Minnesota Rokkr’s ill fortunes began on the 5th of February, 2023. In a crushing defeat during Major II, Atlanta FaZe and LA Thieves work to eject Rokkr from the competition, and it was a downhill run ever since. Following eight losses back-to-back, Rokkr decided enough was enough, making a change to the team that led to a monumental turnaround. On April 1st, Rokkr played two games within the space of just a few hours, decimating both Florida Mutineers and the Los Angeles Guerrillas.
For some, it wasn’t an admirable feat – these are two of the worst-rated teams in the game right now, after all. But for others, it was a desperately-needed return to form, and it looked more like the team that crushed the likes of Atlanta FaZe, OpTic Texas, and the Subliners in the space of little more than a week at the start of the year.
As the Major IV Qualifiers unravel, some teams aren’t having as much good fortune, though.
Royal Ravens Resist Winning
At present, the London Royal Ravens are sitting on just fifty CDL points, having won only five matches throughout the entire 2023 season of the Call of Duty League. They’re flat bottom in the CDL standings, which seems to be a common story for the single remaining EU-based organisation in the North American-dominated League. During the last weekend, the Ravens collapsed against both LA Thieves and OpTic Texas, refusing to win even a single map.
In the LA Thieves face-off, the Ravens were almost 100-clubbed in the Hardpoint, and they were swept in both the Control and the Search and Destroy rounds. Against OpTic Texas, the opening Hardpoint saw the Ravens pick up just 68 points, and the Control and SnD rounds weren’t much more encouraging. In the weeks ahead, the Ravens will clash with some of the most dominating teams in the League right now:
Boston Breach (April 7th)
Las Vegas Legion (April 8th)
Subliners (April 15th)
It seems remarkably unlikely that the squad will gain traction leading up to Major IV, and at this point, the future of the organisation must be coming under threat.
Toronto Ultra Fails Following Victory
At Major III, Toronto Ultra raised the trophy, securing the win over OpTic Texas. It was controversial, given that OpTic Texas had undergone a world-class lower bracket run while Toronto Ultra sat and rested backstage. It was a close final, and by just a few points, Ultra snatched the win.
Now, it seems that all the prowess and ability that the team showed in Major III has worn off, with Ultra failing to win a match so far during the Major IV Qualifiers. First, the squad was picked apart by Boston Breach, and then, Seattle Surge effectively drowned Ultra out.
Elsewhere, the weekend proved to be a mixed bag. For instance, the Las Vegas Legion secured a 3 – 1 victory over Boston Breach, getting revenge for the boys in green forcing them out of the Major III tournament. Since the season kicked off, the LV Legion has proven to be much more effective than its Parisian counterpart, which was scrapped at the end of last year following a historic fourteen-series losing streak.
This coming weekend, we’ll see the $10k bounty matches return, so there’s an added incentive for some teams stepping up to the plate in the coming days. With the Call of Duty League Championship just a couple of months away, every little helps.