The Call Of Duty League Kickoff Classic 2022 Day 2 takeaways — Well there goes the bracket

After a crazy start to the league year, the party isn’t over. Although your hopes at a clean bracket may be. We started off with some great news yesterday, with Adam Apicella and Esports Engine being involved this year. It’s a welcome sight, and if this Kickoff Classic is just the start, I can’t wait to see what’s next. For now, let’s just talk about what happened in each match, and we’ll see you again for the final day tomorrow!

Atlanta Faze vs Seattle Surge

• Atlanta Faze certainly doesn’t have any rust to shake off, blowing open the Bocage Hardpoint 250-150. Cellium especially was showing off in a ridiculous manner, using both the Automaton and the MP40 to the tune of 36/23. When the whole team is +20 you’re going to win most maps.
• They were the best Control team, but Atlanta got absolutely trashed on Gavutu. You never want to lose, but man, this was a whopping. They were constantly on their heels, and were a massive -24 kills as a team. You can’t let the other team push you around, and that’s exactly what we saw.
• Looks like Seattle has Faze’s number on this stage. This is the second time Faze has been ousted by Seattle in Arlington. Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed like they relied on breaking hills and outgunning the competition, and that doesn’t work against good teams (see Thieves yesterday). That being said, Atlanta also lost to Florida in the Kickoff last year and went on to trash the league. Best to keep our expectations in check.

• They did it AGAIN. This was tough to watch as a Faze fan, but hats off to Surge. Clearly the hungrier team.
• Seattle is going to be really good by the end of the season. They are playing like a team is supposed to, playing off of each other perfectly. There aren’t a bunch of stats to give you to prove it, but they’re passing the eye test, and that’s what you’re looking for.
• Pred is special. He ran the SMG on Gavutu, and he was constantly a nuisance to Faze, going 31/19. It reminded me of Bance running around and being a thorn in Atlanta’s side during the second Major. Sure, this is a preseason event, but that only means Pred is going to get better.

Toronto Ultra vs Florida Mutineers

• Toronto is still nasty, and they were out to show the media up for forgetting it. Ultra had nearly 70 points on the board during the Gavutu Hardpoint before Florida even got on the board, and that’s scary for the rest of the league. There may not be a squad that plays as much as a unit as Ultra.
• Even then, that Berlin Search and Destroy did not look good. They were always on the back foot, and the SMGs only accounted for 5 kills in eight rounds. Yikes.
• Turns out the second best team at Control last year still looks pretty good at it. Toronto was in final form, 3-0ing Florida on Tuscan behind CleanX’s 33 kills. I don’t know how they do it, but they always seem to be at least four lives ahead.

• Florida played a disgusting game of S&D on Berlin, and that’s with Toronto being a strong Search team. Skyz was devastating, and even after cutting his finger before the last round he finished up 11/5.
• Speaking of Skyz, it truly feels like as he goes, so goes the Mutineers. The Gavutu Hardpoint might have been closer if Skyz hadn’t gone 15/26.
• If Florida want to take a moral victory from anywhere, they were much more competitive this weekend than expected. They beat LAG 3-1, and even though Toronto somewhat dismantled them they at least seemed competent. This team will probably take a moment to gel, and even though they probably aren’t going to be top 4 at any point in the year, they aren’t in the cellar.

Minnesota Rokkr vs New York Subliners

• I’ll say it again, OUTSLAYING THE OTHER TEAM DOESN’T WIN YOU THE MATCH. Minnesota went off, every player was over 32 kills, and they still dropped the first map. Certainly, sometimes you’re just in the right place at the right time, New York broke the hill and kept them off for a 250-242 win. But the right kills are more important than the most kills. This isn’t Team Deathmatch.
• Majormaniak is looking really good this year. Even though the team may have dropped some important one on ones (and not getting on the point!), he consistently was winning gunfights to at least put them in position to win.
• Minnesota is a good team, but I’m not sure anything today told us they’ll make a run as good as they did at Major V in this same stadium. The Hardpoint and Control were close, but in the Control it seemed like we watched Rokkr get turned around over and over.

• We keep talking about Hydra as the potential superstar on this team, but grabbing up Neptune may have been the most underrated move of the off-season. He had an uneven freshman year, but he’s starting off really well in this preseason match, including a 10-5 Desert Siege S&D with an ace. Hydra may be the one to watch, but don’t sleep on Neptune.
• That’s not to take anything away from Hydra, because he was absolutely frying. He went 34/20 in Control and finished +11 with a 1.17 KD. The sophomore sensation is only getting better, and the league better watch out.
• New York always felt like a team that had everything go wrong for them last year, and punched above their weight due to the experience and leadership of Clayster. With CrimSix and Neptune in the fold, the sky is the limit.

Optic Texas vs Los Angeles Thieves

• So, Optic? Is it not being a team for very long? Is it the same issues of the past with tons of talent but not focusing it? Whatever it may be, they’ve got to figure it out quickly to avoid the same pitfalls.
• Even though they went down 0-2 really quickly, the Control looked exactly like what we’ve seen from them. Even switching the team up, they had their knees on LAT’s necks from the get go.
• How mixy was that last Hardpoint?! It kept going back and forth, with Optic grabbing hold and then Thieves pulling back. It looked like LAT may blow it for a minute, but with some key kills they broke the third P1 and set up perfectly.

• The LA Thieves aren’t anyone’s underdogs. They came out hot, beating Optic down in a hard-fought Gavutu Hardpoint and smoking them in the Search, although Optic didn’t make it easy.
• Octane made Optic Texas pay over and over again. First with the snipes on Desert Siege, and then with some ridiculous plays on the Tuscan Hardpoint. If not for him going off and getting full streaks along with his stellar play at fountain, they don’t win that one.
• Although they’ve got to work on Control, LAT looks like they’re starting to gel. I was worried about them after Paris played them so closely, but a big win versus Optic has them trending upwards.

Stay tuned to Gaming Trend for our takeaways as the event 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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