The Minnesota RØKKR Home Series was the latest event in Stage 5 of the Call of Duty League. This was the second to last home series of the season; the last being the upcoming Seattle Home Series the weekend of July 22-25. Teams are desperately trying to secure seeding for both the Stage 5 Major and CDL Champs and the matches have reflected that in their entertainment value.
From upsets to nail-biting matches, there wasn’t a real dull moment throughout the Minnesota RØKKR Home Series — which took place July 15-18. This provided for great moments and three key takeaways.
1. Florida Mutineers have drastically improved
At the beginning of 2021, Florida seemed like a middle-of-the-pack team that wouldn’t be able to hang with the top rosters. For a while, that sentiment looked to be true as the Mutineers bowed out major after major without more than two wins. However, in Stage 5, the Mutineers are proving they won’t go quietly in 2021.
It's a powerful break to win the series 3-1 and the @Mutineers keep their momentum rolling in Stage V!#F3arTheDeep | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/l1KUGQz3dH
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) July 17, 2021
Florida continued its strong Stage 5 with wins over the Dallas Empire and LA Guerrillas at the Minnesota RØKKR Home Series. The team was led by Cesar “Skyz” Bueno, 1.45 Kills/Deaths overall, and Travis “Neptune” McCloud, 1.20 KD overall. The Mutineers are 3-0 in Stage 5 and only seem to be improving with every match. This is a scary sight for some of the top five teams.
2. OpTic Chicago have found their groove again
For months, OpTic Chicago struggled with inconsistency. They made the same mistakes over and over again in matches and couldn’t string together a full stage. This was exemplified at the Stage 4 Major, where they lost to Dallas Empire twice by a 6-1 map count.
Those days seem to be behind the veteran roster, though. OpTic defeated Atlanta FaZe for the first time at the Minnesota RØKKR Home Series by a score of 3-2. This match was also the first in which they’ve beaten FaZe in a Search and Destroy this season. Chicago is now 3-0 in Stage 5 and appears to be getting hot at the right time. A real run at the Stage 5 Major will cement their chances for glory at CDL Champs.
DOWN. TO. THE. WIRE. @OpTicCHI overcomes the juggernauts of @ATLFaZe to secure a Winners Bracket spot in Major V!#BrickByBrick | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/tU2rgyLbGJ
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) July 18, 2021
3. The top eight seeds for CDL Champs are set
Over the weekend, the teams attending CDL Champs were officially set in stone. Unlike other Champs events, only the top eight seeds in the standings will have the chance to attend the end-of-season event.
The eight teams going to the Galen Center on August 19 are:
- Atlanta FaZe
- Toronto Ultra
- Dallas Empire
- New York Subliners
- OpTic Chicago
- Minnesota RØKKR
- Florida Mutineers
- LA Thieves
Of course, the top eight seeding isn’t set by any means. There’s still one home series and the major to go before that happens.
