The last event of the inaugural CDL season is here. All of the chips are on the line. The top four teams are competing and any of them could walk away with the number one seed for Champs. This week is crucial for the Huntsmen. They have extremely limited time to work out the kinks from CDL New York. Chicago need to come out firing on all cylinders. It is crucial to start hot if the Huntsmen want a top-two seed at Champs. The Atlanta FaZe, Dallas Empire, Florida Mutineers and Chicago Huntsmen all have their eye on the prize. Do the Huntsmen have what it takes to blow by the competition this weekend?
CDL Toronto Preview
Seattle Surge (5-16)
The Seattle Surge have had a very disappointing season. The roster was made up of star players with many World Championships and countless major wins. Despite this roster’s impressive resume, they did not mesh well together. The Surge have been competitive at times, but they are definitely struggling. The inconsistent performances combined with extremely low morale will prove difficult for Seattle ahead of this weekend. The Surge are likely to end as a bottom-four seed for Champs barring a miracle.
Chicago are ascending while Seattle are plummeting. It is imperative for the Huntsmen to deny Seattle the opportunity to build momentum. The largest area for Chicago to keep an eye on is the opening Hardpoint. Octane is Seattle’s best player and is an extremely strong performer in respawn modes. Octane can get going and once that happens it is hard to stop him. It will be a clash of titans early with Chicago’s map one success. Given Seattle’s season-long Search and Destroy issues, if Chicago can shut them down immediately the Huntsmen will likely be up 2-0 early.
Next Round Matchups
Chicago are lucky as they definitely have an easier pool. Group B has three of the top four seeds in the Empire, Mutineers and FaZe. Group A is the Huntsmen, Ultra, OGLA and Surge. Thus, Chicago will play the Toronto Ultra or OpTic Gaming Los Angeles. Both teams pose a big challenge for the Huntsmen. While Chicago have not played OGLA aside from the Launch Weekend, they are looking scary after last weekend. They came seconds away from beating the Mutineers and appear to be meshing well. Chicago have more experience against the Toronto Ultra and it is always an extremely competitive series. Sparks surely will fly in the second round.
Player to Watch: Prestinni
Prestinni is going to be the catalyst for the Huntsmen’s success this weekend. Prestinni is known for his very high pace play and route running. Unfortunately this can cause him to go negative, especially in respawn game modes. Chicago are counting on a strong performance from him. Prestinni is not known for explosive performances like Scump or Forma; however, this is not his role. If Prestinni can hover around a 0.9-1.0 K/D ratio and rotate early in respawn modes, the Huntsmen are surely to make a deep run at CDL Toronto.
Prediction: Chicago win 3-1
The Seattle Surge definitely have the talent to upset any team on any given day. Unfortunately for them, the lack of chemistry will inevitably lead to Chicago winning the first-round matchup. It is absolutely crucial for Chicago to come out and make a statement early if they are to emerge victorious this weekend.
Featured image courtesy of the Call of Duty League
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