Super sub Spart helped the Los Angeles Guerrillas beat FaZe to claim the CDL Major 2 crown in Minnesota.
The Los Angeles Guerrillas stunned the world of Esports as they defeated Atlanta FaZe 5 -2 in the CDL Major 2 Grand Final in Minnesota. Capping off the greatest Losers' Bracket run in Call of Duty Esports history.
LA Guerrillas Fairy Tale journey to the Major 2 Title
The road to Major 2 had been a much improved one for the Guerrillas, as they finished the qualifiers with a 3 - 2 record; which had them starting off the tournament in the Winners' bracket in Minnesota.
However the team were faced an unfortunate turn of events prior to arriving at the Mystic Lake Center when LAG's Pierce "Gunless" Hillman was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a serious medical condition. This meant that the Guerrillas would be forced to call on their substitute player Kris "Spart" Cervantes to fill in, with only a couple of days before the tournament was set to begin.
LAG got off to a rocky start at Major 2, as they were beaten 3 - 0 by Boston Breach in their opening match; meaning they would now have to run the Losers Bracket gauntlet if they had any hope of achieving a respectable finish.
However, LAG bounced back with an emphatic win against Toronto Ultra, which kickstarted their fairy tale run through the losers bracket. A road which also saw them take down Seattle Surge, Florida Mutineers, London Royal Ravens. Culminating in them beating Boston Breach in the losers bracket final to set up their date with destiny against Atlanta FaZe in the Major 2 Grand Final.
LA Guerrillas complete their Cinderella Story
Their was a mixture of anticipation and nerves that filled the air as FaZe and LAG came out to face each other in the Major 2 Grand Final. Despite everything the Guerrillas had already achieved just by getting the final, there was a shared feeling amongst analysts and fans alike that this would prove to be too great of a hurdle for them to manage. But when the players walked out onto the stage, it was plain to see that LAG were not going to be phased by this.
LA Guerrillas had a relatively slow start as FaZe dominated them in the Gavutu HP for Map 1. But LAG responded with a close fought Bocage SnD and followed it up with a resilient performance on Gavutu control to etch a surprising 2 - 1 lead in the series.
FaZe looked poised to bounce back in the Tuscan HP for Map 4, but again the Guerrillas came out swinging, with sub duo Asim and Huke causing all sorts of mayhem across map, extending their lead in the series to 3 - 1. And after an unreal performance in the Desert Siege SnD, which culminated in them winning the map 6 - 1, the LA boys just needed one more map win to claim the title.
Despite the gargantuan hole FaZe found themselves in, the tiny terrors were far from down and out. Mustering the strength needed to steal the Tuscan Control in dramatic fashion to cut LA's lead to 2. The tension was palpable as the teams loaded in to Berlin SnD for the seventh map of the series. The teams traded blows back and forth, but in the end it was the Los Angeles Guerrillas who rose to the occasion as they eventually took the map 6 - 4, to win the Major 2 Final 5 - 2.
Key Takeaways from LAG's Dark Horse triumph
With their win at Major 2, Los Angeles Guerrillas are walking away from Minnesota with $200K in prize money and have soared up to 5th in the CDL standings. This not only marks the first ever event win for the LA Guerrillas, but they also become the first team in the CDL era to win a major event with a substitute player. Not to mention they have also set the record for the longest active Search & Destroy win streak, after having won 10 SnD maps in a row at Major 2.
This marks Atlanta Faze's second Grand Finals loss in a row this season, after previously losing to OpTic Texas in the Major 1 final. Though they have climbed up to 1st place in the season standings the team looked far from being themselves in that final, and throughout various portions of the Major 2 qualifiers. And given that Major 3 won't be for a considerable while, you just have to wonder what it will take for the reigning CDL champions to reclaim their former glory.
Spart The Super Sub
Spart, who had been playing the LA Guerrillas Academy roster in Challengers since the start of the season, defied expectations. Despite having been called up to the main team just two days before the tournament, he was impressive from start to finish.
Not only was he putting up very respectable numbers on a consistent basis for LAG all weekend long, but he single-handedly managed to change the meta when he unveiled his Volk class on Day 1 against Boston Breach. Accolades befitting of the Major 2 MVP.