Article:CDL Playoffs 2020 Day Four Recap

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Day four of the CDL Playoffs featured one of the most anticipated matches of the season and some of the most dominating performances we've seen so far.

Let's take a look at what unfolded...

London Royal Ravens 3 - 1 Paris Legion
'The Battle of Europe'. Well... there wasn't much of a battle as far as Legion were concerned. This was as one-sided a match as you're ever likely to see.

Gun Runner Hardpoint was an absolute walk in the park for the Royal Ravens. Dylan and Wuskin led the way with 30 and 32 kills respectively on their way to a convincing 250-211 victory.

Arklov Peak S&D was just as easygoing for the Royal Ravens. It's their map and they showed the world why by annihilating Paris Legion. Skrapz notched up 8 kills for a 4.00 KD. Legion, on the other hand, struggled from start to finish. KiSMET in particular had a torrid game with just one kill.

Paris Legion did manage to cling onto a modicum of hope with a decisive 187-112 victory on Hackney Yard Domination. The entire squad managed to go positive, with KiSMET bouncing back in style from the S&D with 23 kills.

The Royal Ravens quickly shut down any chance of a comeback, though. They, once again, made easy work of Legion - this time with a 250-128 win on Rammaza Hardpoint. Seany topped the killfeed with 28 to his name and, most importantly, there were no disconnects for Zer0!

Paris Legion have now been eliminated from the postseason. The London Royal Ravens, meanwhile, progress to the next round to face the New York Subliners.

Minnesota RØKKR 0 - 3 OpTic Gaming Los Angeles
Seeing RØKKR lose in the way they did wasn't pretty... but it's a bit of a relief to see them finally put out of their misery. With this defeat to OGLA they have now gone 10 matches without a win.

The opening Hardpoint, on Azhir Cave, started off promisingly for RØKKR. They were up by 70+ points with the finish line in sight. But, as has often been the case for RØKKR towards the end of the year, they found a way to throw it all away.

That's not to take anything away from OGLA, though. Their comeback was outrageous. Buoyed by Kuavo's outstanding 45 kills, OGLA were able to rally late on and hold out for a 250-244 win.

This momentum inevitably killed off any RØKKR confidence. The Piccadilly S&D was an absolute bloodbath. Kuavo was disgusting once more - racking up an unbelievable 12 kills with just the one death to his name. TJHaLy also put on a sniping clinic. He dropped eight sniper kills and, as far as I can remember, he only missed two shots at most. RØKKR didn't know what hit them.

Needless to say, OGLA controlled the Hackney Yard Domination with ease to close out a relatively straightforward 3-0. The win takes OGLA through to the next round where they will face the Florida Mutineers. RØKKR, on the other hand, have been eliminated from the playoffs.

Atlanta FaZe 3 - 2 Chicago Huntsmen
As this was only the second time these two have faced off against each other this year - all of the day's hype on Twitter was angled towards this matchup. boy did it live up to expectations!

The opening Hardpoint on Rammaza was a one-sided affair with FaZe flexing their muscles throughout. The whole squad finished up with positive KDs, while Arcitys was the only member of the Huntsmen to leave with his head held high.

Arklov Peak S&D was a different beast, though. It was a back and forth battle for the duration with several standout plays ensuring it would go down to the wire in a round 11. In the end it was the Huntsmen who clutched up after a tentative start to the round. Priestahh was able to get the bomb down at A but the Huntsmen quickly swarmed the bomb site and FormaL was able to put the final nail in the coffin by dispatching ABeZy, which allowed Prestinni to defuse.

Gun Runner Domination was a real battle of attrition, but FaZe were able to out-slay and out-maneuver the Huntsmen to flip A and C on several occasions and hold onto B for extended periods, which included a strong trip cap.

Game four and Scump demonstrated why he's still 'The King'. He helped break through at crucial moments and stood firm on several hills to steer the Huntsmen to a 250-196 win. Simply put - FaZe just couldn't handle the Hunstmen's aggression on hills that are normally easy holds and they were forced to concede victory and take this one to a game five.

Game five was a highlight reel from start to finish. Both sides cluctched up when it mattered most. FormaL was able to orchestrate a huge win from a 2v4 situation, while MajorManiak went crazy in the penultimate round with a three-kill streak and a disgusting turn on Arcitys.

This one looked destined for another round 11, and that would have been the case if FormaL had completed the double kill he was just one shot away from at the end of round 10. But it wasn't meant to be. It was sweet revenge for FaZe who were trounced by the Huntsmen in their only previous meeting this year.

FaZe guaranteed themselves a $600k payout, while the Huntsmen live to fight another day in the Losers Bracket.

Dallas Empire 3 - 2 Toronto Ultra
It's no surprise that this one went down to the wire. Two incredibly hot teams coming into the playoffs went back and forth throughout this one.

Dallas stamped their authority in game one. Clayster, C6, ILLeY and Shotzzy all dropped 30+ kills on their way to a relatively straightforward Hardpoint victory on Azhir Cave.

Ultra, however, would bounce back immediately. Classic was the standout player in a back and forth 6-4 victory on St Petrograd S&D. He clocked up 12 kills, while his teammate Cammy did what Cammy does... snipes. He nailed five with ease to level the match 1-1.

Game three really could have gone either way - with just a handful of point separating the two sides. In the end it was Ultra who regained to take a 2-1 lead in the match and sit on the brink of knocking off one of the pre-playoff favourites in Empire.

Empire wouldn't go down without a fight, though. They more than bounced back on Gun Runner Hardpoint with a crushing 250-107 win. Crimsix, in particular, was in championship mode with 32 kills and a 1.88 KD.

The match might have gone the distance, but the game five was a complete blowout. Empire cruised to a 6-2 victory. The difference between the two sides? Unfortunately, the poor performance from Bance was one of the main contributing factors to their demise. He failed to record a single kill and died six times. On the Empire side Clayster and Shotzzy were flexing with double positive KDs.

Empire now move on to championship weekend and a mouthwatering matchup with Atlanta FaZe. Ultra, meanwhile, fall to the Losers Bracket.


 * CreditsLine1 = 'Written by Aaron Rook / Twitter - @AaronRook91'
 * ArticleTextShort=CDL Playoffs 2020 Day Four Recap

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 * PublishDate=23rd August, 2020
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