Heading in to Group Green of the Call of Duty Global Pro League, Elevate and Red Reserve were not exactly held in high regards, Jacob Hale reports.
Both teams had severely under practiced, with Elevate’s Reedy outright saying they had not scrimmed as a team in over a month prior to their Group Green performance.
Based on the high calibre teams filling out the rest of their group (on-the-rise North American team Enigma 6 as well as NA powerhouse OpTic Gaming), people were surprised to hear these teams had not made the time to scrim, but as Reedy explained, it was easier said than done.
Red Reserve
Red Reserve, as explained, had a rough time prior to the Global Pro League.
With no strong EU teams to scrim against due to the layout of the league, there was a struggle finding quality practice and, despite some good performances over the weekend, it showed as they finished dead last in Group Green.
Although Urban had a particularly strong weekend, carrying the team to more map wins than they realistically deserved, it was not enough to hinder the power of the teams surrounding them.
Red finished the weekend with a 1-5 record, their only win coming in a tight 3-2 win against Elevate, and will have to fight through relegation to secure their spot in Stage 2 and the rest of the Infinite Warfare season.
Aside from matches against Elevate, Red were consistently inconsistent throughout, taking only 3 maps total from their North American counterparts, with particularly disappointing performances coming from last year’s CoD Champs runner-up, Joee.
In fact, Joee and teammate Niall finished the weekend with the lowest KD in the league; both on 0.83. In a game that accentuates the need for slaying power, this proved to be their biggest problem, and their tight teamwork was not enough to pull them through.
Elevate
Elevate also finished their weekend with a 1-5 record, beating Red Reserve 3-2 in a ‘winner takes all’ match on Sunday night. Despite the poor plays throughout, the third-place finish guarantees Stage 2 qualification as well as Pool Play at CWL Anaheim and Call of Duty Champs.
This is not the ideal scenario for Reedy and co., but nonetheless they are clearly relieved to have secured the rest of their year in the league and will hope to improve upon their performances going in to CWL Anaheim and Stage 2 of the Global Pro League.
Very happy can't wait to get back on the grind man.
— Reedy (@Reedy_1905) May 15, 2017
Elevate did seem to be more powerful throughout the group stage, taking OpTic Gaming to a game five and nearly winning it all. Despite the lack of impact it would have on the standings, this could’ve been the win that propelled their confidence in future tournaments.
Another runner up of 2016’s Call of Duty Championships, Rated, had a standout performance, really showing his raw skill despite the long amount of time without playing.
Following the final matches of the group stages, Rated posted a Twitlonger saying he will be seeking a new team to see out the rest of the Infinite Warfare season.
Though not a huge surprise, the potential uncertainty surrounding Rated is unfortunate for both players and fans alike, and will likely trigger yet another EU rostermania as teams try to pick up a very hot prospect in the scene.
Overall, the UK teams that performed in Group Green were incredibly disappointing. They put up no real struggle against the North American sides, likely due to the intense lack of practice leading up to the event.
This does not leave much to write home about, but we expect both teams to bounce back in the near future.
Throughout the year, UK teams really started to be able to compete with top North American sides, but the events of this past weekend seem to have put us back in our place. For now, we must look to playoffs to support Splyce and to relegation, where we will have 4 teams competing for a spot in Stage 2.
Image source: MLG
