Three takeaways from the Call of Duty League Major I

The 2022 Call of Duty League Major I event is done and dusted and OpTic Texas took home the victory at their own event, not dropping a single series the entire tournament. They looked utterly dominant at times, only stumbling against their first match against Atlanta FaZe when they went down 0-2. It’s safe to say Texas is on top of the CDL, with the other 11 teams looking to knock them off for the remainder of the 2022 season.

However, there were other storylines aside from OpTic’s dramatic win, including one team that needs to make a roster change here and now. Here are the three main takeaways from the Call of Duty League Major I.

1. Dashy and iLLeY prove they are MVP candidates

Previously, Atlanta FaZe were thought to be the only team in the CDL with more than one player who could take home the MVP trophy. Last season, they had three players in the running, with Chris “Simp” Lehr eventually winning it. While FaZe still have multiple candidates, OpTic Texas players Brandon “Dashy” Otell and Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal are also emerging as candidates.

ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE 🏆

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— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) March 7, 2022

Both players put on a show at Major I. OpTic don’t come close to sniffing the non-existent championship trophy without either player. Dashy dominated in the Control maps, especially on Tuscan, while iLLeY went off in Hardpoint and Search and Destroy. Dashy ended up with a 1.31 KD throughout the major while iLLeY finished with a 1.17 in the grand finals against Atlanta. If they weren’t on the MVP radar before, they are now.

2. New York Subliners need another roster change

The thought that bringing in former amateur player Matt “Royalty” Faithfull would change New York’s fortune in the 2022 season was far-fetched. While Royalty has played decently in his short time with the roster, the player he replaced, Travis “Neptune” McCloud, wasn’t the problem on the roster.

James “Clayster” Eubanks is arguably having the worst start to a season in his illustrious career. He consistently finishes at the bottom of the leaderboard and has admitted that he’s not playing well. In order for the Subliners to have a chance this season, and get Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez the help he needs, New York might need to replace Clayster.

3. Pump the brakes on Seattle Surge

Seattle Surge came into Major I with the highest of hopes. They placed second at the Kickoff Classic and seemed to have finally broken the curse that has resided over Seattle since their inception. However, the Surge dropped two straight series to place 12th, only winning two maps.

To make matters worse, they lost their second match to the Paris Legion, who previously had not won a single match in 2022. The Surge have an overwhelming amount of talent on their roster, but fans should temper their expectations with this team for the time being. They have the skill to be a top three team in the CDL, but it will require time and work for them to get there.