European Call of Duty World League Stage Two Finals Preview

In a few days, six teams from Europe will be participating in the Call of Duty World League Stage Two Finals in Burbank, California. Each of these teams have been playing in numerous events throughout the past few months ever since the Call of Duty World League started back in early January. In this article, you can find information on all of the teams competing, including some of the players statistics, and the predictions (including my own) for each of the matches.

First, a look at the bracket:

The first day will include the two quarterfinal matches between the third and sixth seeds, as well as the fourth and fifth seeds respectively. The third day of the event will have the two semifinal matches, and the grand final will take place on the fourth and final day. Each series will be a best-of-seven, with every team having a chance to get a piece of the $168,000 prize pool. You can find my predictions and the official ones at the bottom of the article. First, lets take a look at each of the teams.

Team & Player Information

HyperGames – First Seed – 15-3 Record – 2.29 Team Rating

HyperGames, being the first seed, get placed in the semifinals and will not have to play in the first set of matches. Their roster consists of Brian “Braaain” Fairlamb, Nick “Nolson” Nolson, Shea “Qwiker” Sweeny, and Zach “Zed” Denyer. This team qualified for Stage One of the CWL, but were regarded as an underdog, as many of the players were known for their online performances, but not any achievements on LAN.

Throughout Stage Two, there were no players that stood out by a large margin, as they all had a similar overall kill-death ratings. Each player still had a rating around one though. The best player on the team is their SMG slayer Zed, who had a breakout season during Stage One, finishing with the thirrd best 1.14 rating and helping his team secure fifth place under the Excel Esports organization. They went undefeated for over half of the season, which helped secure them the number one seed heading into the playoffs.

Here is a list of their placements in recent notable events since the start of Stage Two:

• Gfinity Summer Masters – Second Place – $5000 Winnings (July 3)
• EU CWL Stage Two Regular Season – First Place – (April 19 to June 23)
• ESWC 2016 – Top-12 Place – (May 8)
• Stage One CWL Playoffs – Top-Six – $16,000 Winnings – (March 27)
• EGL London 2016 – Top-Eight – $1,250 Winnings (March 6)

They have also participated in several online events, such as the CWL Challenge Division weekly tournaments, and weekly MLG Pro Points Series, securing mostly top-four placements in those events. The most notable of their recent placements, however, is their disappointing top-12 finish at ESWC. They were one of the favourites along with Infused to come out of their group, but fell to Vitality 3-1 in the deciding match after beating them 3-0 previously in the tournament.

Here are some stats for each of their players from Stage Two:

• Braaain – 1.04 Rating (11th)
• Nolson – 1.03 Rating (15th)
• Qwiker – 1.04 Rating (10th)
• Zed – 1.07 Rating (Sixth) 

Infused – Second Seed – 14-4 Record – 2.15 Team Rating

Infused secured the second seed during the regular season, and they too earn a first round bye and will play the winner of Splyce vs. Supremacy. Infused was one of the top teams going into Stage Two after finishing the first season 14-4, and for being a notable top European team. They finished first in the Stage One regular season with a 15-3 record, but fell short in the finals by finishing top-four after a game seven loss to Splyce.

Their roster consists of Mark “MarkyB” Bryceland, Adam “Peatie” Peate, David “Urban” Marsh, and Trei “Zero” Morris. The Infused roster was strong in all game types throughout Stage Two, thanks to the slaying capabilities from all of the players, and the objective work from Peatie and Urban, and most notably from Zero. The team’s star player “Zero,” who finished Stage One as the top player, finished Stage Two as the second best player. 

Here are some of their recent notable placings:

• Gfinity Summer Masters – Top-Eight – $500 Winnings (July 3)
• EU CWL Stage Two Regular Season – Second Place – (April 19 to June 23)
• ESWC 2016 – Top-Eight – $2,500 Winnings – (May 8)
• Stage One CWL Playoffs – Top-Four – $24,000 Winnings – (March 27)
• EGL London 2016 – First Place – $10,000 Winnings (March 6)

Despite their top-eight placings at ESWC and Gfinity, they are still regarded as one of the best teams, highlighted by their first place finish at EGL London, and win streaks throughout the CWL regular seasons. They still, however, have something to prove as they look to place first at this event.

Here is how the players performed during Stage Two:

• MarkyB – 1.01 Rating (19th)
• Peatie – 1.00 Rating (17th)
• Urban – 1.02 Rating (21st)
• Zero – 1.16 Rating (Second)

Splyce – Third Seed – 12-6 Record – 2.14 Team Rating

Splyce qualified in the third seed, which means they will be playing sixth seeded Supremacy in the first match of the day on July 14. They have been arguably the best performing European team due to their recent results, which you can see below:

• Gfinity Summer Masters – First Place – $10,000 Winnings (July 3)
• EU CWL Stage Two Regular Season – 3rd Place – (April 19 to June 23)
• ESWC 2016 – Second Place – $10,000 Winnings – (May 8)
• Stage One CWL Playoffs – Second Place – $36,000 Winnings – (March 27)*
• EGL London 2016 – Top-Four – $2,500 Winnings (March 6)*

Splyce has been dominating their opponents both online and on LAN in the past few months, as you can see by their recent placings. Although they had a rough end to the Stage Two regular season, their performance at the Gfinity Summer Masters shows why they are arguably the top European team right now. They also played very well at ESWC, where the swept both Rise Nation and FaZe Clan, two of North America’s best teams, in 3-0 fashion to get their place in the finals. However, the best team in the world, OpTic Gaming, was too tall of a task for Splyce as they returned the favor and defeated Splyce 3-0.

