CDL Major 1 – Day 1 Recap

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CDL Major 1 – Day 1 Recap

Here’s a rundown from the first day of Major 1.


The first Major of the Call of Duty League season officially kicked off today following the Challengers Qualifiers yesterday. We saw a staggering 16 games today, so here’s a short recap of each and every match.

Minnesota ROKKR 3-0 Decimate Gaming

Minnesota ROKKR are another team to take on a Challengers roster in today's Major 1 pool play. However, they came out hot in map one and easily dispatched of Decimate Gaming in a 250-130 Embassy Hardpoint. Minnesota ROKKR continued this dominance into El Asilo Search and Destroy for map two where they took a 6-2 victory and extended their lead in the series to 2-0. Minnesota ROKKR closed out the series with a quick and easy 3-0 El Asilo Control to see them take the series in a 2-0 sweep.

New York Subliners 3-0 Los Angeles Guerrillas

The New York Subliners look like a completely different team following the GA of the M4, and the Vaznev becoming more powerful. They showed this in their first map of this series, absolutely dominating the Los Angeles Guerrillas on Mercado Hardpoint 250-82, with Priestahh putting up an unbelievable 25 kills and a 1.79 K/D. The New York Subliners took map two as well in a 6-4 victory on Hotel Search and Destroy. The Los Angeles Guerrillas did not look composed at all, or improved from their online matches as many thought they would be. The series was over before it even started for the Guerrillas, as the New York Subliners easily closed out the series with a 3-0 Fortress Control victory to take the series in a 3-0 sweep.

Toronto Ultra 3-2 Pollodrom

Pollodrom were one of the Challengers teams who qualified for the Major through last night's matches. While they were the biggest underdogs coming into this match, they took down Toronto Ultra in their first map in the Major on Embassy Hardpoint 250-245. Lucky was dominant for Pollodrom, putting up a 1.33 K/D. However, Toronto Ultra outslayed Pollodrom by 9 kills, and should have closed out this map. Pollodrom also came out to win map two Search and Destroy on El Asilo, taking a round 11 victory and a 2-0 lead in this series against a team who many saw as favourites to win the event.

Toronto Ultra were not going down easy, and managed to clutch up in the map three El Asilo Control taking a 3-2 victory and denying Pollodrom of a 3-0 sweep. Scrappy and Standy led the way as usual for Toronto Ultra, putting up 1.39 and 1.33 K/D’s respectively. Toronto Ultra sent us to a game five following a 250-93 Mercado Hardpoint win. Toronto were unstoppable on P1 in this map, and started the game with around an 80-0 lead. Yet again Standy was dominant putting up 21 kills and a 2.10 K/D, while CleanX also put up some numbers as his SMG duo. Toronto Ultra closed out the series with a 6-1 Fortress Search and Destroy to complete the reverse sweep, and stop a shocking result.

OpTic Texas 3-2 Florida Mutineers

OpTic Texas have historically suffered against the Florida Mutineers organisation on LAN, however they began this game with a bang. They took the map one Hotel Hardpoint 250-191 with a big performance from Shotzzy at 29/20. However, OpTic were sloppy and easily broken by Florida, so this was far from a convincing performance from the team. The Florida Mutineers found themselves 5-3 down in this Mercado Search and Destroy map two, however Havok then took over. 7 kills over the next three rounds saw the Mutineers make a comeback and win the map, seeing Havok went 15/7 with a 2.14 K/D.

Another clutch saw the Florida Mutineers take a 2-1 lead in this series through a 3-2 Hotel Control victory. This was a map that saw all five rounds go the way of the offensive team, but it was domination from Havok as he dropped 30 kills with a 1.67 K/D to continue his incredible performance from map two. OpTic replied with another Hardpoint, taking a 250-212 victory on Mercado. Shotzzy was dominant again on the side of OpTic, while Vikul yet again struggled to get things going in Hardpoint for the Mutineers. The Mutineers came close, bringing it all the way to a round 11. However it was OpTic Texas who clutched up to take a 6-5 victory on Embassy Search and Destroy, and win the series 3-2.

LA Thieves 3-2 Las Vegas Legion

Las Vegas Legion kicked this series off with a 250-197 Hydro Hardpoint victory, something that isn't too surprising. However, Prolute’s exceptional performance in Hardpoint was surprising, and him stepping it up might be the thing Las Vegas needs to get some more wins on the board. Las Vegas Legion had a strong lead in the map two Fortress Search and Destroy, however LA Thieves brought it all the way back to a round 11. Here, Las Vegas Legion clutched up, winning 6-5 and taking a 2-0 lead in this series.

LA Thieves regained control of the series with a 3-1 El Asilo Control win. This was crucial for the Thieves as they looked to have lost complete control of the series, and it seemed firmly in the hands of Las Vegas. The LA Thieves took us to a game five through a 250-228 Embassy Hardpoint win. The Thieves were outslayed here, and Las Vegas will be disappointed they could not end the series in map four. LA Thieves completed the reverse sweep with a 6-1 Hotel Search and Destroy victory in game five, with a big performance from Envoy at 11/2.

