New York Subliners stun Atlanta FaZe and win CDL Major 4

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

CDL Major 4 was full of surprises. Heading into the weekend, many had already entered Atlanta FaZe into the grand finals alongside Toronto Ultra. An unlikely story would unfold with the New York Subliners, recently acquired by Cloud9, bouncing back from a 3-0 loss to Atlanta FaZe in the winners bracket and advancing to the grand finals.

Along the way, the Subliners took out 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 dispatched the Seattle Surge and Los Angeles Guerillas to the loser’s bracket en route to the championship on Sunday.

Despite a lackluster season, the reigning Call of Duty world champions found form at the right time, just two weeks before the 2024 World Championship. The Subliners led the way to the CDL grand final Major 4, facing the ultra-constant Atlanta FaZe. After winning the first map handily with a score of 250-178, the Subliners lost to FaZe on the second map with an equally impressive score of 6-1.

Led by MVP leader Chris “Simp” Lehr, FaZe won a second straight map 3-1 over Highrise Control, giving Major 2 Champs a 2-1 lead in the series. It’s been a back-and-forth series so far, but the Subliners flipped a switch in maps four, five and six.

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

French phenom Paco “HydrA” Rusiewiez was on point all weekend at the CDL Major 4. He finished the weekend with an impressive 1.14 K/D, just behind Atlanta FaZe’s Simp. The effort earned him the MVP award and firmly put him back at the top of the seasonal MVP discussion.

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.