MLG Vegas & CWL Atlanta Open

Surrounded by our friends, games & live music, MLG Vegas was the perfect way to end 2016 and launch the 2017 Call of Duty World League into orbit. The event featured 3 days of heated battles in an FPS mash-up starring Overwatch and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. You could feel the excitement buzzing in the room as the fans & players caught their first glimpse of professional teams executing new tactics & strategies on brand new games. As the war waged on at Mandalay Bay we saw some major upsets, rising stars and an overwhelming amount of passion from the entire community.

Overwatch Invitational

The competitive scene is always changing, and when new games arise so do new faces. This year we were pleasantly surprised to see a fresh wave of young talent in both games. Overwatch won Game of the Year at the 2016 Game Awards and has taken the eSports world by storm. As their eSports continue to develop, we were thrilled to see MLG support the pros by inviting top teams from around the world to Las Vegas for their Overwatch Invitational. We had a great time watching in-person with the Overwatch Community and hope to have more mash-up events in 2017!

2017 Call of Duty World League

For the COD Community, every year we get a new game featuring all new weapons, maps, physics & competitors. This time Call of Duty has launched into space and with it comes change. If players want to be the best and maintain their ranks, their skill-sets must adjust as well. MLG Vegas was the first Call of Duty World League event for Infinite Warfare and you could tell that those who practiced were rewarded for their efforts. Showing up hungry to win and ready to play makes all the difference in the world.

The Open Bracket

This year the top pro teams will have to keep a close eye on their competition because the eSports community is rapidly growing. Many competitors just turned 18 and are now allowed to compete professionally. These young-bloods have been playing for years and are finally ready show what their made of. When entering eSports, most competitors must compete in the amateur ranks before reaching the highest divisions. MLG provides a clear path for these amateur teams to enter through the Open Bracket and chance to fight & dethrone an official pro team. While many groups excelled, only a few made it through to face the pros on main stage. However, after a long grind all that was left were pro teams – just not the ones you’d expect!

The Grand Finals

Championship Sunday finished with a Grand Finals match-up between Rise Nation vs Cloud 9. In previous Call of Duty games these teams have taken a back seat to established COD organizations like OpTic, EnVyUs & FaZe who have managed to guard the highest ranks for several years, but not this time! New game, new blood, new champs! In the end, Cloud 9 pushed the Grand Finals to Game 5 in a Best of 5 series against Rise Nation, only to have Rise clutch up and secure a win in the final round. GGWP to Rise Nation & congrats on the win!

MLG Atlanta

With the surprises we’ve seen at Vegas, it’s hard to guess what will happen in 2017. It seems the doors of opportunity are opening for young & aspiring champions, so make sure you practice with your squad because it won’t be long before the next Open LAN. Sign up today and join the MLG Family! The next chance to compete premieres in 2017 at MLG Atlanta with a $200,000 prize pool and the 2nd official Call of Duty World League event on February 10-12th. And guess what, we’ll be there too!