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Atlanta FaZe 3-2 LAG Academy

LAG Academy have looked dominant so far in Challengers this year, and they began this series with ultimate confidence. Exceed was unbelievable in this 250-214 Embassy Hardpoint victory as he put up 25 kills and earned streaks for his team, while the rookie JoeDeceives also dominated with 27 kills of his own. Atlanta FaZe bounced back with a 6-2 Mercado Search and Destroy victory to tie the series 1-1. Cellium was incredible once again with 8 kills and a 2.66 K/D as he pulled his FaZe teammates through to a victory. Atlanta FaZe then gained the lead in the series after putting on a show in map three Hotel Control, taking a 2-0 sweep. Simp and aBeZy were the dominant forces on this map, putting pressure onto the LAG Academy team and taking all three rounds in a row.

In map four LAG Academy dominated the Hardpoint once again, this time taking a 250-156 victory on Mercado. The game was close until FaZe pushed too far up on p7, and flipped the spawns for themselves allowing LAG Academy to get in and build a large lead which they converted into a victory and series extension to game five. Atlanta FaZe closed out the series with a 6-1 Embassy Search and Destroy to stop a potential loss to the Challengers side of LAG Academy.

Seattle Surge 3-0 London Royal Ravens

The London Royal Ravens had a lead in this map one Embassy Hardpoint, however Seattle Surge made a great comeback and took a 250-228 victory. Asim was frying once again for the London Royal Ravens with 34 kills and a 1.21 K/D, however it wasn't enough to win the map. Seattle Surge extended their lead to 2-0 through a 6-4 El Asilo Search and Destroy victory. This was a close map, however Seattle looked to be in control throughout, and look set to take this series. Seattle Surge were indeed set to take the series as they closed it out on Hotel Control with a 3-1 victory.

Elevate 3-2 Boston Breach

Elevate came out strong in this match taking a 250-206 Fortress Hardpoint win in map one. This was an excellent map from the whole team, with every player going positive. For the side of Boston, it was a slow start that saw them make their way back into the map slowly, but it was a little too late to win the game. Boston Breach replied quickly with a 6-2 Fortress Search and Destroy win, seeing Nero have an incredible game at 10/4 with a 2.50 K/D. This tied the series 1-1 as we head into Control. Boston Breach looked back to their best in the map three Hotel Control as they took a 3-1 victory and a 2-1 lead in the series. Once again, it was Nero absolutely dominating with 27 kills and a 1.68 K/D.

Elevate bounced back in this series with a 250-211 Hydro Hardpoint victory in map four to tie the series and force a game five. They looked great once again in Hardpoint, however following their map 2 loss, this may be a tough series to close out. Elevate clutched up in the final map to take down Boston Breach and produce the first upset of the night, being the first Challengers team to take down the pros.

Toronto Ultra 3-0 OpTic Texas

Toronto Ultra were pushed close by Pollodrom in their opening matchup, while OpTic also went the distance with the Florida Mutineers. Toronto Ultra completely dominated this first map on Mercado, winning 250-146 with a monster game from Standy with 24 kills and a 1.85 K/D. Toronto Ultra extended their lead to 2-0 following a 6-3 Mercado Search and Destroy victory. Scrappy led the Ultra team as usual, dropping 13 massive kills and a 2.17 K/D. Toronto Ultra ended this series in a flash with a 3-0 on Hotel Control to 3-0 sweep the series. Yet again this was an incredible map from Scrappy, putting up 26 kills and a 2.16 K/D.

Los Angeles Guerrillas 3-0 Decimate Gaming

The Los Angeles Guerrillas were defeated 3-0 in their earlier match against the New York Subliners, while Decimate Gaming were also on the end of a 3-0 to Minnesota ROKKR. The first map in this series was extremely close, however it was LAG who came out on top with a 250-233 victory. The Los Angeles Guerrillas took a 2-0 lead in this series following a 6-1 El Asilo Search and Destroy win that was closed out by a 1v3 from Spart. Arcitys also had a big game here, putting up 9 kills and a 3.00 K/D. The Los Angeles Guerrillas went on to close out the series in a quick 3-0 following a round five clutch on Fortress Control to send Decimate Gaming home from the Major. 

New York Subliners 3-0 Minnesota ROKKR

The New York Subliners came into this game hot following a 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles Guerrillas. They took a 250-166 Fortress Hardpoint win to kick off the series with massive games from Priestahh, Kismet and Skyz who all dominated the map and put up some big kills and high K/D’s. NYSL then went on to defeat Minnesota ROKKR 6-2 on Embassy Search and Destroy to extend their lead in the series to 2-0. Again, it was the trip of Priestahh, Kismet and Skyz dominating the map for this win. Minnesota ROKKR appeared to be in the best position possible to close out the Control 3-2 and tie the series. However, New York clutched up and dominated the latter half of the final round, seeing Priestahh put up 35 kills in map three as NYSL 3-0’d ROKKR and qualified for bracket play.

