CWL London has unfortunately come to an end, but we have had lots of fun at the Copper Box Arena over the weekend. We saw many surprises and many upsets, but it came down to 100 Thieves winning their first championship this season. We take a look inside what went down in London:
Event Experience
CWL London was an event to remember for everyone in the gaming community from around the world; there weren't many that didn't know about it's presence. From the numerous media shared online to the endless comments posted on social media, it was impossible to escape the action.
Thousands of spectators entered the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to watch their favourite Call of Duty teams, as well as numerous players competing in the two simultaneous tournaments, that went on through the weekend.
It was also packed with activities from CWL partners such as Playstation, Astro Gaming, Scuf Gaming and ASUS.
What made the event so special, were the fans who kept the energy and noise levels at the higest they could be from start to finish; I'm sure they gave the crowd attending the West Ham game a run for their money.
Photo Provided By @JoeBradyPhoto
Team of the Tournament: Gen.G
Despite finishing T6 overall, Gen.G was definitely the roster to watch last weekend. They began day one against Luminosity, Splyce and Denial respectively; only losing a single map. (9-1 overall in pool play)
Moving on to the winner’s bracket, Gen.G had a clean start after a 3-0 sweep against UYU. However, advancing onto their next head-to-head with 100 Thieves, Gen.G were on form; taking victories in Frequency hardpoint (250-172) and Payload Search and Destroy (6-3). Unfortunately, a 3-2 loss in Frequency Control began to see Gen.G’s composure beginning to decline, resulting in a 3-2 reverse sweep from 100 Thieves. They then fell once again to Envy.
Overall, Gen.G’s strong start in pool play against the top-flight, Luminosity and Splyce, shines further than their unfortunate losses. Maybe Gen.G will be hitting a higher form for CWL Anaheim.
Photo Provided By @JoeBradyPhoto
Player of the Tournament: Simp
Chris Lehr, also famously known as the young talent that is “Simp”, blew everyone away during CWL London with his performance alongside eUnited; although an unfortunate loss for eUnited in the Grand Finals. During their encounter, Simp did not hold back in the Search and Destroy, he found Priestahh with a clean sniper shot to push his scorestreaks further. Only Slasher and Octane were left on 100 Thieves to counter the attack, but another two clean shots from Simp were unmatched.
Simp took the lead overall on the SnD leaderboard with an overall K/D of 2.47.
Match of the Tournament: eUnited vs OpTic Gaming
There were many surprises throughout the weekend, but an on-form eUnited eliminated OpTic Gaming on day three of the losers finals.
During Arsenal hardpoint, eUnited took the map 250-197. The main insight into their map win was their awareness of OpTic. For example, when both were tied at137-137, eUnited were able to watch back spawn, mid and elevator; hence giving their wide break to 137-192.
In the Search and Destroy, OpTic began with a strong 2-0 lead - both Scump and Dashy eliminating multiple eUnited rivals. However, the trades began to turn around on eUnited’s favour, taking an overall 6-4 victory.
Provided by @JoeBradyPhoto
Personally, I felt that after eUnited had gained a 2-0 map count advantage, OpTic began to lose their composure. They fought during the Control despite a 2-0 lead from eUnited, but remained hopeful after taking a round. Yet, the lives gap was simply too big to compare; with only five remaining for OpTic and eleven for eUnited. It was unfortunately time to say goodbye to their chances of a second championship.
OpTic Gaming finished T3 overall.
Open Tournament
We also had 90 teams from across the globe competing in the $75,000 Open Bracket.
Teams from Europe, United States, Australia, Japan and even South Africa descended on the Copper Box Arena.
Photo Provided By @JoeBradyPhoto
Kairos Esports (former roster of Lightning Pandas) and APAC favourites, Mindfreak took it to the Grand finals to take the $15,000 championship prize. Mindfreak were not strangers to grand finals after their previous encounter with Faze Clan Black during CWL Fort Worth in March.
Kairos Esports were fan favourites, with hope that a European team would win the Mtn Dew Game Fuel Open Bracket. However, a clean sweep for the Aussies saw them win two series and 6 maps on the bounce.
Provided by @JoeBradyPhoto
A Special Thank You
From us at Gfinity, we say thank you to all 106 teams who attended the event, as well as all media, partners, and the great efforts of the admins and staff who put this event together. Finally, we would like to thank the spectators in attendance - without you all, we wouldn’t have had such an amazing event.
The chanting and emotion in each match spectated was a joy for us all; it was never quiet in the arena.
We previously hosted CWL London in 2017, and it has been a pleasure to host once again for the 2019 cycle. We will miss this weekend as much as you do!
Provided by @JoeBradyPhoto
What's Next?
The cycle is not over just yet! From 14-16 June, the Call of Duty World League heads back to America for CWL Anaheim: the fourth major event of the year. Who will be your next champion? Could Luminosity, OpTic Gaming or 100 Thieves take a second chip? Or will it be someone new?
Written ByAlisha Wicks@Alishalmao