The second week for Division B resulted in numerous upsets in the team ranking. All teams have buckled down as the next major tournament, CWL Fort Worth, is just around the corner.
Day 1: Monday, Feb. 25
Team Envy vs. 100 Thieves
Series scoreline: 3 – 1 100 Thieves
The first match of the week was an anticipated matchup between the team captains of Envy and 100T. The Hardpoint Gridlock went to the final hill, ending on a score of 250 – 236 to 100T. The Thieves looked wonderful in the Search and Destroy Arsenal, ending the map 6 – 2 off of methodical play. However, Team Envy snowballed streaks and specialists for a decisive 3 – 0 win on the Control Seaside. 100T shut down any chance of reverse sweep in the Hardpoint Arsenal, ending the map 250 – 206.
A good start in the week for @100Thieves, they pick up a 3-1 series win over @Envy! https://t.co/NKHQShcI4R #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/xgKIS5KuZB
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 26, 2019
100T has constantly improved throughout the past two weeks. A big component is a consistent SMG slayer with the supporting case capable of turning up as well. The fact that the team is able to set up their star player while maintaining a solid performance is what sets them apart from middle-of-the-pack teams. Team Envy is exactly the opposite, with their supporting players having terrible games. It puts more pressure on their aggressive players, and 100 Thieves demonstrates what Team Envy should be doing.
MVP of the series: Austin “Slasher” Liddicoat
Splyce vs. Excelerate Gaming
Series scoreline: 3 – 1 Splyce
Excelerate were thrown into the deep end, facing off against Splyce following a recent roster change. Splyce had their way with them, winning the first Hardpoint Frequency 250 – 149. The Search and Destroy Hacienda went to Excelerate 6 – 4. Splyce immediately bounced back in the Control Seaside, dominating and slaying Excelerate out. The map ended as a quick 3 – 0. Splyce took a fast lead in the Hardpoint Arsenal; despite Excelerate mounting a comeback, Splyce closed it out 250 – 194.
The big lead from @Splyce holds in the second Hardpoint, they close out the 3-1 series over @ExcelerateGG.
Splyce improve to a 4-0 record; Excelerate fall to 1-3. pic.twitter.com/eVVZgqZxmj
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 26, 2019
Excelerate seem to have made the wrong roster decision. Their synergy is off-pace and they’ve lost a key component in their frontline that opened the map. It seems like Excelerate players take turns every map having a good game at the expense of the rest of the team atrociously. Despite taking the series, Splyce showed that they sometimes slow down mid-map. They’re prone to be complacent when in the lead, and against the top-tier teams, this may lose them series in the future.
MVP of the series: Donovan “Temp” Laroda
Day 2: Tuesday, Feb 26
eUnited vs. Denial Esports
Series scoreline: 3 – 1 eUnited
With an increasingly bad record, Denial Esports are getting desperate to pick things up. Surprisingly, they took a close game on Hardpoint Seaside, winning 250 – 242. EUnited, not feeding the upset, won a dominant Search and Destroy Frequency for 6 – 2. The Control Gridlock is a similar story — complete destruction from eUnited, ending in a 3 – 0 score. With all the momentum behind the team, the Hardpoint Arsenal closed out 250 – 60, potentially one of the most one-sided maps yet.
The 250-60 Hardpoint leaves no doubt, @eUnitedgg finish up the 3-1 series win over @DenialEsports. https://t.co/NKHQShcI4R #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/hqTYxtzvyM
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 26, 2019
Denial Esports looks like the worst team in the entire CWL Pro League. However, this doesn’t mean that they are destined to fail. Their team should be viewed as a long-term project, and with focus on equal pacing, Denial could definitely look better. EUnited have continually shown a clutch factor as well as explosive performances from multiple players. At this point in time, the team should have complete confidence and definitely look strong coming into CWL Fort Worth.
