Day one from the Call of Duty League’s first event is all wrapped up after the Los Angeles Thieves and Dallas Empire each took home a victory. Both teams had been expected to route the Minnesota ROKKR and Seattle Surge with ease.
The Dallas Empire, who won the CDL championship last season, dominated the Seattle Surge with a shutout. The Minnesota ROKKR kept things a bit closer by taking one point from the Los Angeles Thieves in an impressive Search and Destroy match. It’s easy to say that the ROKKR and Surge were outplayed by the Thieves and Empire. However, both squads showed real improvement from last season, where both losers finished in the bottom half of the standings.
This is the first major event for season two, stage one of the CDL. It’s also the first real competitive event for Black Ops Cold War as previous events had no effect on league standings. While the matches from day one went as many predicted, there are still some tidbits to takeaway.
The L.A. Thieves played their first match in team history after 100 Thieves purchased the spot previously owned by OpTic Gaming. Their debut was anything but quiet. They rolled over the ROKKR in hardpoint after failing to secure a come-from-behind win during Search and Destroy in Miami. The ROKKR played well but couldn’t seem to match the intensity the Thieves brought to the table.
The Dallas Empire proved that they haven’t changed much since winning their title last year. The chemistry of the roster was strong and the MVP from 2020, Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, is still pulling off insane plays.
🙈🙈🙈 TURN AND BURN! @Shotzzy pic.twitter.com/AOirYqQwwY
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) February 11, 2021
Both Dallas and L.A. pulled off convincing victories in their first matches against two upstart squads still looking to find their rhythm. There is still a ton of action ahead in the rest of the weekend. You can find the schedule and pools for the event in our previous article.
Stay tuned to Daily Esports for more Opening Weekend coverage and all CDL news.
