This article is part of our Call of Duty Recap series.
A day rife with technical difficulties didn't impeded the quality of games on display at CWL Paris. Both the Open Bracket and Pool Play began as Americans and Europeans once again clashed. In some ways, it felt like the continuation of the stories that played at MLG Atlanta. Teams that looked strong at MLG Atlanta continue to dominate in Europe, while the weaknesses of others were once again on full display.
Group A, dubbed the "Death Bracket" of CWL Paris consisting of OpTic Gaming, Red Reserve (formally Orbit), and Team 3G, saw no surprises. Team 3G was stomped by both OpTic Gaming and Red Reserve in swift 3-0 series. OpTic Gaming, meanwhile, had their hands full when dealing with Red Reserve. Their series went to Round 5 Search & Destroy after David "Urban" Marsh and Rhys "Rated" Price carried Red Reserve through Round 3 Uplink and Round 2 Search & Destroy. But after a long day, Urban" Marsh and Rated couldn't close out the round against the likes of Matt "Formal" Piper. Tomorrow, Group A will be joined by Epsilon eSports from the Open Bracket. After their strong run Friday and at MLG Atlanta, it's likely OpTic Gaming will continue to dominate the bracket even with the new challenger.
Group B consisted of Rise Nation, Team Infused, and Supremacy. Supremacy was seen as the weakest of the trio and they did little to prove otherwise. Team Infused were able to clean up Supremacy despite some awkward rounds. Team Infused couldn't find a groove in the first two rounds, possibly due to a long delay from technical difficulties, but Adam "Peatie" Peate found his rhythm in Round 3 Uplink. From there, Team Infused put together a clean reverse-sweep against Supremacy. Rise Nation, on the other hand, swiftly stomped Supremacy in a 3-0 series. Luminosity Gaming will join the group tomorrow, going against Rise Nation first. If Rise Nation recovered from their poor showing at MLG Atlanta then they may be able to take the pool. However, it's more likely Team Infused or Luminosity Gaming will be the victors.
One of the highlight matches of the day was FaZe Clan vs. Splyce in Group C. FaZe Clan was able to take the series 3-1 due Splyce's sloppy plays in Round 2 Search & Destroy and Round 4 Hardpoint. Splyce, fresh from MLG Atlanta, continued to look limp despite their strong showing at CWL London and the CWL 2016 Championships. If they don't find their drive this weekend then the runner-ups to the 2016 Championships may not even break into the CWL League. Unsurprisingly, XtroVert eSports lost to both FaZe Clan and Splyce. Their luck will take a turn for the worse tomorrow when Team EnVyUs, one of the best in America, enters the Group C pool. The match between FaZe Clan and Team EnVyUs will be a must-watch.
Cloud9 continue to struggle this season in Group D. The assault-rifle-heavy spawn-focused season has done little to suit the team's style. Both eLevate and Fnatic were able to take series off of the veterans in clean games. Fnatic, unlike Cloud9, shook off their weak showing at CWL London and MLG Atlanta with solid series against eLevate and Cloud9. eLevate looks solid but seem unlikely to take the pool as Enigma6 enters their bracket. The green-horned Enigma6 will be the true wild card of CWL Paris; how they do in this pool may determine the rest of the weekend. Enigma6 were able to make a surprising run through the PSX Invitational. The big question is will they be able to do it again.
