Call Of Duty League Major 1/Week 1/Day 1: What we think going in

It’s finally here! After an entertaining showing at the Kickoff Classic LAN event, the Call Of Duty League season officially starts February 4th. Sure, these are online, but the promise of some great Call Of Duty being played, along with points on the line, makes this some must watch eSports. This first day features three matchups, so lets ask some questions going into the openers.

London Royal Ravens vs the Florida Mutineers – Feb 4th, 3pm EST

-The Royal Ravens showed us they have a ways to go in their first outing at the Kickoff. It was at least competitive through the first two maps, but the 3-0 Control wasn’t even close.

-That being said, they were playing one of the hottest new teams in the league in Seattle Surge. Maybe versus someone in the bottom half of the league we might see more of the potential we saw Seattle display. One things for sure, Afro is going to be the reason they flourish, but if the rest of the team can make some jumps they’ll be on a more even playing field.

-The one player in particular who needs to step up is Zero. I feel for him, especially seeing on Twitter he’s had a lot going on. Hopefully that’s all behind him now, and he can really step into that leadership role everyone expects.

-For the Florida Mutineers, they surprised the Los Angeles Guerrillas, only to get beat down by the eventual champs, Toronto Ultra. I’d like to see them really lean into what we saw in the former match, letting Owakening slay out, Vivid make the rotations and flanks, Skyz be a menace, and Davpadie play the anchor AR role.

-Speaking of Skyz, I’ll keep saying it until I’m blue in the face, where he goes, the rest of the team follows. Versus LAG he was +16 kills for a 1.2 KD. Versus Toronto however, -6 kills for a .92. It may not seem like a huge difference, but it always feels like we see Florida tied up in how Skyz plays. Let the man go freaky on the map!

Boston Breach vs Los Angeles Guerrillas – Feb 4th, 4:30pm EST

-This certainly feels like a tale of two teams with opposite trajectories. Let’s start with Boston. They came in with something to prove, and even though they dropped out early versus the New York Subliners I think they accomplished that. They fought tooth and nail, nearly taking the all so important Control before tying everything 2-2 in a crazy Berlin Hardpoint. Sure, the final act in Search and Destroy was kind of disappointing, but this team seems primed to keep getting better.

-The other thing going for Boston, their brand is popping. I saw plenty of people repping the squad at the Kickoff event, and they were close to second in crowd interaction, support, and excitement only to Optic Texas. They’re already fan favorites, and they’ve only been in the league for a month.

-For the Los Angeles Guerrillas, this Kickoff event was a disaster. You got slapped around by a team many looked at as a gatekeeper AT BEST. Maybe you can take positives from a mixy Bocage (but they’re always going to be mixy), or the Control win, but they got played, plain and simple.

-My best guess here is that the team is still gelling. Asim went 0-7 in Search and Destroy, and every one of them was negative to the tune of -46 kills. That’s just not going to cut it, especially versus good teams.

-The first thing that needs to get figured out is the SMG line. Asim and Huke weren’t good at all, leading you to believe it was as much about the chemistry as the lost gunfights. I’m wondering if both of them aren’t a bit mismatched; I’ve looked at both as handling the entry/flank role. We all know the Huke likes to go rogue a bit, and Asim had a penchant for that as well. If it doesn’t get sorted out, someone will get replaced relatively quickly.

New York Subliners vs the Seattle Surge – Feb 4th, 6pm EST

-This one is by far in my opinion the best match of the day. Not only is it two great teams, but this is a rematch from the semi-finals of the Kickoff. Both teams fought hard that day, but Seattle prevailed 3-1.

-As much as you love the savvy play of New York, they’ve got to get their slaying together. Besides Hydra’s -2, the team got whooped to the tune of -57 kills. That just doesn’t fly, and it’s a wonder they didn’t get 3-0ed (a mixy Gavutu with some timely kills pushed this one into the Subliners favor).

-New York was the last team Seattle 3-0ed in Control, proving they’ve got to figure that mode out. Yeah, they 3-0ed the Minnesota Rokkr the day before on Tuscan, but it took Hydra dropping a ridiculous +14 kills. Clayster, CrimSix, and Neptune have to step up if they’re going to compete this year.

-What is there to say really about the Seattle Surge? They came in, dominated three straight matches, and lost to one of the best teams in the league in the Ultra. Seattle has the it factor, a veteran leader, a castoff with something to prove, and two rookies with superstar potential. Say it’s a fluke all you want, Seattle have a great formula for success.

-Just because they played so well at the Kickoff though doesn’t mean they’re done. There weren’t any points on the line, so doing what you did doesn’t give you a leg up on anyone. If anything, teams have tape on you, and Toronto at least showed how to attack you. If the Surge want to keep doing what they did, they’ve got to be ready to adjust, because there’s a target on their back now.

Stay tuned to Gaming Trend for our takeaways as this week’s matches takes place, and we’ll do our best to bring you content here and on our YouTube channel! You can follow the league both live and after hours on the official Call Of Duty League YouTube channel right here. If you want to jump into the game, check out CallOfDuty.com, and if you want to know more about it first, check out our review right here.

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