The Chicago Huntsmen have started the CDL 2020 with a bang, cementing themselves as a top two team early on. The road to the top has not been flawless with the Huntsmen overcoming lots of adversity early on. To continue to remain at the top of the CDL, Chicago have a few key areas to improve upon going forward.
No one would argue that the Huntsmen have struggled the most in Search and Destroy as Chicago have been able to rely on their respawn gameplay. Given Search and Destroy has the potential to be 40% of the maps played in a series, it is vital for teams to ensure they can rely on their Search and Destroy play. Take day one of CDL Atlanta as an example, the Huntsmen lost map two 6-1 to Toronto and almost blew a 4-0 lead in map five taking it in round 11. Having the ability to win just 50% of Search maps would typically suffice given Chicago’s consistency in Hardpoint and Domination.
At times the Huntsmen can play isolated which makes it difficult to get trades and win rounds if opening gunfights are lost. Playing on an island might work when the individual players win one-on-one gunfights, but if this is not happening Chicago finds themselves in a life deficit. Although this happens to every team, it is imperative that Chicago play as a cohesive unit in order to progress through the map and give themselves a man advantage when it comes to engagements.
Courtesy of CDL
After both matches finished on Saturday, Envoy was interviewed and he attributed the Huntsman’s lackluster performance in Search and Destroy to hectic comms. He said their comms during Search resembled that of the respawns game modes. As the Huntsmen continue to advance to bracket play, the competition only grows stronger. Later down the road when the stakes are high and prize money is on the line it is little things like communication that can make all the difference. Consistent communication is key in order for the Huntsmen to ebb and flow throughout the map and ensure each player is in proper position when key moments unfold on the map.
Despite being undefeated the Huntsmen can still improve their teamwork. With the overwhelming amount of talent in the CDL this year there are many intangible factors that will separate great teams from the good teams. After the first day of Atlanta, Arcitys was interviewed and said that the team needed to trust one another. Now it is safe to say the Huntsmen have a considerable amount of trust in one another as they have yet to drop a map in the CDL; however, when a team has its back against the wall, trust is one of the first things to go. Trust is crucial as it takes immense pressure off communicating and enables players to focus on larger issues facing the team. Trusting one another will lead to muscle memory kicking in and driving the Huntsmen to flawlessly execute their gameplan.
Featured image courtesy of Dexerto
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