It’s the final day of the CWL Pro League Division A block. The standings are clear cut now, but some teams still look to make the upset on Valentine’s Day.
For the previous CWL recap, click here.
Day 4: Thursday, Feb 14
Red Reserve vs. UYU
Series scoreline: 3 – 0 Red Reserve
The final day started with a Red Reserve 3 – 0 sweep. The first map, Hardpoint Arsenal, while not a blowout, saw Red Reserve closing it out 250 – 205. The Search and Destroy Hacienda was closer, but Red Reserve edged it out 6 – 5. The final map, Control Gridlock, saw UYU go up early but choke the map with Red Reserve closing it 3 – 2.
6 for 6: @Rated_COD and his Annihilator 🥰 pic.twitter.com/dwnwovVMui
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 14, 2019
Red Reserve looks warmed and comfortable now with multiple players showcasing their abilities. The story is the same as the last series: all players are consistently solid or turning up when they need to. That being said, UYU showed great resilience bringing the maps close. However, inconsistent performances from their frontlines essentially lost them maps.
MVP of the series: Matthew “Skrapz” Marshall
Gen.G vs. Midnight Esports
Series scoreline: 3 – 1 Midnight Esports
Midnight Esports finally recovered from a lose-streak against the top team in the division. Midnight looked back in form, taking a strong Hardpoint Arsenal, 250 – 123. Gen.G, still showcasing their Search prowess in Gridlock, took a dominating 6 – 1. Midnight brought it back in the Control Seaside, 3 – 2. They close out the series in Hardpoint Gridlock, 250 – 167.
The run is over for @GenG!@GGMidnight_ pick up the 3-1 victory and hand Gen.G their first loss in the #CWLPS4 Pro League. https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh pic.twitter.com/jOWKuCF3Dv
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 14, 2019
SMG Dylan “Envoy” Hannon was crucial in this series. The amount of pressure he put out kept Midnight in control during the respawn games. Gen.G seemed to have a slow series this time around with only SMG Colt “Havok” McLendon making much of an impact. However, we saw multiple players on Midnight turning up for the team, putting the pressure onto Havok. That being said, Gen.G still remain at the top of the division.
MVP of the series: Dylan “Envoy” Hannon
Team Reciprocity vs. Evil Geniuses
Series scoreline: 3 – 1 Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses finally picked up their first win after two weeks of struggle. They started off the Hardpoint Seaside strong but actually managed to close out the game with a scoreline of 250 – 224. The momentum was quickly stopped by Reciprocity, with a hot 6 – 0 on Search and Destroy Gridlock. However, Evil Geniuses looked uncharacteristically composed, going 3 – 0 in the Control Arsenal. Finally, in a good position, Evil Geniuses went on to blowout Team Reciprocity in the final Hardpoint Frequency, 250 – 126.
🙌🙌🙌 @EvilGeniuses get the win!
They close out @TeamReciprocity in the 3-1 series. https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/jfyx3DAZYW
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 14, 2019
This marks the team’s first win despite looking good coming into the Pro League. The Evil Geniuses boys definitely are pleased with the win and they displayed a strong showing. The win mostly came down to how SMG Brice “Faccento” Faccento performed. He has been mostly quiet throughout the past two weeks, and his improved gameplay this series had an obvious impact. A lot of the pressure was taken off the star players and allowed them to capitalize on Team Reciprocity’s disorganization in the respawns. Going into the future, Evil Geniuses will want to go back to the drawing board for their Search and Destroy strategy.
MVP of the series: John “Xotic” Bruno
OpTic Gaming vs. Luminosity Gaming
Series scoreline: 3 – 2 Luminosity Gaming
In probably the most anticipated match of the division, OpTic Gaming rematched against Luminosity Gaming. The first map, Hardpoint Hacienda, saw OpTic in control, winning 250 – 181. They went up 2 – 0 in the series, taking a comfortable Search and Destroy Gridlock, 6 – 3. However, Luminosity maintained their Control prowess by taking the Gridlock, 3 – 1. Luminosity showed their true potential, taking an easy Hardpoint Frequency, 250 – 121. The final game, Search and Destroy Arsenal, came down to the wire, with Luminosity Gaming just taking it 6 – 5.
REVERSE. SWEEP.
It goes to Game 5, round 11, but @Luminosity come ALL the way back to defeat @OpTicGaming! #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/d32tMoKmjN
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 15, 2019
Many times in the series, OpTic and Luminosity stayed head-to-head in gunfights. What this series really came down to was individual players turning up in certain game modes. The fact that OpTic Gaming was not at full potential, still using a substitute, gave Luminosity the edge.
If there was something that could be pointed out about Luminosity, it’s that SMG Josiah “Slacked” Berry maintained a great performance as well as dropping 30+ kills in the Hardpoint Frequency. OpTic Gaming should have known that the fourth map should be an auto-veto for LG, but it seems that they were taking a risk. Bottom line is, the series could have gone either way, with a game five, round 11 going down to the wire.
Division A is done playing for now, but the Call of Duty action continues with Pro League Division B. Keep up with all the matches here on Daily Esports.
