From the moment the Dallas Empire blew a 246-159 lead to the Toronto Ultra on Checkmate Hardpoint in the first map of the winners bracket semifinals, the series felt destined for an unbelievable finish.
To Dallas’ credit, they bounced back strongly after their collapse in game one, winning two maps in a row to take a 2-1 lead heading into game four. Unfortunately for the Empire, Toronto showed why they are a top-three team and closed the series with two consecutive wins. Dallas nearly pulled off a comeback of their own in game five after going down 5-3 in the Moscow Search and Destroy, sending the map to a round 11 before ultimately falling 6-5.
In what was one of the best series of the Call of League’s entire Stage Four, Cammy and Insight played like the superstars they are, posting 1.12 and 1.34 overall K/Ds. Toronto looked shaky to start game one before mounting their impressive comeback. Even with the win in game one, the Ultra struggled a bit before gaining their LAN legs.
For the Empire, this series is going to sting for a long, long time. Dallas could have had a sweep on their hands if not for allowing a comeback in game one. Still, for Empire fans, this series could be a sign of great things to come in the future. The team has truly started to come together late in the season after acquiring Vivid. Shotzzy continues to look like the MVP as he posted a 1.21 series K/D in the loss.
And Dallas is led by none other than Crimsix, whose teams are well known for playing their best Call of Duty down the stretch. It appears this year’s edition of the Empire will be no different. After a mid-season slump, Dallas are starting to look like the team most expected to see all season long.
Toronto will face off against the winner of the Atlanta FaZe vs. Minnesota ROKKR series tomorrow at 6:30pm CT. Dallas awaits the winner of the Florida Mutineers vs. New York Subliners match and will take the stage again tomorrow at 3:30pm CT.
