Call Of Duty League 2022 Major I/Day 1 preview — It’s Optic Texas’ house

It’s hard to believe we’ve already made it to March 2022, but even more so that we’re already to the first Major. It seems like just yesterday we were kicking off the season at Esports Stadium Arlington, and I certainly wish I was there live like I was then to cover this one. No fear! I will continue to keep you informed, and our first preview of the upcoming matches is below.

London Royal Ravens vs Los Angeles Guerrillas, March 3rd at 3pm EST

• It’s really all about Asim continuing the pace he’s been on. The guy is frying, and he went an incredible 83/63, +20 kills for a 1.32 KD. He’s the emotional leader of this group, and if he can go off they’re in every map.
• Asim is important, but we’d really like to see the guy next to him pick it up. Huke is arguably the bigger name of the two, but he hasn’t had the bigger performances as of late. A big game from him here could send this group to the next game in winners.
• Slasher and Gunless don’t necessarily have to drop +10-20 kills a piece, but they need to make timely plays that impact the map. If they can dictate map control on the longer range maps and let Huke and Asim go nuts, they’ll pull off an upset for a second time.

Lock it in like never before.

Major I is almost here.#LightsOut #CDL2022 pic.twitter.com/VuTZeJCwqF

— Los Angeles Guerrillas (@LAGuerrillas) March 1, 2022

• Can Afro go off like he did last week? Versus Seattle he was on fire, dropping a 1.22 KD and +15 kills. His impact was more than just KD though; he blew up the first point of the Gavutu Hardpoint, controlling it with a 7 spree and earning streaks. It was a great end to a dominant performance, and they’ll need it if they want to get past the Guerrillas.
• Maybe go ahead and veto Berlin. They got smacked by Seattle on it in Search and Destroy, and their only loss of the season was to the Guerrillas with two Berlins involved.
• Get Zero going early. He wasn’t good versus the Guerrillas, with -17 kills through four maps. He was +10 versus Seattle, and if he can play his role the rest of this group will be able to succeed.

Boston Breach vs Atlanta Faze, March 3rd at 4:30pm EST

• And here we have a second rematch. For Boston to stay in this one, we need to see the Nero we saw versus Optic, albeit with a stronger supporting cast. Nero had a 1.14 KD versus Optic, he was shut down versus Faze with only a .79 KD.
• While I could still see Boston taking an or both S&D’s, they really need to grab the Control. The more you prolong this series the better it gets for you, and going up 2-1 on Faze puts the pressure on them.
• TJHaLy and Methodz both need to really step up at this one as well. Both have had their good and bad days, and they need to combine the good ones in order for Boston to compete.

• Atlanta just needs to keep playing their game and getting more comfortable with the game. They cruised through the last four matches, and that wasn’t even playing their best COD. If they can get locked in and beat up the Breach, it’ll be curtains for the competition.
• This means getting Simp started early. He didn’t look good on LAN, with a .82 KD, -16 kills, and nearly 500 damage under his lowest teammate. At least it’s not an up and coming team like Seattle, but it’s better to get this man rolling right away.
• If you can take Berlin out of the rotation, do it, and pick Desert Siege if it’s available. Cellium looks like a demon on Desert Siege, with the ability to shut down the entire B side of the map. Meanwhile, Boston looked really good on Berlin. Play the law of averages.

Toronto Ultra vs Los Angeles Thieves, March 3rd at 6pm EST

• And ANOTHER rematch, which, crazy enough, is the third time this year. Toronto eked out the Tuscan Hardpoint back at the Kickoff Classic to send it to a Bocage S&D that wasn’t close. If you can play on Bocage at all, go there, as it’s been your strongest map versus LAT.
• Hope that Cammy is back to MVP level form. Even if his stats have been alright, Cammy just hasn’t seemed as electric as he has previously. A lot of that is probably due to having COVID, which is certainly no joke to deal with even when you’re clear. Maybe that lead to the slump, but it’s imperative to get Ultra Cammy back.
• Like Faze, Toronto need to keep playing their game. Even though they ended on a two loss streak, this team is much better than people think. I highly doubt they all of the sudden fell off the map, and they’ll be looking to burn someone to the ground to prove it.

• Do exactly what you did a few weeks ago. What’s off is LAT didn’t finish positive as a team, -3 kills on the board. They just played like a team, and it worked. When you do that, you can out-Ultra the Ultra.
• If Envoy can keep making great plays and follow that up with a few more kills to get him in the positive, look out. He’s been losing more gunfights than you’d think he should, but he’s rarely out of position. His map control makes the Thieves dangerous, and if he can stay alive a bit longer they’ll be hard to beat.
• Veto Bocage everywhere. You looked really bad on it versus Toronto, it has to go. Play them anywhere other than Bocage.

Seattle Surge vs Optic Texas, March 3rd at 7:30pm EST

• It’s Optic home Major, but don’t let the nerves set in. You [Seattle] were on this stage just over a month ago and went all the way to the Grand Finals, while they went home in their first match. You belong here, it’s time to rebound and punch them in the throat.
• By punch them in the throat, I mean following the London blueprint. Optic pulled out two really close ones that could have gone either way in the opening two maps, then got reverse swept. London and Seattle are very similarly built teams, and I could see the Surge replicating some of what London did.
• Sib and Pred need to go wild for this one to work. Pred needs to match Shotzzy pound for pound and bullet for bullet, harassing him into mistakes. Sib needs to make Illey’s life a living hell. Do that, you send Optic to losers and stay alive in double elimination.

“My role so far has been to mold this unreal talent on the roster” – @AccuracyLA

Read about how @SeattleSurge aims to become a legitimate contender in #CDL2022 ???? https://t.co/LbXgOKGQCM pic.twitter.com/D6yrNbSfQd

— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) March 1, 2022

• On the flip side, Optic needs to embrace home field advantage. It’s your house, and no one is allowed to beat you in it. Play with confidence and you’ll pull through.
• If you’re Optic you’ve got to play with confidence, but don’t let that turn into ego. Too often we’ve seen them lose a match they seemed like they should have won, and at least some of the blame came from not taking the team across from them seriously enough. Pure gunskill only goes so far, you have to play smart and like a unit.
• Let Shotzzy wreak havoc, and Scump make signature plays. Shotzzy feels like the player you want off the leash, let him roam. Scump on the other hand seems better in controlled situations and called plays, let him do it by the book.

Stay tuned to Gaming Trend for our takeaways as Major I continues, 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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