Defending champion OpTic Texas routed the Toronto Ultra 3-0 on Friday to reach the winners-bracket final of the $2 million Call of Duty League Championship in Kitchener, Ontario.
The Boston Breach, seeded last among the eight playoff teams, continued their run by edging the Miami Heretics 3-2 in the other winners-bracket semifinal.
In the tournament’s first two elimination matches, the Vancouver Surge blitzed the Los Angeles Thieves 3-0, and the Atlanta FaZe crushed the Carolina Royal Ravens 3-0.
The top eight teams from the Call of Duty League’s regular season qualified for the double-elimination event that caps the season’s Black Ops 6 competition.
All matches are best-of-five until the best-of-nine grand final on Sunday. The championship team will earn $800,000.
On Friday, OpTic trounced the Ultra 250-87 on Skyline Hardpoint, 6-1 on Rewind Search and Destroy and 3-0 on Protocol Control.
The United States’ Cuyler “Huke” Garland amassed 55 kills and a plus-10 kill-death differential for Texas. Denmark’s Tobias “CleanX” Jonsson recorded 46 kills and a minus-8 K-D differential for Toronto.
Miami opened with a 250-238 win on Hacienda Hardpoint, but Boston bounced back to capture Hacienda Search and Destroy 6-2 and Hacienda Control 3-2. The Heretics extended the match by taking Rewind Hardpoint 250-121, but the Breach sealed the victory with a 6-5 triumph on Protocol Search and Destroy.
Mexico’s Eric “Snoopy” Perez paced the Breach with 91 kills and minus-1 K-D differential. Spain’s Jose “ReeaL” Fernandez logged 106 kills and a plus-28 K-D differential for the Heretics.
The Surge stomped the Thieves 250-218 on Red Card Hardpoint, 6-4 on Red Card Search and Destroy and 3-2 on Vault Control.
Belgium’s Jordan “Abuzah” Francois starred for Vancouver with 77 kills and a plus-7 K-D differential. France’s Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez had 76 kills and a plus-11 K-D differential for Los Angeles.
The FaZe downed the Royal Ravens 250-216 on Hacienda Hardpoint, 6-5 on Protocol Search and Destroy and 3-0 on Hacienda Control. The United States’ Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris posted 67 kills and a plus-23 K-D differential for Atlanta. Another U.S. player, Isaiah “Gwinn” Gwinn, totaled 58 kills and a plus-8 K-D differential for Carolina.
The Saturday schedule:
–Winners-bracket final — Boston Breach vs. OpTic Texas
–Elimination round 2 — Toronto Ultra vs. Vancouver Surge
–Elimination round 2 — Miami Heretics vs. Atlanta FaZe
–Elimination round 3 — Toronto/Vancouver winner vs. Miami/Atlanta winner
–Elimination final — Boston/Texas loser vs. elimination round 3 winner
Call of Duty League Championship prize pool
1. $800,000
2. $480,000
3. $320,000
4. $160,000
5-6. $80,000
7-8. $40,000 — Los Angeles Thieves, Carolina Royal Ravens
–Field Level Media