TORONTO, Ontario — After the London Royal Ravens eliminated the New York Subliners from the 2022 Call of Duty League Major III, the fans were put on notice. Despite starting in the lower bracket and not having a loss to give, London sent New York packing and proved they could have the makings of a tournament run on their hands.
While the Subliners themselves had been looking to rebound after they took the Seattle Surge to map five, London turned out to be the team that had learned from past mistakes.
London Royal redemption
Those mistakes had haunted London enough for them to start the Major III in the loser’s bracket, setting expectations low for fans. However, the team didn’t necessarily feel the same way.
“Honestly, I prefer going through the losers bracket,” Trei “Zer0” Morris said. “I’ve had a lot of experience going through them, so the comfort and understanding is there.”
As much as going through the lower bracket puts more importance into every game, the pressure was not a problem for the London players. Their expectations may not have been high, but they also knew they were already improving during their scrims in Toronto.
“We know that the past few weeks for us haven’t been good,” Zer0 said. “But, in the time heading into the Major, we’ve gotten better and we know it. We exited our scrims happy and ready for LAN.”
London improve on LAN for the Major III
London’s online issues have shown in their results, from simple internet problems to their overall coordination. Now, together in Toronto, those issues have resolved to a point where the roster feels confident. On top of that, their earlier losses put the pressure on other teams instead, to avoid losing to them and risking elimination.
“We had no expectations whatsoever heading into this Major,” Marcus “Afro” Reid said. “Then, we ended up beating the best Hardpoint team on Berlin and Tuscan. I’m absolutely loving it right now.”
The players added that their love also derived from the live fans and the city of Toronto. Both Zer0 and Afro shared that with the home team, the Toronto Ultra, being a European roster, they felt welcome as fellow EU players. Both also said they appreciated being able to enjoy the sights of Toronto, especially since they didn’t play on day one. It even gave them time to catch a pre-event baseball game.
“Honestly, I think this has been the best major ever, with the Minnesota one as the only other one that’s close,” Zer0 said.
That big win took the Royal Ravens to their second game of the day against the popular OpTic Texas. However, even holding onto a loss, London have already accomplished more than they expected at the Major III. Considering the stakes, the team was playing with house money to see how far they could go. Sometimes that opportunity alone can revitalize a team for a tournament or even a season.
