The Los Angeles Thieves took down the Minnesota ROKKR with ease on Saturday afternoon, taking their Call of Duty League qualifying match by a count of 3-0.
Los Angeles started their stage three inauspiciously with a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Las Vegas Legion in their first online qualifier, but since then have won three matches in a row while dropping only two maps in that time. The defending CDL champions made quick work of Minnesota, who have been struggling mightily in stage three.
The series started with a Hydro Hardpoint, and the Thieves rode two impressive performances from Octane and Envoy. The two combined for 59 kills on the map with just 45 deaths, while helping L.A. to an impressive 250-205 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the series. For the side of Minnesota, Afro held a 1.09 K/D on the map from his SMG position. This was a constant theme for the ROKKR, as he was the only one who came to play in the slaying category.
The series switched gears to Search and Destroy for the second map, with Hotel as the setting. With the Thieves holding a 4-3 round lead, Envoy made his presence known again. Holding down the B site, he picked up three kills in the freezer part of the map, shutting Minnesota down and pushing Los Angeles one round closer to a 2-0 lead. They soon got past the line and claimed a commanding 2-0 lead with a 6-3 SnD victory.
While the series stayed at Hotel the teams would set up for Control in the third map of the series. With the score tied at 1-1 and Minnesota looking for an offensive round win, the ROKKR held an 11-3 lives lead and looked poised to steal the round. Minnesota were less than a second away from clinching the round, but then Kenny went massive.
The longtime veteran stayed on the B point to block the ROKKR from clinching the round and picked up two massive kills onto Cammy and Bance. The two-piece was extremely timely, and Drazah picked up two huge kills of his own to stall and keep the timer ticking down. While both Drazah and Kenny would eventually fall, Envoy still had top bedroom control.
Envoy, who typically runs the Vaznev as an SMG player, had the TAQ-56 in his hands when Bance made a last-ditch effort to hop onto the point. Envoy read it easily, though, and gave his team a 2-1 map lead in one of the most unlikely stands of the 2023 CDL season. The Thieves would go on to win an offensive round of their own to clinch the series in sweeping fashion.
With the loss, Minnesota end their online qualifying stage with an abysmal 0-5 scoreline, just weeks after finishing third at last month’s Boston Major. The team appears to be in a bit of a spiral, but the ROKKR still have one of the most talented rosters in the entire league. Nevertheless, they will start off the OpTic Texas Major in the loser’s bracket.
Los Angeles will have a chance to head into next week’s major with a 4-1 qualifying record when they take on the Boston Breach tomorrow, Sunday, March 5, at 5pm CST.
