For the first time in the 2022 Call of Duty League season, the Atlanta FaZe knocked off OpTic Texas by a score of 3-1, eliminating OpTic from the New York Major and securing a spot in the Elimination Bracket Finals.
Atlanta dominated the respawns, taking both Hardpoints and the Control in their 3-1 victory. After struggling in their previous matchups with Texas in the 2022 season, this victory is massive for FaZe’s confidence, but also, the win puts them a step closer to their first major championship this season.
aBeZy, the 2021 CDL Championship MVP and one of the best players in the world, had struggled in Atlanta’s previous matchups with Texas but had an extremely impressive performance today. He posted a 1.29 series K/D and put his stamp on the match with his 34-21 performance in the series finale, Tuscan Hardpoint, leading FaZe to a 250-147 victory.
Cellium, who has arguably the best chances to win the season MVP award, was his usual ridiculous self, posting a 1.32 K/D over the series’ four maps. With his performance to this point in the event, he has a chance to lock up the MVP if he can help lead Atlanta to a major championship.
In previous matchups, OpTic more than held their own in both Hardpoint and Control but was 0-3 in respawns on the day. Early in the season, Texas was widely regarded as the most dominant team in Control but regressed in the latter part of the season, going 1-3 in the game mode at the New York Major.
Despite the loss to FaZe, OpTic did show a solid amount of growth this tournament, and getting more reps with their full roster should allow the team to get back to the early season form, where they won the season’s first major event. iLLeY played extremely well in this event, his first LAN competition since a thumb injury sidelined him after the season’s second major.
After winning the Texas Major in March, this is OpTic’s best finish at a major. The encouraging news for Texas fans is the team continuing to get in reps on maps that the team struggles with, such as Bocage Hardpoint. They played the map four times in this event and while they only won one, getting those live reps ahead of the CDL Championship is extremely important.
Atlanta will face the Los Angeles Thieves for a chance at the Grand Finals. Team Thieves defeated was doing great after beating FaZe 3-1 on Thursday evening but lost to New York Subliners in today’s Winners Finals. Despite the adversity, they have not lost a match since then.
