunned fans. There are high expectations for OpTic Texas at the moment, as the squad that has formed after Scump’s retirement has been burning through the competition of late.
Last night, during a fixture with Atlanta FaZe, OpTic went 0 – 2 down before reverse-sweeping FaZe, at one point snatching a Hardpoint victory with a scoreline of 250 – 248.
The League Is Good, But How’s The Game?
There are changes coming to both Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare II when the Season Two update drops on the 15th of February. But at the moment, the game isn’t in a good way, and player numbers are dropping as time goes on. It seems that, even three months after launch, there’s still a lot of work to be done by Infinity Ward to please fans currently disappointed with the state of Modern Warfare II.
With that being said, the Call of Duty League is maintaining a level of popularity this season that’s effectively dwarfing numbers produced during last year’s Vanguard season.
There’s a mixed table out there at the moment, and while someone has to be in last place, there’s a sense this year that every single team has the capability to produce awe-inspiring results. As the season goes on, the storylines are heating up, from Scrappy’s beef with Joedecieves to the drama surrounding OpTic, there’s a busy ecosystem out there for fans to enjoy.
Major II runs from the 2nd to the 5th of February.