With all but four matches left in the Call of Duty World Championship, the third day was certainly filled with twists and turns as teams marched towards the finals of the $2 million event.
After losing its opening match in the upper bracket on the second day, OpTic Gaming found itself in an uncomfortable position, needing to win six straight lower-bracket matches in order to play in the grand finals. While OpTic Gaming took care of business in its first two matches -- beating Infused and Luminosity Gaming with relative ease -- the team's momentum grinded to a halt in its third match on the third day against Cloud9.
Whether it was pure exhaustion or just momentum running thin, OpTic Gaming stars Ian "Crimsix" Porter and Seth "Scump" Abner were flummoxed by Cloud9 all series long, as neither player could get much going. Despite the struggles, OpTic Gaming still had victory within its sights, needing just a win during Round 5 Search and Destroy in order to advance. However, as it's been all tournament, the Search and Destroy game mode was OpTic Gaming's bugaboo, as the Green Wall was unable to find the critical kills, falling to Cloud9 in Game 11.
Considering the importance of the Search and Destroy game mode, which usually sees two rotations in a standard best-of-five series, it was surprising to see OpTic Gaming struggle, winning just two of the nine rounds it played at CoD XP.
Joining OpTic Gaming on the disappointment train was FaZe Clan, who also found themselves in the lower bracket after an early loss to Team EnVyUs. After winning its next match against Millenium, FaZe would square off against Splyce, who had just fallen into the lower bracket after a disappointing loss to FAB Games.
In a battle of regional supremacy, Splyce won out, rallying back from a 2-1 series deficit to claim the win despite the fact that the team struggled in the slaying category, with just one player posting a positive Kill/Death ratio (KD). Just like OpTic Gaming's series vs. Cloud9, the difference centered on the Search and Destroy game mode, as FaZe would also struggle, dropping Rounds 2 and 5 in the pivotal series. It will be interesting to see what the next few weeks hold for FaZe now that they are officially out of the CoD XP tournament. Having never won a major tournament during the Call of Duty: Black Ops III season, the fan-favorite organization may opt to make a few roster moves in an attempt to regain its control atop the North American pecking order.
It wasn't all doom and gloom however, as FAB Games, one of the upstart teams at Call of Duty XP, continued its surprising run during the world championship.
Despite entering the tournament as relative unknowns, FAB Games exploded onto the scene during the third day. Tasked with traversing through an upper bracket filled with its European brethren such as Epsilon and Splyce, FAB Games held its own, blowing past both teams en route to the quarterfinals. FAB's win over Splyce, in particular, was impressive as the team rallied back from a 2-0 deficit for the reverse sweep.
FAB then ran into Team EnVyUs, and the European team made a comeback, winning its next match in the lower bracket against Cloud9. Already a Cinderella story, FAB could continue to add to the magic with a win over Splyce in the lower bracket quarterfinal match.