Call of Duty eSports
With 192 teams expected to play in the ultimate test of skill and endurance, the CWL Dallas Open Bracket will see hundreds of competitors enter, but only eight teams of four survive to play in the event’s championship bracket.
The Open Bracket, by definition, gives any Call of Duty team an opportunity to prove that they are as good as, if not better than, the teams who were invited to a Global Open event and automatically placed into pool play. An Open Bracket team finishing better than a pool play team happens at nearly every CWL Global Open Event, so these are teams you should consider alongside the 16 qualified pool play teams.
In fact, if an Open Bracket team places well enough over their regional pool play teams, that team could secure a future Global Open pool play invitation over those teams.
The rewards for Open Bracket teams depends on placement:
- By winning out of the bracket, a team is placed into one of the pool play groups and earns a guaranteed Championship Bracket spot at that Global Open Event.
- If a team only loses a single series in the Open Bracket, then that team becomes a part of the Championship Bracket in the first loser’s round.
- Whether they qualify for the Championship Bracket or not, teams that finish well enough at the event receive Pro Points, which are crucial for qualifying for and being seeded in future CWL online and offline events. Like any other CWL event, the better an Open Bracket team places, the more Pro Points every player on that team earns.
Who are the teams that will participate in the CWL Dallas open bracket? While we cannot highlight every team attending this event, here are a few storylines across all the CWL regions that cover some of the teams who will compete in Dallas.
A Stacked North American Region Could Rule the Open Bracket
How many former CWL Championship competitors, past CWL event winners, and overall talented North American players are in the CWL Dallas open bracket?
Let’s start with FaZe Clan. The organization that is a household name in Call of Duty esports has found themselves in the CWL Dallas open bracket after four straight top-32 CWL 2K placements, and must climb out of that bracket if they want to be a part of this season’s Pro League. These poor placements have spoiled James “Replays” Crowder’s first full season back as a player, but Replays, as well as returning FaZe members Dillon “Attach” Price and Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto, have a chance to redeem themselves in Dallas if they can make it through the open bracket gauntlet.
Next up is the team that sits closest to CWL Pro League qualification, although they are currently a squad without an organization. They are known around the community as Sauga, and are made up of former Enigma6 slayers Nicholas “Proto” Maldonado and Mathew “Royalty” Faithfull, as well as Devon “Goonjar” Goonjar-Lim and John “Xotic” Bruno. This team consistently placed top-16 in the first three CWL 2K’s. A recent top-four placement in the final CWL 2K before CWL Dallas however has catapulted this team up the NA Pro Point standings, which could be a sign of their future success at this event.
Also in the mix is eRa Eternity, where returning player Jordan “ProoFy” Cannon will try and lead his team to the Championship Bracket. The man former CWL analyst has returned to the sticks, and looks to bring his analysis and knowledge into the game itself. He joins an eRa roster with fellow veteran Kenneth “Dedo” Dedo, former Evil Geniuses player Colt “Havok” McLendon, and a deadly Search and Destroy star in Patryk “Rallied” Salata.
Then there is Underworld, who comes into Dallas with players like former eUnited substitute and C9 pro player Mike “Swarley” Carter, and Adam “KiLLa” Sloss. KiLLa, a 2013 Call of Duty World Champion, is one of esport’s legendary players and is well known for his trash talk. Even though he placed well below expectations in the last three open events he competed in, KiLLa is prepared to get back to his winning ways alongside his Underworld squad.
We could talk about so many other NA teams, such as Echo Fox, Team SiNister, Pure Gaming, Next Threat, Team Allegiance, HellFire Esports, and Amity Esports, along with scores of talented players who will be in Dallas, but then this article would be far too long! So rather than expand on all of these teams, we’ll leave you with this:
North America has an incredible amount of veterans and fresh stars who will be a part of the CWL Dallas Open. Expect the unexpected in the Open Bracket, and keep your eyes peeled for the dark horses teams who will be ready to pounce on Friday.
