As the final LAN event before the Call of Duty World Championships on Sept. 2, MLG Orlando represents both a preview of the world's biggest stage and a tune-up for teams either qualified or preparing to qualify for the marquee event. And with the lion's share of the $100,000 prize pool plus 2,500 Call of Duty World League Pro points set to go to the winner, MLG Orlando could be one of the most intense competitions this season. Here are our predictions for what we might see on August 5-7.
Format
The Open bracket will begin with a mix of 96 amateur squads battling it out through a series of double-elimination, best-of-three matches, with the top four teams qualifying for group play. Those four teams will be slotted into predetermined groups of CWL teams, with every team then slogging through best-of-five series against its opponents for pivotal positioning within the Championship Bracket.
From there, the top two teams in each group will advance into the Championship Bracket, in which another set of double elimination, best-of-five matches will commence in order to crown the MLG Anaheim Open champion.
Now with the format formalities out of the way, let's break down who has the best odds of advancing into the Championship Bracket from group play!
*Note: Predictions will not include amateur teams because the winners of the open bracket have not yet been determined.
Group A
Group A teams: Team EnVyUs, ex-Team SoloMid, eLevate
Who will advance: Team EnVyUs and eLevate
Group A boasts two teams coming off very different ends to the CWL Stage 2 season. After rallying to a first-place finish to end the Stage 2 regular season, Team EnVyUs erupted through the playoffs, losing just two maps en route to the Stage 2 championship. With some of the top competition to the CWL throne (here's looking at you, OpTic Gaming and FaZe Clan) having been knocked out early during the playoffs portion of Stage 2, Team EnVyUs appears to be the hot team heading into MLG Orlando.
Whatever definition of "hot" you may want to use, eLevate is certainly not it. At one point sitting firmly in contention for a Stage 2 playoff spot, eLevate dropped its final four games, ending the season with an 11-11 record and on the outside of the eight-team playoff, sitting just map-percentage points behind Dream Team, Luminosity Gaming and H2k for one of the final spots. The team is certainly not devoid of talent, as Ulysses "AquA" Silva managed to put together the second-best kill/death ratio (1.14) in the CWL during Stage 2, but the rest of the team must step up in order to make a dent during group play.
As the ex-TSM squad put up an even more disappointing record in Stage 2 (5-17), this may be a group where an open-bracket team could make its mark.
Group B
Group B teams: Ex-Dream Team, H2k, Infused
Who will advance: Infused and Ex-Dream Team
After falling short in its mission to claim the Stage 2 European crown, Infused appears to be in prime position to make some noise at MLG Orlando, although Group B's open bracket team may throw a monkey wrench into these projections. Infused posted a 14-4 record during the European Stage 2 regular season, culminating with a second-place finish at the Stage 2 playoffs, and placed fifth/sixth at MLG Anaheim. Don't be surprised if the team places even higher than fifth/sixth at MLG Orlando.
Speaking of defying expectations, the team formerly supported by Dream Team has seemingly beaten the odds since the start of Stage 2. The squad flummoxed both FaZe Clan and Luminosity Gaming en route to a second-place finish during the Stage 2 playoffs, a feat few people predicted heading into the event. And with emerging star Martin "Chino" Chino set to compete at MLG Orlando, thanks to crowdfunding efforts by the Call of Duty community, people are expecting great things of this team at Orlando.
Group C
Group C teams: Rise Nation, FaZe Clan, compLexity Gaming
Who will advance: FaZe Clan and compLexity Gaming
Pick a team, any team! At the moment, each team in Group C could make a case to be considered among the top tier teams at the tournament. Whether it be Rise Nation's impressive consistency throughout Stage 1 and 2, FaZe's Clan's potential revenge performance after an early loss in the Stage 2 playoffs to Dream Team, or compLexity Gaming's reconfigured roster, each team has the potential to make an impact at MLG Orlando.
FaZe Clan and Rise Nation would have matched up well against the previous compLexity Gaming roster, but since the team brought on Patrick "ACHES" Price and Andres "Lacefield" Lacefield, compLexity Gaming could have a chance to sneak into the Championship Bracket. It's a longshot, as FaZe Clan and Rise Nation have arguably the most prestigious rosters this side of OpTic Gaming, but after a topsy-turvy Stage 2 playoffs, anything is possible.
FaZe Clan should come away with the first spot in the group, as they will be in hyperdrive mode after a playoffs loss, but compLexity will sneak in as Rise Nation looked lackluster in their Stage 2 playoff loss
Group D
Group D teams: OpTic Gaming, Luminosity Gaming, Team Kaliber
Who will advance: OpTic Gaming and Luminosity Gaming
Revenge is a dish best served cold. After a humbling upset loss to Luminosity Gaming in the first round of the Stage 2 playoffs, this may be a proverb OpTic Gaming finds appealing.
After dominating the Call of Duty scene for the better part of a year, OpTic Gaming now sits at a precarious position heading into MLG Orlando. Before the Luminosity upset, OpTic looked like a runaway World Championship favorite after first-place finishes at Stage 1 Playoffs, ESWC and MLG Anaheim. Will it bounce back and challenge for a first-place finish at Orlando, brushing off the Stage 2 playoff loss as a fluke, or has the rest of the competitive scene finally caught up to the Green Wall? One thing is for certain: it's unwise to discount a vengeful, motivated OpTic Gaming.
After its terrific performance during the Stage 2 playoffs, it wouldn't be a shock to see Luminosity Gaming continue its successful run and cement its name among a handful of other elite fixtures of the competitive scene. Luminosity Gaming will likely rely on the slaying capabilities of Anthony "NAMELESS" Wheeler and Renato "Saints" Forza, the hero of the Stage 2 playoffs upset over OpTic Gaming, to propel it through the tournament. If either player struggles, look for Team Kaliber, who picked up a handful of former CWL players in Cole "ColeChan" Chancey, Jevon "Goonjar" Gooljar-Lim and Nick "Happy" Suda, to push its way into the Championship Bracket conversation.