Day two of CDL Major IV has delivered from start to finish. Paris Gentle Mates opened the day by surviving a thrilling five-map battle against Miami Heretics, OpTic Texas booked their place in the Winners Final with a convincing victory over G2 Minnesota, Los Angeles Thieves edged out FaZe Vegas in the match of the day, and Paris later eliminated G2 to keep the hometown dream alive. The final series of the evening saw FaZe Vegas bounce back in style, sweeping Toronto Ultra KOI 3-0 to secure the last remaining spot in the next round.
Day 2 lived up to every expectation at CDL Major IV. Hosted by Gentle Mates in Paris, the tournament features all 12 CDL franchises competing for a share of the $365,000 prize pool, including $150,000 and 100 CDL Points for the eventual champions. With another packed day now complete, the field has narrowed further as teams continue their march toward Championship Sunday and, ultimately, Call of Duty Champs in Las Vegas.
Paris Gentle Mates def. Miami Heretics 3-2
The opening elimination series of CDL Major IV Day 2 delivered the first reverse comeback of the day, with Paris Gentle Mates recovering from the brink of elimination to defeat Miami Heretics 3-2 and keep their Major campaign alive on home soil.
Miami Heretics struck first with a commanding 250-167 victory on Gridlock Hardpoint before Gentle Mates answered with a dominant 6-2 win on Fringe Search and Destroy. Heretics then moved within a single map of advancing after claiming Gridlock Overload 4-1, leaving the hosts needing back-to-back victories to survive.
Paris refused to fold. They edged out Miami Heretics 250-227 on Scar Hardpoint to force a deciding fifth map before producing their most convincing performance of the series on Hacienda Search and Destroy. Gentle Mates completed the comeback with a flawless 6-0 sweep, eliminating Miami Heretics and booking their place in the next round of Major IV. Ghosty was instrumental throughout the series, earning the Monster Energy Winners Spotlight after finishing with 84 kills, a 1.04 K/D, 10,792 damage, and a 1.60 Search and Destroy K/D.
It was a remarkable turnaround after trailing 2-1, with the French crowd roaring Gentle Mates across the finish line. They'll now move on to face their next challenge, while Miami Heretics' Major IV run comes to an end in Paris.
OpTic Texas def. G2 Minnesota 3-0
OpTic Texas are through to the next round of CDL Major IV after completing a convincing 3-0 sweep over G2 Minnesota. After taking Scar Hardpoint and Gridlock Search and Destroy, OpTic closed the series on Den Overload to book their place in the winners bracket.
G2 looked poised to extend the series after striking first on Den Overload, taking an early 1-0 lead. OpTic responded immediately to level the score before taking control of the objective, moving ahead 2-1 as the momentum firmly shifted in their favor.
Dashy and Mercules took over the closing stages of the map. Dashy finished with a server-leading 32 kills and 3,628 damage, while Mercules added 29 kills, 3,845 damage, and three carrier kills to spearhead OpTic's offense. Their firepower proved too much for G2 to handle as OpTic secured the final point to win Den Overload 3-1 and complete the sweep.
The victory sends OpTic Texas into the Winners Final, where they'll face the winner of Los Angeles Thieves and FaZe Vegas. G2 Minnesota, meanwhile, drop into the elimination bracket and will take on Paris Gentle Mates for a chance to keep their Major IV campaign alive.
Los Angeles Thieves def. FaZe Vegas 3-2
Los Angeles Thieves have survived one of the most thrilling series of CDL Major IV so far, edging FaZe Vegas 3-2 after a breathtaking winner-take-all Search and Destroy. What began as a potential sweep turned into a reverse-sweep scare before the Thieves finally punched their ticket to the Winners Final.
After taking Den Hardpoint with a remarkable comeback and following it up with a 6-3 victory on Gridlock Search and Destroy, Los Angeles appeared to be cruising. FaZe Vegas had other ideas. They responded with a dominant 5-0 win on Scar Overload before dismantling the Thieves 250-141 on Scar Hardpoint to erase a 2-0 deficit and force a decisive fifth map.
