A Preview of the Call of Duty World League Atlanta Open - Group B
By Nicholas Barth ·
The CWL Atlanta Open is set to kick off this Friday and will consist of four groups of four teams from the Pro League. Who's set to butt heads in the opening volley? This time, we look at the competition in Group B.
The Call of Duty World League (CWL) Atlanta Open will begin this Friday, March 9th and runs until the 11th. 176 teams will be making their way to the Georgia World Congress Center to compete for the largest share of the $200,000 grand prize. 160 of these teams will have to make their way through the treacherous open bracket to make it to the group stage, which is where 16 teams from the CWL Pro League await. Group B for CWL Atlanta consists of Luminosity Gaming, Team Kaliber, Evil Geniuses and Team Vitality. Here is a short breakdown of teams heading into the third major LAN event of the Call of Duty: WWII season.
Luminosity Gaming
Luminosity Gaming has had a strong start to the Call of Duty: WWII season. A second place finish at CWL New Orleans, and a 6-1 record to claim first place in Division B of the Pro League has Luminosity flying high going into CWL Atlanta. The talented roster boasts experienced veterans, such as Jordan "JKap" Kaplan and Johnathan "John" Perez, and highly skilled young guns in Sam "Octane" Larew and Josiah "Slacked" Berry. These four have their eyes on capturing their first LAN championship of this season and using it as momentum to make this season one to remember for Luminosity fans. In order to do this, the team has a tall task, as they must beat out Team Kaliber, a two time LAN champion this season, but if anyone has the ability to accomplish this, it is Luminosity.
Team Kaliber
Team Kaliber have been the talk of professional Call of Duty this season, as they have gone from not making any noise in the scene over the past couple of years to winning the first two major LAN events of Call of Duty: WWII. While they had a historic start to the season, they have cooled off in the Pro League and have shown some weaknesses. This led them to finishing in 4th place of Division A of the Pro League with a 8-6 record. It would be a mistake to write off Team Kaliber for CWL Atlanta, as even with their recent struggles this team has shown that they are made out of championship material and can beat any team in the scene. Team Kaliber will be competing with Dylan "Theory" McGee, Lamar "Accuracy" Abedi, Martin "Chino" Chino and Kenny "Kenny" Williams.
Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses' roster is full of established veterans who have all seen a good deal of success in their careers. The team has not seen a great deal of success this season for Call of Duty: WWII, as they placed out of the top eight at CWL Dallas and finished with a 7th to 8th place placement at CWL New Orleans. Their Pro League performance has not been incredible either, as the team currently holds a 3-4 record and is in 6th place in Divison B. While they have not found their footing yet this season, a roster of former World Champions is always a threat to start playing well and go on an unexpected run. Evil Geniuses will be competing at CWL Atlanta with Anthony "NAMELESS" Wheeler, Patrick "Aches" Price, Brian "Apathy" Zhelyazkov and Ian "Enable" Wyatt.
Team Vitality
Team Vitality is consistenly a top team in Europe, but have struggled mightily in the Call of Duty: WWII season. A 1-13 record in Division A of the Pro League has resulted in them finishing last and 17th to 20th placements at both LAN events this season have this team looking for any kind of momentum building victory. A strong performance at CWL Atlanta would certaintly qualify, and the roster of Wailers "Wailers" Locart, Clement "RiskiN" Hattee, Arthur "Zayrox" Chabas and Eddy "Malls" Maillard will be looking to to accomplish this. As we have seen in the past, a determined and hungry team can defy all expectations and come out of the woodwork to surprise at a major LAN tournament.
With multiple meta shifts, roster changes, and ruleset changes happening since CWL New Orleans, CWL Atlanta will be giving fans a very strong picture of the current professional Call of Duty landscape and where it could be heading for the rest of the season. Luminosity Gaming, Team Kaliber, Evil Geniuses and Team Vitality and a qualifying open bracket team will be looking to emerge out of Group B victorious.
Interested in more CWL Atlanta coverage? Check out our preview of the teams that will be competing in Group A for the event.