Here’s a recap of the second day of Major 1.

The Call of Duty League’s first Major of the 2023 season kicked off this weekend in Raleigh, and we got off to a hot start yesterday with 16 massive games. Today, we saw half as many with just eight to watch, but this saw four elimination matches and our first four matches of bracket play.

Elimination Matches

Seattle Surge 3-0 LAG Academy

Seattle Surge looked strong against the London Royal Ravens yesterday, however they were quickly sent into an elimination match following a 3-0 beating by Atlanta FaZe. Here, they took down LAG Academy with a quick 3-0, starting with a 250-130 Fortress Hardpoint. Surge’s dominance usually only comes when two players are at the very top of their game, Sib and Pred. They started this series with an unbelievable map, putting up 31 and 26 kills respectively, seeing them end the map with a 1.72 and 2.17 K/D. Seattle then went on to dominate the Fortress Search and Destroy with a 6-3 win, yet again Sib and Pred topping the leaderboard. Before closing out the series 3-0 with a 3-0 Hotel Control.

Las Vegas Legion 3-2 Elevate

Elevate have looked like the best Challengers team by far so far here at Major 1, and they kicked off this series with a map one victory. This map one victory was dominant too, seeing Elevate take a 250-111 victory on Hydro with dominant games from Gismo and Vortex who put up 1.53 and 1.50 K/D’s respectively. However, Las Vegas Legion went on to take map two through a 6-3 El Asilo Search and Destroy win with big performances from Temp and TJHaly. Vegas took this momentum into map three Hotel Control, winning 3-1 and taking a 2-1 lead in this elimination match. 

Elevate took this match the distance with a 250-237 Fortress Hardpoint seeing yet another Hardpoint victory for the challengers squad. However, they were sent home by Las Vegas Legion in a game five loss on Fortress Search and Destroy where Vegas came out on top 6-2

Florida Mutineers 3-2 OpTic Texas

In a rematch of yesterday's series, the Florida Mutineers took on OpTic Texas. OpTic Texas narrowly took a map one victory 250-236 on Hotel Hardpoint, however with poor performances from Havok and Vikul on the side of the Mutineers in this map, this was not a convincing victory for OpTic. However, map two was much more convincing for OpTic, at least for the first 7 rounds. After taking a 5-2 lead, OpTic allowed Florida to make an incredible comeback to take the map 6-5 and tie the series, with yet again a brilliant Search and Destroy map from Havok.

Hotel Control is the only Control map that OpTic have played so far this year, so they decided to switch it up with an El Asilo Control. Florida Mutineers took full advantage with Brack and Vikul absolutely piecing the OpTic team, taking a 3-1 victory and a 2-1 lead in this series. OpTic Texas absolutely dominated map four taking a 250-286 victory on Mercado Hardpoint. While this extended the series to a map five, the Florida Mutineers put on an incredible display in the final map, sweeping OpTic Texas clean in round one with a 4-4 retake, and going on to take the map 6-1 to send OpTic Texas home.

Minnesota ROKKR 3-1 Los Angeles Guerrillas

After their academy roster was sent home by Seattle Surge earlier in the day, the Los Angeles Guerrillas looked to keep the name in the Major in this elimination match. Minnesota ROKKR came out strong, with a 250-186 Hotel Hardpoint to take map one in this series. Unsurprisingly, Afro was incredible in this Hardpoint, putting up 30 kills and a 1.43 K/D. A close Embassy Search and Destroy saw the Los Angeles Guerrillas tie the series 1-1 with a 6-5 victory seeing Arcitys and Neptune both put up 11 kills. However, a 3-1 Fortress Control win saw the series swing back in favour of Minnesota ROKKR, putting them at a 2-1 lead. Minnesota ROKKR closed out the series with a 250-172 Embassy Hardpoint where Attach dominated with a monstrous 34 kills and a 2.13 K/D to send the LA Guerrillas home.

