The Minnesota RØKKR handed the Atlanta FaZe their first series loss of the 2020 Call of Duty League season today.
Minnesota took down the defending champs 3-2 in the Los Angeles Home Series semifinals, setting up a grand final showdown with the Dallas Empire, who beat the hometown OpTic Gaming 3-1.
Related: Group play and bracket results for 2020 Call of Duty League Los Angeles Home Series
For the second event in a row, Minnesota and Atlanta faced off in the semifinals of the single-elimination bracket. And for the second straight tournament, Minnesota kicked off this matchup with a hard-fought map one victory. The RØKKR took Azhir Cave Hardpoint 250-221 thanks to strong slaying performances by GodRx and Alexx.
Unlike the last time they played, however, Minnesota didn’t jump out to a 2-0 series lead. Simp and Cellium both dropped 11 kills to help Atlanta win map two, Gun Runner Search and Destroy, 6-4.
Minnesota built a small lead in the first half of Hackney Yard Domination, but FaZe completely took over in the second half to win map three 180-130. Facing a 2-1 series deficit, the RØKKR took an extremely close Rammaza Hardpoint 250-247 to force a decisive fifth map.
The last time these two teams played Piccadilly Search and Destroy, Minnesota earned the 6-2 victory. And once again, the RØKKR beat Atlanta 6-2 on Piccadilly to secure the 3-2 series win. Asim dropped 10 kills in map five to eliminate FaZe from the Los Angeles Home Series.
In the other semifinal, OpTic kicked things off with a strong 250-172 win on Gun Runner Hardpoint behind a 35-kill performance by Dashy. But Dallas immediately responded by taking Gun Runner Search and Destroy 6-2.
Map three, Hackney Yard Domination, was the closest map of this series. OpTic held a late lead, but the Empire secured a quick triple cap to complete the comeback and win 160-156. With all momentum on their side, the Empire took Rammaza Hardpoint 250-204 to pick up the 3-1 series victory. Clayster led the lobby with 32 kills in map four.
Dallas and Minnesota will play in the Los Angeles Home Series grand finals soon. You can watch all the action on the official Call of Duty League YouTube channel.
