Call of Duty’s Major IV tournament showcases why now is the perfect time to dive into Vanguard

Call of Duty League’s Major IV tournament was this past weekend, and after the dust settled the Los Angeles Thieves have walked away with the title. But through all of the head-clicking highlights and crowd-wooing plays, the event was a perfect showcase of just how much the latest title, Vanguard, has improved since release.

COD Major IV shows off the best of Vanguard

This past weekend, 12 teams took to the stage in Brooklyn to fight for the crown of Major IV in the fourth Call of Duty league tournament of the season. After four days of non-stop esports action and climbing through the bracket, the Los Angeles Thieves took home the title by defeating the New York Subliners on their home turf.

In an interview after the match, 9to5Toys had a chance to speak with some of the Major IV champions, where we asked what will be on their minds preparing for the season-ending tournament. As you’d expect from a team who just secured such a major title for CDL, the Thieves noted how they were “the team to beat” going into the final tournament of the season. And after such a defining five to three win over the Subliners, their record speaks for itself.

And much like the Los Angeles Thieves, our eyes are set on the season championship that is now on the horizon come August. Having attended the final day of the event to close out Major IV, it’s safe to say that the hype of Call of Duty: Vanguard is as steep as ever. Even for an outsider like myself who hasn’t been into the franchise in years. So ifthere’s one takeaway I had after leaving Kings Theater in Brooklyn, it was that now is the perfect time dive into Activision’s latest release.

Back when we first reviewed Call of Duty: Vanguard following a week of enjoying the game, we talked about the pros and cons of the release. Aspects of the debut like bugs and unbalanced weapons may have stood between the gameplay and a flawless experience, but that didn’t stop us from noting just how surprisingly satisfying the latest CoD was. And in fact still is. All of that still rings true today, and the title has only improved since.

Everything from new operators, weapons, balance changes, and other adjustments have continued to shape the game into the matured state that we’re at today. We may be halfway through the usual Call of Duty annual cycle, but all of the improvements since launch last fall make the game even better considering you can score it on sale for the latest-generation consoles. As you’d expect from the latest from Activision, Vanguard is currently out on PC as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X|S to go alongside previous-generation machines.

Of course, the on-stage action really takes all of that excitement to the next level. I’m no stranger to in-person esports events, but this was certainly on another level compared to the likes of Overwatch’s Homestands of the past. Hearing an entire theater packed with energized Call of Duty fans cheering for their home team, not to mention booing the opposers, really sucks you in. Not to mention, there’s nothing quite like seeing the best players in the world pull off some awe-inspiring plays.

9to5Toys’ Take 

I’m sure like many of you in the 9to5 audience, Call of Duty played a pretty notable part of my teenage and younger years. Even if it’s not a franchise that I have been diving into year after year since those glory days of Modern Warfare II, now seems like the perfect time to make a return.

This past weekend at King’s Theater surely showed what the best of the best have to show in Call of Duty League, and the Los Angeles Thieves certainly measured up against some formidable foes. And even though COD Major IV and all of the esports fanfare may be on pause until Champs 2022 kicks off in August, now is a great time to ride some of that excitement into clicking heads yourself.

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