This article is part of our Call of Duty series.
December 16 marks the start of MLG Las Vegas, the first open LAN event of the 2017 season and the beginning of a handful of competitions that will directly impact who qualifies for the Call of Duty World Championship next year. With $100,000 on the line and over 160 teams taking part in the event at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, there's sure to be plenty of action developing over the course of the three-day event.
Format
The open portion of the bracket will kick off with a mix of 160 regional and international squads battling through a series of double-elimination matches with the top four teams qualifying for group play. From there, the respective teams to survive the open bracket will then be slotted into the four predetermined groups in which the teams will jostle for positioning within their respective group.
The top two teams from each group will then move onto the double-elimination championship bracket, in which they'll embark in a series of best-of-five matches to claim first place and a large chunk of the $100,000 prize pool.
Note: The resulting group predictions will not include speculation as to who will make it through the open bracket, thanks to the expansive and uneven nature of the event.
Group A Teams: Team EnVyUs, FaZe Clan, The Gosu Crew
Advancing: FaZe Clan, Team EnVyUs
At first glance, Group A (and perhaps even B) appear to be all but locked up thanks to how the seeding was announced for MLG Las Vegas. North American teams that qualified for MLG Las Vegas group play were based upon results from the Call of Duty World Championships last year, resulting in what appears to be the foundation of two strong groups.
FaZe Clan certainly appear motivated to prove that last year's lack of success was simply an aberration, as they've been practicing frequently since the release of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Their performance during the PSX Invitational, in which the team placed first at the event, was a nice treat, but the real test will begin in Las Vegas. With fundamental changes implemented to game modes such as Search and Destroy and Hardpoint just a week before the start of the event, it will be interesting to see whether FaZe's initial grind will prove fruitful.
You could make a case that Team EnVyUs should be projected to take first in the group, and I'd be hard-pressed to argue with you. The 2016 World Champions were the best team in Call of Duty for a portion of last season, making doubters, myself included, look foolish throughout their dominant run. With Johnathan "John" Perez developing into a star, and veteran leader Jordan "Jkap" Kaplan still in tow, it would be a surprise to see EnVyUs slip much from their 2016 peak. A disappointing placement in a recent 2K Online Final, in which EnVyUs placed 17th-32nd place, shouldn't do much to dissuade fans of the Boys in Blue either.
Group B Teams: Rise Nation, OpTic Gaming, Team Revenge
Advancing: OpTic Gaming, Rise Nation
Say what you want about their World Championship success, but OpTic Gaming are still one of the best teams in Call of Duty regardless. While OpTic didn't take part in the PSX Invitational, they made sure to remind everyone of their dominance at the 2K Online Final, in which they took first place. It's tough to gauge just how solid a team is when considering the tournament was played online, but it seems as if the Green Wall is already on their way to performing to their lofty standards.
Rise Nation went through a major makeover in the offseason, importing three players from Team eLevate to join lone holdover Daniel "Loony" Loza. The new roster put together an uneven performance en route to a 3rd-4th place finish at the PSX Invitational, most notably playing to and winning the last round in two of their four matches.
As a result, I wouldn't be surprised if Team Revenge earn a spot in the championship bracket. Adam "Killa" Sloss' new team shouldn't be dismissed easily, as the roster is built with a mix of battle-tested veterans and young up-and-coming talent. If Rise Nation can play up to their potential, they should be able to claim the second spot in Group B, but Revenge will be waiting in the wings if they falter.
Group C Teams: Cloud9, Team Kaliber, Echo Fox
Advancing: Cloud9, Echo Fox
Cloud9's performance at MLG Las Vegas will depend largely on the performance of Andres "Lacefield" Lacefield and team captain, Patrick "Aches" Price. In a group full of question marks, Cloud9 boasts one of the better slayers in the game in Lacefield, who most notably aided in knocking out OpTic Gaming in the 2016 World Championship. Couple that with the leadership and experience of Aches, and it seems likely that Cloud9 will be able to advance into the championship bracket.
Of the two remaining teams in Group C, this feels like a toss-up. Echo Fox finished a respectable 9th-16th place at the 2K Online Final and will have the benefit of playing in group play as opposed to the open bracket, which was their calling card in 2016. But on the flip-side Team Kaliber boast one of the more unheralded and underrated rosters in North America, with players such as Dylan "Theory" McGee and Cole "ColeChan" Chancey leading the charge. I'll lean towards Echo Fox for the moment, but either one of these teams could find their way into the championship bracket.
Group D Teams: Luminosity Gaming, Allegiance, compLexity Gaming
Advancing: Luminosity Gaming, compLexity Gaming
As we've seen in the past, teams ride the success of a hot player all the way through the group stages of a given event. That fits the bill for Luminosity and compLexity, as both teams sport players capable of carrying the team.
Renato "Saints" Forza might be the quintessential "heat-check" player, as the lone Luminosity Gaming holdover has put together ridiculous slaying numbers in past iterations of the game. Coupled with a new roster compromised of former Rise Nation members, Luminosity should be able to handle their own in Group D.
While not the same caliber of slayer as Saints, compLexity's Christopher "Parasite" Duarte can certainly hold his own when it comes to slaying and should be able to carry his team through group play. Depending on who advances through the open bracket to qualify for Group D, compLexity seems to match up favorably against their fellow competition and, as a result, should find their way into the championship bracket.
