The Seattle Surge and Florida Mutineers pulled out tight victories on Thursday to set up a second-round, winners-bracket matchup in the Call of Duty League Major 3.
The Surge edged the New York Subliners 3-2, and the Mutineers nipped OpTic Texas 3-2.
In other first-round action in the double-elimination event, the Atlanta FaZe downed the Toronto Ultra 3-1, and the Los Angeles Thieves defeated the Minnesota Rokkr 3-2.
The winners of the Surge-Mutineers and FaZe-Thieves matchups on Friday will advance to the winners-bracket final.
The bottom four teams from the CDL Major 3’s group stage open play in the losers bracket on Friday. The Boston Breach will oppose the Rokkr, the Paris Legion will face off with the Ultra, the Los Angeles Guerrillas will clash with OpTic, and the London Royal Ravens will meet the Subliners.
Seattle opened with a 250-178 win on Bocage Hardpoint and a 6-2 victory on Berlin Search and Destroy. New York rallied to capture Berlin Control 3-2 and Gavutu Hardpoint 250-171. In the decisive fifth map, the Surge pulled out a 6-5 win on Tuscan Search and Destroy.
Florida and Texas alternated wins and losses. The Mutineers took Tuscan Hardpoint 250-222, Tuscan Control 3-1 and Berlin Search and Destroy 6-2. In between, OpTic won Tuscan Search and Destroy 6-4 and Berlin Hardpoint 250-243.
Atlanta’s 250-213 win on Bocage Hardpoint was offset by Toronto’s 6-1 triumph on Desert Siege Search and Destroy. The FaZe sealed the series by claiming Tuscan Control 3-2 and Tuscan Hardpoint 250-168.
Minnesota was on the verge of a victory after sandwiching a 250-226 win on Tuscan Hardpoint and a 3-2 triumph on Berlin Control around a 6-2 loss on Bocage Search and Destroy. However, the Thieves battled back to claim Berlin Hardpoint 250-228 and Desert Siege Search and Destroy 6-1.
All matches in the event are best-of-five until the best-of-nine final on Sunday.
Call of Duty League Major 3 points pool
1. 65 CDL points
2. 50 CDL points
3. 40 CDL points
4. 30 CDL points
5-6. 20 CDL points
7-8. 10 CDL points
9-12. no CDL points
–Field Level Media