CDL New York: Who will win first-ever Huntsmen vs FaZe match?

 

With only two Home Series events left in the Call of Duty League season, Huntsmen are about to face-off against FaZe for the time. Here’s everything you need to know before the highly anticipated matchup.

Despite both being in contention to finish the CDL season in pole position, Huntsmen and FaZe are yet to lock horns.

On paper, both squads have arguably the most talented rosters in Call of Duty history. The FaZe squad have the Tiny Terrors in Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr and Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris – both of which were considered by many to last season’s best players – alongside one of the most mechanically gifted players to ever touch the sticks, in McArthur ‘Cellium’ Jovel.

On the flip side, Huntsmen have the perfect balance of experience and fresh blood. With four world championship rings between them, there’s no doubt that the squad knows how to win. Combine that with the tenacity and raw skill of Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon, and it’s easy to see why Huntsmen are always a threat on the server.

Huntsmen vs FaZe: Team stats

Despite being evenly matched on paper, the Chicago Huntsmen squad find themselves 40 points adrift from their rivals. While both squads have two CDL event wins under their belt, Atlanta FaZe have chalked up a better record (21 wins, 4 losses) when compared to Huntsmen (17 wins, 6 losses).

• Read more: CDL New York Day 1 recap: Huntsmen & Subliners roll, new meta on display

Although with that said, the Chicago squad have the best win rate in the league, winning 65.93% of their matches — narrowly edging out FaZe’s 64.42% game win rate. It’s worth noting that this will have changed slightly following some of the CDL New York matches.

But when comparing the players head-to-head, Atlanta FaZe are seemingly more comfortable, with both Simp and Cellium notching up K/D ratios that most ARs would be proud of. Below are the season stats for both squads, before CDL New York started.

Huntsmen vs FaZe: Key duels

While the stats paint one picture, these only speak for so much. With matchup so evenly poised, the series will likely come down to who can get one over their opposite number and win their key duel.

• Read more: CDL New York Day 2 recap: FaZe survive to face Huntsmen, playoff bracket set

In terms of the respawns, a lot will come down to both team’s Flex players. Both Arcitys and Cellium will be looking to dictate the pace early, with both players being pivotal to how well both teams can rotate towards the objective in both Hardpoint and Domination.

In terms of Search & Destroy, both teams will be looking to take the round to their opponents on offense. Watch out for how Huntsmen deal with aBeZy’s early aggression, who’ll likely try and make plays by putting himself in a position to get first bloods and dip out unscathed.

Huntsmen vs FaZe: CDL New York form

Huntsmen made it out of CDL New York’s ‘group of death’ by beating both London Royal Ravens and New York Subliners in impressive fashion. Meanwhile, FaZe scraped through an arguably easier group after losing to Toronto Ultra in a five-game thriller.

• Read more: 6 players to watch during CDL New York

With that said, FaZe are more accustomed to ‘Championship Sunday’ (as it’s affectionately named) as they’ve made it to every event playoff they’ve participated in. Conversely, Huntsmen will be looking to put the woes of CDL Minnesota behind them, after crashing out in the Group Stage.

Both teams will be eager to secure the win, not only to bag themselves a spot in the Grand Final, but to get the psychological advantage as we head into the business end of the season and edge closer to the CDL’s first-ever world championships.