LA Thieves Win First CDL Major; Subliners Make It To Champs

It’s official – the final Major tournament of the CDL 2022 is over, and so is the regular season itself. In the closing hours of the season, fans were treated to one of the most wildly intense Major tournaments they’d seen all year. Within one weekend, dreams were shattered, victory was achieved on several fronts, and certain teams worked remarkably hard to redeem themselves. For the LA Thieves, Major IV marked their first huge victory in the Call of Duty League ever.

However, we can’t give all the credit to the Thieves, as the Subliners achieved something just as impressive. From being second-from-bottom for almost the entire season, NYSL clinched a spot at the Call of Duty League Championship, climbing up into eighth place following a dramatic and inspiring underdog sprint. It was an LA Thieves vs. Subliners battle the whole way through Major IV, and despite a brilliant display of talent from the Subliners, it ultimately wasn’t enough to overcome a razor-sharp LA Thieves side.

Read on to find out the full breakdown of Major IV, the penultimate CDL tournament of 2022.

They Actually Made It

Few teams were as impressive as LA Thieves this weekend, with the squad going on a spree that saw them beat Atlanta FaZe, Toronto Ultra, Atlanta FaZe again, and finally, the New York Subliners. It seemed rocky for a moment, as in the Winners Final, the Subliners pulled out a remarkable 3 – 1 win, sending the Thieves down into the bottom, single-elimination bracket. It wasn’t enough to kick LA Thieves out of the tournament, and a second 3 – 1 victory over ATL pulled the team back into the running.

It was a case of the curse kicking back in once again, as Atlanta FaZe, the best team on the table this season, failed to secure a victory at the fifth Major in a row. At these top-tier tournaments, ATL has gone without a win since June of 2021. For LA Thieves, this marks the first Major win in the team’s history in the Call of Duty League, and it sets them up perfectly for COD Champs. While the Majors are some of the best Call of Duty tournaments around, Champs is where the true magic happens.

However, one of the biggest stories from this weekend – and certainly a magical one at that – is the tale of the New York Subliners. From being a bottom-table side to clinching the final spot to COD Champs, NYSL went on an insane run between the final regular stage and Major IV. In back-to-back wins at the Major, the Subliners defeated Minnesota Rokkr, the Mutineers, and the LA Thieves, before falling against a powerful, returning Thieves side in the Grand Final.

An Incredible Major Moment

For some teams, the weekend’s Major tournament marked the end of their CDL 2022 season. It was an instant dismissal for Paris Legion, a team that will never again exist in the Call of Duty League. At the bottom of the Losers Bracket, Seattle Surge, the champions of Major III, crashed out against Boston Breach. There was a glimmer of hope for OpTic Texas following a spree that saw the boys in green beat Rokkr, Breach, and Ultra, but ultimately, it was FaZe that knocked them out of the competition.

It was a memorable weekend for all involved, but special credit has to be handed out to the teams in the Grand Final. On the side of the LA Thieves, Kenny was on fire, failing to miss a shot and tearing up the Subliners across key rounds of Control and Hardpoint on Berlin. Octane was also an incredible force, putting his sniping skills to the test to land some incredible shots across multiple Search and Destroy fixtures.

On the side of the Subliners, Kismet stepped up and revealed remarkable map knowledge, clutching up on several occasions. There’s also a special mention for HydrA, who was working hard to clinch that final spot at COD Champs. As a team, the Subliners finally clicked and pulled off something amazing, and we’ll see them in action again at the Call of Duty League Championship event.

All eyes now turn to the Champs tournament, which will take place in LA between the 4th and 7th of August. If you’re interested in Call of Duty League betting, this is your final chance this year to make a little money on multiplayer COD.