This article is part of our Call of Duty series.
Not to be outdone by Day 1, Day 2 of the Call of Duty Stage 2 Playoffs saw yet another upset, this time by Dream Team, as well as a convincing win by Rise Nation. How did both teams pull it off? Let's break it down.
The Dream is Alive and Well
If your Stage 2 Playoffs bracket wasn't busted by Luminosity's shocking win over OpTic Gaming on Thursday, it surely was ruined by Dream Team's 4-3 win over FaZe Clan on Friday.
And maybe that's good for competitive Call of Duty as a whole.
While both OpTic Gaming and FaZe Clan have been two of the premier teams in the Call of Duty scene for some time, a little parity certainly couldn't hurt the game, especially when the direct result is more promotional opportunities for some of the smaller teams like Luminosity and Dream Team.
A theme seems to be appearing in the aftermath of these upsets: an other-worldly performance by an individual player can at times trump the "favored" team in a given matchup, especially in a single-elimination format such as this tournament.
Much like Luminosity's Renato "Saints" Forza's performance on Thursday, Dream Team's Chino "Chino" Martin was beyond excellent against FaZe Clan. Plenty of people would attribute the upset to Adam "Killa" Sloss or Steven "Diabolic" Rivero's performance and they wouldn't be wrong, as both played fantastic, particularly in the series-ending Round 7 Search and Destroy. But without Chino's slaying presence throughout the series, Dream Team might not have made it to that point.
Case in point, both Round 1 and 5 Hardpoint matches. It's no secret that FaZe Clan had been arguably the best Hardpoint team in all of the CWL, losing just two Hardpoint matches during the entirety of Stage 2. It's also no secret that Dream Team has struggled in the game mode, with Chino admitting Hardpoint had been one of their weaker games up until Friday.
That's what makes Chino's astounding scoreline (71/40 KD combined, nearly 3 minutes in Hardpoint) so impressive. While neither Hardpoint clinched the series for Dream Team, it certainly gave the team an unlikely upper hand in the series.
"I knew that when we play them in Hardpoint, usually it's a closer game. We were one of the teams that beat them during the season, so I knew that if we played the game right, we would win," said Chino. "My teammates helping me out just made it easier on me. Because of them, I was able to do what I wanted to."
Bracket-busting and heroic-slaying aside, Dream Team's win does have major ramifications for the Call of Duty World Championships in September. Thanks to the additional CWL points earned by advancing into the Stage 2 semifinals, Dream Team has now claimed one of the six North American automatic bids, guaranteeing them the right to compete at the Call of Duty World Championship. Considering Dream Team is actively looking to sell their team following the conclusion of the Stage 2 playoffs, the price may have just gone up.
While Chino acknowledged the potential financial ramifications of the win, he did downplay the situation. "We are talking to a few orgs right now. I won't name them now, just out of respect to them, but the decision should be announced in the next week."
One thing's clear; whoever does wind up purchasing Dream Team will have a formidable team heading into the Call of Duty World Championships.
The Rise of Rise Nation
After a nail-biting loss to the OpTic Gaming in the finals of Stage 1, it seemed as if Rise Nation was poised to unseat the Green Wall as the top team in North America. Fast forward to July, and Rise Nation was heading into their quarterfinal matchup against Cloud9 as somewhat of the underdogs after a disappointing Stage 2 run.
Talks of Cloud9 knocking off Rise Nation were quickly put to rest in the opening game of Day 2, as Rise Nation flummoxed their opposition to the tune of a 4-0 sweep. Perhaps due to the early morning start, neither team seemed to have their usual amount of energy to begin the series, with Cloud9 in particular quiet throughout much of the first two rounds. However, that all changed in Round 3 Search and Destroy.
Despite touted as one of their best game modes in Black Ops III, Cloud9 played uncharacteristically passive, with Colt "Havok" McLendon seemingly trading win-for-win with Rise Nation in the early portion of the series. Things began to pick up near the end of Round 3, with both Rise Nation and Cloud9 sensing a momentum-building opportunity within their sights.
With Rise Nation up 5-4 in the best of 11 Round 3 Search and Destroy, Daniel "Loony" Loza took over, securing three quicks before tracking down Cloud9's remaining player, Havok and wiping him off the map, specialist and all, securing the round win.
Loony seemed to sense the impending series win, as immediately after killing Havok, he turned towards the Cloud9 side and yelled "bye-bye" to the opposition.
"That last round, I knew that Havok had the Kinetic, and I had Heat Wave, which is pretty much the counter. So when they called out that he was coming in the room I was like 'no Kinetic armor for you, no clutch,'" chuckled Loony postgame.
Just like that, Rise Nation had secured a 3-0 series advantage, putting away their quarterfinal opponents shortly thereafter with a dominating performance in Round 4 Capture the Flag.
Loony admitted the team felt confident after their Round 3 performance. "When you beat a team on their strongest game mode, you know you are going to close out."
Next up on the schedule is a matchup with No. 1 seed EnVyUs to determine who will compete in the Stage 2 finals. With both teams sweeping their competition in the quarterfinals, it appears as if each team will be heading into the pivotal matchup on a high note.
