Atlanta FaZe Find Redemption, Win EWC COD MW3 Championship

Mere weeks after bombing out of CDL Champions, ATL FaZe redeemed themselves, taking down 100 Thieves in the Grand Finals to become the EWC COD MW3 champions! Congratulations to this team on a truly unforgettable run to cap off their year of COD competition. Here’s how it happened!

How ATL FaZe won the EWC COD MW3 tournament

The EWC COD MW3 event featured group play, followed by a single-elimination high-stakes playoff, where one bad match could send a team home. In the end, the playoff bracket was all CDL teams, resulting in a fascinating post CDL season tournament where teams could run it back on MW3 one last time.

FaZe and 100 Thieves dominate Group Stage and Bracket Play

Atlanta FaZe won Group D in undefeated fashion, including 3-0ing 100 Thieves early in the tournament. Other CDL teams also found their way through the Group Stage, including Toronto Ultra, Boston Breach, OpTic Gaming, and the newly minted Cloud9, composed of the former New York Subliners roster.

In bracket play, FaZe easily dispatched Boston Breach and then razed the Green Wall, pulling off an upset over the reigning CDL World Champions on OpTic Gaming to find their way to the Grand Final.

On the other side of the bracket, 100 Thieves survived a nailbiter of a match against Toronto Ultra, shutting up notorious trash talker Scrap in the process. Then they found themselves in a relatively easy match up against Vancouver Surge, which they breezed through to enter the Grand Finals.

Even reaching the finals was a big deal for this young 100 Thieves roster. The players showed a lot of growth throughout this tournament, especially Joedeceives who has been the primary prospect that the Thieves have been developing this year.

FaZe take Grand Finals in a 6-game series

The Grand Final was an interesting match up. Not only was it a rematch from the Group Stage, but also because FaZe's aBeZy and 100 Thieves' Joedeceives have a close relationship. aBeZy was a big influence on Joedeceives as he found his place in the pro CDL scene over the past couple of years.

But only one of these two friends could lift the trophy.

Finals kicked off on Sub Base, one of FaZe’s best maps, and it showed as they took the map easily. 100 Thieves hit back hard though, taking the next two maps and pulling ahead in the series for the first and only time.

From there, it was all FaZe. They wrapped up the next three maps, including stomping on Rio SND with a 6-1 scoreline, to install their key in the EWC COD trophy.

It was a moment of redemption for FaZe, who had a very disappointing top 6 finish at CDL Champions. While they may not be the CDL World Champions, they are the Esports World Cup champions, an incredible honor in its own right.

EWC COD MW3 winnings and MVP

Atlanta FaZe banked a cool $600,000 USD for their championship victory along with 1000 club points. 100 Thieves take home $320,000 for placing 2nd. OpTic and Surge earned $160,000 each for their top four finishes.

The MVP of the tournament was FaZe's Cellium. He not only top fragged the finals, he top fragged most of the matches throughout the EWC COD MW3 playoff bracket. He walks away with an extra $50,000 in his pocket.