OpTic Chicago took down rival Dallas Empire 3-1 today to advance to the Call of Duty League Stage Five Major’s losers bracket final.
The energy at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas could be felt through every gunfight a member of OpTic won. When Chicago put two, three, or even four members of the Empire down, the crowd reached a fever pitch in the first CDL LAN event with fans since March 2020.
Envoy, who’s found his groove since the start of Stage Five, led Chicago in slaying with an incredible 100-70 stat line over the series four games, good for a 1.43 overall K/D. Most impressive was his slaying in the series’ two Hardpoints, where he held a 1.71 K/D against one of the best Hardpoint teams in the CDL.
For OpTic this year, it’s always been a question of if they can consistently compete and take down the top teams. Heading into Stage Five, their best finish at a Major was top four. But in this stage, they took down Atlanta FaZe with a 3-2 win in group play and now beat the Empire in a do-or-die elimination bracket match.
Chicago showed they can run with the top dogs in the CDL after seemingly bullying the Empire the entire series. At this point in the season, it’s all about consistency and stringing together dominant performances. Coming off this win over Dallas, OpTic have all the momentum in the world. Chicago will see if they can take their momentum and avenge their loss to the Toronto Ultra after losing 3-2 on Friday, July 30.
The Empire’s hopes and dreams of a losers bracket run come to an end and their attention will now turn to the CDL Playoffs in August. Dallas struggled mightily in the slaying column, collectively going negative 45 over the series’ four maps. Shotzzy had one of his worst slaying performances of the season, posting a series-low 0.71 K/D.
While this Major run didn’t see the Empire in the grand finals like Stage Four, the Empire still look to be one of the teams with the best chance heading into CoD Champs. The defending world champs have continued to improve since adding Vivid to the roster ahead of Stage Four, and if there’s a single player who can will his team to a late-season run, it’s Crimsix.
The three-time world champion has always had his teams in the mix at the end of the season and 2021 is no different. The Empire are in third and will start in the winners bracket at the end-of-season CDL Playoffs next month in Los Angeles.
But now, OpTic and Toronto will face off in the losers bracket final of the Stage Five Major. You can watch that match on the official Call of Duty League YouTube channel.
