For the first time since April 8, the Seattle Surge have won a Call of Duty League match.
The Surge, who entered their Group B matchup against OpTic Chicago on the verge of setting a CDL record for most consecutive match losses, won both their first Control map and five-game series in over two months. Had they lost, that would have been their 11th loss in a row, which would have eclipsed the mark set by the Minnesota RØKKR last season.
The series began with a hard-fought 250-232 win on Raid Hardpoint, with Octane and Gunless combining for 53 kills. OpTic responded with a 6-3 win on Moscow Search and Destroy, however, to tie the series heading into Control, a game mode the Surge have floundered in all year.
Coming into Checkmate Control, Seattle were riding a 10-map losing streak in the mode and had a league-worst 3-19 record in Control. Additionally, none of those three victories came on Checkmate—the Surge are 3-8 on Garrison Control and were a combined 0-11 on Checkmate and Raid. Despite that, the Surge opened Checkmate with a defensive round win. After an offensive round loss, Seattle once again won on defense, putting them just one round away from their first Control victory since April 8. Two quick captures on offense ended the map, breaking one of the team’s long streaks.
Regardless of a 32-kill performance from Classic, Seattle’s newest addition, the Surge fell 250-227 on Checkmate Hardpoint. Dashy stood out on the map, finishing with 37 kills and 6,532 damage, both the highest figures in the game. Dashy was unable to carry the team to a victory on Raid Search and Destroy, however, with the Surge taking the map 6-4 after a mid-map delay.
Seattle are now in a tie for fifth place in Group A, while OpTic are in danger of falling out of the top three with this loss. A win against the Surge would have nearly guaranteed a start in the winners bracket at the Stage Four Major, but now, the team’s final match of group stage against the fourth-place Los Angeles Thieves appears even more important.
Both the Surge and OpTic conclude group play on Sunday, June 13.
