New York Subliners win CDL 2023 Major 1 after triumph against Seattle Surge
The New York Subliners won the Call of Duty League’s first major championship of the 2023 season in Raleigh, North Carolina, after defeating the Seattle Surge 4-1 in the Grand Finals.
Seattle was only a few points short of the required 250 to take a 1-0 lead, but they couldn’t hold on in the closing seconds. On the other hand, New York took advantage of an opening and, thanks to a team wipe on the opponent’s side, scored the necessary 250 points to take control and set the pace for the rest of the series.
The Subliners used the momentum to jump to an early lead in Mercado’s Search and Destroy (SnD). They were in cruise control, leading 5-2. Seattle did not go out without a fight and fought back to tie the game on the map at 5-4. Unfortunately for Seattle, they were defeated in a crucial two-vs-two situation when the Subliners figured out how to close the SnD and establish a massive 2-0 lead.
The Grand Finals
The third map in the series featured a back-and-forth battle, with each team exchanging offensive round wins before proceeding to round five. The Surge was content to pass up the B point to safeguard their lives for a massive battle at the A point, and then it was a bloodbath for both teams.
Everyone was rushing to the point, and trade kills were abundant. Before Amer “Pred” Zulbeari and his team members decided to fly in and pull them off, New York appeared to be piling up the points.
After Matthew “KiSMET” Tinsley noticed a huge two-piece that opened up the point, New York took a three-map lead in the best-of-seven series.
The series reverted to Mercado for the fourth map, with New York attempting to secure the Hardpoint on Seattle, which led to another back-and-forth map, with neither willing to concede an inch.
The two teams exchanged blows in their quest for the championship title. Seattle ended up finding themselves in a familiar situation, desperately wanting to break a New York setup of only four points from 250. Unlike the first map, the Surge could dominate the Subliners and take control of the board.
However, Seattle could not maintain their momentum as the series returned to Embassy for yet another massive SnD, where the Subliners focused their entire effort and attention on winning. With a 6-2 victory, New York finally claimed their first championship since the league’s inception in 2020.
New York Subliners heading to 2023 season
The Subliners had a turbulent offseason after cutting ties with numerous players post the 2022 season, including their best-undefeated player in competitive CoD history, Ian “Crimsix” Porter, and three-time world champion James “Clayster” Eubanks.
Some scandals that have surfaced since the 2022 season include questions about Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez’s work ethic and accusations of favoritism within the organization.
The organization supposedly turned a new leaf as KiSMET and HyDra returned for CDL 2023 with the addition of Preston “Priestahh” Greiner and Cesar “Skyz” Bueno, who joined from the Minnesota ROKKR and Florida Mutineers.
Their venture to the CoD 2023 championship started in the most disastrous way possible, with a 3-0 loss to the Vegas Legion and a 3-1 defeat to the Toronto Ultra. However, New York kept persisting. They would later trounce the Minnesota ROKKR and Florida Mutineers, exact their vengeance on Vegas and defeat the Atlanta FaZe and Surge.
HyDra excelled and emerged as the best player in the world, while the Subliners proved themselves to be the best team — at least for now. “If you met me last year, you probably wouldn’t even know me,” HyDra said. “Last year, I was not even talking, and the vibes were so off.”
“Right now, I can just be myself, be more confident, and have a normal conversation with my teammate without being weird. Like, no one is going to yell at me if I do something bad in-game. Like someone will say something but with respect.”
The Subliners currently lead the CDL standings, followed very closely by the Surge. The bottom three teams are the Boston Breach, Royal Ravens and Los Angeles Guerrillas.
