CWL Pro League Recap: Week 2, Day 2
| Tags: Call of Duty
| Author Phillip Miner
Day 2 of Week 2 is in the bag, and Division A of the Pro League continues to deliver us surprises. Today, Team Reciprocity handed Midnight their first Pro League series loss, revealing a potential calm in the Purple Storm. Following that, Gen.G Esports claimed the top spot in the League by continuing their undefeated streak against UYU. Third, OpTic Gaming scores a victory against Red Reserve, although a crack in the Green Wall is evident through their Control game. Lastly, Luminosity Gaming finally gets on the board in the Pro League, with the casualty being Evil Geniuses.
Match 1: Team Reciprocity vs. Midnight
The Purple Storm that is Midnight is slowing down, either that or Reciprocity has found its eye. Whichever it is, Reciprocity achieved an extremely hard-fought victory over a team that once looked unstoppable. Midnight was their usual self during the Hardpoint games, where they swept the floor with Reciprocity. In Game 1, Midnight shut down Reciprocity 250-184, while in Game 4, Midnight claimed an even more convincing win with a score of 250-144. But Reciprocity knew better than just to lay down and die.
Two nail-biting Search & Destroy games saw Reciprocity edge out victories over Midnight after much perseverance and determination. Both Game 2 and Game 5 went the distance, and Reciprocity won both Search & Destroy games 6-5. The ultimate difference maker was Game 3 Control, where after a couple of decisive round wins by Midnight, Reciprocity decided to play smart. A split push by Reciprocity in Round 5 of Control caught Midnight entirely off guard, and that gave Reciprocity just enough edge to eke out the win. Reciprocity won the series 3-2.
Match 2: Gen.G Esports vs. UYU
Gen.G Esports looked as strong as ever during their match against UYU, and the match itself offered few surprises. Gen.G fell into their usual pattern in Game 1 Hardpoint, which they lost to UYU 250-208. However, Gen.G reached their final form after their first game loss and went on a tear through UYU the rest of the series. Game 2 Search & Destroy was no contest, as Gen.G wiped UYU off the map with a 6-0 shutout. Game 3 Control was a bit closer and saw Gen.G sweat a little bit as they struggled with Control mode difficulties, but they still came out on top 3-2. Finally, Game 4 Hardpoint predictably went Gen.G’s way as they put down any hopes of a UYU comeback with a score of 250-213.
Match 3: OpTic Gaming vs. Red Reserve
Red Reserve has been a thorn in OpTic Gaming’s side for some time, notably during the WWII season. With this game, however, it appears OpTic Gaming has pulled that thorn out. OpTic won Game 1 Hardpoint definitively, as their skill in that game mode became evident with a 250-186 win. OpTic showed signs of a struggle in Game 2 Search & Destroy, but Red Reserve was unable to capitalize on those struggles. OG won Game 2 with a score of 6-4, thanks to some excellent reaction slaying by Thomas “TJHaly” Haly that got him a four-piece.
OpTic’s true game mode struggles are in Control, and Red Reserve knew this. Red Reserve capitalized on OpTic’s weaknesses in Control to win the round 3-1. OpTic Gaming responded in kind in Game 4 Hardpoint, though as Damon “Karma” Barlow slew his way to his team’s victory at the end of that round. He proved to be the difference maker as OpTic Gaming won Game 4 Hardpoint by a narrow 250-248.
Match 4: Luminosity Gaming vs. Evil Geniuses
Both teams were winless coming into this match, but only one team could come out with their first series victory. It was as close as you’d expect, with the strengths and weaknesses of both teams becoming clear. However, the match was at the very least incredibly entertaining, as it went the distance to a Game 5. Evil Geniuses proved they were the stronger Hardpoint team in Games 1 and 4, as they won both. They won Game 1 with a score of 250-233, but then put Luminosity in the 100-point club during Game 4, winning 250-99. Meanwhile, Luminosity answered back with their strong suits, the Search & Destroy rounds. Luminosity won Game 2 Search & Destroy by a significant margin of 6-3, and subsequently a slightly closer Game 5 with a score of 6-4.
The difference maker that saw one team sent packing tonight was Game 3 Control. This game was as neck-and-neck as Control could get. Ultimately, the teams were so even it came down to a one-on-one gunfight between Jevon “Goonjar” Gooljar-Lim and Nicholas “Classic” DiCostanzo with less than two seconds on the play clock. Ultimately, Classic prevailed by being the smarter player – Goonjar had a trophy system which he failed to use, as Classic stunned him with a concussion grenade. This earned Luminosity the game win with 3-2, and ultimately their first series win.
Check back tomorrow night for more CWL Pro League action. The mayhem will continue as Reciprocity faces UYU, Evil Geniuses take on Red Reserve, Luminosity confronts Midnight, and OpTic clash with Gen.G. You can watch on twitch.tv/callofduty or 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.