CDL Major IV Recap and Final Qualifying Teams for CDL Champs

(Gray News) - The Call of Duty League’s (CDL) final major of the regular season, Major IV, concluded a few weeks ago. It was decisive in determining which teams will conclude their 2024 season in the postseason.

The 2024 CDL regular season saw a particularly close race around the playoff cutoff line. Several teams were within 10 points of each other on either side of the line, and one good performance at Major IV could have seen them break through and confirm their spot in the postseason.

One team, in particular, was only 10 points back from qualifying for the postseason going into Major IV. All they needed to do was place higher at Major IV than the two teams ahead of them in the standings. When the dust settled and Major IV was over, that team, The Los Angeles Guerrillas, found themselves with a 3rd place finish and a ticket to Dallas to compete at CDL Champs.

So what happened? First and foremost, the Guerrillas had to ensure they placed above Vegas Legion and the Carolina Royal Ravens, the two teams ten points ahead of them in the standings and setting the qualification cutoff line for CDL Champs. The Royal Ravens and Legion were tied in CDL points going into Major IV. Still, Legion was sitting above the cutoff line in 8th place, thanks to a better match-win record, while the Royal Ravens found themselves just below the cutoff line in 9th. The Guerrillas, sitting 10th in the standings, needed to position themselves perfectly to surpass both teams to ensure they would qualify for Champs.

The Guerrillas did just that by starting Major IV in the winner’s bracket thanks to a solid performance in the Major IV qualifiers. The tournament is double elimination for the teams who start in the winner’s bracket, which gave the Guerrillas a little bit of insurance in case they made a mistake. Unfortunately for them, Legion also started the tournament in the winner’s bracket. But, on the flip side, the Royal Ravens began in the loser’s bracket.

Another bit of bother waited for the Guerrillas in round one as they would have to face Toronto Ultra, the number two team in the standings. Ultra is not a team to take lightly, as they won Major I, finished fourth at Major II, and nabbed second at Major III. They also hadn’t lost a round-one match in a major all season. Headed into a series that could define their season, the Guerrillas needed a win here to make their path to Champs much easier. Lose, and they were more likely heading home to a long offseason.

The Guerrillas did the unthinkable. They won the first Hardpoint on Karachi with a resounding 250-154. Next, they held off Ultra in the first Search and Destroy 6-4. On map three, Ultra won Control with a 3-0 on Highrise. But instead of Ultra starting a reverse sweep, Guerrillas took the series win on map four with a 250-221 in Hardpoint on 6 Star. The Guerrillas secured a spot in winner’s round two, and Ultra got pushed down to the loser’s bracket. Another puzzle piece fell into place for the Guerrillas as the Legion lost their opening match against the Seattle Surge and also fell to the loser’s bracket.

The Guerrillas, who didn’t have a match until Saturday, watched the Royal Ravens lose to Ultra in Friday’s opening match, ensuring that the Guerrillas would surpass them in the race to the playoffs and were one step closer to Champs. Friday’s next series was Legion versus Boston Breach. Legion won the series 3-0 and now was guaranteed at least 15 CDL points as they had made it to loser’s round two. Loser’s round two decides who finishes in the 7th place tie, the first placement that receives points, or moves on to loser’s round 3. But even if the Guerrillas lost their match on Saturday, they would be placed in loser’s round three, which decides the 5th place tie and earns teams who make it this far a minimum of 30 CDL points.

The Guerrillas were ahead of Legion by 5 CDL points, but if Legion won their series in loser’s round two, they would regain their 10-point lead. Legion had to face the New York Subliners, who were 4th in the standings going into Major IV. The New York Subliners are also the reigning CDL Champs. But, they had yet to win a Major in 2024 going into Major IV. The Guerrillas could only sit and hope that the Subliners would knock out Legion.

The Guerrillas’ dreams came true as Legion lost to the Subliners 1-3. The Guerrillas were now firmly ahead of both Legion and the Royal Ravens in the CDL points race and had cemented their invitation to Dallas. The Guerrillas only won one more series at Major IV. Their hard-fought 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Thieves in winners’s round two. The Guerrillas went on to lose to Atlanta FaZe in the Winners Final and the Subliners in the Losers Final. Both times, they were swept by their opponent.

The Subliners beat FaZe in the Grand Finals, having made a strong run through the loser’s bracket after their victory over Legion. They took out the Thieves 3-1 in the loser’s round three and swept Ultra in the loser’s round four ahead of their victory over the Guerrillas. The Subliners had won their first Major of the 2024 season, giving them momentum heading into the postseason.

The teams who have qualified for CDL Champs in order of the first seed to the eighth seed are:

• Atlanta FaZe
• Toronto Ultra
• OpTic Texas
• New York Subliners
• Seattle Surge
• Los Angeles Guerillas
• Los Angeles Thieves
• Miami Heretics

CDL Champs starts tomorrow, Thursday, July 18th, and ends Sunday, July 21st. The tournament will be held at the Credit Union of Texas Events Center. Tune in this weekend to see if the Guerrillas will build on their perseverance or if the Subliners will become the first team to win back-to-back Champs since the start of the CDL.

Gray Television is an investor in OpTic Gaming.

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