This past weekend, the CoD eSports community got their first chance to see 8 of the best North American teams compete on Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. Held at the MLG Arena in Columbus and streamed on Twitch, the likes of Team EnVyUs and OpTic Gaming battled it out for a share of $50,000.
The format was a little different from previous events. All matches occurred on Saturday rather than across the entire weekend and all 8 teams were placed into a single-elimination bracket, so every game had a lot on the line.
The quarterfinals saw the return of a fierce rivalry, Complexity vs. Team EnVyUs. Both organisations showcased newly formed rosters, featuring two of the most prominent Black Ops 2 players, Christopher "Parasite" Duarte and Patrick "ACHES" Price.
With both players experiencing a fairly disappointing season on Advanced Warfare, Parasite and Aches were eager to prove themselves to the community once again with an impressive performance within the inaugural Black Ops 3 tournament. However, after some close games, it was coL who managed to defeat the Boys in Blue and advance to the Semi Finals.
Tournament favourites OpTic Gaming continued their run of dominance by defeating the former Team Revenge roster, now playing under Team eLevate. Rise Nation overcame some stiff opposition in the form of Luminosity Gaming, as they secured their spot in the Semi Finals. However, arguably one of the surprises of the tournament was the resurgence of Team Kaliber. Back with their roster from the Black Ops 2 season, they managed to beat FaZe with a convincing 2-0 victory.
Only 4 teams remained. OpTic. Complexity, Rise and Team Kaliber. All with a shot of winning the $20,000 first place prize. OpTic managed to get the upper hand over an impressive Complexity performance. While, in another match that went to the final game, Rise Nation took the deciding Search & Destroy over tK, as they booked their place in the Grand Final alongside OpTic Gaming.
The Grand Final saw the return of 4 game modes in the best-of-5 series. Rise took the first HP to grab an early advantage over the Green Wall. However, OpTic swiftly responded with a dominant 6-1 win on Evac S&D to level the series. The Green Wall kept the momentum going with a 9-4 victory on Stronghold Uplink, and were now one map away from securing the first championship of Black Ops 3.
Unfazed by the situation, a 3-1 win on Fringe CTF kept Rise Nation’s championship dreams intact, as we headed to the first game five of the season. In true dramatic fashion, Rise Nation clutched round 11 to take it 6-5 and secured the first championship in Black Ops 3!
Congratulations to your Totino Invitational Champions:
Who was the MVP of the event? Let us know in the comments below.
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