New York Subliners stun Atlanta FaZe to win CDL Major 4

This weekend, the Call of Duty League (CDL) wrapped up its final Major of the season in Burbank, California. While there were no fans in attendance for CDL Major 4, the competition was fierce. Major 3 Champs OpTic Texas exited the tournament early while an unexpected run by the Los Angeles Guerillas saw them reach the championship on Sunday. However, it all came down to the grand final between the New York Subliners and the Atlanta Faze. Here’s how the weekend unfolded.

The CDL Major 4 tournament was full of surprises. Before the weekend, many had already predicted that Atlanta FaZe would qualify for the grand finals alongside Toronto Ultra. An unlikely story would unfold as Cloud9’s recently acquired New York Subliners bounced back from a 3-0 loss to Atlanta FaZe in the winner’s bracket and advanced to the grand finals.

Along the way, the Subliners eliminated the Minnesota ROKKR, Vegas Legion, Los Angeles Thieves, and Toronto Ultra, setting up a redemption match with the Atlanta FaZe. On the winning side, Major 2 champions Atlanta FaZe sent the Seattle Surge and Los Angeles Guerillas to the losers’ bracket en route to the championship on Sunday.

Despite a lackluster season, the reigning Call of Duty world champions found themselves in form at the right time, with just two weeks until the 2024 world championship. The Subliners qualified for the CDL Major 4 grand final, facing the ultra-consistent Atlanta FaZe. After winning the first map with a score of 250-178, the Subliners would fall to FaZe on the second map with an equally impressive score of 6-1.

Led by MVP favorite Chris “Simp” Lehr, FaZe won a second straight map 3-1 on Highrise Control, giving the Major 2 champions a 2-1 series lead. The series has been a closely contested one so far, but the Subliners turned it around on maps four, five, and six.

The submachine gun duo of KiSMET and HydrA led their team to victory. New York dominated Rio Hardpoint and Search & Destroy Karachi, setting up a win-or-go-home situation for FaZe. Despite Atlanta’s best efforts, the Subliners won a tight Invasion Control, earning them the CDL Major 4 title.

French phenom Paco “Hydra” Rusiewiez was on top all weekend at CDL Major 4. He finished the weekend with an impressive 1.14 K/D, second behind Atlanta FaZe’s Simp. That effort earned him the MVP award and put him firmly back at the top of the season MVP discussions.

HydrA and company hope to continue this momentum at the 2024 Call of Duty League Championship, which will be held July 18-21 in Allen, Texas.