Splyce’s current roster contains Ben “Bance” Bance, Joseph “Joee” Pinnington, Joshua-Lee “Joshh” Shephard, and Rhys “Rated” Price. Splyce added Rated and Joee to the lineup right before the Stage Two regular season, which helped improve their slaying and objective abilities, leading to their third place finish in the regular season, and other first place finishes in online events. Here are their players stats from Stage Two:

• Bance – 1.06 Rating (Seventh)
• Joee – 0.97 Rating (30th)
• Josh – 1.03 Rating (13th)
• Rated – 1.01 Rating (20th)

Epsilon – Fourth Seed – 10-8 Record – 2.09 Team Rating

Epsilon come into the tournament as one of the underdogs, along with Supremacy, despite their fourth seed. They have not had the most outstanding results in the past few months, lingering between top-four and top-eight placings. They have the tools to be a top team, with their superstar player Matt “Skrapz” Marshall, and highly capable slayers in Tom “Moose” Handley, Jordan “Reedy” Reed and Gurdip “SunnyB” Bains. Here are their recent notable results:

• Gfinity Summer Masters – Top-Eight – $500 Winnings (July 3)
• EU CWL Stage Two Regular Season – Fourth Place – (April 19 to June 23)
• ESWC 2016 – Top-12 – (May 8)
• Stage One CWL Playoffs – Top-Four – $24,000 Winnings – (March 27)*
• EGL London 2016 – Second Place – $5,000 Winnings (March 6)*

Epsilon made a roster change right before the start of Stage Two, adding TCM’s top player SunnyB, and Rampage Tempo’s top player Skrapz, whose team failed to qualify during Stage One relegation after a game seven loss to LDLC (current Supremacy/Pulse). They looked somewhat solid with their combination of stable and mobile slaying, and objective work, which all players contributed in for the team. Epsilon will play Millenium in the first round, which is a tough task, but definitely a possibility given recent results for both teams. Lastly, here is a look at each of the players stats from Stage Two:

• Moose – 0.99 Rating (23rd)
• Reedy – 0.98 Rating (26th)
• Skrapz – 1.12 Rating (Third)
• SunnyB – 0.96 Rating (31st)

Millenium – Fifth Seed – 10-8 Record – 2.11 Team Rating

Millenium are one of Europe’s most popular and highly regarded teams and have been for the past several months. Their roster consists of Jordan “Jurd” Crowley, Dylan “MadCat” Daly, Callum “Swanny” Swan and Tom “Tommey” Trewen. The players are superstars within both EU Call of Duty, and throughout the world. However, despite their popularity and high status, their performances do not tell the story of the team very well. Here are their recent results:

• Gfinity Summer Masters – Top-Four – $1,500 Winnings (July 3)
• EU CWL Stage Two Regular Season – Fifth Place – (April 19 to June 23)
• ESWC 2016 – Fourth Place – $4,000 Winnings – (May 8)
• Stage One CWL Playoffs – First Place – $52,000 Winnings – (March 27)
• EGL London 2016 – Top-Four – $2,5000 Winnings (March 6)

Millenium were the winners of the first Stage finals back in March with the second seed after Stage One. During Stage Two, however, they had a low point that included a loss to Supremacy and Giants at the start of the season, and a string of three consecutive losses during the middle of the season that caused MadCat to leave the team for a short period of time. He joined back shortly after and the team underwent role changes. After that point, Millenium looked much more stable, and were able to close out the season in fifth place. Here is a look at their players stats from Stage Two:

• Jurd – 1.04 Rating (Ninth)
• MadCat – 1.09 Rating (Fourth)
• Swanny – 0.99 Rating (24th)
• Tommey – 0.97 Rating (29th)
  

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  Supremacy – Sixth Seed – 10-8 Record – 1.94 Team Rating

Supremacy were able to qualify in sixth place, ahead of Exertus, which held the CWL’s best overall player and other top talent from the UK. Supremacy is built almost like it was to follow a template of roles. Their first player is an anchor and very slow AR player Eddy “Malls” Maillard. The objective work comes mostly from Maxime “Maxxie” Ebran, who despite having very poor slaying performances, was the league’s fourth best objective player in Stage Two. Next is SMG slayer Brandon “Vortex” Gomes, who provides the majority of SMG slaying, and some of the objective work. Finally is Supremacy’s best player, who was recruited from LDLC after re-qualifying for the CWL during relegation: Arthur “Zayrox” Chabas. Zayrox was the team’s best player, and their AR slayer throughout Stage Two. Here are a look at Supremacy’s recent placings:

• Gfinity Summer Masters – Top-Eight – $500 Winnings (July 3)
• EU CWL Stage Two Regular Season – Sixth Place – (April 19 to June 23)
• ESWC 2016 – Top-12 – (May 8)
• Stage One CWL Playoffs – Neither LDLC nor Supremacy attended the Stage One playoffs
• EGL London 2016 – Top-16 –  (March 6) – Supremacy’s core did not attend, placement is from Zayrox’s result with LDLC.

