Call of Duty Pro League Recap: Week 2, Day 4
| Tags: Call of Duty
| Author Phillip Miner
Day 4 of Week 2 was Valentines Day, but heartbreak happened left and right as upset after upset occurred. For the first match, Red Reserve handed a heartbreaking series shutout to UYU, as UYU came extremely close each game, but couldn’t find that cigar. Next, Midnight served Gen.G Esports their very first series loss in a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Third, Evil Geniuses finally gain some dignity as they triumphed over Team Reciprocity. Lastly, in what is perhaps the biggest heartbreak of all for OpTic Gaming, Luminosity Gaming scored a bittersweet win against them.
Match 1: Red Reserve vs. UYU
This series was a 3-0 shutout in favor of Red Reserve, but it was closer than you would think. In each game, UYU came extremely close to claiming the game victory, but Red Reserve always managed to find a way to snatch that victory from UYU’s jaws. For Game 1 Hardpoint, UYU scored an early game lead but quickly choked that as they allowed Red Reserve to catch up halfway through. From there, it was serious back-and-forth warfare, but Red Reserve narrowly clutched the victory with a score of 250-205.
Game 2 Search & Destroy was similarly nail-biting. Both teams maintained a neck-and-neck pace in terms of rounds, but Red Reserve came back from a two-round deficit to clinch a Round 11 victory, the overall round score 6-5 in favor of Red Reserve. Game 3 Control was the most suspenseful of all. UYU claimed the first two rounds of Control, and in compelling fashion at that. However, Red Reserve not only adapted, but did a reverse sweep to once again clinch the game 3-2. This sealed what was a deceptively close 3-0 shutout for Red Reserve.
Match 2: Midnight vs. Gen.G Esports
The members of Gen.G must’ve suffered some chest pains after their game with Midnight because Midnight not only handed Gen.G their first series loss but did so with a distressing 3-1 map count. Gen.G lost Game 1 Hardpoint with a score of 250-123 in favor of Midnight. This was to be expected, as Gen.G always need to warm up in a series before achieving their final form. For a moment, it looked as if Gen.G’s final form was too much for Midnight. Gen.G decimated Midnight in Game 2 Search & Destroy with a near shutout of 6-1.
The real shockers began when Midnight fought back in Game 3 Control. They fought Gen.G tooth and nail to claim this game. At first, this Control game, set on the Seaside map, was purely a defender’s affair, as the defenders won each round. However, going into Round 5, Midnight was finally able to go on the offensive. They didn’t let a team wipe by Gen.G’s Jared “Nagafen” Harrell’s Tempest usage stop them, as Midnight’s Carson “Brack” Newberry countered in kind with scorestreaks earned earlier. Midnight won Game 3 Control 3-2. The break of Gen.G’s usual winning pattern shattered their resolve. This was evident when Gen.G lost to Midnight in Game 4 Hardpoint, where Midnight sealed their 3-1 series victory by winning Game 4 convincingly 250-167.
Match 3: Team Reciprocity vs. Evil Geniuses
With the way the team Evil Geniuses was performing up to this point, you’d think they didn’t stand a chance against Reciprocity. Color us all surprised when Evil Geniuses not only defeated Reciprocity but did so with a 3-1 series victory. Evil Geniuses started this miraculous restoration of their dignity in Game 1 Hardpoint, where they snatched a hot victory from Reciprocity with a narrow score of 250-224. In Game 2 Search & Destroy, though, the weakness Evil Geniuses must work on became clear. Reciprocity responded in kind to Evil Geniuses’ Hardpoint win by utterly destroying them with a 6-0 shutout.
Evil Geniuses refused to lay down and die, however. They not only survived but thrived in Game 3 Control, where they pulled off what looked to be impossible by defeating Reciprocity 3-0. Evil Geniuses did not stop there, for they went on to dominate Reciprocity in Game 4 Hardpoint with a score of 250-126. It’s clear that Evil Geniuses need to work on their Search & Destroy game, but they’ve proven they can improve and learn from their mistakes with their 3-1 series victory against Reciprocity.
Match 4: OpTic Gaming vs. Luminosity
What better way to cap off a Valentines Day than by watching two bitter rivals square off? This is precisely what happened when OpTic fought Luminosity, but the ultimate heartbreak happened for OpTic when they got reverse swept. OpTic looked as strong as ever going into Game 1 Hardpoint, where they secured a victory over Luminosity 250-181. They continued to reign supreme over Luminosity when they decisively won Game 2 Search & Destroy with a score of 6-3.
It was around Game 3 Control when the Green Wall began to crumble. OpTic has had a history of struggling with the Control game mode, and it showed in Game 3. Some excellent slaying on the part of Luminosity players Matthew “Formal” Piper and Josiah “Slacked” Berry helped their team pull ahead and seal the Control deal 3-1. From there, while it wasn’t quite a complete disaster for OpTic Gaming, they were not prepared for a renewed offensive from Luminosity. Luminosity caught OpTic entirely off guard in Game 4 Hardpoint where they wiped the floor with them 250-121. OpTic attempted to regain their composure in Game 5 Search & Destroy, and it went the distance to a Round 11, but Luminosity broke OpTic’s heart by winning that ultra-tense round, that game 6-5, and the series 3-2.
That is certainly not all for the Pro League, however. Check back next week when we’ll be covering the first week of Division B, where we’ll see the likes of EUnited, Splyce, Team Envy, and Heretics compete for those top spots. You can watch the action next week on Twitch.tv/callofduty, or right here on ESTNN TV.
Phillip has been a freelance writer covering video games for over a decade. He's had video game articles published in places from local newspapers to The Escapist. Call of Duty has been a passion of his since the first Black Ops. You can learn more about Phillip on our About page.