After the shocking Toronto Ultra win in the Call of Duty League’s Stage 2 Major, our Reverse Sweep team is back to recap all the biggest moments. Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker, and Katie Bedford are here to break everything down.
In what was the most unpredictable event thus far in 2021, Ultra stunned Atlanta FaZe to take home the Stage 2 championship.
From Accuracy’s historic clutch to the lackluster showing from Dallas Empire, join our Reverse Sweep crew as they make sense of it all.
Ultra shocks the world with Stage 2 Major win
Seemingly out of nowhere, the entire Toronto lineup reached a new level in the Stage 2 Major. Their performance was nothing short of “phenomenal,” as Pacman described it. It was “the most improbable win. They beat all of the top teams.”
Not only did they secure the Stage 2 trophy, but they did so in style, Enable added. “That was the first time in Cold War that FaZe was on the opposite side of getting bullied.”
Does the Major format need to change?
Is it now a DISADVANTAGE to be from the winners side?@PacmanJT, @WorldsBedford & @Enable discuss the bracket format and how it is “insulting” to the winners' side team. 🤔 #CDL2021 Major Review: https://t.co/EoVSLe0LNv pic.twitter.com/u9FJApDx95
— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 13, 2021
Not to discredit Ultra’s shocking run, but the format of the CDL Majors “is a little bit iffy,” in Pacman’s eyes. For Atlanta FaZe, they came through the winners bracket but had no real advantage in the Grand Finals. One series loss in the entire event and that was all she wrote for the Stage 1 champs.
“You need to find a way to give the winners bracket team an advantage,” Enable said. “The vetoes… that doesn’t matter. Ultra deserve the win, they outplayed FaZe. But still… you have to be able to give them something. They lost one series, they lost the tournament.”
Dallas Empire struggling to find championship form
Despite a solid showing in the latest event, for Dallas Empire, their performance wasn’t all too inspiring for our Reverse Sweep team. “It’s tough to be down on a team that got third,” Pacman admitted. “But it’s the way that they’re winning. They’re not dominating anyone, everything is down to the wire.”
In fact, Enable even argues that they’ve “regressed” over the past few weeks. “They haven’t improved in any game mode. They looked worse in this Stage than they did the first. They’re not that dominant team they were last year.”
OpTic’s heartbreaking loss to ROKKR
OpTic was looking hot throughout the Stage 2 Major, though it all came crashing down when the stars aligned for Accuracy. His shocking 1v3 clutch “might be one of the most unlucky situations of all time,” according to Enable.
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For OpTic to lose in such a difficult way, “it’s gonna eat at [them].”If it wasn’t for that unbelievable moment, “who knows how far they could have made it.”
MVPs of the Stage 2 Major
He proved the doubters WRONG! 🔥 @PacmanJT, @WorldsBedford & @Enable pick @Bance as their Stage 2 MVP!#CDL2021 Major 2 Review: https://t.co/EoVSLe0LNv pic.twitter.com/0NTByYBX9e
— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 13, 2021
When it comes to the most impressive players in Stage 2, it’s impossible to pick anyone outside of the Toronto lineup. For Enable’s money, Insight “has to be” the MVP of the Major. “Two months ago he was in Challengers getting Top 64. Now, he just won the second Major in Cold War. He’s been phenomenal, I don’t think he’s had a bad series.”
For Pacman, it was Bance who showed up and impressed more than anyone else. With a 1.44 KD against FaZe in the finals, he reached a level we’ve rarely seen before.
“He played phenomenally. I don’t know what got into him but Bance deserves it. I just want him to stay at this high level of play.”
Craziest moments of the Stage 2 Major
While Accuracy’s 1v3 against OpTic just had to be a standout moment, it could be more than just a highlight for the reel, according to the Reverse Sweep experts. It was a “heartbreaking loss.” Enable is “interested to see how the future unfolds for OpTic.”
Meanwhile, Empire’s ridiculous 0.01-second Control clutch against Minnesota is also another standout moment from the Major. “That was just a meltdown from Minnesota,” Enable joked.
If ROKKR closed it out there, the ripple effect might have resulted in a completely different Major. “If Dallas doesn’t get that clutch, I think Empire loses to OpTic in the losers bracket. They don’t get third… it just changes everything.”
Least Valuable Players of the Stage 2 Major
As for the least impactful players of the event, Enable had a unique take. While he didn’t actually play in the Stage 2 Major, SlasheR is his pick for LVP. “Who would’ve thought a team without SlasheR could be better?” The LA Thieves “looked like they were having fun on two days of practice. They played better without [him].”
Taking a different approach, Clayster may have had the worst showing of all according to Pacman. “Clay did not play well. That was actually a despicable performance [from NYSL]. They didn’t show up.”
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