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Florida Mutineers 3-1 Pollodrom

Pollodrom came out with fire in the first map of this series taking an unbelievable lead, and while the Mutineers gave the comeback a go, Pollodrom ended the map 250-221 for a map one victory. Super was incredible in this map one Embassy Hardpoint, putting up 28 kills and a 1.75 K/D. The Florida Mutineers tied the series 1-1 following a 6-4 victory on El Asilo Search and Destroy. After being 4-1 down, the Mutineers strung together 4 rounds in a row to make a comeback and level the series. Florida then went on to take the lead in the series through a solid Hotel Control 3-1 victory. The Florida Mutineers closed out the series 3-1 following a 250-184 Fortress Hardpoint victory in game four. Brack had a massive game here, going 32/16 dropping a 2.00 K/D.

LAG Academy 3-2 London Royal Ravens

The London Royal Ravens were 3-0’d in their first match today, but they came into this map one Hydro Hardpoint with confidence and took a 250-192 victory. Nastie was on his game once again, topping the leaderboard for London with a 1.42 K/D as they took a 1-0 lead in the series. LAG Academy came back strong in the Search and Destroy on Fortress, taking an extremely strong 6-1 victory with DiamondCon leading the line in kills as he put up 9.  LAG Academy then dominated the Control on El Asilo with a 3-0 sweep to take a 2-1 lead in the series. 

This series went the distance however with the London Royal Ravens taking map four Hotel Hardpoint 250-208, Zero and PaulEhx both dropped 24 kills and put up massive K/D’s to help the Ravens send this series to a game five. The final map of this series was a repeat of the second, seeing LAG Academy take a 6-1 victory, this time on El Asilo. Assault finished the map going 6/1, while JoeDeceives topped the leaderboard in kills as LAG Academy sent the London Royal Ravens home.

Las Vegas Legion 3-2 Boston Breach

Boston Breach announced shortly before this game that Owakening was feeling unwell, so substitute Beans joined the squad for this match. Beans was unbelievable, almost looking like a walking 3-piece at times. However, it was Nero who dominated the Hotel Hardpoint, putting up a massive 34 kills and a 2.62 K/D. Following a strong Hardpoint, Boston Breach fell apart in the Fortress Search and Destroy as Las Vegas Legion dominated with a 6-1 victory, seeing Temp top the leaderboard with 10 kills and a 3.33 K/D. Las Vegas Legion then took the lead in this series following a 3-1 Control victory on Hotel. Boston Breach forced a game five with a 250-211 victory on Hydro Hardpoint, with Beans getting some crucial kills again as he did in the first map. Las Vegas Legion dominated the final map of Hotel Search and Destroy picking up a clean 6-0 sweep. Prolute finished the map 11/2 including a first round ace, as Las Vegas send Boston Breach out of Major 1.

LA Thieves 3-1 Elevate

Elevate appear to be the best Challengers team in Major 1 so far, however they came just short in map one. LA Thieves clutched up at the end to take Hotel Hardpoint 250-232, but this was an extremely even match and Elevate have a great chance at taking it the distance. Elevate came back in map two with a 6-3 El Asilo Search and Destroy win to tie the series. Vortex and Denza were dominant with the Vaznev’s, while Harry put up 10 kills and a 2.00 K/D as Elevate levelled the series. 

Elevate had a 2-0 lead in the Hotel Control and they looked to be playing excellently. However, LA Thieves came with a vengeance in the final three rounds, winning them all and taking the map 3-2. Envoy was dominant for the Thieves, going 34/23 in the map, however Elevate will be disappointed they could not close out this map three. LA Thieves closed out the series 3-1 with a 250-236 Hydro Hardpoint victory. Elevate gave it everything they had, and this was a back and forth map that was decided by just two breaks from LA Thieves that gave them the extra points they needed to win this map and the series.

Atlanta FaZe 3-0 Seattle Surge

Atlanta FaZe clutched up when needed against LAG Academy to advance to a qualification match against Seattle Surge, and they clutched up in this map one too. FaZe took a 250-240 Embassy Hardpoint win to kick off the series and take a 1-0 lead, with some great holds to earn crucial points towards the victory. Atlanta FaZe extended their lead to 2-0 following a 6-3 Search and Destroy victory on Hotel. Atlanta FaZe closed out the series with a simple and easy 3-1 Hotel Control victory. Seattle Surge seemed to start every single map well, but just couldn’t close it out, and FaZe took advantage to end the series in a 3-0 sweep.

Avatar of Charlie Cater
Charlie Cater
Charlie "MiniTates" Cater has been an esports writer since May 2020, specialising in Call of Duty. He is also a University Student studying esports.