Call of Duty 2020: Dallas Empire's Top Plays, Prize Money

They came, they saw, they conquered. Rome wasn't built in a day, but Dallas just rebuilt its empire in one weekend.

Before a one-event bye, the Dallas Empire had lost 3-2 in two consecutive Call of Duty League weekend semifinals. The team was still a consensus top-four roster, with enough CDL Points to cement its first-round bye in the 2020 CDL Playoffs. But the league's champion team nets a historic $1.5 million this season, and Dallas evidently wasn't content with just being among the best, as the team buckled down and came out guns blazing in its first weekend under the new Call of Duty meta.

Dissatisfied with third-place finishes, Crimsix explained that the Empire re-evaluated and came into the London Home Series with a higher standard set for themselves:

"A month ago, we kind of just accepted, at the end of those tournaments, that we just, simply, are average. I sort of went down the list and I was like, 'Yo, guys, does anyone feel like they're at the top of their game right now? Like, does anyone feel like they're the best player that they've been throughout this whole year?' ... Everyone replied with 'no.'"

That showed, as Dallas went 4-0 in the games played, including 12-1 on maps, against a stacked field of opponents.

                
Group Play

Friday, July 17

Dallas Empire 3-1 Paris Legion

Seattle Surge 1-3 London Royal Ravens

Los Angeles Guerrillas 0-3 New York Subliners

Florida Mutineers 3-2 OpTic Gaming Los Angeles

Saturday, July 18

New York Subliners 0-3 Dallas Empire

Florida Mutineers 2-3 London Royal Ravens

Los Angeles Guerrillas 1-3 Paris Legion

OpTic Gaming Los Angeles 3-1 Seattle Surge

Paris Legion 3-0 New York Subliners

OpTic Gaming Los Angeles 1-3 Florida Mutineers

Finals Bracket

Sunday, July 19

Paris Legion 3-2 London Royal Ravens

Florida Mutineers 0-3 Dallas Empire

Dallas Empire 3-0 Paris Legion

Dallas came into this season with high expectations. The team combined two iconic veterans, Clayster and Crimsix, with three high-upside young players in Huke, iLLeY and Shotzzy. After some huge event performances, the past couple of months have found iLLeY and Shotzzy continuing as MVP front-runners while the effectiveness of their surrounding cast seemingly dropped.

That changed this weekend, and the Empire were not shy about flaunting that fact. Before meeting Dallas, New York had won the prior weekend's grand finals, Florida had won the previous two and each was on a double-digit map win streak. Marie Kondo would be proud of how cleanly the Empire swept them both.

Of course, iLLeY still snuck in his eight-kill sprees and Shotzzy pulled off his 1 v. 3 heroics—but the new meta's increased AR viability engendered a more balanced team that gave Clayster and Crimsix enough map control to make life easier for all three of their younger SMG gunners.

Not every team participates in each CDL weekend, but the points tally up while recency bias shifts community rankings around. The Empire were considered title contenders before this weekend, but general sentiment leaned toward the team's veterans being washed and at the tail end of their careers.

This Dallas team didn't look as good as it did earlier in the year; it looked better. With millions on the line, Crimsix is weaning off the Warzone, and it shows. Next weekend is the final event of the season, and all four of the league's top teams will be in attendance. If the 10mm attachment for the MP5 is available, then the Empire may face a stiffened test against their fellow contenders, the Atlanta FaZe and Chicago Huntsmen.