In their final Call of Duty League qualification match, the Las Vegas Legion crushed OpTic Texas 3-1 to snap a three-match losing streak.
After a stage in which Las Vegas struggled terribly in the respawn game types while thriving in Search and Destroy, the Legion completely reversed that pattern by winning all three respawns while losing the lone SnD. Their second triumph in the qualifiers and their first since defeating the #SeattleSurge came in Vegas.
The Match Recap
The Legion was led by #TJHaLy and #Clayster on the first map in the series – Mercado Hardpoint. In the closely fought 250-228 victory over an OpTic squad that had been playing incredibly well in respawns since the roster change after Scump's retirement, the two combined for 57 kills and recorded 1.38 and 1.40 K/Ds.
Texas bounced back with a commanding victory on the second map of the series, “Mercado Search and Destroy”, to tie the score at one game each. In the triumph over one of the top SnD teams in the league, #ILLeY and #Dashy took the lead with 1.40 and 1.50 K/Ds, respectively.
The Hotel Control, where Temp made one of the biggest plays in Legion history, marked a turning moment in the series for both teams. OpTic sought to win an attacking round to level the round count after Las Vegas managed to accomplish so. With a life advantage of 14-13, the four Texas players piled the B point and looked close to tying the map up.
But Temp was prepared with a cruise missile, which he launched at the ideal moment. Just before a trophy system was set up, he made a point connection, taking down all four OpTic players and, more significantly, getting them off the point. Vegas stopped OpTic with 45 seconds remaining, won the round, and increased its lead to 2-0. The Legion was able to clinch up and capture the map to go up 2-1 in the series, despite Texas' best efforts to force a fifth round.
In the Hydro Hardpoint, Vegas continued to dominate, establishing an early lead of more than 100 points. Even though OpTic rallied and seemed to have a chance late in the map, the Legion proved to be too strong and won by a score of 250–173, clinching the series by a score of 3–1.
The Conclusion
In addition to being OpTic's first defeat in the second qualifying round of the CDL, this defeat also marks the first time since the league's start that the Legion has defeated OpTic. As they focus on the major in Boston next month, Las Vegas now has the momentum they require thanks to their victory.
At the time of writing, there is a huge anticipation for the matchup between The Atlanta FaZe and OpTic, where they’ll face off in their final qualifying battle for the second round.
