Day one of the new CDL kicked off yesterday and it is apparent that a lot has changed from the typical LAN setup. Casting from home, production crews working remotely and post-game interviews where all teammates are present in and active in the discord are just a few of the new normals. One thing that has not changed? The Chicago Huntsmen and their position as one of the top tier teams in the CDL. Although it had been a while since fans had seen Chicago play, the Huntsmen made a colossal statement by sweeping the Minnesota ROKKR 3-0.
Some Things Never Change
Coming into group play yesterday the Huntsmen had the toughest matchup. The Minnesota ROKKR solidified themselves as a top-four team over the past few tournaments. The icing on the cake for the team was barely losing in the finals of CDL Los Angeles 3-2 to the Dallas Empire. For the duration of the Call of Duty League, the Chicago Huntsmen have typically come out on top when it matters most. Although they dropped a match to the Florida Mutineers in Atlanta, against the teams with the five highest CDL points, the Huntsmen are undefeated this season. The Huntsmen did not let the ROKKR’s giant momentum get in the way of their match. The match yesterday was a grueling back-and-forth battle that could have gone either way. Every single map was about as close as it could be. The Hardpoint was decided by 11 points, Search and Destroy was a reverse sweep 6-5 and Domination was won by seven points. Each of the Huntsmen’s map victories was the culmination of doing everything right in the biggest moments of each map. Even though this match was a nailbiter, the Huntsmen’s composure and poise that they continue to show persevered in yesterday’s toughest moments.
Composure Propels the Huntsmen to the Top
The Huntsmen have nerves of steel. In a post-game interview yesterday with the Paris Legion, Kismet talked about what being a veteran in Call of Duty is. He discussed knowing when you have made a mistake and having the game IQ and skill to adjust on the fly and preventing themselves from making the same mistake twice. That was the story for the Huntsmen yesterday. Whether it was being down 225-189 heading into the home stretch of the Hardpoint or looking at the daunting 0-5 score in Search and Destroy, Chicago proved they are unphased by any task. In a video posted by Hecz, he was discussing the match with Arcitys and Scump. Scump discussed the Search and Destroy gameplay and said his mindset was he just needed help getting on the board. He asked Arcitys to bait for him and Seth ended up with two kills in that round. Although a lot more had to go right for the Huntsmen, this interview went to show Chicago controls their own destiny when they want to. Being down 0-5 is a stark reality that did not phase the Huntsmen. They took a deep breathe, took a bird’s eye view of the situation and executed their game plan just as they have time and time again this year. Composure and poise have consistently landed the Huntsmen atop the leaderboards and ahead of the competition throughout the first few events this season.
Arcitys Could not be Stopped
Last but not least is Arcitys. Arcitys unzipped his backpack and told his teammates to hop in so he could carry them across the finish line. While many of the Huntsmen had their moments yesterday, it was Alec who shined the brightest and longest in all three matches. Arcitys lead the way for all players yesterday with a 1.62 KD ratio. Alec had a 1.53 KD when it came to Hardpoint and a 2.07 KD in Domination. Arcitys was an absolute machine and the ROKKR did not have an answer from him. Recently, FormaL and Arcitys swapped roles and we now see FormaL playing as the sub and Arcitys as the AR. Although the sample size is small, it appears Arcitys was comfortable in his new role with the team. If FormaL can get more comfortable with a sub and get into his top form fans are accustomed to, it will be a scary sight for the competition.
Featured image courtesy of the Call of Duty League
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