Call Of Duty League Stage1/Week 1/Day 3 preview — What we think going in

While yesterday was certainly filled with some incredible matches, don’t think today is a slouch. We’re getting to see the Minnesota Rokkr and LA Thieves in action for the first time this season, and against two of the toughest opponents they could have to start in Optic Texas and Atlanta Faze. Could these go the distance, mimicking what we saw yesterday? We can certainly hope so, but until then let’s talk about what to expect.

Paris Legion vs Florida Mutineers, Feb 6th at 3pm EST

• Paris has looked way better in their two losses than Florida has, and that’s even with Florida winning their opening Kickoff match. Maybe it’s because we expected way less out of Paris, but they’ve got a real shot to come away with this match. If they can make it happen, they need to play on Gavutu at all costs, as some of their best play has happened there.
• Can Temp and John do it again? They looked nearly unstoppable versus Faze, and if they want to replicate those results and hopefully pull of the win, we’re going to need to see Temp playing those headys and John pushing the flanks.
• If they want to win versus Florida, they’re going to have to play better in Search and Destroy. They have yet to win in the mode at all, with a 5-18 round count including the Kickoff. This is the mode a lot of people thought would be their bread and butter, but they’re struggling in it.

These dms are getting outta hand pic.twitter.com/gXnwQ6iPzt

— Florida Mutineers (@Mutineers) February 5, 2022

• There’s no other way to say it, the Mutineers have just looked flat. It feels like that win over the Guerrillas at the Kickoff was ages ago, because we haven’t seen that Florida since. If they’re going to win a match at all this stage, Paris may represent their best shot.
• Skyz may be the most important guy on the map, but the whole team has got to play better and together. The combined stat line of 141/200 for a .71 KD isn’t scaring anyone.
• Vivid was absolutely stinky yesterday, and he’s got to start integrating into this team. One would think his spot would be safe from Yeez (the SMG substitute), but keep putting up .60s and your seat may start getting hot.

Atlanta Faze vs Los Angeles Thieves, Feb 6th at 4:30pm EST

• Have they got their heads on straight now? After dropping two more “Faze-ish” maps to grab the win, a 250-174 Tuscan Hardpoint and a 6-1 Berlin, we could at least see shades of last year’s dominate team. But this isn’t Paris, and early struggles could see LAT grabbing a quick 3-0 if Atlanta doesn’t get the start they’re looking for.
• It seems like maps such as Gavutu suck the life out of Faze, forcing them away from their speed. As silly as this sounds, they’re almost playing too much team ball, sticking to their lanes and moving up together, and those maps require a bit more rogue play. There’s a reason John and Pred gave Faze fits, and with players like Simp and aBeZy they should be doing exactly the same thing.
• Can the Tiny Terrors get going again? Maybe it’ll take Bocage in the map rotation for that to happen, but Simp and aBeZy have yet to look comfortable. It feels like they need a game to get going, but if they don’t do it here you wonder if they might spiral out.

Opening Weekend is all about starting off strong. ????

Catch the #LAThieves Pre-Show w/ @Nadeshot, @Enable & @Muddawg breaking down everything you need to know before our match vs. ATL FaZe Sunday @ 10 AM PST. pic.twitter.com/UyrfQL27NS

— LA Thieves (@LAThieves) February 5, 2022

• This matchup is versus teams with similar play styles, in that both generally play pretty cool and collected. The X factor for the Thieves is probably Drazah, who needs to just fly at Faze and push them off their spots. Otherwise, one would think both teams just keep counterpunching until map 5 shakes itself out.
• If you want to win this one, I have to think you want to veto Bocage S&D and Tuscan Hardpoint, hoping that you get the opportunity to veto Tuscan Control. Maps that are smaller will allow Faze to set up and control space, and the bigger they get the more you force them to play too safe. Get it to Gavutu Hardpoint and Control and maybe you can pick up a Desert Siege S&D to win.

Minnesota Rokkr vs Optic Texas, Feb 6th at 6pm EST

• We haven’t seen Minnesota since the Kickoff, and they were bludgeoned by the Subliners in a 3-0 trashing. Sure, closer than it looked, but New York hasn’t looked good past that match. Is that indicative of New York, or Minnesota?
• While he needs to play well, if majormaniak is putting up a ton of kills in Hardpoint there’s a good chance you’re losing. It’s kind of like the safety tackling a running back in American football, at that point the runner has probably picked up 5+ yards so you’ve only stopped the bleeding a little bit.
• If they want to win, Priestahh and Attach have to be factors. It wasn’t just kills, both put in 7500 damage, with Standy and majormaniak at 8500 and 9400. Even if you don’t get the kills, you want to hold them at bay. The more damage you’re doing, the more your opponent has to play passively.

• While London is way better than anyone expected, Optic can’t go into this one expecting a free win. If anything, I’d be more worried with less tape on this team in Vanguard than anyone else they could be playing. Rokkr have a fresh slate, and that means they’ll be tougher to predict.
• If you’re going to win, you have to pull out the Control. We all know it’s the swing map, but this was a place Optic Chicago ruled in Cold War. This team supposedly got better after the merger, and one would think with Shotzzy playing entry you should be able to trap teams in spawn.
• Go into this and clean up your act. Yeah, same issues as last year, but Optic keep playing too sloppy in big moments. In that map 5 round 11 versus London they started out correctly, getting the pick on Nastie. They followed it up with a great rotation to the A bomb. And then things get questionable, with Dashy hiding in a corner with a pistol, and Scump and Shotzzy holding the platform outside the bomb room. It had too many shades of the the Minnesota Miracle (even if not so miraculous) when everyone lined up for Accuracy, and that’s not what you want going into the new season.

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.

See below for our list of partners and affiliates: