Ultra statement: 10 things from the Call of Duty League’s Kickoff Classic

The Call of Duty League Kickoff Classic is a wrap. It’s no Champs, but the Toronto Ultra’s Kickoff Classic win was a significant statement after coming two maps short of a ring in 2021.

Tensions were high in professional Call of Duty esports as Vanguard was heavily scrutinized by CDL pros and experts in the weeks prior to the preseason event. There were visible holes in the armor, but the production was still enjoyable because the talent in Call of Duty has never been better.

With that in mind, let’s cover 10 things from the Call of Duty League’s preseason tournament:

Still Ultra

Toronto was the second-best team in the CDL for all of 2021, and it wasn’t particularly close between the Ultra and the next best team. Toronto was the only team that gave Atlanta FaZe trouble during the season, snagging a Major II win and taking Atlanta to eight maps in the championship.

The Ultra kept their roster, and their Kickoff Classic championship showcased their tenacity to stay in the upper echelon of the Call of Duty League.

Surging Seattle

After two seasons as arguably the worst team in the Call of Duty League, the Seattle Surge might be the new wave. Completely new roster with Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi serving as the veteran leader. Amer “Pred” Zulbeari and Daunte “Sib” Gray, a pair of CDL rookies, are the fresh blood on the main stage though.

Seattle defeated Atlanta FaZe in the Kickoff Classic and made it to the grand final, suggesting the franchise is in for a major comeback.

New year, new Thieves

The Los Angeles Thieves had an underwhelming entrance to the Call of Duty League in 2021. They shed any doubt that they could be a top team with their top-four run over the weekend at the Kickoff Classic. Former OpTic star Dylan “Envoy” Hannon got his payback against OpTic on Saturday. Sam “Octane” Larew proved he still belongs in the “best AR” conversations.

The Thieves are here. Can they stay at the top?

Dashy SZN, indeed

OpTic Texas didn’t have the start they wanted. A 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Thieves ended OpTic’s Kickoff Classic rather abruptly –– you can find more on that match here –– however, Brandon “Dashy” Otell flashed his slaying power at the main AR spot.

He got to link up with his longtime buddy Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal this season, and was collecting highlight plays in his first main stage event as a part of OpTic Texas. Dashy finished with a match-best 1.26 kill-death ratio.

Stacked league

OpTic head coach Ray “Rambo” Lussier has told The Dallas Morning News in numerous conversations over the past two years that the Call of Duty League talent pool is getting better and better. No free wins. Top teams aren’t invincible.

What does this mean for the rest of the season? Teams like Atlanta FaZe and Toronto Ultra may be the best in the league, but there aren’t going to be granted major wins.

Hail Paco

Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez had a standout rookie season with the New York Subliners, and he’s off to a ferocious start to 2022. The Subliners fell short in their semifinal match against the Seattle Surge, but HyDra was a problem on the map.

His development alongside industry veterans Ian “Crimsix” Porter and James “Clayster” Eubanks could make for a CDL title contender.

Too fast, not furious

Lussier was glad OpTic Texas had the opportunity to see the pros and cons of their fast play style. Seth “Scump” Abner and Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro like to play fast. iLLeY and Dashy compliment them well, but they’ve only been a team for a few months.

Vanguard is a fast-paced game, especially with maps like Bocage and Gavutu. Too fast is a thing though, and Lussier would like to see OpTic play a little more composed and together. Figure that out, and OpTic should become the top team they were projected to be.

Welcome to the show

Rookies showed out at the Kickoff Classic. It wasn’t just Pred and Sib that got to flex their mechanical capabilities and knowledge of the game at the highest level. Kenyen “Capsidal” Sutton had the crowd roaring Friday afternoon for the Boston Breach after an eight-piece to give his team momentum.

There have been rockstar rookies in the past two seasons, including Shotzzy’s MVP campaign in 2020 with the Dallas Empire. It’s the new players that are responsible for the growing competition.

Damage control

Control is the third game mode for the Call of Duty League, but players were only practicing the mode for two weeks prior to the weekend event. It was a long road to get a third mode to pair with hardpoint and search and destroy in Vanguard. There were rumors that some form of Warzone would appear, or that teams would only play two modes this weekend.

Control isn’t perfect yet –– there will be more on that Tuesday, so keep an eye out for that. But, it’s better than three maps of hardpoint or search.

Not all about kills

Kills aren’t everything in Call of Duty, and kill-death ratio is a misleading stat when identifying a player’s value on the map. Kills matter, but Subliners veteran James “Clayster” Eubanks went to Twitter to give his own take.

The Minnesota Rokkr outslayed the Subliners by 22 kills and still lost a Bocage hardpoint. It’s about quality, not quantity.

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Find more OpTic Texas coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Find more esports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.