It’s safe to say the Stage 2 Major was not a fluke for the Toronto Ultra. After a convincing win against the Florida Mutineers earlier at the London Home Series, the Ultra swept the Dallas Empire in dominant fashion to close out the event. Toronto opens up Stage 3 with a 2-0 victory and looks like the best team in the Call of Duty League right now.
For many fans, it was easy to blow off the Ultra’s miraculous win at the last major. They didn’t look like favorites heading into the event and could have just caught steam at the right time, leading to their victory. However, after two sweeps at the London Home Series, it seems Toronto is here to stay. They made that point by defeating the newly revamped Dallas Empire without much trouble.
New Dallas roster fails to win a map against the Toronto Ultra
The biggest storyline following day one of the London Home Series was Dallas’ benching of Cuyler “Huke” Garland. Even though the Empire won their first match against Paris, the organization felt it needed a change due to “underperformance.” Enter Tyler “FeLo” Johnson, a former professional who’s been doing well in Challengers.
While Dallas fans wanted to see the team excel in FeLo’s first match, things didn’t go according to plan. They lost every map against the Ultra but did come close in Hardpoint and Control. No member of the Empire played poorly as such, but FeLo did finish on the bottom of the leaderboard more often than not.
Toronto Ultra Play of the Game Presented by @ScufGaming 🎮@Bance is on a new LEVEL! He seals the deal for the sweep 🧹#StrengthInTheNorth #TeamSCUF pic.twitter.com/Su0wNI3cP4
— Toronto Ultra (@TorontoUltra) April 26, 2021
On the Ultra’s side, Ben “Bance” Bance returned to his MVP form, slaying in each map. He finished with a 1.38 Kill/Death ratio in the series and a combined 73 kills. With Bance playing this well, it’s hard to imagine a team stopping Toronto anytime soon.
The debut match for FeLo didn’t go smoothly, to say the least. Dallas benched Huke due to the belief that the roster was underperforming. However, this was followed up by a 3-0 loss in which their new starter didn’t make much of an impression. The roster decision is now being questioned even more so and caster Miles Ross Jr. summed up the situation perfectly with a quote from Captain America: Civil War.
"An Empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead."
Baron Helmut Zemo – 2016 #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/aHb3JijZMF
— Miles Ross Jnr (@MilesTheRoss) April 25, 2021
Time will tell if Dallas made the right decision but currently, it doesn’t look too smart. The Empire will have another chance to prove themselves at the Paris Home Series on April 29. Toronto will also be in attendance, hoping to continue proving their Stage 2 run wasn’t a fluke.
