Atlanta sweep London in close series
Kicking off the day was the Atlanta FaZe taking on a London Royal Ravens team which saw Sean "Seany" O'Connor make his debut for the European franchise.
Atlanta star Chris "Simp" Lehr kicked off the series in fine form, scoring a record-setting 49 kills on Azhir Cave Hardpoint to secure the win for Atlanta in what was a very close game. The theme of close games continued into Arklov Peak Search & Destroy, where London managed to take the lead before an accidental team-kill saw Atlanta tie up the game. The game went all 11 rounds, with Atlanta once again emerging as the victors in another tight game.
Despite the scoreline, London were certainly not out of the game by any means. Atlanta began Hackney Yard Domination on the front foot, capturing all three flags in the early stages of the game but the Royal Ravens quickly regained control to establish a slender lead at the end of the first half. In another back and forth contest, the slaying prowess of Atlanta proved to be the difference as they overturned the deficit to secure the map and series victory.
Surge score third win
The trials and tribulations of the Seattle Surge has been one of the major talking points throughout the duration of the season thanks to the team's poor performances in Search & Destroy in particular.
Given the amount of experienced talent on this line-up, the Surge finally showed some signs of life against the Los Angeles Guerrillas, scoring a convincing 3-0 win over the Guerrillas. Is this a turn in the tide for Seattle? This win could be the start of a resurgence up the table in the remaining events of the season.
Business as usual for Dallas
The Dallas Empire has been one of the most consistent teams throughout the season so far. With Chicago and Atlanta competing this weekend alongside the Empire, Dallas has the opportunity to score another high-scoring points total.
The Empire kicked off the Chicago Home Series against OpTic Gaming Los Angeles with a comfortable 3-1 win to see them advance into the qualifier match against Seattle on day 2.
New York stun Chicago
The final match of day one saw the New York Subliners take on the Chicago Huntsmen. This would be the tournament debut for latest Subliners recruit Mackenzie "Mack" Kelley who has impressed in practice.
The Subliners came out swinging, taking Gun Runner Hardpoint 250-135, a game where Chicago didn't look like the team currently leading the league. The momentum kept rolling for New York, taking St. Petrograd S&D 6-5 to take an unprecedented 2-0 lead against the Huntsmen.
Even with Matt "FormaL" Piper returning to the role of main assault rifle while Alec "Arcitys" Sanderson moved back into a more aggressive SMG role, something looked off within the team. Despite this, the Huntsmen managed to stay alive in the series with a 156-150 win on Gun Runner Domination but it was far from a convincing performance.
The Domination victory reset the New York momentum as the game headed to Hackney Yard for the first time in the series for the second Hardpoint. New York played Chicago close, but the early rotations paid off for the Huntsmen as they managed to level the series to force a fifth and deciding game.
Thanks to some excellent middle map control from the Subliners, New York quickly raced into an early lead. Chicago managed to respond with a few rounds of their own but thanks to a crisp double kill from Donovan "Temp" Laroda on the A bombsite, New York managed to pull off the win, handing Chicago a shock loss at their home tournament.
Day 1 Results
- Atlanta FaZe 3-0 London Royal Ravens
- Seattle Surge 3-0 LA Guerrillas
- Dallas Empire 3-1 OpTic Gaming LA
- New York Subliners 3-2 Chicago Huntsmen
Updated Bracket
Schedule
For the full schedule for the Chicago Home Series, click here.
Beginning on April 24th, Modern Warfare will be free for everyone. Find out how to access the game here.
