The $ 1 million Call of Duty Championship concludes: Finals Recap, Fariko Impact takes the prize

By Anthony John Agnello Published April 24, 2023

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The road to the Call of Duty Championships that took place between Friday and Sunday was long and filled with bitter rivalries. From the build up of the Champions Series Season 3 across all of February, to preliminary tournaments in March like the MLG Winter Championship and the ESL Championship, the world’s most popular military first-person shooter gripped the growing, rabid fan base of competitive gaming. At the close of competition, with the $1 million in prizes ponied up by Activision, the team Fariko Impact came out on top.

Fariko dominated through the first three rounds of the tournament, handily putting down competing teams Epsilon, Optic Gaming, and Complexity before facing off against EnVyUs. The last time Fariko Impact took on EnVyUs was in the first round of the MLG Winter Championship when Fariko literally shut out the team in a 3-0 match up. EnVyUs came to the Call of Duty Championships thirsty for revenge though, pushing Fariko Impact into a tie-breaker. Fariko came out on top, but just barely, squeaking out a 6-5 win to take home the grand prize of $400,000. EnVyUs walked away with $200,000

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The team consists of American players Adam “Killa” Sloss, Chris “Parasite” Duarte, “MiRx,” and Canadian Damon “Karma” Barlow, a smaller group of the larger Fariko Gaming group which dominates the competitive Call of Duty world. Their team manager is Aaron “Jergin” Ryan. Since forming a few years ago, Fariko Impact has been a rising star in 2013, taking away the championship at the EGL 9 competition in the UK on March 31, as well as the MLG Winter Championship in Dallas.

Some of the teams that Fariko felled in early rounds actually have storied histories in the Call of Duty Championships. Optic Gaming, another team of American players, were actually the champions at the Call of Duty Championships back in September 2011 when they beat out the UK team Infinity in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Infinity didn’t participate in this year’s competition.

Anthony John Agnello

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…

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The best Wildcards in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Kill Order gameplay in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

The concept of a Wildcard might sound like a risky endeavor in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, but this part of your loadout isn't random at all. We haven't seen this system since Cold War, and even those who remember it from that game will need to learn all the new cards there are in Black Ops 6. You can only equip a single Wildcard on your loadout, but they are powerful enough to completely redefine your playstyle. So far, there are only six to unlock while grinding through the levels with your friends, but picking just one is still a tough choice, especially if you want to use a permanent unlock on one after hitting Prestige. We've ranked all the Wildcards in Black Ops 6 so you can always have the winning hand.
All Black Ops 6 Wildcards, ranked

There is a level of personal preference in which Wildcard you will find better than others, but in most cases, the ones we've ranked as the best will help every player gain an edge in online matches. Here's our ranking of each Wildcard from best to worst, along with what level you unlock them at.
Perk Greed - Level 54
The last Wildcard you unlock is easily the most powerful. Perk Greed lets you unlock a fourth Perk to your loadout instead of being limited to three, which can borderline break the game if you choose the right set of Perks. It is also the most versatile of the Wildcards since it gives you the most options to play with instead of a specific bonus you may not find useful. It can also more easily unlock the special bonus buff you get for equipping three Perks from the same category.
Gunfighter - Level 33
Right in the middle of the unlock list, Gunfighter is one Wildcard you could easily make a case for over Perk Greed in some situations. This one increases your attachment points for your primary weapon by three. If you're rocking a top-tier weapon already, this Wildcard can let you tweak its stats even higher. We rank it second because it only applies to one weapon and thus is a bit more limiting.
Overkill - Level 24
For such an early Wildcard, Overkill is quite a powerful choice. This card lets you equip any weapon (except melee weapons) in your Primary and Secondary slots instead of the ones typically reserved for each. That means you can build a loadout with two Primary weapons and be far more versatile on the battlefield. Instead of having to trade off range, damage, rate of fire, mobility, or any other aspect of your game, you can cover almost all your bases by picking two Primary weapons that cover each other's weaknesses.
Prepper - Level 45
Field upgrades are powerful, don't get us wrong, but having two instead of one isn't always that much of a game-changer. It's a bit less useful than Gunfighter only because field upgrades are more situational and require more attention to use to their full potential. If that's you, then this is a great choice.
Danger Close - Level 38
Who doesn't want another grenade, Molotov, or combat axe? Is getting a second Lethal worth the Wildcard slot, though? Not in our opinion. Most of the time, Lethals are used in desperation or as a way to deny enemy movement for a time, and even then, they are risky because of how vulnerable you are while using them.
Tactical Expert - Level 15
The first Wildcard you get is better than nothing, but only just. It's exactly like Danger Close, only you can hold two Tacticals instead of Lethals. This is, by nature, a little worse since Tacticals don't have the ability to kill an enemy (unless you get super lucky and you directly hit an enemy with one who is on low HP). You can get some use out of them, but you're better off upgrading as soon as you have another option.

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Gaming

How to craft the Jet Gun in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies

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In the world of Call of Duty Zombies, one type of weapon has always been the most powerful, but hard to get. Wonder Weapons are back in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and that includes the old favorite known as the Jet Gun. This jet-engine-looking weapon is part of a long string of steps you can only do on the Liberty Falls map but is well worth the effort. Make sure you have your crew around to watch your back while reading through our guide on how to craft the Jet Gun, aka the Thrustodyne M23.