The final map delivered one of the best Search and Destroys of the tournament. FaZe struck first before the teams traded momentum throughout the contest. FaZe built a 5-3 advantage and stood one round away from completing the reverse sweep, but Los Angeles refused to fold. The Thieves won three consecutive rounds to steal the map 6-5, completing an unforgettable finish that sent the Paris crowd into a frenzy.
AbEzy stepped up when it mattered most, finishing with a team-high 11 kills, three first bloods, and 1,581 damage. Hydra added nine kills and five assists, while Scrap contributed two first bloods in the deciding map. For FaZe Vegas, Abuzah produced a phenomenal performance with 13 kills and 1,672 damage, but it wasn't enough to prevent the heartbreaking defeat.
With the victory, Los Angeles Thieves advance to the Winners Final, where they'll face OpTic Texas in what promises to be another blockbuster showdown. FaZe Vegas, meanwhile, drop into the elimination bracket after falling just one round short of completing a memorable reverse sweep.
Paris Gentle Mates eliminate G2 Minnesota with dominant Den Hardpoint
Paris Gentle Mates are through to the next round of CDL Major IV after closing out the series with a commanding 250-144 victory on Den Hardpoint. Although G2 Minnesota showed resilience by extending the series in Map 3, Paris wasted little time reasserting control to seal the series 3-1.
The opening minutes were completely one-sided. Paris raced out to a stunning 29-0 lead before G2 finally got on the board, with Ghosty, Sib, JoeDeceives, and Estreal winning nearly every early rotation. By the midway point, Gentle Mates had stretched the advantage beyond 100 points, leaving G2 with a mountain to climb.
G2 briefly found some momentum, cutting the deficit from 119-33 to 124-84 with a series of cleaner holds, but Paris immediately shut the comeback down. Another dominant stretch saw Gentle Mates surge from 150-91 to 228-91, effectively ending the contest before comfortably closing out the map 250-144.
Sib led all players with 33 kills and 3,715 damage, while Ghosty delivered another complete performance with 25 kills, a six-kill streak, and over two minutes of hill time. JoeDeceives continued his outstanding series with 30 kills, while Estreal added 27 kills and a team-high 15 objective kills. Paris Gentle Mates now advance after an impressive 3-1 victory, while G2 Minnesota's Major IV run comes to an end.
FaZe Vegas sweep Toronto Ultra KOI to close out Day 2
FaZe Vegas are through to the next round of CDL Major IV after completing a dominant 3-0 sweep over Toronto Ultra KOI. After taking the opening Hardpoint and mounting a six-round comeback in Search and Destroy, FaZe left no doubt in Scar Overload, cruising to an emphatic 8-2 victory to eliminate KOI from the tournament.
FaZe controlled the map from the outset, winning the opening two rounds before Toronto briefly answered to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into halftime. Any hopes of a comeback quickly disappeared after the break as FaZe won five of the next six rounds, stretching the score to 7-1 before comfortably finishing the job 8-2.
Drazah continued his outstanding series with 28 kills, 14 assists and over 3,400 damage, while Simp matched him with 28 kills and led all players with a score of 5,190. Abuzah added 21 kills and 12 assists, while 04 contributed another solid all-around performance with 22 kills. Toronto fought throughout the map, with Insight finishing on 24 kills and Kips adding 23, but they were unable to slow FaZe's relentless pace.
With the clean sweep complete, FaZe Vegas eliminate Toronto Ultra KOI from Major IV and advance to the next round, bringing an entertaining Day 2 of CDL Major IV to a close.
That wraps up an unforgettable Day 2 at CDL Major IV. Paris Gentle Mates thrilled the home crowd with two victories, OpTic Texas advanced to the Winners Final, Los Angeles Thieves survived an instant classic against FaZe Vegas, and FaZe Vegas ended the night by sweeping Toronto Ultra KOI to stay alive. Join us again tomorrow on Respawnerz for complete live coverage of Championship Weekend as the race for the Major IV title continues.