The year for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 season is now set in stone. After a grueling week of tense matches, the Call of Duty World League’s (CWL) Pro League has been decided.
The remaining twelve spots in the CWL Pro League were earned in a roller coaster of a week. Teams both expected and unexpected join the likes of OpTic Gaming, eUnited, Splyce, and Luminosity Gaming.
The #CWLPS4 Pro League Qualifier has come to an end and we now know our divisions. This is The Scope: catching you up on everything CWL in 60 seconds. pic.twitter.com/jcYi3xiEL4
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) January 21, 2019
The qualifiers consisted of four pools of seven teams that played a round robin. The top two teams in their pools would immediately qualify. Meanwhile, the bottom two were immediately eliminated from the tournament. The remaining third through fifth places in the pool would be seeded into a double elimination bracket. However, the third place would get a bye into the second round. From the winners bracket, two teams would qualify, as would two from the losers.
Pool play
The pool play results are as follows:
Pool A slowly revolved around upsets, with many matches going the way of the wind. While many fans expected Reciprocity to make the league, not many would have predicted the top two teams.
Pool B was arguably the most stable of the four. Team Envy looked to be one of the strongest teams in the tournament with Heretics showing their potential as well.
Pool C, similar to A, was full of upsets. Midnight Esports pulling a flawless record was the biggest Cinderella story of the event. 100 Thieves were sorely disappointing throughout the week, jumping to their second place spot due to head-to-head matchups.
Pool D turned into the pool of death by the end of pool play. UYU would find themselves with a well-earned second place to qualify. Evil Geniuses came out swinging and proved that their stitched together roster was actually the real deal.
The old guard
Favored teams such as Team Envy, Evil Geniuses, and Reciprocity came out strong through the week. These teams are full of veterans and novices, surprising few with their qualification. Team Envy looked especially strong under the leadership of Patrick “ACHES” Price. Evil Geniuses and Reciprocity were no slouches either. These three teams are poised for a season filled with competitive matches.
5-0 in the group as #EnvyCOD lock up our spot in the Pro League! 😏💪 pic.twitter.com/hQDq4h3zcN
— ENVY (@Envy) January 19, 2019
Teams such as Red Reserve and 100 Thieves did not look good at all, however. These teams are stacked with talent, yet they disappointed in the first few days of the tournament. Red Reserve would fall to Evil Geniuses and UYU but turn up against the smaller fry. The 100 Thieves game were just downright depressing, but a few wins in the end and other results in their pool would launch them into qualifying. It has to be said though — 100 Thieves almost became the most tragic story of the week.
We finish Top 2 in our pool and qualify for the #CWLPS4 Pro League — great job, boys! 💯 #100T #HonorAmongThieves pic.twitter.com/jROX0mRCAk
— 100 Thieves (@100Thieves) January 19, 2019
Lastly, Team Space (formerly Str8 Rippin) would just barely make it through the bracket play. This was quite unexpected, given their performance in CWL Las Vegas back in December. Despite a slow start in pool play, Team Space would have a better bracket play, only dropping one map to Red Reserve. Former high-caliber talent such as Colt “Havok” McLendon and Jared “Nagafen” Harrell return to their former pro status.
New faces
With so many upsets and underdog stories coming to fruition, the Pro League now welcomes many new players. Amateur (AM) players that were always on the brink of qualifying for Pro League or major event brackets finally break the curse. Teams such as UYU and Excelerate Gaming consist of players who were essentially gatekeepers of the top AM scene.
Welcome to the #CWLPS4 Pro League, @ExcelerateGG! They are the first team to qualify in today’s bracket play.@beehzy17@obKBelieve@FA5TBALLA@ProFeeZy@MRuiz__ pic.twitter.com/UXbVBjOQSK
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) January 20, 2019
Additionally, a new wave of international players in French squad Overtime and Spanish team Heretics begins a new chapter. Some individuals on these team have been around for some time. They would often show up in major events but never earn a coveted Pro League spot.
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ HERETICS TAKE MY VAMOS ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ pic.twitter.com/5ZEZ6P4dcy
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) January 19, 2019
The Pro League also welcomes back Enigma6 after an absence since the 2016-2017 Infinite Warfare season. Also previously mentioned, Midnight Esports claim the top spot in potentially the greatest underdog story in Call of Duty history.
Congratulations @Enigma6Group, we’ll see you in the #CWLPS4 Pro League!@JordonGeneral@Kade416@KiSMET6_@StevenDiabolic@FrostyBB pic.twitter.com/QMQ68Y1ZCZ
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) January 19, 2019
Heartbreak
With so much new blood though, this means that many established players were left disappointed. Mainstay teams such as FaZe Clan, G2, and Mindfreak fall on Sunday in the bracket play. Just as well, Lightning Pandas and Pittsburgh Knights fail to even make it to Sunday.
Not only are some teams well-established organizations in Call of Duty esports, but some players are longtime fan-favorite veterans. Two of these teams even boast previous world champions that will not be in this year’s pro league. Dillon “Attach” Price, Christopher “Parasite” Duarte, and James “Crowder” Crowder will have to redeem themselves at this year’s World Championship.
But one of the biggest shames is the loss of young talent. Breakout talent on G2, Rasim “Blazt” Ogresevic and Jacob “Decemate” Cato, find themselves amateurs once again. The young phenom Preston “Priestahh” Greiner and top prospect McArthur “Cellium” Jovel lose their chance as well.
While some of these players are definitely eyed to be potential substitute players for pro league teams, some aren’t so lucky. It has come out that some veteran players are forced into retirement as a result of these qualifiers.
If any pro league teams are looking for a coach/ analyst feel free to contact me. I’ll be exploring my options outside of competing
— Chris (@Parasite) January 20, 2019
If any Pro League teams are looking for a coach/analyst for the upcoming season, feel free to contact me if interested at all.
I’ve always enjoyed helping teams with in-game stuff and would love to pursue something like this.
— Ricky Stacy (@Ricky) January 20, 2019
CWL Pro League
As the teams are set, the broadcast talent officially announced the two divisions for the pro league. Starting on Feb. 4, two divisions of eight teams will battle it out until Jul. 5. The format is set as a double round-robin in each division. However, there will be cross-divisional play in the form of a single round-robin.
Presenting the official divisions for the 2019 #CWLPS4 Pro League! Tune in beginning February 4 as the 16 top teams in the world go head-to-head in daily competition. pic.twitter.com/MtTC9VkkvM
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) January 21, 2019
Already, talent and fans are looking at division A to yield the biggest games. However, if this week has shown anything, it’s that this year is going to be full of upsets. With a lot of matches coming up and the opportunity for huge rostermanias, this year is going to be one for the history books.
The Call of Duty year is kicking off strong, and the action resumes very soon. Keep up to date with CWL Pro League results, breakdowns, and everything else right here on Daily Esports.