CoD News: 100 Thieves Claim the Trophy at CWL London
| Tags: Call of Duty
| Author Phillip Miner
100 Thieves leave London with the CWL London trophy.
CWL London is officially over, and 100 Thieves have claimed its trophy! The team, led by former OpTic Gaming player Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, defeated EUnited in the Grand Finals to take the win. Earlier that day, 100 Thieves beat OpTic Gaming in the Winners Final, and OpTic Gaming was subsequently defeated by EUnited. With 100 Thieves getting the victory at CWL London, EUnited placed second, with OpTic Gaming claiming the third spot.
Of course, 100 Thieves' victory isn't the only thing of note that happened at CWL London. It was an eventful weekend, full of both highs and heartbreak. We’ll cover some of the highlights below.
FaZe Clan Robbed of a Win by a Controversial Call
CWL London’s worst moment by far was the highly divisive call the referees made in Luminosity Gaming’s favor during Round 2 of the Losers Bracket run. This happened in Game 3 (Control) where Josiah “Slacked” Berry killed the two remaining players of FaZe Clan in the final round immediately after FaZe Clan captured the remaining control point. The game itself decided that the victory would go in Luminosity Gaming’s favor. This narrowest of margins is what proved to be so controversial, especially since the referees eventually ruled in LG’s favor after about 15 minutes of debate among them. With LG winning the Control map, they eventually win the series itself 3-2. LG would go on to claim a Top 8 finish.
This writer can understand why this call was so controversial. Competitive Call of Duty has almost always been about completing objectives to get the victory, rather than raw kills. Kills do help in that regard, and they should, but for a victory to be decided by kills alone, rather than completion of objectives, sets a bad precedent. FaZe Clan’s players were understandably outraged by the situation, taking to Twitter to express it. The crowd wasn't a big fan of the referees’ decision on the matter either, as boos could be heard as the decision was handed down.
The Crowd Goes Wild
Even watching at home from the Twitch streams, one could tell the atmosphere was positively electric at CWL London, and the audience itself proved to be a highlight! It was easily one of the loudest, most passionate audiences at a CWL event ever. One of the CWL casters noted that on Saturday the venue ran out of beer. And on top of that, a popular chant that occurred at CWL Birmingham last year during the WWII season – “Shut Up Maven” – made a comeback.
Other Highlights
One major announcement to come out of CWL London is the timing of the second-to-last event in the current CWL season. The next major event will take place in Miami, and the dates are set for July 19-21. CWL Miami will feature the Pro League Playoffs, as well as the Amateur Finals, which will determine the 16 amateur teams eligible to compete at the official CWL championship event. Of course we’ll be around to cover the event, and you can catch the action right here on ESTNN.
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.