One of the age-old adages in Call of Duty esports is “Search and Destroy wins championships.” But this weekend, Search and Destroy kept the Chicago Huntsmen from winning their second-straight Call of Duty League Home Series event.
The Los Angeles Guerrillas beat Chicago 3-2 today to knock them out of the 2020 Minnesota Home Series. The Huntsmen went 1-4 in the all-important Search and Destroy game mode this weekend, leading to their elimination in the group stage.
Chicago kicked off the online tournament with another loss to the Florida Mutineers yesterday, who have had the Huntsmen’s number so far this season. The Mutineers won 3-2, taking both Search and Destroy maps in the series.
The Huntsmen bounced back today, however, with a convincing sweep of the Toronto Ultra. This set up the elimination match between Chicago and Los Angeles, which the Huntsmen started strong with a 250-190 win on Gun Runner Hardpoint.
The Guerrillas immediately responded by dominating Arklov Peak Search and Destroy, taking the 6-1 victory to tie up the series. Chicago pulled away late in Hackney Yard Domination to win 169-149, but Los Angeles answered right back with a hard-fought 250-243 victory on Hackney Yard Hardpoint to force a decisive fifth map.
In game five, Vivid and Saints led the charge for the Guerrillas with double-digit kill performances. Los Angeles picked up the 6-4 win on Gun Runner Search and Destroy to eliminate the Huntsmen with their 3-2 series victory.
Although Chicago struggled in Search and Destroy this weekend, they also went 4-1 in Hardpoint—the other game mode that’s played twice in a five-game Modern Warfare series. If the Huntsmen can clean up their Search and Destroy gameplay while continuing to perform well in Hardpoint, they’ll be a tough team to beat at the end of the 2020 season.
Chicago’s next event is the New York Home Series, which will take place from July 10 to 12. The Minnesota Home Series will conclude tomorrow.
