With every map that went the way of the Minnesota RØKKR, the energy in the Esports Stadium Arlington started to build and build until it reached a fever pitch when Minnesota clinched the reverse sweep over the Toronto Ultra to win the Call of Duty League Stage Five Major today.
In one of the most unlikely series outcomes in the history of competitive Call of Duty, Minnesota rattled off five straight maps to claim the title after facing a 4-0 deficit. Behind the roar of the renaming crowd chanting “let’s go RØKKR,” the vibe in the entire building started to shift. It felt like Toronto were going to win the single map they needed and that they wouldn’t suffer the worst collapse in CDL history. But they never did.
Minnesota needed to be perfect—and they were. Led by rookie of the year candidate and budding superstar Standy, the RØKKR took it map by map until it was 4-4. In the decisive game nine, Raid Search and Destroy, Standy started showing why he could be the next face of professional Call of Duty. The Player of the Stage went huge in the series’ final map, posting a 12-5 scoreline and making vital play after play.
For Toronto, there’s no overstating how devastating of a loss this is. They were a game away from a 5-0 sweep to win their second Major of the season. But instead, they’re on the wrong end of a historical collapse. For a team that’s normally so composed and collected, there were many moments in which they looked flustered and frustrated. It felt like Minnesota won that series the moment they took the third map to cut it to a 4-3 map count.
Toronto will have a few weeks to regroup heading into the CDL Playoffs later this month. This loss is going to leave a bad taste in the Ultra’s mouth for the foreseeable future but they can’t let this series affect their ability to play well at CoD Champs.
With the win, Minnesota become the first team aside from Toronto and Atlanta FaZe to win a Major in the 2021 CDL season—and it was not a fluke. The RØKKR may have went through the most grueling run any team has had to win a Major this season. They won three straight series against FaZe, Dallas Empire, and Toronto Ultra by a map count of 9-2. They then won five straight maps to knock off Toronto for a second time.
CoD Champs 2021 will begin on Thursday, Aug. 19.