MVP of the series: Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson
100 Thieves vs. Excelerate Gaming
Series scoreline: 3 – 1 100 Thieves
While 100 Thieves are having an upswing, Excelerate Gaming has not seen the same success. 100 Thieves looked so much better than their opponents in the Hardpoint Gridlock, winning 250 – 179. However, Excelerate capitalized on 100T’s individual misplays, winning Search and Destroy Frequency 6 – 2. 100T, maintaining composure, went on to dominate in Control Arsenal with a 3 – 0. They then closed out the series with a comfortable Hardpoint Arsenal, 250 – 148.
2-0 on the week so far for @100Thieves, they get the 3-1 series win over @ExcelerateGG! https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/WTCnuOFad3
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 26, 2019
100T’s turn-around has been one of the biggest stories this season. From the depressing mess that they were before to the disciplined team they are now, their only visible weakness is their SnD game. 100T has a play-for-picks style of play, which isn’t the meta but works for them. The issue with this is that an equally coordinated team can level the playing field. Excelerate looks in complete disarray after the roster change. The team has to make some serious decisions and go back to the drawing board if they even want the chance to compete with the top teams.
MVP of the series: Sam “Octane” Larew
Splyce vs. Team Heretics
Series scoreline: 3 – 1 Team Heretics
The two undefeated teams of the division faced off against each other in the next match. While many expected Splyce to come out strong, Heretics edged out the Hardpoint Hacienda 250 – 243. In another twist, Splyce took the Search and Destroy Hacienda 6 – 2. Team Heretics remained unmoved by the loss, going ahead and 3 – 0ing Splyce on the Control Seaside. They then closed out the series in the Hardpoint Frequency 250 – 219.
Best team in Division B?!@TeamHeretics take down @Splyce 3-1 and move to an undefeated 5-0 record in the #CWLPS4 Pro League! https://t.co/NKHQShcI4R pic.twitter.com/FADldmO752
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 26, 2019
This series was a flip on its head. Many expected SnDs to go to Heretics and Respawns to Splyce, not the opposite. If anything, this demonstrates Heretic’s capabilities and highlights some of Splyce’s weaknesses. For the most part, Splyce’s slaying was balanced by stellar performances from star-player Donovan “Temp” Laroda and captain Daniel “Loony” Loza. Their supporting case has had standout performances, with the occasional game from Ulysses “Aqua” Silva. Heretics had a case of “all their players going off.” While it was a stellar performance, Heretics shouldn’t expect a repeat.
MVP of the series: Juan “JurNii” Antonio González
Team Envy vs. Enigma6
Series scoreline: 3 – 2 Enigma6
Cracks in Team Envy have formed and the boys in blue look their worst. All of Enigma6 came out blazing in the Hardpoint Hacienda, winning 250 – 148. Team Envy answered back with a close Search and Destroy Frequency win of 6 – 5. Enigma6 continued their respawn dominance by going 3 – 0 on the Control Seaside. However, an amazing gunship game from Justin “SiLLY” Fargo-Palmer kept Envy in the Hardpoint Frequency 250 – 102. Afterward, Envy choked another game five in the Search and Destroy Payload. Enigma6 played a better-coordinated game, winning 6 – 4.
Four for @FrostyBB! 🎯🎯🎯🎯https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/RmGcKqGTtP
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 27, 2019
Team Envy have slowly spiraled out of control. With questionable plays and an overreliance on their star-player Cuyler “Huke” Garland, Envy is not producing results. At times there were moments of a breakdown in communication. This lead to numerous misplays and team kills. Credit to Enigma6, however, with their underperforming support Kade “Kade” Jones stepping up. Before this match, he was statistically the worst player in the entire CWL Pro League. His turnaround was a big impact in this series.
MVP of the series: Kade “Kade” Jones
The Black Ops 4 CWL Pro League is shaping up to be one of the most competitive leagues in Call of Duty esports history. Keep an eye on our front page for updates on the rest of the week’s results!
Catch up on prior coverage with Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of our Week 3 recaps.
