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Atlanta FaZe and Florida Mutineers made it through the first stage of the 2021 Call of Duty League (CDL) Stage 3 Major on Thursday, May 13. They now enter the second round of the Winners Bracket, where they’ll take on Toronto Ultra and the New York Subliners.
Atlanta FaZe sweep Dallas Empire
Atlanta FaZe entered CDL Stage 3 Major as the esports betting favorites, and they did not disappoint. In their opening round of the tournament, FaZe swept Dallas Empire 3-0 and banished the reigning CDL champions to the losers bracket.
Even though FaZe were expected to beat Dallas Empire, no one could have foreseen such a one-sided affair. The Atlanta outfit started the series with a 41-point victory on Apocalypse – Hardpoint, and they didn’t stop there.
The Empire did their best to tie the series on Checkmate – Search and Destroy but failed miserably. FaZe crushed Dallas by completely shutting down their best player and the CDL 2020 MVP Ian “C6” Porter, who ended the map without a single kill.
Meanwhile, FaZe’s star duo Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris, and McArthur “Cellium” Jovel combined 21 kills in a 6-1 victory. While their teammates contributed only six kills, it was enough for FaZe to extend their series lead to 2-0.
Dallas Empire woke up on Garrison – Control, where they showed some resistance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to turn the game upside down.
C6 and co. won the first map on Control but were unable to keep their distance. FaZe came back with well-executed plays to tie the map and grab a 2-1 lead.
In their last effort to salvage something from the series, Dallas tied the map at 2-2 but ended up falling short and lost with 2-3.
After making easy work of Dallas Empire, FaZe now advance into the next stage, where they’ll take on Toronto Ultra. The Empire will continue their journey to their first Major title of the season in the lower bracket, where they’ll face the winner of the Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. OpTic Chicago match.
Florida Mutineers Stun Los Angeles Thieves
After Atlanta FaZe’s commanding victory over Dallas Empire, the attention shifted to a meeting between the Florida Mutineers and Los Angeles Thieves, who clashed in the second Winners Bracket fixture of the day. While the first match of the day proved to be fairly one-sided, the Mutineers and Thieves remained close in each of the four maps.
Mutineers started the series with a narrow 250-233 victory on Checkmate – Hardpoint to grab the first map. Led by rookie Travis “Neptune” McCloud, Florida carried over their momentum into Express – S&D, where they edged out the Thieves 6-5 and extended their series lead to 2-0.
The new and improved Los Angeles Thieves struck back with a narrow 3-2 victory on Checkmate – Control. However, they were unable to keep their wheels spinning.
Mutineers sealed the deal with a 250-216 victory on Moscow – Hardpoint and locked in a convincing 3-1 series victory. Despite entering the professional Call of Duty esports scene only in January 2021, it was Neptune who was a key factor in Mutineers’ victory over the Thieves.
He led the charge on the final map with 35 kills, outperforming everyone on the server.
His highlight play came at the end of the fourth map, where he executed a 2v4 ace to secure his side a very important victory.
By advancing into the second round, Mutineers have already secured their best CDL Major placement of the season. In both of the previous CDL Majors, the Florida outfit failed to make it past the second round of the Losers Bracket.
Big Games on for Friday, May 14
After advancing from the first round of CDL Stage 3 Major Winners Bracket, FaZe and Mutineers are now only two wins away from making it to the finals. Their next fixtures are slated for Friday when they take on Toronto Ultra and the New York Subliners.
Odds for Atlanta FaZe vs. Toronto Ultra match
Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:
- FaZe -192
- Ultra +142
- FaZe -1.5 Maps +118
- Ultra +1.5 Maps -159
- Over 4.5 Maps +159
- Under 4.5 Maps -217
After a commanding display against the 2020 CDL Champions, FaZe enter this bout as the betting favorites. They’re priced as low as -192 to beat Toronto Ultra.
Even though FaZe showcased just how strong they can be, it’s important to note that they already lost to Ultra. The Toronto outfit beat FaZe 5-3 in the CDL Stage 2 Major grand finals, and they’ll look to do it again on Friday.
Odds for Florida Mutineers vs. New York Subliners match
Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:
- Mutineers +122
- Subliners -161
- Mutineers +1.5 Maps – 208
- Subliners -1.5 Maps +153
- Over 4.5 Maps +149
- Under 4.5 Maps -200
Florida Mutineers impressed with their showing against the Los Angeles Thieves. However, beating the New York Subliners won’t be as easy.
Subliners enter this match priced as -161 underdogs, having already beaten Mutineers 3-2 in March. These sides haven’t met since, so it will be interesting to see how they match up here.