OpTic & Thieves impress in key wins — CDL New York Home Series highlights, results, recap

It’s the last stage of the CDL 2021 and that means CoD Champs is right around the corner. Things got spicy during Stage 5, Week 1’s New York Subliners Home Series and we’ve got the results, highlights, and recaps to keep you covered.

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• OpTic shock New York in quick sweep.
• FaZe maintain league dominance with 2-0 week.
• LA Thieves impress in John’s debut weekend.

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Just three weeks separate us from the $500K Stage 5 Major and then we’re on to CDL Champs, where only eight teams will compete for the season’s biggest trophy and biggest purse: $2.5 million. This stage is the last chance to clinch postseason seeding and berths, so the pressure is higher than ever.

With so much at stake, Stage 5’s first week was all about the action. And the teams didn’t disappoint, as the Thieves jumped out to a great start after bringing John in and OpTic shocked the home-team Subliners.

CDL New York Home Series: results, recaps, highlights

DAY 1 – THURSDAY, JULY 8

Match 1: FaZe obliterate Royal Ravens

Nothing to see here. FaZe won the Stage 4 Major and walked all over the Royal Ravens for a quick W to start Stage 5. Things got a little close, but never enough for the Atlanta guys to sweat.

Match 2: T2P on top as OpTic trounce Legion

After getting booted from the Stage 4 Major by Crimsix and the Dallas Empire, OpTic bounced back in a major way to kick off Stage 5. In particular, the iconic T2P duo of FormaL and Scump absolutely popped off.

DAY 2 – FRIDAY, JULY 9

Match 1: ROKKR deny MentaL’s CDL debut

A legendary Gears of War player and highly anticipated CDL rookie, MentaL helped the Guerrillas break a Hardpoint losing streak in his first map. And then it all went downhill, as the ROKKR ramped up.

Match 2: John & Thieves clutch up vs Subliners

After two years away, John returned to the CoD’s top league and this divisive new Thieves lineup did not disappoint. Denying the reverse sweep, LAT clutched up and secured a W in Game 5, Round 11.

DAY 3 – SATURDAY, JULY 10

Match 1: FaZe obliterate Legion

This was maybe the fastest match in CDL history, as FaZe stopped letting the Legion compete after the Hardpoint. Impressively, Cellium and Simp even raised the bar — hitting absurd number as they finished off the Saturday sweep.

Match 2: Mutineers fend off Surge

Florida want to maintain a spot at CDL Champs and the Surge want to play the upset card. Unfortunately for Seattle, the Mutineers continued their run of form and made quick work of this contest despite one blip.

Match 3: Empire sweep Guerrillas

Vivid used to be on the Guerrillas. Now he’s on the Empire and the Guerrillas have made a couple roster changes since. Dallas continued their hot streak and made this a rough first weekend of pro CoD for MentaL.

DAY 4 — SUNDAY, JUNE 11

Match 1: Thieves outduel Royal Ravens

The second game of John’s debut weekend ended much like the first, with a big LA Thieves victory. While the Royal Ravens aren’t the most intimidating roster, this Thieves roster is showing promise and carving out their place in the standings.

Match 2: Ultra deny ROKKR hot start

The ROKKR jumped out to an early lead over a premiere Ultra squad, but Toronto quickly bounced back and sent a message over the next maps. Helped by a strong Control and S&D, Toronto helped themselves inch toward better seeding.

Match 3: OpTic shock home-team Subliners

It was expected to be the marquee matchup of the weekend as the Home Series hosts took on a streaky OpTic roster, but this game would have been over in mere minutes if it wasn’t for technical delays. Led by a huge Envoy performance, OpTic secured a sweep and made a statement.

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Watch now: Can This CRYPTIC COD World Champ Save LA Thieves Season?

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CDL New York Home Series format & details

• Location: Online
• Prize Pool: N/A
• CDL Points: 10 per win
• Maps & Modes:
  • Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid
  • Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid
  • Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid
• Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D)

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Watch now: Nameless Reveals LA Thieves Huke MISTAKE

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CDL New York Home Series teams & lineups

Roster locks are here, but not before the LA Thieves made yet another change — bringing in legendary vet John for his CDL debut. Other changes included MentaL making his pro debut in place of Cheen on the LA Guerrillas, but you can check out the full groups, records, and rosters below.

GROUP A

GROUP B

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Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.