This article is part of our Call of Duty series.
After an opening round upset loss to Luminosity Gaming in the Stage 2 playoffs, OpTic Gaming appeared to head into MLG Orlando motivated and hungry to reclaim its spot a top the competitive Call of Duty scene. Team EnVyUs, having won the Stage 2 playoffs, entered MLG Orlando looking to prove that its championship win wasn't a fluke.
Both teams seemed destined to meet in the Grand Finals at MLG Orlando, with each team trying to walk away with the grand prize and a statement win heading into the biggest event of the year, Call of Duty XP.
And like most events during the 2016 season, it was OpTic Gaming who emerged victorious. Here's a breakdown of the action that took place during the final day of MLG Orlando.
Follow the Green Brick Road?
Despite a terrific run through the upper bracket, Day 3 was a rocky road for Team eLevate. First, it was a 3-0 series loss to OpTic Gaming, in which Jared "Nagafen" Harrell and the rest of eLevate struggled to keep up in the slaying category. Moving down to a do-or-die matchup against Team EnVyUs in the lower bracket finals, eLevate struggled once more in the slaying category, dropping all three rounds en route to a tournament-ending loss. While eLevate has been one of the premiere Search and Destroy teams in the CWL, the team must improve in the respawn game modes such as Hardpoint and Uplink if it plans on making a dent at Call of Duty XP.
EnVyUs, on the other hand, was excellent in the slaying category, relying on the entire roster to make critical plays during different junctions of its lower bracket run. Whether it was critical kills by Johnathan "John" Perez and Jordan "Jkap" Kaplan in the 3-1 lower bracket semifinal win over FaZe Clan, or a near dominating performance by Austin "SlasheR" Liddicoat in the aforementioned 3-0 win over Team eLevate, EnVyUs certainly followed up their Stage 2 win with a convincing performance at MLG Orlando. However, needing to win two best-of-five series over OpTic Gaming thanks to the double elimination format, EnVyUs entered the MLG Orlando finals in an unenviable position.
Clash of the Titans
If EnVyUs was worn down and weary heading into its final matchup, the team certainly didn't show it, racing out ahead of OpTic Gaming 2-0 in the first best-of-five matchup. Led by SlasheR and John, EnVyUs battled through a back and fourth Round 1 Hardpoint, and rallied from an 0-4 deficit in Round 2 Search and Destroy to claim a 6-4 win. But even with a series cushion in its back pocket, OpTic Gaming refused to fold, securing both Round 3 Uplink and Round 4 Capture the Flag to force a Round 5. Ian "Crimsix" Porter, who struggled during the first two rounds of the matchup, was huge during Round 4 Capture the Flag, securing three captures on his own while putting together a 26/14 KD. However, even with all the momentum going against them, Team EnVyUs would stave off elimination, securing a 6-3 Round 5 Search and Destroy win thanks in no small part to SlasheR, who finished with a terrific 13/5 K/D.
Whether it was OpTic Gaming putting the pedal to the metal, or Team EnVyUs simply running out of gas, the second best-of-five series in the Grand Final was hardly of the epic variety. First, another back and fourth Round 1 Hardpoint went the way of OpTic Gaming, as both Matthew "FormaL" Piper and Damon "Karma" Barlow put up over 40 kills. Then, it was the Crimsix show during a 6-0 Round 2 Search and Destroy win, in which the multi-time champion posted a 9/2 KD mark. And finally, with its opponent's tournament lives teetering precariously on the edge, OpTic Gaming put the tournament away, riding an offensive assault by both Crimsix and FormaL en route to a 15-8 Round 3 Uplink win.
Take nothing away from EnVyUs' admirable run through the lower bracket. The players' performance during MLG Orlando officially solidifies them as one of the best teams in the world and makes for yet another juicy storyline heading into Call of Duty XP.
But like so many other events during Call of Duty: Black Ops III, it was OpTic Gaming who reigned supreme in Orlando. And it's the Green Wall who look like the favorites heading into the world championships in September.
