After a long stage 1, the Crown Melbourne Invitational this weekend is the first chance we’ve had to see some inter-continental Black Ops 3 competition. OpTic Gaming and Millenium have joined some of the top ANZ teams in a short tournament for a share of $70,000 AUS with a selection of All-Star matches throughout the weekend.
Teams
OpTic Gaming – FormaL, Scump, Crimsix, Karma
Millenium – Tommey, Jurd, MadCat, Swanny
Mindfreak – BuZZO, ShockZ, Fighta, Denz
Plantronics Tainted Minds – Damage, Chilean, Fate, Eminence
Team Orbit – Swiftaz0r, Nimble, Bacabec, Zeuss
The Cheifs eSports Club – Dean, Hopey, Rival, Macka
Running order – 10th April
Mindfreak vs Orbit – 7PM EDT/1AM CEST
Tainted Minds vs Cheifs eSports Club
OpTic Gaming vs (TM or Chiefs)
All-Star Match
Millenium vs (MF or Orbit)
Grand Final
Where to watch
Preview
It’s going to be a tough weekend for the ANZ teams. Traditionally, the southern hemisphere teams have struggled to compete with the likes of the top EU teams and most of North America, usually looking to try and land a top 8 finish at Call of Duty Championships. Add to this the incredible seasons that OpTic Gaming and Millenium have had, and it doesn’t look great for the Aussies. It certainly won’t hurt the home teams that they’ve had a full extra day of LAN practice the day before, while the international teams may be jet lagged and tired from their long flights. Add to that all the recent practice that the CoD World League has given, and there are a few glimmers of hope for the Australians, but it certainly won’t be easy. Beyond the main tournament, we’ll be treated to a selection of showcase and all-star matches which will make this event a little different from normal. Stage 3 qualifiers have already treated us to some of the best LAN Call of Duty this season, including probably the most exciting hardpoint match we’ve seen on or offline. Without a spot in Stage 2 on the line, or the crazy prize pools of the CoD World League up for grabs, we’re looking at a return to the good old weekend LANs that we’ve been sorely lacking this season. It looks like we’ve got a great day of Call of Duty ahead.