CDL Week 2 Day 1 Preview & Predictions
Looking back at Week 1 of the 2024 CDL season to see what we can expect from Week 2 Day 1
With the 2024 season’s opening weekend in the books, join me in looking ahead to see what week 2 has in-store for our 12 CDL teams. From a disappointing 0-2 weekend out of the likes of Boston and LA Thieves, to somewhat surprisingly strong debuts from Seattle and Miami; what exactly will it take for teams to either change their course, or remain on their paths to victory?
Miami Heretics vs Vegas Legion
To me, and if the CDL Pick’ems are anything to go off, the majority of fans, Miami’s decisive 3-0 victory over the Carolina Royal Ravens came as one of the bigger surprises of the season opener.
While it’s safe to say victory won’t come as easily for the Heretics this time around, they see themselves with two very winnable matches. Expect to have a much better idea of where exactly Miami sits after seeing how they’re able to perform in their upcoming bouts versus Vegas and Minnesota.
Kicking off Friday’s action, we will see the Heretics face off against the retooled Vegas Legion. While Vegas had an up-and-down first weekend, splitting their opening matches 1-1 and falling victim to a Carolina reverse sweep, The Legion have shown that they won’t be the pushover we’ve come to expect - at least for now.
While Vegas’ formula for success in respawns primarily relies on the potential of their SMG duo consisting of Nero and Standy, Miami appears to have a somewhat more holistic approach to their contributions. While splitting the Hardpoints seems a likely outcome in my eyes, expect maps 2/3/5 to be where the winner of this matchup is determined.
Despite failing to close out a 5-3 lead in Game 5 versus Carolina, Vegas has started off the season looking formidable in S&D. With a dominant 12-3 overall round-count in their season opener versus Minnesota, I favor Vegas to come out on top of the Searches in this matchup. Expect to see at least one of, if not both Skidrow and Invasion S&D in the map set.
While Vegas has looked rather shaky when it comes to Control, being able to have a better showing in the mode this time around will be imperative if they wish to avoid having a Game 5 victory as their likely win condition.
If Miami is able to come out on top in the Control, I could very well see this series going the distance. In the occurrence of a Game 5, while I’d give Vegas the odds, it’s anyone’s game.
Final Prediction: Vegas 3-2 Miami
LA Thieves vs Boston Breach
While both of these teams were projected as some of the stronger rosters outside of the ‘Big 4’, both camps see themselves sitting with an 0-2 record after one week of play.
Interestingly, Thieves and Breach each suffered losses to the same opponents during their opening set of matches; that being Atlanta FaZe and Seattle Surge.
While Boston had the unfortunate draw of debuting their revamped roster versus the perennial powerhouse that is Atlanta FaZe, the matchup was anything but a blowout. Pushing Atlanta to a Game 5 before eventually falling, this was a series that could have easily resulted in an impressive victory for the Breach.
Failing to close out either maps 1 and 2 would ultimately prove to be the death knell in Boston’s hope of an upset. After battling out of an 0-2 hole and levelling the series at 2-2, the Breach would then suffer at the hands of a Simp masterclass in Game 5.
While LAT were the victims of an ATL 3-0 sweep, the maps were tightly contested despite being outslayed by 42 kills throughout the series. While this points towards the Thieves having solid game-planning, good strategy can only take you so far in this era when you’re unable to slay toe-to-toe versus the big dogs.
Personally, I need to see Cammy and Afro improving their individual contributions on a consistent basis if this LAT roster is going to reach the heights they are hopeful of.
While neither LAT nor Boston were blown out of the water, both teams also suffered similar 1-3 losses at the hands of the Seattle Surge. While LAT were able to take the Control 3-0, Boston was able to walk away with the opening Hardpoint before Seattle rifled off three consecutive map wins.
That brings us to Week 2’s head-to-head between these two teams. I expect the maps in this series to be closely contested, making it one of the more difficult matches to predict.
