Stage 5 of the Call of Duty League began this past week with the New York Subliners Home Series. While the Stage 4 Major took place on LAN, the remainder of the season’s Home Series will take place online. There were upsets left and right at the event, mainly involving the home team Subliners. These upsets gave the community the biggest takeaways from the weekend and could have huge ramifications down the line in Stage 5.
1. LA Thieves might have finally found their roster
After eight roster changes this season, the LA Thieves might have found one that will stick. The organization signed Jonathan “John” Perez following Stage 4, replacing world champion Cuyler “Huke” Garland. No one had any idea what to expect from this new-look roster but they blew away even the highest expectations for them at the NYSL Home Series.
LA defeated both New York and London Royal Ravens over the weekend, with the match against NY being a huge upset. Every member of the roster played well but it was Zack “Drazah” Jordan that led the way. The Thieves are 2-0 in Group A and could make some noise in Stage 5 if they continue on this path.
2. OpTic Chicago can be a Champs-caliber roster
Another Group A team, OpTic Chicago had a terrific weekend as well. After falling short at the Stage 4 Major, OpTic defeated Paris Eternal and New York in convincing fashion, not dropping a single map. Their win against the Subliners was their first against them since Stage 1.
Advantage 2-0.@OpTicCHI shut down the comeback from @Subliners!
📺 https://t.co/wmB1gxuPFf#BrickByBrick | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/NpDY605WWe
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) July 11, 2021
Chicago was always thought to have a top-three roster in terms of talent. However, they haven’t proven that so far in the CDL. Now, with an upset win under their belt, they could be turning a corner. If they manage to fully turn that corner and not falter, their run to Champs becomes much more interesting.
3. New York is in trouble in Group A
New York was planning to have a great home series but they finished 0-2 and are in deep trouble for Stage 5. Group A is a gauntlet and starting off 0-2 nearly destroys the Subliners‘ chances of making the winners bracket for the major.
Putting the HOME in Home Series #NYSL pic.twitter.com/0D9vhB4mzF
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) July 11, 2021
By losing to LA and Chicago, New York now needs to defeat Atlanta FaZe in order to have any shot at making the winners bracket. Of course, that task is far easier said than done. The Subliners have done it before but their play has dropped significantly in recent weeks and FaZe is a near unbeatable force.
