The Los Angeles Guerrillas claim supremacy over the City of Angels with a decisive 3-1 victory over cross-town rivals Los Angeles Thieves in the final Call of Duty League match of the first weekend of stage two.
The Guerrillas bounced back with an impressive performance against the Thieves after a 3-2 loss at the hands of the Florida Mutineers spoiled their roster debut.
After a performance at the Raleigh Major in December saw the Guerrillas fail to make it to bracket play, the team made a switch to its roster, bringing up three players—Exceed, JoeDeceives, and Assault—from its academy team. While the team is sitting at 1-1 in the current stage, the move looks to be paying off thus far.
In the series’ first map, Embassy Hardpoint, the Guerrillas were dominant in the slaying category. Led by Assault and JoeDeceives, who posted 1.44 and 1.65 K/Ds respectively, the Guerrillas had no trouble with the Thieves in the 250-153 victory, giving them a 1-0 series lead. As the series headed to El Asilo Search and Destroy, it was safe to wonder how this new-look LAG squad fare in SnD against the defending World Champions.
The Guerrillas were ready. Led by Arcitys, the only remaining player in the starting lineup from opening day, the Guerrillas took the map by a count of six rounds to four. The two-time world champion led the way for the Guerrillas with a 9-7 statline, while Exceed matched him in kills. The entire roster was positive in the win, giving them a 2-0 lead in the series.
The 2022 CDL champions showed their championship grit and mettle, though, in the series’ third map, Fortress Control. Drazah was all over the map, posting a 27-19 statline. Octane and Envoy were also impressive, with 1.24 and 1.29 K/Ds on the map, respectively.
With the series heading back to Hardpoint, this time on Fortress, the Thieves were looking to force it to a decisive game five. But, Arcitys put his L.A. teammates in his backpack and went to work. The veteran AR player doubled up his death count, posting a 34-17 statline to lead his team to victory. No other members of the Guerrillas were positive in this map, but Arcitys showed why he is a two-time champion in the 250-199 victory.
The Thieves will be back in action next week when they take on the Toronto Ultra on Friday, Jan. 20 at 5pm CT while the Guerillas will face off with the Minnesota ROKKR on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 3.30pm CT.
