CWL Atlanta - Group D Predictions
Taking place at the Georgia Would Congress Centre, CWL Atlanta is the first international Call of Duty event on Infinite Warfare. Over 170 teams are set to be competing for a share of $200,000 and a share of nearly 100,000 Pro Points.
With the importance for Pro Points higher than ever, Atlanta should be able to give us a benchmark and give us an idea of how close the competition is. Here, I’ll be looking at group D.
Orbit
After a disappointing top thirty-six placement at MLG Vegas, Orbit bounced back at CWL London, taking the championship over Splyce. Throughout CWL London, the all-star British team only lost once to Team 3G in the group stage. Their online performances in the 2K tournaments have been very consistent, and as a result they have secured the second European seed for Atlanta.
Orbit should definitely be considered a dark horse of the tournament. Back at PSX, they were able to finish second, taking down some top North American talent along the way.
Player to Watch: Rated
eUnited
Arcitys | Prestinni | Silly | Gunless
The eUnited team underwent a major roster change after a top twenty-four placement at MLG Vegas. Through the additions of Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson, Pierce “Gunless” Hillman and Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson, eUnited have seen a resurgence in their team, securing themselves the fourth North American seed ahead of OpTic Gaming. A solid placement in Atlanta will put them in serious contention for a pool play spot at CWL Paris.
It will be important for eUnited to carry over their strong online form to LAN. If they are able to do so, they could well place within the top three teams.
Player to Watch: Prestinni
Team EnVyUs
Apathy | John | JKap | Slasher
Infinite Warfare has already been an interesting year for the defending world champions. A top twelve placement at MLG Vegas and a string of poor online performances has left the Boys in Blue perilously close to starting this tournament in the open bracket.
However, recently things have started to look up for EnVyUs, thanks to a first place finish in the 2k tournament, which propelled them to sixth in the North American Pro Point standings.
The addition of the ERAD within the current meta plays into the hands of John. A player who is very capable of dropping some serious numbers when it comes to slaying.
Player to Watch: John
Fnatic
Tommey | Skrapz | SunnyB | Wuskin
Fnatic returned to the Call of Duty scene with the acquisition of Tom “Tommey” Trewen’s team, consisting of a mixture of youth and experience. By no means the complete package, Fnatic head into Atlanta with Bradley “Wuskin” Marshall, a rising talent who has never competed at an event outside of the UK and is undoubtedly the least experienced player at MLG Atlanta.
Yet, despite this, Fnatic managed to finish within the top eight teams at CWL London, securing their place in pool play. With such a stacked group, the odds aren’t looking good for the fledgling European team but if they are able to grab some Pro Points, there’s a chance they will make pool play at CWL Paris.
Player to Watch: Wuskin
Predictions
1st: Team EnVyUs 3-0
2nd: Orbit 2-1
3rd: eUnited 1-2
4th: Fnatic 0-3
Recently, the Boys in Blue have started to find their form ahead of the tournament and as a result, they're my pick to take the top spot in Group D. In regards to the second seed, following their victory at the Gfinity CWL London Invitational, Orbit are currently the best team in Europe and they will be looking to prove a point after their poor showing in Vegas, which they can achieve with a strong performance at MLG Atlanta.
As for eUnited, the transition from online to LAN will be the main factor in whether they'll give Orbit or EnVy a run for their money, but I don't think this will happen. In addition to this, as much as I want Fnatic to succeed at this event, Atlanta will be a real learning curve for the inexperienced players on the roster. However, if they can secure some Pro Points, it will definitely be a worthwhile trip across the pond.
Who do you think will make it out of Group D? Let us know in the comments below!
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