The first Major of the Call of Duty League was played on Activision’s new game; Modern Warfare 2. This Major, which ushered in the 2022-2023 competitive season, was a chance for fans to see the scene’s best players in action.
Call of Duty fans were treated to the start of the new season of the Call of Duty League just before the holidays, with the first ever Major held in Raleigh, USA.
This was a chance to see some of the game’s best players at work. In addition to the 12 organisations in the franchised league, four teams from the qualifiers participated. Including Belgian representative Bjarne “Denza” Sleebus of Elevate.
In the competition, the teams were divided into four groups with matches in Bo5. Denza was in a tough group that included Los Angeles Thieves. After an excellent first win against Boston Breach, 3-2, Elevate had a chance to qualify directly for the playoffs with a win against the Thieves.
Unfortunately for Denza and his team, that step was too high. After a heavy defeat against the Thieves, Elevate also lost the decisive match against Las Vegas Legion 2-3. Despite a great run, they had to say goodbye to their play-off dream.
Seattle Surge and Atlanta FaZe faced each other in the final of the upper bracket. Surge’s players were allowed to advance to the grand final with a 3-2 win.
At the bottom, it was the New York Subliners that produced the best performance by beating Las Vegas Legion (3-1), Toronto Ultra (3-2) and finally Atlanta FaZe (3-1) to secure a place in the grand final.
That grand final had a lot of surprises in store. The Subliners did not give their opponents the slightest chance of final victory. After a masterful final, American KiSMET and his teammates won the Major 4-1.
Your #CDL2023 Major I MVP is @KiSMET6_ 🥇 pic.twitter.com/PqexFDkmN4
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) December 19, 2022
The New York Subliners were rewarded with a well-deserved final victory after a breathtaking competition with an insane course. The players will hardly have time to recover from their emotions as the second Major will take place in early February.