The Call Of Duty League Kickoff Classic 2022 Day 1 takeaways — Snipers, smackdowns, and surprises

The Call Of Duty League is back! 2022 has hit us in full force, but some pro eSports is here to give us hours of enjoyment and escape. We’ve dropped in on the Kickoff Classic in person, and while we’ve got a few videos on what’s happened, we also put together some takeaways from day one. Check them all out below!

Florida Mutineers vs Los Angeles Guerrillas

• Everyone was worried about Owakening on the submachine gun, but we apparently forgot about how good he was in Modern Warfare. The guy ran off with a +34 and 1.43 KD, absolutely shredding the competition.
• Another barometer for this teams success is going to be Skyz, who had a great Vanguard debut. He dropped a 1.2, but even bigger was his propensity for seemingly always making big plays, constantly grabbing double kills.
• Speaking of making big plays, newcomer Vivid was always playing the flank, and his decisions were the difference in several close moments. As for Davpadie, he held his own and showed plenty of potential, and that’s all you can ask for from a rookie. Also, that pistol shot on Slasher on Bocage was sick.
• On to LAG, they lost a close one and then fell apart in search and destroy. I don’t know if this group is playing together yet, especially when your SMGs are getting obliterated. Asim and Huke combined for a .85 KD and were down 31 kills, not the day you want to see.
• In the Control that the Guerillas managed to win, you could see some of the potential. Asim was living in their back, and dropped 40 kills. This team is going to live and die by their ability to work as a tean, and if they don’t put that together quickly I don’t know if they’ll be able to catch up.

Seattle Surge vs London Royal Ravens

• This is a tale of two teams, one with a mix of experience and the other still learning the ropes. Seattle could surprise, with the right blend of veterans in Accuracy and Mack, and rookie talent in Sib and Pred.
• Sib in particular looked like a player that’s bound to pop off this year. His time as a Faze substitute may have given him a new view on the game, and I’m sure he’s excited to have this opportunity. Also, was great to see him on the sniper rifle.
• For London, they definitely have to take a look at Control. They got 3-0ed on Tuscan, and only occasionally looked in… well, control. Time to take a trip back to the drawing board.
• Even if they didn’t play as cleanly, Afro looked great yet again. There’s a reason London kept him, he’s the superstar to build around. We all thought he might clutch that 1v3 on that Control round.
• Zero might have lived up to his name a little too much. Hopefully he can get things figured out, but there seemed to be plenty of rust on LAN, with a .79 KD.

New York Subliners vs Boston Breach

• New York looked nasty on that Bocage Hardpoint. The first two matches were very close, and this one at least started to look that way through the first 3 points. But the steady hands of CrimSix and Clayster took over, with Crim leading the lobby at 38 kills. There was a moment where he pinned Boston in spawn from the tank side, and it was ugly.
• Speaking of nasty, Hydra is still a game changer. If Crim and Clay can keep pouring their experience into him, he’ll be the next Simp, aBeZy, or Shotzzy. His multi kills on Gavutu Control flipped the momentum.
• The finish was an absolute domination in a 6-1 Search and Destroy. It may have been disappointing for the crowd, but New York has to feel good about that thrashing. They never seemed to be in danger during this one, so maybe Berlin will be their place to play on S&D.
• Boston proved the “scrimmtel” right. They are going to be a tough out every week. After getting blown out of Bocage they kept their composure, winning a close Tuscan S&D and flexing their slaying power in a Berlin Hardpoint.
• Going back to that Hardpoint, Capsidal wrecked New York there with an 8 spree for the ages as part of his 37/27, +10, and 1.37 KD. If you were wondering why he got picked up, that kind of potential is the answer.

Los Angeles Thieves vs Paris Legion

• Thieves decided to give us a scare, but after a rough beginning to the Gavutu Hardpoint they shook the rust off and decided to choose violence in the 6-1 Search and Destroy that didn’t even look close. After dropping a contested Gavutu Control, the LA Thieves left the stage with a 3-1 victory.
• Snipers baby! Octane looked ridiculous in his opening round S&D shot, perfectly reading his opponent. Not to be outdone, Kenny was frying with the Automaton, getting fully streaked out with a 11/2 KD. When they’re clicking, LAT can be dangerous.
• The thing that could be scary for LAT is watching them get worked on rotations. It felt like Paris was consistently beating them to the punch. You can’t do that versus better teams, and relying on breaking the hills is a formula that won’t always go in your favor.
• Sadly, Paris just wasn’t up to the task, but they certainly fought hard. Gavutu may be their best map, and they showed a lot of heart in the 3-2 win on Control. Maybe there’s life in this squad yet.
• The worst thing is that in the opening Hardpoint Paris played so well! They were all positive besides John’s 22/22, and outslayed the Thieves by 13 kills. This is just a reminder that slaying isn’t everything, it’s rotations and teamwork, and the 36 point defeat after they were up by as much as a hill (60 points) is an example of that.

BONUS! Hot takeaways from the first day of Vanguard on LAN

• • This is actually a lot more fun of a game to watch than we may have originally thought. The pace is somehow even more frantic than previous, more similar to 5v5 Modern Warfare. We literally started with a 45 bomb from Skyz on Bocage, it’s just insane.
  • Please leave snipers in. I didn’t see any reason watching these matches that our favorite one hit killers shouldn’t stick around. They add an element that was definitely missing in Cold War, and an excitement to the crowd. Clay’s 1v2 clutch alone is proof.
  • Control, even though it has flaws, is actually pretty fun to watch in this game. The biggest issue is only 2 maps, and hopefully the arrival of season two will fix that in a few weeks. Yeah, the spawns still need a lot of work, but it’s not the crapfest many expected.

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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