Empire & OpTic clinch top seeds — CDL 2021 Seattle Home Series highlights, results, recap

It was the last week of regular-season group play before the CDL 2021 Stage 5 Major and Champs — and it did not disappoint. Big upsets, big plays, and final placements for the Major. If you missed (or simply want to relive) it, here are all the scores, highlights, and recaps.

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• Dallas and OpTic secure top seeds for Major V.
• New-look Subliners struggle after Clayster benching.
• FaZe bounce back in terrifying manner.

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Eight teams have clinched their spot at Champs so the postseason’s $2.5 million is now closed off to the rest. But there’s a tasty $500,000 up for grabs in the Stage 5 Major and the bottom-four teams are hungry to cash out. This week, the top teams duked it out for seeding while the bottom teams hoped to play spoiler.

After OpTic surprised everyone by beating FaZe in Stage 5, Week 2, the LA Thieves shocked everyone again — by reverse-sweeping OpTic this week.

Meanwhile, FaZe simply regained and stomped a Subliners squad forced to sub in Diamondcon for Clayster. A wild week saw the Stage 5 Major’s bracket locked in place with storylines galore.

CDL Seattle Home Series: results, recaps, highlights

DAY 1 – THURSDAY, JULY 22

Match 1: New-Look New York regain

With Clayster stepping down, a young Subliners group debuted down 103 points in Game 1. Then… they came back, fought back-and-forth until Game 5 and secured the dub. Big win for a young group.

Match 2: OpTic maintain run of dominance

OpTic have looked like a different beast in Stage 5 and that continued into the Seattle Home Series as they dismantled the Royal Ravens in just three games — with major credit to Dashy and Scump.

DAY 2 — FRIDAY, JULY 23

Match 1: Ultra shut down rising Mutineers

You would have thought this was going to be a close series after a close HP and Mutineers S&D win, but the Ultra just ramped up and kept their Stage 5 undefeated streak going.

Match 2: Empire sweep home team Surge

While fans may have hoped that Seattle would celebrate their Home Series by breaking GA’s, the Surge instead hoped Octane on an SMG would help them out. Unfortunately it turns out, no, it wouldn’t — and it didn’t.

DAY 3 — SATURDAY, JULY 24

Match 1: Royal Ravens win Battle of EU

Whether you call it the Battle of EU or the War of WestR, this match had more on the line than most would expect. Neither team is eligible for Champs, but the Ravens went out, performed, and spoiled the Legion’s chance at the winner’s bracket in the Stage 5 Major.

Match 2: ROKKR stomp Mutineers

This was a… very quick series. It felt like viewers got to watch Garrison for a moment and then the match was done, as the ROKKR regained momentum after a close S&D — thanks in major part to Priestahh’s 1.63 K/D in the series.

Match 3: Thieves upset OpTic in wild reverse sweep

An incredible series sees Foam Runner Scump taken down by none other than Gucci Kenny. Thieves stormed back into the match on Checkmate, one of OpTic’s favorite maps, of all places and proceeded to clutch up with a wild reverse sweep.

DAY 4 — SUNDAY, JULY 25

Match 1: Surge win Battle of the Bottom

Neither the Surge nor the Guerrillas have anything to truly play for this season, both relegated to the loser’s bracket in the Stage 5 Major and out of Champs. But Seattle proved they’re the better of the bottom-dwelling clubs with a clean sweep.

Match 2: FaZe are mean to the Subliners

FaZe can’t be a fun team to play against, especially for a team with very little practice. It shouldn’t be surprising that they swept NYSL, but to do so while more-than-doubling NY’s score in each game is bully behavior.

Match 3: Empire hit wicked form vs Ultra

Some thought it was a fluke when the Empire beat the Ultra in the Stage 4 Major. Well, Dallas have once again proven that it was not. Crimsix got in his camera’s face, Shotzzy and iLLeY wrought havoc, and the Empire secured a bye in the Stage 5 Major.

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CDL Seattle Home Series format & details

• Location: Online
• Prize Pool: N/A
• CDL Points: 10 per win
• Maps & Modes:
  • Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid
  • Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid
  • Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid
• Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D)

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CDL Seattle Home Series teams & lineups

The Thieves held tight after a recent drop in performance, but the Subliners did not. As Clayster benches himself in order to regain mentally, New York called Diamondcon back up to the starting lineup this week.

Con was tremendous before HyDra’s arrival, but struggled to replicate that form against an angry Atlanta.

GROUP A

GROUP B

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Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.