CDL Major IV qualifiers Week 2: lessons learned

The second weekend of qualifier matches for Call of Duty League Major IV is done and dusted. This was an important slate of matches for a majority of teams; some are trying to cinch their spot for Major IV while others are desperately clawing their way to the top eight. With CDL Champs in one month, teams don’t have much longer to make the bracket, which is done by being in the top eight by the end of Major IV. With so much on the line, we learned a few different things about the CDL’s 12 teams over the weekend.

1. NYSL is as for real as any other top team

Coming into this weekend, the New York Subliners were 2-0 and at the top of the Major IV standings. However, fans were wary of calling them a legitimate contender without seeing how they performed this weekend. New York faced off against two previous major winners, OpTic Texas and the reigning champion Seattle Surge. Well, it’s Monday and the Subliners are still unbeaten.

NYSL took down both Seattle and OpTic in dominant fashion, winning both games by a score of 3-1; it’s completely safe to call NYSL title contenders for Major IV. The event is played on their home turf as well, which could provide the jolt they need to make a huge run at the tournament. If they do manage a long run, they’ll likely secure a spot for Champs, something many thought impossible two weeks ago.

2. The Boston Breach are dark horse contenders

Despite a horrid Major III performance and a new roster, the Boston Breach have come on strong during the Major IV qualifiers. The addition of Reece “Vivid” Drost has done wonders for the roster. Specifically, Dylan “Nero” Koch has benefited the most, as the SMG duo of him and Vivid has decimated their competition thus far.

Putting aside a strange 0-3 sweep at the hands of the LA Thieves, the Breach have defeated the strongest competition possible the past two weekends. They’ve taken down the three previous major winners so far (OpTic, LAG, Seattle), and it hasn’t been much of a struggle. Boston is firing on all cylinders at the right time. When the New York major arrives in two weeks, mark down the Breach as a dark horse pick to win the event.

3. London is a different team with the new and improved Gismo

The London Royal Ravens have gone through a bit of a roller coaster ride this season; they started out terrific, looking like a legitimate top team in the CDL. However, this quickly ground to a halt as Joey “Gismo” Owen began to deal with some out-of-game personal issues. This led to the rookie stepping away for Major III, which was a poor stretch for the Ravens. Gismo returned for the start of Major IV, and since then, London has returned to being a contender.

It seems the break away from COD was vital for Gismo; he has come back as a revamped version of himself, leading London to a 3-0 record so far in the Major IV qualifiers. The Ravens have a tough stretch next weekend, going up against Atlanta FaZe and the LA Guerrillas. However, if they can manage to come away with even one win, they’re in a strong position to make a deep run at Major IV in two weeks.