The Atlanta FaZe pulled off a comeback victory over the Minnesota RØKKR today to earn their spot in the grand finals at the Call of Duty League Boston Major with a 3-2 victory in the winners bracket finals.
The series started with an impressive opening from Minnesota on Breenbergh Hotel Hardpoint. The RØKKR jumped out to an early lead that they held for the rest of the game. FaZe did fight hard to bring it back to a closer score, but Minnesota won the rotations to end the map by a final count of 250-223. Afro led the way for the side of RØKKR, sporting a 1.32 K/D in the victory to help his team earn the 1-0 series advantage.
El Asilo Search and Destroy served as the setting for the series’ second map, and Atlanta shrugged off the loss in Hardpoint with a hot start. FaZe, off the back of some massive plays from their MVP candidate, Cellium, found themselves with a 5-2 lead and just one more map win from knotting the series at one map apiece. Though Afro continued his hot start to the series, notching an ace in the map’s eighth round and picking up three kills in the ninth to close the gap to 5-4. FaZe showed their championship mettle and resiliency, however, picking up a quick two-piece to open up the round.
Atlanta got one more kill, which left Minnesota’s Bance in a one-vs-four situation. Bance did manage to pick up one kill, but FaZe’s aBeZy defused the bomb before Bance was able to get to the site, giving Atlanta the map win and tying the series at 1-1.
The series then shifted to one of Minnesota’s best maps overall, El Asilo Control. After a first-round stand on defense, the RØKKR nearly captured both points to take a 2-0 lead. Minnesota found four clean kills to allow themselves to stack the point, but SlasheR found two huge kills to shut down their push and Atlanta held on to tie the map. After both teams continued to trade defensive round wins, the map went to a decisive fifth round.
With Atlanta just a single tick away from capturing the B point, Attach picked up a massive two-piece to clear them off of the point. With only 23 seconds left, the two kills were a dagger to Atlanta’s chances on the map, and the RØKKR took a 2-1 lead in the series.
Atlanta started off hot in the series’ fourth map, Embassy Hardpoint, thanks to a huge performance from aBeZy. The 2021 CDL Finals MVP was 16-7 at one point and finished with 28 kills to just 20 deaths in Atlanta’s relatively easy 250-137 victory, sending the series to a decisive fifth map with a spot in the grand finals up for grabs.
Minnesota roared out to a 4-1 lead on Hotel Search and Destroy, playing some incredibly consistent CoD throughout the early stages of the map. But in an inverse of the series’ second map, Atlanta were the team to grab a couple of rounds in a row to bring it to a one-map deficit. The RØKKR stopped the bleeding with a massive win in the eighth round to bring it to match point.
But yet again, it was Atlanta responding with two rounds of their own to bring the series to a winner-take-all round 11. In the final round, Simp opened things up with a first blood onto Cammy, giving his team a one-man advantage. While Attach did pick up a kill onto aBeZy, Atlanta found two kills to bring it to a three-vs-one. With Minnesota’s hopes down to Afro, the young SMG player found one kill. But with the bomb down and Cellium looking over it, there was nothing he could do.
Atlanta will now await the winner from the elimination bracket for a chance at their first Major championship since the 2021 season. Minnesota will have to make a lower-bracket run if they want another shot at FaZe. The RØKKR will take on the winner of OpTic Texas vs. Los Angeles Thieves with a spot in the Major Two grand finals on the line.
