Call of Duty eSports
The 2018 Call of Duty World League Atlanta Open, Presented by PlayStation 4, will see 15 teams from the CWL Stage Pro League plus the substituting Lightning Pandas fight for a $200,000 prize pool, while defending their pride against the top National Circuit and amateur teams out of the Open Bracket.
This Global Open event the pool play structure was determined using the current CWL Pro League standings, which places the number one teams in Divisions A and B into Pools A and B respectively.
Here’s a look at the eight Pro League teams who will compete in Pools A and B:
Pool A:
Rise Nation
The Team: Daniel “Loony” Loza, Thomas “TJHaLy” Haly, Anthony “Methodz” Zinni, Peirce “Gunless” Hillman
Pro League Division/Record: Division A, 1st, 13-1, 40-12
Preview:
Rise Nation proved that they are Division A’s best team, and that title comes with high expectations.
Anthony “Methodz” Zinni is a veteran who found his stride at the CWL New Orleans Open and during Stage 1 of the CWL Pro League. He to be an early frontrunner for Atlanta’s MVP award and the whole team has helped him look like a star.
Rise’s only loss in the CWL Pro League came against OpTic Gaming; however, Rise Nation will not have to content with the Green Wall in its opening bracket.
Splyce
The Team: Ben “Bance” Bance, Dylan “MadCat” Daly, Jordan “Jurd” Crowley, Thomas “Tommey” Trewren
Pro League Division/Record: Division B, 4th, 3-4, 15-13
Preview:
Splyce enter the CWL Atlanta Open as a top-four team in their division despite a rocky start to their season.
Dylan “MadCat” Daly and Thomas “Tommey” Trewren have each held a 1.1 K/D ratio during Division B play and look to lead Splyce in slaying power.
With the rest of Division B competition set to play out after the CWL Atlanta Open, this event may be what Splyce needs to regain composure and focus on the race to the Stage 1 Playoffs.
Echo Fox
The Team: Renato “Saints” Forza, Brice “Faccento” Faccento, Adam “Assault” Garcia, Ulysses “Aqua” Silva
Pro League Division/Record: Division A, 5th, 6-8, 27-29
Preview:
Despite missing the CWL Pro League Stage 1 Playoffs, Echo Fox had a phenomenal final week at the MLG Arena, beating OpTic Gaming, Mindfreak, and back-to-back open champions Team Kaliber.
That momentum could set Echo Fox up for a Cinderella run at the CWL Atlanta Open but all eyes will be on Adam “Assault” Garcia who is looking to remain consistent across all game modes.
Given that they will be watching the Stage 1 Playoffs from the sidelines in April, it would not hurt for Echo Fox to get a Global Open win under their belt before Stage 2 in May.
Lightning Pandas
The Team: Jevon “Goonjar” Goonjar-Lim, Matthew “Royalty” Faithfull, John “Xotic” Bruno, Nicholas “Proto” Maldonado
National Circuit: Canadian Stage 1 Champions, 9-0, 28-4
Preview:
Lightning Pandas are the CWL Atlanta Open’s new pool play challenger out of the Canadian National Circuit, replacing an absent Epsilon squad.
Lightning Pandas are looking for revenge at this event. At the CWL New Orleans Open, the Pandas were barely edged out of the CWL Pro League, sealing their fate with a loss to Splyce in the Championship Losers Bracket.
Once home from NOLA, the Pandas swept through the Canadian National Circuit and currently have the most CWL Pro Points out of any non-Pro League team. With the Pro League Relegation tournament coming up in April, this weekend should allow the Pandas to see where they stack up against the current CWL Pro League teams in Pool A and in the Championship Bracket.
Pool B:
Luminosity Gaming
The Team: Samuel “Octane” Larew, Josiah “Slacked” Berry, Jordan “JKap” Kaplan, Johnathan “John” Perez
Pro League Division/Record: Division B, 1st, 6-1, 19-6
Preview:
Luminosity will come to Atlanta with an undefeated Search and Destroy record with Samuel “Octane” Larew as their leader. His Division B statistics, which amount to one kill per round and a 2.14 K/D ratio over eight games, may hint at how much damage LG can do in Pool B.
However, Luminosity are not indestructible, as a loss to FaZe Clan in the CWL Pro League proved.
However, LG still hold the strongest record in Pool B, and should be a tough test for CWL Atlanta Open teams.
Team Kaliber
The Team: Dylan “Theory” McGee, Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi, Kenny “Kenny” Williams, Martin “Chino” Chino
Pro League Division/Record: Division A, 4th, 8-6, 30-28
Preview:
The two-time 2018 Call of Duty World League Open Winners have underperformed in Division A’s final two weeks, yet they still found a way to sneak into the Stage 1 Playoffs.
Team Kaliber finished their Stage 1 season strong with a sweep against fellow Playoff squad Red Reserve. Before that match, however, tK were on a three game losing streak and only winning three out of 12 games against a slate of OpTic, Echo Fox, and Mindfreak.
Although their track record has been shaky in the CWL Pro League, Team Kaliber is ready to defend their CWL Open throne in Atlanta, and will look to begin a possible three-peat in Pool B.
Evil Geniuses
The Team: Patrick “ACHES” Price, Bryan “Apathy” Zhelyazkov, Ian “Enable” Wyatt, Anthony “NAMELESS” Wheeler
Pro League Division/Record: Division B, 5th, 3-4, 10-16
Preview:
Evil Geniuses will walk into the Georgia World Congress Center with a 1-12 game record against Division B’s top four teams.
That may be explained by the team’s inability to win Hardpoints, although they are still a formidable Search and Destroy opponent with a 5-4 Division B record.
Should the Geniuses work out their struggles in Atlanta, they could be on their way to a strong Atlanta run before they chase a Playoff bid.
Team Vitality
The Team: Wailers “Wailers” Locart, Eddy “Malls” Maillard, Clement “RiskiN” Hattée, Arthur “Zayrox” Chabas
Pro League Division/Record: Division A, 8th, 1-13, 10-41
Preview:
Vitality may have been the first Pro League team to be sent to relegation but the French squad still have a lot of fight in them.
Wailers “Wailers” Locart has carried entire games for his team. While Eddy “Malls” Maillard, Clement “RiskiN” Hattée, and Arthur “Zayrox” Chabas have their own strengths, none have earned a positive overall K/D ratio in the Pro League.
These three players must step up to how Wailers is playing, and if they do so, they could make the most out of this final pit stop before the relegation tournament in April.
The CWL Atlanta Open will be live from March 9-11 on MLG.com/CallofDuty, where you watch source quality video, engage with fellow fans in the Scorestreak mini-game, and see real-time player statistics.
For more intel about Call of Duty World League, be sure to visit CallofDuty.com/esports and follow @CallofDuty and @CODWorldLeague on Twitter.