Florida Mutineers claimed victory at the Dallas Empire Home Series on April 12, taking down Minnesota ROKKR 3-1 in the Grand Final to win their first-ever Call of Duty League event.
After making it to the Grand Final and losing at the CDL Atlanta event in February, Mutineers got a chance at redemption in Dallas and fully seized the opportunity.
Their road to victory wasn’t easy by any means; a day one loss to Toronto Ultra meant they had to win four elimination matches in a row, which they did, including an impressive 3-1 upset over Chicago Huntsmen in the semifinals.
Florida will feel as though this victory dispels any doubts about their in-season decision to bring in F3rocitys in place of Prestinni, who has stepped away from competing for the time being.
The championship effort earned them a massive 50 CDL points, keeping them in the top-five in the 2020 standings.
ROKKR, who have now lost back-to-back Grand Final appearances, gained 30 points, and the top-four was rounded off by Empire and Huntsmen, who earned 20 points apiece.
CDL Dallas Empire Home Series final placements
| Placement | Team | CDL Points | Roster |
| 1 | Florida Mutineers | 50 | Maux, Havok, Skyz, F3ro, Frosty |
| 2 | Minnesota ROKKR | 30 | SiLLY, GodRx, Asim, Alexx, Assault |
| 3/4 | Dallas Empire | 20 | Crimsix, Clayster, Huke, Shotzzy, iLLeY |
| 3/4 | Chicago Huntsmen | 20 | Scump, FormaL, Arcitys, Envoy, Gunless |
| 5/6 | Paris Legion | 10 | Louqa, Shockz, Denz, KiSMET, Zed |
| 5/6 | Toronto Ultra | 10 | MeTTalZ, Methodz, Bance, Classic, Cammy |
| 7/8 | Seattle Surge | 0 | Karma, Octane, Apathy, Pandur, Slacked |
| 7/8 | Los Angeles Guerrillas | 0 | Blazt, AquA, Decemate, Spart, Vivid |
CDL Dallas Grand Final recap & highlights
Both coming off upset victories in the semifinal round, ROKKR and Mutineers began their Grand Final battle on Azhir Cave Hardpoint, which Minnesota took 250-241 thanks a late comeback and a nice triple-kill from SiLLY.
https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1249488236298276867
Not wanting to let the series get out of hand early, Mutineers came out hot in the Search & Destroy on Picadilly, winning 6-2 to tie up the match at one map apiece.
Florida’s offensive muscle really dictated this SnD, as shown in this relentless push that wiped out ROKKR’s defensive hold in round seven.
https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1249491893421031424
Using their newfound momentum, Florida continued their recent streak of strong Domination performances with a 194-117 dismantling on St. Petrograd, which came on the back of their equally one-sided effort on the same mode against Huntsmen the round before.
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Whatever they’ve been doing in Dom has been working to perfection, and the map victory put them up 2-1 with a chance to close things out on Gun Runner Hardpoint.
https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1249496566118973447
At this point, Mutineers were looking like the better side in this series, and with a chance to win it all in map four, they were never going to let Minnesota force a winner-take-all game five.
Right from the first sequence, Florida looked flawless in their execution, and by the time the Hardpoint had reached its halfway point, their victory was a foregone conclusion. The finally tally read 250-115, a fitting end to what ended up being a pretty one-sided Grand Final.
🚨 BREAKING – @Mutineers are your #CDL2020 Dallas Empire Home Series champions!
Congrats to @CesarSkyz, @ColtHavok, @f3rocitys, @FrostyBB, and @Maux! #FearTheDeep pic.twitter.com/LwN0m11FM6
— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 13, 2020
CDL Dallas scores and brackets
Group A
Group B
Playoffs
Friday, April 10
| Round | Match |
| Group B R1 | Seattle Surge 2-3 Paris Legion |
| Group A R1 | Florida Mutineers 2-3 Toronto Ultra |
| Group B R1 | Chicago Huntsmen 3-0 Minnesota RØKKR |
| Group A R1 | Dallas Empire 3-1 Los Angeles Guerrillas |
Saturday, April 11
| Round | Match |
| Group B WR2 | Paris Legion 1-3 Chicago Huntsmen |
| Group A WR2 | Toronto Ultra 2-3 Dallas Empire |
| Group B LR1 | Seattle Surge 2-3 Minnesota RØKKR |
| Group A LR1 | Florida Mutineers 3-2 Los Angeles Guerrillas |
| Group B LR2 | Paris Legion 1-3 Minnesota ROKKR |
| Group A LR2 | Toronto Ultra 1-3 Florida Mutineers |
Sunday, April 12
| Round | Match |
| Semifinal 1 | Chicago Huntsmen 1-3 Florida Mutineers |
| Semifinal 2 | Dallas Empire 1-3 Minnesota ROKKR |
| Grand Final | Florida Mutineers 3-1 Minnesota ROKKR |
Event coverage & recaps
- 6 players to watch during CDL Dallas
- CoD League Power Rankings coming into CDL Dallas
- Insane ROKKR vs Surge series sees first-ever tie in CDL history
- Karma hits back at CDL’s coverage of Seattle Surge
- Chicago Huntsmen suffer upset loss in CDL Dallas semis
- CDL Dallas Day 2 recap & highlights
With the Dallas Empire Home Series now wrapped up, the attention flips to Chicago Huntsmen’s own event, which will be taking place April 24-26, again using the new online format.
The teams that will be participating are: Huntsmen, FaZe, Empire, Royal Ravens, Guerrillas, Sublines, OpTic Gaming, and Surge. As always, we will bring you full coverage of the tournament, so make sure to follow us on Twitter @DexertoINTEL for the latest updates.