CDL Florida takes place this weekend without the Huntsmen. Day one was full of action and many key takeaways for Chicago. Much of yesterday, albeit one day of competition, should provide some wind in the Huntsmen’s sails. Chicago can take a deep breath as some fears were potentially mitigated through Friday’s play. Although Chicago cannot earn any points this weekend, day one held some very helpful insights for the team.
The Mutineers are not so Scary
On Friday, the Mutineers did not have their best performance. In fact, Florida failed to take a map off the Minnesota ROKKR. Although maps one and three were slightly more competitive, Florida was blown off the map in Search and Destroy. Huntsmen fans have yet to witness Chicago capture a series win against Florida. Even though both teams do not meet again until CDL Minnesota in June, this information is helpful to have in their back pocket. With Chicago potentially subbing in General and Florida’s weaker showing, the team is extremely beatable going forward.
The ROKKR are a top contender this season, but Chicago most recently beat the ROKKR 3-0 amidst their struggles. Domination could have gone either way, but Florida did not have it in the other maps. Given Florida has kept Chicago from passing their plateau, Friday is an extremely positive sign. While Chicago needs to focus on a plethora of issues heading into CDL Seattle, Florida is not one of them.
Do not Sleep on Toronto
Toronto is a team that struggled to accumulate CDL points this season. Additionally, the Ultra took Chicago to a game five round 11 earlier in the season. Having said this, the Ultra played the Subliners on Friday. Earlier in the week Simp said New York was scary in Hardpoint scrims. Toronto said “we are not scared of you” and took care of New York 3-1. Toronto came out firing on all cylinders. In his post-match interview, Cammy was asked what he thought about fans sleeping on them. He responded indicating although Toronto started the season slow, he felt the team was starting to click.
New York is a team that pushed the Atlanta FaZe and the Chicago Huntsmen to map fives. Toronto showed this did not matter to them. The Ultra came out looking sharp and were extremely clutch throughout most of the maps. Friday’s biggest moments did not faze Toronto. Given the team has not won too many matches this year, day one was a bit surprising for fans. Nevertheless, Toronto proved they can beat any team on any day.
Atlanta FaZe are not at Their Peak
After Friday, it is clear the FaZe have slightly fallen from their recent peak. This is not to say they are not a great team – which they are. However, early in the year Atlanta looked unbeatable. They cruised through opponents and appeared untouchable. It is safe to say the competition is catching up or Atlanta have become more human. Even though the Atlanta FaZe beat the Paris Legion 3-1, three of the maps yesterday could have gone either way. The Paris Legion are a team with top tier talent that is currently performing in the middle of the pack. It is worth noting the Huntsmen have taken all series off the Legion, yet most of the series were highly contested.
FaZe etched out the opening Hardpoint 250-212, but that did not come without its difficulties. A few key rotations on the money hills gave Atlanta the edge. In the Search and Destroy, Atlanta squeaked out a round 11 win. In Domination, the Paris Legion won 148-145. Atlanta inevitably smothered Paris 250-117 in the final map. Map four is the type of performance that the FaZe fans grew accustomed to early in the season. Especially given the Legion are not a top team in the CDL, the FaZe were expected to take care of business with ease.
Ahead of CDL Seattle
Although the Huntsmen have a lot to work on heading into CDL Seattle, the first day of CDL Florida provided some tailwinds. Top teams appear to have left their peak and some of the less successful teams prove they are here to stay. Fans have an interesting rest of the event and weeks coming up, stay tuned for a lot more action.
Featured image courtesy of ESTNN
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