The New York Subliners, Seattle Surge, Toronto Ultra and Atlanta FaZe won first-round matches in the playoff stage of the Call of Duty League Major 1 on Friday in Raleigh, N.C.
Those four teams moved on to the second round of the upper bracket, while the losing clubs dropped into the lower bracket and will face win-or-go-home stakes the rest of the way.
Earlier in the day, the group stage concluded when Seattle, the Minnesota Rokkr, the Florida Mutineers and the Las Vegas Legion won decider matches to claim second place in their respective groups and advance to the playoffs.
Sixteen teams were seeded in four groups of four to begin the first major of the season. After the opening matches, the winners faced off in a winners match for the right to automatically advance to the playoff bracket, while the opening-round losers played an elimination match in hopes of staying alive and reaching the decider match.
Seattle was in Group C’s decider match against LAG Academy, a non-CDL qualifier team. Seattle won 3-0, sweeping Fortress Hardpoint 250-130, Fortress Search and Destroy 6-3 and Hotel Control 3-0.
In Group A, Minnesota beat the Los Angeles Guerrillas 3-1 in the decider match. Minnesota started with a 250-186 victory on Hotel Hardpoint before Los Angeles countered with a 6-5 squeaker on Embassy Search and Destroy. The Rokkr came back with a 3-1 win on Fortress Control and clinched the match by taking Embassy Hardpoint 250-172.
In Group B’s decider match, Florida got by OpTic Texas 3-2. Texas opened with a 250-236 win on Hotel Hardpoint before the Mutineers moved ahead by taking Mercado Search and Destroy 6-5 and El Asilo Control 3-1. OpTic drew level with a 250-186 win on Mercado Hardpoint, but Florida ran away with the deciding match, Fortress Search and Destroy, 6-1.
In Group D, Las Vegas defeated Elevate, another qualifier from outside the league. Elevate earned a 250-111 win on Hydro Hardpoint before the Legion won 6-3 on El Asilo Search and Destroy and 3-1 on Hotel Fortress. Elevate tied it up by winning Fortress Hardpoint 250-237, but Las Vegas survived by winning Fortress Search and Destroy 6-2.
The eight teams to advance are now playing a double-elimination playoff bracket that will determine a champion Sunday.
New York defeated Florida 3-1 after falling behind on the first map. The Mutineers took Hotel Hardpoint 250-230, but the Subliners won 6-1 on Hotel Search and Destroy, 3-1 on Hotel Control and 250-168 on Fortress Hardpoint.
Seattle beat the Los Angeles Thieves, which had won Group D, 3-1. The Surge started out 250-198 on Hotel Hardpoint before the Thieves answered 6-1 on El Asilo Search and Destroy. Seattle took over from there, prevailing 3-2 on Hotel Control and 250-233 on Mercado Hardpoint.
Toronto outlasted Minnesota 3-1. The Ultra won 250-191 on Hotel Hardpoint and 6-3 on El Asilo Search and Destroy. The Rokkr stayed alive by winning 3-1 on El Asilo Control, but Toronto ran away with Embassy Hardpoint 250-182.
Atlanta beat Las Vegas, also by a 3-1 score. The Legion eked out a 250-248 win on Embassy Hardpoint to begin, but the FaZe came back by taking El Asilo Search and Destroy 6-5, Hotel Control 3-1 and Mercado Hardpoint 250-232.
The tournament will continue Saturday, starting with these four matches:
–New York Subliners vs. Seattle Surge (upper bracket round 2)
–Toronto Ultra vs. Atlanta FaZe (upper bracket round 2)
–Florida Mutineers vs. Los Angeles Thieves (lower bracket round 1)
–Minnesota Rokkr vs. Las Vegas Legion (lower bracket round 1)
–Field Level Media