Top 5 CDL Launch Weekend plays: Was Simp’s 11 kill streak the best?

The first weekend of the Call of Duty League has come to an end, and with plenty of incredible action across the three-day event hosted by Minnesota RØKKR, here are five of the best Modern Warfare plays from the weekend.

All 12 of the Call of Duty League teams descended on the freezing city of Minneapolis for the launch of the game’s new franchised esports league, with 11 cities represented as the legendary first-person shooter entered into a brand new era for CoD esports.

With each team playing twice over the weekend, there were plenty of insane plays and jaw-dropping moments, and we’ve grabbed six of the best from the world’s greatest players who showed off their incredible skill as they searched for their first victories in the competition.

Stewart Volland for Activision Blizzard

The Call of Duty League kicked off in front of a massive Minnesota crowd.

Honorable Mention – FormaL’s 10 kill streak against Dallas Empire

All eyes were on the opening match of the Call of Duty League on Friday, January 24, when the Chicago Huntsmen and Dallas Empire squared off in what was an early grudge match. With Scump and Crimsix parting ways from OpTic Gaming on less-than-friendly terms, and the teams counted as two of the best entering the League, everyone was keen to see how they matched up when they finally met on stage.

It was Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper who was the star of proceedings though, going on a crazy 10 kill spree on Hackney Yard to help the Huntsmen win the Domination map, and eventually take the series 3-1.

5. Skrapz’s sneaky S&D clutch vs Paris Legion

Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall is one of Call of Duty’s loudest and most charismatic players, but the London Royal Ravens star proved he was capable of being silent and deadly against Paris Legion on Sunday, January 26, picking off two players to clutch the round with seconds to spare.

Finding himself alone against two Legion enemies, Skrapz had just 30 seconds to find the kills he needed and defuse the bomb to give his team the first round on Arklov Peak. The Englishman burst round a corner to wipe out Denz, then activated his Dead Silence Field Upgrade to sneak through the middle of the map, flank around Shockz to find the kill, and pull off the defuse with just one second to spare.

4. Asim wipes out Toronto to win Domination

Minnesota RØKKR and Toronto Ultra squared off in the “Battle for the North” in the weekend’s final game, and while it may have been cold in Minneapolis, Obaid ‘Asim’ Asim certainly brought the heat when he went on a crazy eight kill streak to fend off a late charge from the Ultra during Domination on Hackney Yard.

• Read More: Scump, FormaL, and H3CZ explain why there’s no rivalry with OpTic Gaming

With just eight points separating the teams heading into the final 40 seconds, the Canadian team started flooding towards the B flag, trying to capture and steal the win at the death. With Assault taken down by Methodz, Asim found himself left as the only Minnesota player left in the building, and went on a crazy run to push Ultra back and give his team a 2-1 series lead.

3. Shockz stuns OpTic with crazy 10-kill streak

Expectations weren’t high for Paris Legion coming into Launch Weekend, but the boys representing France shocked many with their incredible and aggressive displays, and no moment summed things up better than Conrad ‘Shockz’ Rymarek’s brutal streak on Azhir Cave that left OpTic Gaming L.A. in pieces.

Already 40 points in the lead during Hardpoint, Shockz managed to flank around the back of OpTic, wiping three players off the hill, before moving outside to take down a few more, and even help secure spawns for his side as they pushed into soccer field to extend their advantage.

2. Wuskinz clutches 1v3 against Subliners

With bomb planted and three players still alive against one, the New York Subliners appeared to have the second round of Piccadilly S&D wrapped up until Bradley ‘wuskin’ Marshall decided he was going to steal the show with a perfect 1v3.

Sniper in hand, the Brit cracked Accuracy with a vicious headshot, switching to his M4 to take down Attach and then finally Zer0, showing incredible patience to wait for his fellow Englishman to move before taking him down and securing the defuse.

1. Simp’s crazy 11-streak against NYSL

There’s a reason Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr is known as one-half of the Tiny Terrors, and the Atlanta FaZe star was an absolute nightmare to play against for the New York Subliners, who couldn’t handle the raw slaying power of the 18-year-old as they were blown away the young guns.

After a slow start personally on St Petrograd Hardpoint, Simp and his MP5 went to work, slicing through waves of Subliners’ players to go on an unbelievable 11 kill streak, making short work of player after player until NYSL finally ganged up on him to bring his unbelievable run to a close.

With the action now finished for the weekend, four teams boast unblemished records heading to the London Homestand on February 8. Atlanta FaZe, Chicago Huntsmen, Paris Legion, and Minnesota RØKKR all enjoyed 2-0 Launch Weekends, while London Royal Ravens, Florida Mutineers, Toronto Ultra, and Los Angeles Guerrillas all picked up one victory each.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the weekend was Dallas Empire, who were touted as one of the favorites heading into Launch Weekend, but found themselves on the receiving end of losses from both the Huntsmen and FaZe.