To the victor go the spoils, and Atlanta FaZe has had more than their fair share of spoils in 2021. The best team in the Call of Duty League, Atlanta FaZe, has won their second straight CDL Major, third overall.
In the CDL’s return to LAN, FaZe faced off against Dallas Empire in the grand finals. It was a fitting rematch of the 2020 Championship but the outcome in Stage 4 was different, as Atlanta won the series 5-4. The match was grueling for both squads and featured some unforgettable moments that are sure to be highlights of the entire season. However, in the end, it came down to one single match of Search and Destroy for the $200,000 grand prize, 75 CDL Points and the title of; Major champions.
Dallas’ underdog story shut down by Atlanta FaZe
BACK 2️⃣ BACK
Congrats to @ATLFaZe on winning the #CDL2021 Major IV!@Arcitys@aBeZy@SimpXO @Cellium pic.twitter.com/482jzAqDHy
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) June 21, 2021
The grand finals of the Stage 4 Major featured one common and one unfamiliar sight. Atlanta was almost a shoo-in to make it, as they’ve made the three previous grand finals. The Dallas Empire, on the other hand, were nowhere near predicted to make it that far.
After a series of roster changes that ended with former LA Guerrillas player Reece “Vivid” Drost in the lineup, Dallas was a toss-up heading into the Major. While their talent is unquestioned, their practice time was thought to be a possible issue. The team put all those doubts to bed with a stellar run throughout the tournament.
Unfortunately for the Empire faithful, their miracle run was stopped short by FaZe. That wasn’t before Dallas nearly won the grand finals though. They put up an outstanding fight, going toe-to-toe with the CDL’s best team.
Atlanta FaZe came out on top in the CDL Major thanks to their amazing conclusion to the series. They 100-point clubbed the Empire in map eight and closed out the final Search and Destroy on Raid with incredible play calls.
Dominance on Apocalypse to send us to Sudden Death.
Game 9 S&D on Raid on the way. #EZAF pic.twitter.com/hE5RUJ1LIz
— #FaZeUp (@FaZeEsports) June 21, 2021
McArthur “Cellium” Jovel was named the Stage MVP, finishing with a 1.18 KD overall. Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson took the post-match interview, though, and has just one thing to say about this win compared to Atlanta’s other two: “It’s way better, it’s on LAN!” He followed up that point by saying, “I would say that’s the worst COD we’ve played in a while, but we still came out with the dub.”
The CDL will take a week and a half break before picking back up for Stage 5 on July 1. The official schedule states the Seattle Surge Home Series is up next, but there’s still no word on if that event will be held online or on LAN.
Published: Jun 21, 2021 05:47 am