While both teams have shown competency in the respawn modes despite not being able to consistently end up on top, I believe Boston has appeared to be the stronger of the two teams when it comes to both S&D and individual contribution.
If the Thieves hope to get the best of Boston, winning the opening Hardpoint and shutting down the Boston SMG duo will prove to be crucial.
In the event that Boston is able to take Game 1, LAT will be in hot water due to the likelihood of Breach claiming Game 2, thus putting the Thieves in a daunting 0-2 hole right out of the gate.
Ultimately, I see Boston as a team with more potential outs in this matchup and even if the series goes the distance, I believe Breach will be able to come out on top in the end.
Final Prediction: Boston 3-1 LAT
OpTic Texas vs Seattle Surge
For my money, this is the most exciting matchup of Week 2. Pred versus his former organization that refused to sell him to OpTic last season. Rambo, iLLeY, and Huke all seeking revenge on their former organization that decided they weren’t the right pieces to reach their championship aspirations. Lastly, Dashy and Shotzzy aiming to prove OpTic made the right decision in choosing to build around them.
With so much shared history, and how it ultimately soured in the end between the players and coaches on these rosters, both teams will be bringing extra intensity to this battle.
While Surge had two relatively comfortable wins behind impressive performances from both iLLeY and newcomer to the league Abuzah, OpTic is coming into Week 2 with a split 1-1 record.
OpTic kicked off their 2024 season with a matchup against the reigning World Champions, NYSL. Despite dropping the first two maps of the series, Texas showed resilience and battled back with two consecutive map wins before ultimately falling in a down-to-the-wire Game 5, Round 11.
Texas would ultimately rebound a couple days later with a 3-1 win versus the new-look Minnesota Rokkr in which they won all three respawns played while dropping the S&D 5-6.
Tragically, or humorously depending on what side of the aisle you sit on, OpTic lost all three of the S&Ds played in their opening weekend in round 11 fashion.
Despite the early S&D woes which can be ironed out with more repetition, their respawn has looked great behind strong performances from all four players.
While we’ve come to expect good numbers from the likes of Dashy, Pred, and Shotzzy, the emergence of OpTic Kenny and his impressive performance throughout opening weekend is the key takeaway for me.
Kenny’s ability to perform individually while shepherding the rest of his teammates towards winning pastures will play a huge role in OpTic’s championship hopes this season.
Finally, let’s take a look at the matchup itself. If Surge is able to repeat their performances from Week 1, with all the extra drama that this head-to-head entails, this series has the potential for Game 5 written all over it.
When it comes to the Hardpoints, I think we can expect a Sub Base veto out of OpTic along with a Skidrow veto from Surge.
While I wouldn’t necessarily favor Surge over OpTic in the HPs, with maps like Terminal, Invasion, or Karachi potentially on the board, it wouldn’t shock me if Surge is able to get the better of OpTic on one of the more rotation-heavy maps where breaking hills has proven to be extremely challenging.
Ultimately, I think it’s safe to assume Texas will come away with a minimum of one of the Hardpoints. From what we have seen so far in opening weekend, OpTic appears to be carrying forward their knack for winning Control from previous years while Surge has looked inconsistent in the mode.
When it comes to Search & Destroy, Surge has comfortably won both of their S&Ds played with an overall round count of 12-6 as opposed to OpTic’s struggles closing out in the mode as previously mentioned.
When combining all of this together, I believe Surge’s win conditions come down to either winning both S&Ds, or they must steal the Control.
While I expect the maps to be close, I predict OpTic will win at least one of the HPs, will take care of business in the Control, and they will also claim their first S&D victory of the season.
Final Prediction: Texas 3-2 Seattle
That does it for Week 2 Day 1. While I won’t be doing a preview & predictions for every day of every weekend, I plan on starting up a series of articles or YouTube videos (TBD) going in-depth on the current S&D strats being ran by CDL teams — what they’re doing well, what could be done differently, new strat ideas, etc.
If that sounds like it could potentially be of interest, keep a look-out on my Twitter @Bevils and follow me here on Substack. Until next time.