The most incredible loser’s bracket run in Call of Duty League history happened on Sunday. The LA Guerrillas defeated Atlanta FaZe 5-2 in the grand finals of Major II with a substitute on the roster. Kris “Spart” Cervantez is currently playing for Pierce “Gunless” Hillman, who was forced to step away from the roster during the qualifiers due to a medical issue. It seems Spart was the spark that LAG needed in order to come into their top form.
Atlanta FaZe drop second straight major finals to LA Guerrillas
THE WINNING MOMENT 🥳 #LightsOut pic.twitter.com/pNjrjHclZA
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) April 4, 2022
This was the first time the LA Guerrillas had ever been in the grand finals of a CDL event. Prior to Major II, they looked like a bottom-four roster. Even with Spart on the roster, they were smoked by OpTic Texas in the qualifiers and didn’t inspire much confidence heading into the major.
However, with an extra week of practice, Spart and the rest of the roster found their groove. The major didn’t start off well for the purple hoods, though, as they were dismantled by the Boston Breach in the winner’s bracket. This dropped them to the loser’s bracket, where they seemingly prefer to be.
They ripped off wins against Toronto, London, Florida and Boston to place themselves in the grand finals of Major II. Atlanta FaZe once again found themselves in the other finals spot, hoping to avenge their loss to OpTic Texas one major ago.
A truly historic path to victory for the @LAGuerrillas
#LightsOut | #CDL2022 pic.twitter.com/ip1GgWSpUp— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) April 4, 2022
The momentum LAG gained throughout their run was too strong to handle, though. Map after map, the Guerrillas picked FaZe apart. This was especially true in Search and Destroy, where LA set a new CDL record for consecutive S&D maps won in a row (10). Ironically enough, the record they broke was Atlanta’s from last season.
Thanks to their play in Search and Destroy, along with some key respawn wins, LAG were able to defeat Atlanta 5-2. Spart was named the Major II MVP thanks to his heroic performance as a substitute. He finished the major with a 1.03 overall KD.
It’s unclear what LA will do going forward. The Major III qualifiers don’t start for another month, so the team will have some time to come up with a decision. One thing seems clear, though, they won’t be able to hang onto Spart if they decide to reinstate Gunless on the starting roster. Teams will come calling for the Major II MVP if that happens.
Published: Apr 3, 2022 11:39 pm