The New York Subliners have bounced straight back from their Call of Duty League Championship upper bracket loss on June 17, sending Atlanta FaZe packing-and in the process, breaking a remarkable streak dating back to the beginnings of the CDL.
Atlanta FaZe had never missed a CDL Champs grand final, with the superstar duo of Chris "Simp" Lehr and Tyler "aBeZy" Pharris seemingly inevitable in their repeat advances for Championship Sunday appearances.
Even despite an early fall into the lower bracket against finalists Toronto Ultra, many pundits still had FaZe making the run back to at least the lower bracket, if not the grand final itself. Following wins over Boston Breach and Seattle Surge, it certainly seemed possible that Atlanta would keep their streak alive.
But against a New York Subliners hungry for revenge after their upper bracket loss to Toronto, FaZe would finally meet their match. The Major Five champions weren't clean in their victory but got the job done nevertheless to secure a spot in tomorrow's final.
"Last year our team was always good but we didn't have structure," said Subliners' Cesar "Skyz" Bueno post-game. "This year, to make top two minimum.[I'm] feeling light-headed. I'm on Mars." He went on to say the squad was looking forward to playing Toronto again on June 18's grand final, saying his team "came out flat" in their upper bracket loss.
Toronto kept French star Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez quiet in his earlier series, but the New York Subliners' rifler was nigh unstoppable against Atlanta FaZe in the lower bracket. HyDra's 92 kills and over 10,000 damage proved a world of difference, with FaZe's only round wins coming from behind via clutches from Austin "SlasheR" Liddicoat and McArthur "Cellium" Jovel.
Related: 2023 Call of Duty League Championship: scores, schedule, and more.
Subliners' 3-1 victory spells the end to FaZe's CoD season, and given the chatter amongst the community, the potential end of the roster as we know it. Many have speculated a major roster shuffle is on the cards following the conclusion of Champs.
Before any changes, however, we'll have to crown a CoD champion for 2023. New York Subliners takes on Toronto Ultra on Championship Sunday at 2pm CT.