Minnesota Røkkr vs Optic Texas

CDL Opening Weekend 2022, Day 3: Minnesota R­økkr secure a 3-2 victory against OpTic Texas

As the Opening Weekend of 2022’s Call of Duty League drew to a close, Minnesota R­økkr rallied against a strong showing from OpTic Texas, winning their first series of the season 3-2. After Minnesota R­økkr staged a tense, last-second comeback victory on the fourth map, Berlin Hardpoint, and tied the series at 2-2, both teams entered the final map, Berlin Search and Destroy, with a fierce sense of determination. 

Map 1: Tuscan Hardpoint

In the first map of the series, the two teams traded Hardpoint control back and forth in a competitive early game where neither side was able to obtain a decisive lead. At the end of P5, Minnesota R­økkr were leading 114-113. As the match went on, OpTic Texas found their defensive footing, fending off a series of blistering assaults from R­økkr and converting early control of each Hardpoint into an insurmountable lead. The first map ended in an OpTic victory, with a final score of 250-157.

Map 2: Tuscan Search & Destroy

After a 1v2 clutch from OpTic’s iLLey in the first round, R­økkr bounced back quickly with an unquestionable display of Search and Destroy dominance on Tuscan, stringing together six consecutive round wins. R­økkr found themselves at an early man advantage in nearly every round, poking holes in OpTic’s defense and refusing to grant the Texas team access to either bombsite. The final score was 6-1 in R­økkr’s favor.

Map 3: Tuscan Control

R­økkr started the third map on defense, setting up a powerful perimeter around B while allowing OpTic to take A uncontested. With less than three seconds remaining in the first round, OpTic managed to make their way through R­økkr’s defenses to take an early map lead. In the second round, R­økkr mounted a lightning-fast offense that OpTic seemed powerless to stop and tied the map at a score of  1-1. In the third round, R­økkr pulled off a clean defense of B to extend their lead. The fourth round narrowly went the way of OpTic despite an explosive series of kills from Attach. In a nail-biting round five sequence that would set the tone for both of the maps that followed, OpTic made a risky push to cut off R­økkr’s access to B, winning the third map 3-2.

Map 4: Berlin Hardpoint

As the series moved to Berlin, R­økkr would falter against OpTic in the first half of their Hardpoint match. Staring down a 70 point deficit at a score of 177-107, a loss seemed almost inevitable for the Minnesota team, but R­økkr refused to go down quietly. Slowly but surely, R­økkr clawed their way back into the fourth map, and the score sat at 244-221 in OpTic’s favor as both teams made their way towards the final Hardpoint. With the series on the line, R­økkr gained control of P3 and mounted a flawless defense that propelled them to a 250-244 victory against OpTic.

Map 5: Berlin Search and Destroy

The opening round of the final map went in favor of OpTic, but R­økkr made a quick return to the same form we witnessed during the Tuscan Search and Destroy match, claiming three decisive wins in a row and bringing the score to 3-1. OpTic responded with a streak of their own and took the lead 4-3, but a 1v1 from MajorManiak in round eight tied the map at 4-4. OpTic won the next round, but R­økkr put a stop to their momentum with a clean post-plant defense and tied the score again. R­økkr took an early man advantage in round 11, and dispatched the entirety of OpTic with all four players alive, securing a map and series victory with a final score of 6-5.

GAME #1: HARDPOINT

Minnesota Røkkr

157

Optic Texas

250

GAME #2: Search and destroy

Minnesota Røkkr

6

Optic Texas

1

GAME #3: CONTROL

Minnesota Røkkr

2

Optic Texas

3

GAME #4 : HARDPOINT

Minnesota Røkkr

250

Optic Texas

244

GAME #5: Search and destroy

Minnesota Røkkr

6

Optic Texas

5