Bracket Play Round One

Toronto Ultra 3-1 Minnesota ROKKR

This is a grudge match that we seem to witness almost every single week in the Call of Duty League, but it always delivers. Minnesota ROKKR started off the Hotel Hardpoint strong, pulling around a 40 point lead. However, Toronto Ultra came back into the map with speed and breaks, taking a 250-191 victory and a 1-0 lead in the series. Toronto Ultra went 2-0 down in this El Asilo map two, however they pulled together 5 rounds in a row before closing out the map 6-3 through a nice two piece from Standy. Scrappy topped the leaderboard with 10 kills and a 2.00 K/D, as Ultra took a 2-0 lead in the series.

Minnesota ROKKR responded with an El Asilo Control victory, something they seem to be one of the best in the game at. This 3-1 win brought them back into the series and stopped a 3-0 sweep, with Bance and Cammy pulling out multiple clutch plays throughout to keep ROKKR in this series. Minnesota ROKKR started the map four strong too, taking a lead in the early stages of the Hardpoint. However, Toronto Ultra brought it back for a 250-182 Embassy victory, with a great game from Insight at 22/17.

Atlanta FaZe 3-1 Las Vegas Legion

Atlanta FaZe had the lead at 210 points and were set to close out the map, however a game issue prompted a restart of the map. Here, Las Vegas Legion pulled off an incredible clutch to take this Hotel Hardpoint 250-248 following an incredibly intense final hill full of 1v1’s and nades, seeing the lead change multiple times with both teams in the point trying to close out the map. Atlanta FaZe clutched up in the round 11 on El Asilo Search and Destroy to tie the series 1-1. aBeZy picked up two nice kills in the final round to see his map total end at a massive 15.

Atlanta FaZe continued their clutch from map two into the Hotel Control for map three. Here they came out on top with a 3-1 victory, with another exceptional map from aBeZy as he made the difference once again and FaZe took a 2-1 lead in the series. Atlanta FaZe closed out the series 3-1 with a 250-232 Mercado Hardpoint victory. This was close, but FaZe managed to clutch up and see out the series.

Seattle Surge 3-1 LA Thieves

Seattle Surge came out hot in map one of this series taking over a 100 point lead off the break. While the LA Thieves mounted a good effort at a comeback, Seattle Surge managed to close out the map 250-198 through a great performance from Sib, seeing him end the map with a 1.38 K/D. LA Thieves started slow in map one, but they did the complete opposite in map two El Asilo Search and Destroy, taking a 6-1 victory to tie the series 1-1. This was a great map from Octane going 9/1, while Envoy also put up some great numbers at 7/3.

Seattle Surge took a 2-1 lead in the series following a back and forth Hotel Control that saw them take a victory in round 5. Sib had an incredible map, dropping 38 massive kills for the squad, while Octane and Kenny both struggled on the side of the LA Thieves. Seattle Surge closed out the series for a 3-1 win following an intense and close fought map four on Mercado. Surge took a 250-233 victory with yet again a great map from Sib, however it was the 31 and 30 kills from Mack and Pred that made the difference in this final map of the series.

New York Subliners 3-1 Florida Mutineers

The Florida Mutineers handed the New York Subliners their first map loss of the Major. This was even more unexpected given it came in the form of a map one Hotel Hardpoint loss where the Mutineers perfected their breaks, including some incredible plays from Vikul to take a close fought 250-230 victory. The New York Subliners responded with a quick and dominant Hotel Search and Destroy map two, taking a 6-1 victory. Skyz dominated against his former team, putting up 9 kills and a 3.00 K/D as NYSL tied the series.

The New York Subliners took a 2-1 lead in the series through a 3-1 Hotel Control victory. Florida have been a 2, 3, 5 team throughout the season so far, and NYSL have been exceptional at Hardpoint, this map three loss could be devastating for their chance at this series. NYSL have been one of if not the best Fortress team so far at the Major, and they proved this once again taking a 250-168 victory to close out the series 3-1. This was a great map from the entire Subliners squad, and sees them sit as possibly one of the favourites for the Major.