This article is part of our Call of Duty series.
Europe vs. North America. That's what Call of Duty XP boiled down to on the final day of the tournament, as Team EnVyUs squared off against Splyce to determine who would walk away world champions.
In a continental clash of two titans in the Call of Duty scene, it was Team EnVyUs who walked away victorious, claiming the $800,000 first-place prize as well as the prestigious title by virtue of beating Splyce 3-1 in the grand finals.
Let's break down how each team advanced to the climatic matchup.
"A-pathy" to the Finals
Having conquered both OpTic Gaming and FaZe Clan en route to its semifinal match, Team EnVyUs appeared to be on the cusp of stealing away the title of "best Call of Duty team in North America". But little did it know, the groups final test towards gaining North American supremacy would be its hardest, as eLevate gave EnVyUs all it could handle in the semifinal bout.
It certainly didn't start off difficult, however, as the Boys in Blue trounced eLevate in Round 1 Hardpoint, winning by an astounding 150 point margin. While EnVyUs as a unit played masterfully, it was the ugly performance by eLevate star Brice "Faccento" Faccento that defined the opening round, as the slayer posted a ghastly 7/28 KD (kills/deaths) in the loss.
Seemingly unaffected by his dismal Round 1 performance, Faccento showcased extreme mental fortitude, carrying his team to a Round 2 Search and Destroy and Round 3 Uplink win, putting EnVyUs just loss away from moving down to the lower bracket.
In need of a change in momentum, EnVyUs turned to Bryan "Apathy" Zhelyazkov for assistance and the veteran delivered. It wasn't just that Apathy finished with the highest kill totals in Round 4 Capture the Flag and Round 5 Search and Destroy. It was that each and every kill seemed to come at a critical juncture, or helped to set up an important objective play for the team. And whether it was capturing flags or earning a plethora of scorestreaks in Round 5, Apathy was able to factor in on the objective side as well, fully supporting his team in every facet of the game. While EnVyUs would go on to win both rounds rather convincingly to secure its spot in the finals, it wouldn't have been able to able to pull off the feat without Apathy.
Splyce Continues Lower Bracket Run for the Ages
Seemingly every European team that advanced into the upper bracket performed admirably given the expectations surrounding each group heading into the event. However, the biggest risers in the international scene had to have been Splyce. Winners of five consecutive matches, including games against FAB Games and Team eLevate on Day 4, Splyce claimed a finals berth, the first time a European team has made it to the finals in world championship history.
As had been the case the entire tournament, Ben "Bance" Bance was the catalyst of the Splyce charge on Day 4, earning an 81/64 series KD against FAB Games before coming back with an equally impressive 80/57 KD in the 3-0 win over eLevate. And when Bance would fall -- which wasn't often -- teammates Joe "Joee" Pinnington, Joshua-Lee "Joshh" Sheppard and Rhys "Rated" Price would be there to pick up the slack.
While Splyce has been one of the best Call of Duty teams overseas for the better part of a year, its performance in Call of Duty XP was nevertheless astounding. It wasn't just the length of the lower bracket run that was truly stunning; rather it was who Splyce beat during that run that made it all the more impressive. Team Kaliber, FaZe Clan, Rise Nation, eLevate: a who's-who of the best teams in North America, and yet Splyce managed to handle each and every one. And when the team finally got to square off against a unit outside North America, it was FAB Games, who beat Splyce earlier in the tournament to send them into the lower bracket. Simply put, Splyce earned the right to play in the grand finals, and earned the right to go down in the history books as the first European team to compete in a Call of Duty world championship final.
The Title Goes to EnVyUs
In an epic clash between North American team Team EnVyUs and European team Splyce, it certainly appeared as if EnVyUs had the upper hand going into Round 1. One of the premiere slaying teams in the entire CWL, EnVyUs entered the grand finals with a 5-2 record in Round 1 Hardpoint during Call of Duty XP, and had stomped Splyce in the respective game mode during their lone battle at MLG Anaheim.
But like so many other things during CoD XP, nothing seemed to go according to plan. In what could only be described as a wonky Round 1, Splyce managed to grab the opening round victory despite just two players on the team posting a positive KD. That was thanks in large part to Splyce's expert rotational coverage throughout the map, using a variety of properly timed pushes to either break through the EnVyUs defense or disengage and prepare for the next hardpoint.
Splyce's success stopped there, however, as Team EnVyUs roared back in the series to claim the next two round wins thanks to Austin "SlasheR" Liddicoat. Often the forgotten man on EnVyUs, SlasheR made his presence known to Splyce, ripping through his opposition in both Round 2 Search and Destroy and Round 3 Uplink to the tune of 44/27 KD. Not to be outdone, Johnathon "John" Perez also factored into the equation, earning a respectable 29/23 KD in the two pivotal rounds.
Jordan "Jkap" Kaplan then sealed the deal in Round 4 Capture the Flag, finishing with a 24/18 KD in the round as well as a critical flag capture that all but iced the game.
With the win, Jkap now becomes one of just two players in the competitive Call of Duty scene with multiple championship rings, joining Damon "Karma" Barlow as the only other player to win back-to-back world championships.
