Article:CDL New York 2020 Preview

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The New York Subliners host the 11th CDL event of the year from the 10-12th of July and with the regular season coming to its conclusion, teams throughout the CDL are now scrambling to secure as many points as they can before Championship Weekend rolls around.

So, let's look at some of the main talking points heading into a crucial home series event.

Chicago v Atlanta?
Can you believe that we're now at the 11th CDL event of the year and we still haven't seen the Huntsmen and FaZe face off against each other.

We've been teased multiple times at the prospect of this match-up but, the Huntsmen always seem to find a way to take it away from us.

If all goes to plan for both teams they will meet in the final. However, if one of them falters and ends up in the quarter final knockout round and goes on to win, while the other wins their quarter final match; the two will meet in the semifinals.

A quick look at the bracket, however, would suggest that the Huntsmen are the most likely to jeopardise a Huntsmen/FaZe match-up. They have three of the top seven teams to contend with in the form of the London Royal Ravens, Minnesota RØKKR and the New York Subliners.

Having said that, how will FaZe respond after their roasting from the Florida Mutineers at the Paris home series? Surely they will be able to coast through their bracket... right!?

They’re both gonna fail to make it out of the bracket aren’t they?

A New Meta?
The latest Modern Warfare update brought with it a whole host of significant changes to the game’s meta, most notably with a nerf to the MP5.

The MP5 has been the SMG weapon of choice for sub players since the inaugural CDL weekend. However, many are questioning its capabilities in light of the recent nerf.

The official patch notes states that the MP5’s ‘damage range has been decreased’ and, based on several clips posted to Twitter, this would certainly seem to be the case.

So, how will this affect the New York home series? Well, firstly, it could significantly benefit teams who are more AR heavy, such as the London Royal Ravens.

The M4 is still a ‘god gun’ and, according to some sub players, they won’t be able to compete head-to-head with the MP5 anymore.

Subsequently, some players have been experimenting with different SMGs. Envoy turned heads when he ran an Uzi to devastating effect a few weeks back, while Huke was seen making the most of the AUG in scrims, which many believe could be the new meta.

No matter what you think of the meta shake up so late in the season it’s certainly made things a little more interesting as teams try their best to adapt.

Update: The AUG has been GA'd.

RØKKR's Last Chance?
Since finishing second at the Dallas home series, the Minnesota RØKKR have failed to finish inside the top six.

Their fall from grace has been dramatic. However, they still somehow sit in 5th place in the standings, but that place could be under threat if they fail to perform this weekend. The RØKKR are a whopping 70 points behind 4th place Dallas Empire, but that’s not their main concern. Minnesota will be anxiously looking over their shoulder as the London Royal Ravens and the New York Subliners, who are just 30 and 40 points adrift respectively.

Not only are two teams within touching distance of the RØKKR, they are also two teams who are on a real upturn in form.

So why is this ‘RØKKR’s last chance’ if they have another event to play after this one? Well… just take a look at their bracket for the Toronto home series event. FaZe, Mutineers and Empire. Realistically, there’s no way RØKKR are getting out of that bracket alive, so they have to capitalise this weekend.

Mind you, they don’t have an easy run in New York either. Their bracket consists of the Huntsmen, the Subliners and the Royal Ravens, which make no mistake about it is an absolute nightmare bracket… but compared to their final bracket at the Toronto home series? It’s like comparing a house cat to a Bengal tiger.

Predictions
This is actually quite a difficult one to predict because, even though there are two clear favourites in the form of the Huntsmen and FaZe, there are still so many question marks about the game itself that anyone could capitalise. I don’t want to speculate who runs what AR/SMG setup because that’s really anyone’s guess right now. There’s also the potential for additional GAs to take place prior to the event, too.

If Envoy runs with an Uzi that would be VERY fun and could well help carry the Huntsmen to victory if the MP5 is believed to be as bad as some claim.

It’s hard to write of FaZe, though. Despite their drubbing at the hands of the Mutineers, they are still a team that you can never count out… even if they go 2-0 down. That just seems to make them angry.

AR heavy Royal Ravens and a resurgent Subliners are also right there in the mix ready to pounce on any slip ups from the two big boys.

If I was going to part with my own hard-earned cash, though, it has to be FaZe.

They’ve shown time and time again that they are calm, composed and of championship calibre.

The main fault people have been picking with them is that ‘they keep going to game 5’. Yeah, that’s true… and they keep winning them, so why would the New York home series be any different?

Huntsmen v FaZe in a game 5, round 11? Here's hoping!


 * CreditsLine1 = 'Written by Aaron Rook / Twitter - @AaronRook91'
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 * PublishDate=7th July, 2020
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