It’s done – OpTic Texas is the first Call of Duty League team to secure a perfect qualifying stage since the season began. In a monumental sweep, OpTic Texas effectively dispatched the likes of the London Royal Ravens, the Subliners, LA Thieves, the Guerrillas, and Boston Breach, producing an overall record of 15 – 3. Now, OpTic claims the top spot in terms of seeding for Major IV, which is set to run from the 20th to the 23rd of April.
It wasn’t such an enjoyable qualifying stage for some teams, though. For instance, Toronto Ultra, the Major III reigning champion, picked up a record of just 1 – 4 throughout this stage, being crushed by every team except for the Florida Mutineers, who they beat 3 – 0. It was a paltry week that has led to some claiming that Ultra’s win at Major III was ‘fraudulent’, and there are no expectations that the team will produce anything substantial at Major IV.
OpTic Texas Could Make It
The Green Wall will be electrified at Major IV
This could very well be the first Major that OpTic Texas has won for well over a year. In recent weeks, the combination of Shotzzy, Ghosty, Dashy, and Huke has been absolutely unstoppable, producing some of the best results in CDL history. As we head into Major IV, OpTic Texas sits on an unbroken Hardpoint win streak that has lasted weeks, and in every other game mode, the team seems fluid and consistent, with obvious chemistry.
It seems that adding in the contender for Rookie of the Year, Ghosty, was an extremely lucrative move ahead of Major III.
But, OpTic hasn’t been the only superstar squad in recent weeks. During this qualifier, the likes of Las Vegas Legion also enjoyed a fantastic streak. For the first time in franchise history, Legion has secured a winner’s bracket spot at a Call of Duty League Major. In the last few weeks, Legion has defeated Boston Breach, LAG, Toronto Ultra, and Florida Mutineers – but it too isn’t alone.
Seattle Surge, LA Thieves, and the Subliners all produced a 4 – 1 record, ranking them high over the likes of Florida and LAG, teams that failed to pick up even one series win throughout this stage. It’s going to be a phenomenal Major, and so many teams are hungry for the win.
The Major Ahead
There’s a tantalising bracket in place, with such a diverse array of teams sitting in the winner’s bracket – some of which are absolute outsiders. It’ll make for an interesting display when it comes to Call of Duty League betting and fantasy matches, as nobody has any real idea of who will win the Major – despite OpTic Texas being the clear favourite.
Here are the initial fixtures, confirmed and in place for Major IV:
Thursday, April 20th
- Minnesota ROKKR vs. LA Thieves
- Las Vegas Legion vs. New York Subliners
- Boston Breach vs. OpTic Texas
- Atlanta FaZe vs. Seattle Surge
In the lower bracket, with just one chance to move forward, sits Toronto Ultra, London Royal Ravens, LAG, and Florida. In this bracket, a single loss means elimination. Like before, there’s a massive $500,000 prize pool on the line, and this time, the Major is taking place in Columbus, Ohio, but no live audience will be in attendance. Following this event, there’s the Toronto Ultra Major, which will run between the 5th and 28th of May, and then, at a so far undisclosed location, the Call of Duty League Championship will finally take place.