Europeans Will Fight for their Region and Pro Points in Dallas
Five European teams will qualify for the first stage of the CWL Pro League, and with how close the regional Pro Point standings were at the time of the pool play roster lock, some of the final spots into the league could be decided at the Dallas and New Orleans Global Open Events.
The last two CWL 2K events before the Dallas weekend put two teams right into the mix with pool play participants Unilad and Epsilon, and those teams are Supremacy and Giants Gaming.
Supremacy’s French roster rivals that of their fellow countrymen on Team Vitality, with Tommy “Eazy” Besse, Cédric “TonyJs” Ruault and Brandon “Vortex” Gomes all being a part of Supremacy’s top-24 roster at the 2017 CWL Championship. This team’s newest addition, Daniel “Dynastie” Martins, comes as a phenomenal 18-year-old prospect from Supremacy’s Academy, and if he lives up to his potential, then Supremacy is going to be a scary European team in the CWL.
Giants meanwhile are an all-Spanish team that did not make it to the 2017 CWL Championship, but have a roster full of Spain’s best competitors. Antonio “TojoR” Jorda, Carlos “Lgend” Pereiras, Iván “YaKo” Rodríguez and José “Machete” Antonio Sánchez all showed their strength in the final CWL 2K before the CWL Dallas Open, working their way into the top-four teams out of that online MLG GameBattles event. With TojoR and Lgend being two of Spain’s living Call of Duty esports legends, it may be time for the world to know why they have been at the forefront of Spain’s Call of Duty scene.
While these two mainland European teams are in the hunt for Stage 1 spots, there are still several European teams that are attending the CWL Dallas Open who could put themselves in the Pro League picture with a good enough placement.
One of these teams is Infused, who brought back Niall “Niall” Sunderland and Nick “Nolson” Nolson from their 2017 CWL Championship roster that made a respectable top-12 run. There is also exceL, who recently acquired former Infused slayer Zach “Zed” Denyer to add to their roster of former CWL Championship attendees.
And last, but certainly not least, Renegades has re-entered the Call of Duty scene with a roster that contains Call of Duty ironman Shane “ShAnE” McKerral, as well as a full cast of some of last season’s professional players.
We have yet to see these European Open Bracket teams face their North American and Asia-Pacific counterparts, so Dallas will be the place for them to prove to Call of Duty World League fans that they can take out some strong international competitors.
Who Can Catch up to Mindfreak in APAC Regional Standings?
The Asia-Pacific region will only receive one invitation to the first stage of the CWL Pro League, and the clock is ticking on the other teams in the region to try and pass Mindfreak in Pro Points.
Jockeying for position in the APAC region are two familiar organizations in SYF Gaming and Tainted Minds, along with a Taboo ESC, a fresh organization on the scene whose team is led by former Mindfreak professional Cody “Excite” Rugolo. Currently, SYF Gaming tops the three-team race after winning the final CWL APAC 2K before CWL Dallas, with Taboo ESC trailing behind them and Tainted Minds bringing up the rear.
All three of these teams are expected to be at the CWL Dallas Open, and due to their Pro Point totals, they are projected to be some of the highest seeds in the tournament. This means that in order to be a part of the international Call of Duty esports league this season, these APAC teams must pass a global test in the Open Bracket, and may not face each other at all at this event.
If these teams cannot place ahead of or close to Mindfreak at this event, or if they fail to get out of the Open Bracket in general, then Mindfreak may have themselves a clear path to CWL Pro League qualification.
Are you ready for the first Open Event of Season Three? Over 800 players will descend on Dallas next week as more than 200 teams battle it out to see who will be named Call of Duty World League Dallas Open Champions.
Be sure to catch the full event which runs December 8 through December 10 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. Tickets are still available, and the event will also be streamed live on MLG.tv/callofduty.
For more intel about Call of Duty World League, be sure to visit CallofDuty.com/esports