Supremacy has never been a top five team in Black Ops III, but have always been a team capable of some upsets here and there. This team was not able to even qualify during the Stage One relegation, but due to Zayrox’s former team leaving, Supremacy was able to buy out the spot and replace RpLayy with LDLC’s Zayrox. The performances of Supremacy’s players also tells the story that they were never a top team, and were considered to place in the bottom four, which would not earn them a spot in the finals. Here is a look at their players stats from Stage Two:

• Malls – 0.91 Rating (35th)
• Maxxie – 0.86 Rating (39th)
• Vortex – 0.95 Rating (32nd)
• Zayrox – 1.04 Rating (12th)

Match Predictions

Quarterfinal #1 – Splyce vs. Supremacy

The first quarterfinal will take place on the July 14 at 10 a.m. PST, and will be between the third and sixth seeds. The odds for the match (based off Stage Two team & player statistics) are in favor of Splyce at 63.06%. Supremacy, being the lower seeded team, only have a 36.94% to win the series.

I agree with the match predictor as Splyce are currently the better team by quite a large margin due to their recent victory at Gfinity Summer Masters, and their performance in the first half of the regular season.

Splyce To Win 4-1

Quarterfinal #2 – Epsilon vs. Millenium

The second quarterfinal will also be on the first day, following the first EU match. This match will be between seeds four and five, and is expected to be the closer match. Despite the lower seed, Millenium has a 55.23% chance to win the series. Their raw and overall team rating was higher than Epsilon’s throughout Stage Two, and they have a more notable group of players.

I agree once again with the match predictor, as Millenium are currently the better team in this match and are more likely to reach the finals as well. However, both teams have been a bit shaky recently, so the series could go either way.

Millenium To Win 4-2 

Semifinal #1 – Splyce/Supremacy vs. Infused

The first semifinal will take place after a rest day, on Saturday, July 16. Infused is the second seed, so they got a spot in the semifinal rather than the quarterfinals and will play against either Splyce or Supremacy. 

The first scenario is Supremacy vs. Infused. This is the less likely match but it is still a possibility. Infused have a 68.38% to take this match, as once again, Supremacy are just not on par with the top EU teams yet. I also think Infused will take the series, but it will be a 4-1 or 4-2 map scoreline.

The second and more likely outcome is Splyce vs. Infused. In this scenario, Infused still have the upperhand, but this time, they only have a 55.06% chance to win. I have to disagree with the match predictor, as it only takes stats from the CWL Stage Two regular season. I believe Splyce will take this series, but it will definitely be a close match.

Splyce To Win 4-3 

Semifinal #2 – Epsilon/Millenium vs. HyperGames

The second semifinal will take place immediately following the first semifinal, and will be right before the All-Star game.

The first scenario is Epsilon vs. HyperGames. I predicted Millenium to win the previous match but this is a very likely possibility due to both teams having shaky results recently, and both having star players. HyperGames has a 68.05% to take this series, which I have to agree with. However, I think it will be slightly closer, and that HyperGames will win 4-2. A 4-3 win or even a win for Epsilon is definitely possible, but not very likely.

Scenario two is Millenium vs. HyperGames. Once again, HyperGames has the upperhand, due to their outstanding performance during the regular season. They have a 62.57% chance to win over Millenium’s 37.43% chance. The scoreline will be closer than the percentages show, but I still think HyperGames will take the series. However, HyperGames has not proved to be as good on LAN as they are online, so a Millenium victory is definitely possible.

HyperGames To Win 4-3

Stage Two Grand Finals

The Stage Two finals seem to be a repeat of the Gfinity finals, according to both the match predictor and my own thoughts.

If both HyperGames and Splyce make their way to the finals as I predict, I think it will be a 4-1 victory for Splyce. Although Splyce won 4-0 vs. HyperGames most recently, I think HyperGames will show up more than they did at Gfinity. They performed very poorly during both the finals and the first part of the semifinals, which I do not think will happen again.

Even if Millenium or Epsilon make it, I only see the final going one way. However, if Infused win, I could see them or Millenium winning by a scoreline of 4-3. 

Splyce To Win 4-1

This is my first article on GAMURS; you can give suggestions or let me know who you think will win on twitter (@Argiiiiii). Credit to Dexerto.com for the preview image, and ESL for the bracket image.