Is Everyone AFRAID of “SCARY” Dallas Empire? CDL Review
Activision
The final CDL Home Series of the 2021 season is over, with the climax of the Seattle Home Series putting an end to Stage 5’s regular-season excitement and leading players and fans alike to the Stage 5 Major and Champs.
We saw some shock results, players turning the burners on to blow away their competition and the seeding for the biggest events of the year take shape.
LA Thieves secured a huge reverse sweep over OpTic Chicago, while Dallas Empire locked in the 1st seed in Group B with an emphatic victory over Toronto Ultra.
To break down all the biggest wins and losses from the week, join Reverse Sweep’s Katie Bedford, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker as they dive into the juiciest storylines.
LA Thieves make the comeback
As Katie eloquently points out, the Thieves got truly bodied in the first two maps of their Seattle Home Series matchup with OpTic Chicago.
Things quickly turned around, though, winning three maps on the bounce to make the comeback against all odds.
“I thought it was going to be a quick 3-0, but I was happy to see the resilience out of Thieves,” explained Enable. “We know that they’re talented, we’ve seen it all year long… It was a good win for their confidence, hopefully they can use that to get on the right track and beat the teams they’re supposed to beat.”
The Major will be a huge test for LA Thieves, and will be the time to not only secure a better Champs seeding, but give the rest of the field something to worry about.
Dallas hitting Champs form?
Knew Empire were winning when Crim got in his cam's face like that 😭pic.twitter.com/XsXApEFBPA
— DEXERTO Call of Duty Esports News (@DexertoIntel) July 25, 2021
Pacman explains that “Dallas are at the top of their game, and that’s scary for everyone else.”
He’s not wrong, either. Dallas didn’t look like true championship contenders for most of the season, but with Vivid truly finding his place on the roster, they’re becoming formidable opponents.
“Beating Toronto again proves their consistency,” Pacman adds. “It proves that they’re here to stay. Dallas are just taking care of business, beating Toronto who have been at the top since Stage 2.”
The Major will be a true indication of where Dallas stands, with Enable thinking they could actually win it. For now, it’s looking pretty good for them.
Most clutch moments
The defining plays in a team or player’s career are those clutch moments where things look like they’re over, before being brought back in dramatic fashion and everything falls into place. But which were the most clutch moments at the Seattle Home Series?
“It’s got to be the Reverse Sweep from LAT,” says Enable, giving his choice for most clutch moment. “This was a huge win for them. Being able to reverse sweep OpTic, one of the hottest teams in the game, is huge for their confidence going forward… It showed that they can compete with the best teams in the game.”
- Read More: Seattle Home Series: Team of the Week & MVP
Pacman went a different direction, impressed by Minnesota RØKKR’s turnaround. He said: “They came out and looked really, really good. In the past they would falter with their Hardpoint setups. Often they would end up getting control but they would get broken so quickly. That didn’t happen this weekend.”
Seattle Home Series MVPs
The MVP award is often given to players who make complete statistical anomalies of themselves or made clutch plays to earn the win. It’s sometimes a matter of personal opinion, and Enable and Pacman were more than happy to give theirs.
Pacman is the first to choose his MVP, giving it to RØKKR’s Dillon ‘Attach’ Price after leading his team to a huge victory over Florida Mutineers. “Having the confidence to make that kind of individual play [when down in S&D], that’s huge. And Attach has always been such a stone-cold S&D player, but to see him do it in that kind of moment was big.”
Enable, on the other hand, earmarks OpTic Chicago’s Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, who is truly reclaiming his nickname of The King.
“I think he’s been playing lights out,” Enable explained. “It’s not only his stats. He’s just been clutching up, whether it be in respawns, S&D, he is making the plays. I know the whole team is doing really well, but I feel like Seth has stepped it up to where he has been very consistent in this game.”
2.75 K/D for Foam Runner Scumper in Game 1 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/o44yeVcP7W
— DEXERTO Call of Duty Esports News (@DexertoIntel) July 24, 2021
Least Valuable Players
On the other side of the spectrum, some players struggled at the Seattle Home Series, ultimately preventing their team from grinding out the wins.
Enable’s LVP pick went to the entire Florida Mutineers team. “They did it again. They started out really hot… and then they just fall through. It wasn’t even competitive, they looked completely lost on the map.”
Pacman’s choice for LVP went to someone who didn’t even play: Subliners’ James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks. “I do truly hope that he’s okay… but you’re supposed to be the leader for these guys, leading them to the promised land. To take a break now, when your team is struggling, to me is weak. You’re leaving the rest of them out to dry.”
Be sure to watch full video above for more thoughts on Clayster, OpTic Chicago’s future, Toronto Ultra’s Champs hopes and more on the Reverse Sweep Review Show.
