Author: Nik Ranger

CDL New York Day 2 recap: FaZe survive to face Huntsmen, playoff bracket set Call of Duty League [jwplayer mnhpUTeb] The Saturday portion of the Call of Duty League’s New York Home Series has wrapped up, and just four teams remain to battle it out on Championship Sunday. Half of the field of teams at CDL New York saw their tournament dreams face an early end on Day 2, setting the playoff bracket for what should be an intense third day of Call of Duty action. Toronto Ultra, Chicago Huntsmen, Atlanta FaZe, and New York Subliners all took care of business on Saturday, booking their tickets to the semifinals. That means Los Angeles Guerrillas, Minnesota ROKKR, Paris Legion, and London Royal Ravens fell short of reaching Championship Sunday, missing out on some valuable CDL Points. Group A Toronto Ultra 3-2 Atlanta FaZe A major upset to start the day, as one of the league’s lowest-ranked teams managed to steal a match against the top-seeded FaZe. Atlanta had the advantage to start, winning the two of the first three maps to take a 2-1 lead, but Toronto stormed back with an impressive couple of games to round off the stunning victory. Read More: CDL New York Day 1 recap & highlights – For Ultra, the result meant that they’ll be playing in the semifinals for just the second time this season, while also handing their opponents a first-ever loss in group play (they were previously 13-0) Furthermore, FaZe had won their last eight Game 5’s, an astonishing feat considering they seem to go the distance in every match nowadays, but that streak came to an inevitable end. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1282018906908098561 Paris Legion 3-0 Los Angeles Guerrillas Faced with the extreme pressure of not having won a match in exactly three months, the Legion finally snapped their CDL-record nine-match losing streak against Guerrillas. The series was a lot closer than the final scoreline would suggest, but a win is a win, and Paris were at least able to stem the bleeding that saw them drop all the way down to ninth in the season standings. As for Los Angeles, it was a disappointing return to their lowly form after an encouraging performance last time out at the Minnesota Home Series, where they clinched their first semifinal berth of the 2020 campaign. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1282060594598883328 https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1282064311133835264 Atlanta FaZe vs Paris Legion Unfortunately for Paris, their celebrations had to be cut short after their CDL New York journey came to a firm end at the hands of Atlanta. The series was as one-sided as it looks as FaZe flexed their top-ranked muscles and dominated all three maps. It’s a seventh straight semifinal berth for the boys in red, who have yet to be eliminated in group play after improving to 14-1 in group-stage matches this season. As for the Legion, it’s yet another early end for them at a Home Series, as they’ve now failed to make the semis for the sixth straight tournament. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1282103262498492416 Group B Chicago Huntsmen 3-2 New York Subliners Following the disaster at CDL Minnesota which saw them get eliminated in group play for the first time this season, Huntsmen were given a chance at redemption and fully capitalized on it. It didn’t come easy, however; despite a quick 2-0 start to the series, they almost found themselves on the wrong end of a reverse-sweep at the hands of the hosts, before clutching up on the Game 5 Gun Runner Search & Destroy. For the first time in seemingly forever, Chicago won both S&Ds in the match, improving to 3-0 in the game mode this weekend, something that could be attributed to the new CDL meta that FormaL said was benefiting the squad. What a clutch from @FormaL 🐐#Huntsmen | #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/lxrv4EN34x — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 11, 2020 London Royal Ravens 3-2 Minnesota ROKKR The same script was followed for the Royal Ravens – ROKKR series; London dominated the firs two maps for a 2-0 advantage before they too were put to the sword of the dreaded reverse-sweep. However, some key plays in the Game 5 Rammaza S&D really saved their bacon, as Minnesota’s comeback fell short and they got eliminated. The struggles continue for the northerners, who lost their sixth match in a row, a losing streak that dates nearly two months. In fact, ROKKR failed to make it out of group play for the fourth straight Home Series after they had made three consecutive semifinals to start the season, including two back-to-back Grand Final berths. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1282091282811293697 New York Subliners 3-1 London Royal Ravens Several recent Home Series tournaments have seen their hosts fail to qualify for Championship Sunday, but that will not be the case for CDL New York, as the Subliners grabbed the fourth and final semifinal spot by defeating their UK counterparts. The start of the series spelled doom for NYSL, but a Round 11 victory in the Game 2 S&D led to a massive turnaround, as instead of being down 0-2 they were able to rip off three straight maps and clinch the series win. It’s the fourth straight semifinal berth for New York, who have really turned their season around now after the acquisition of Rookie of the Year frontrunner Mack. As for the Royal Ravens, it’s a second straight group-stage elimination, as their hopes for finishing in the top-four of the regular season standings continue to diminish. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1282121520706355200 Looking ahead to Championship Sunday The headlines are already being written – after over five months and 11 CDL events, Atlanta FaZe and Chicago Huntsmen will finally be facing off in the Call of Duty League. It’s hard to predict the outcome of this match; FaZe have had the better season but they’re not nearly the dominant force they were early on, while Huntsmen look sharper this weekend than they have in a very long time. This especially applies for Search & Destroy – Atlanta were kings of the mode for long stretches but have been shaky recently, including 1-3 already this weekend. Chicago, however, are 3-0 in S&D and appear to have addressed the long-standing issues that plagued them in recent tournaments. On the flip side of the bracket, Toronto UItra will face New York Subliners as both are looking for their first-ever Grand Final berth. It’s a golden opportunity for the hosts, who are looking to become the fifth different team to win a Home Series in 2020. Day 3 Schedule – July 12 Group A Bracket Group B Bracket Playoff Bracket Remember, you can keep up with all of the Call of Duty action and watch these matches live via our New York Home Series hub, which includes live streams, updated scores, brackets, and more. Also, make sure to check out the CDL Paris final placements to see where each eliminated team finished in the standings and how many CDL Points they earned.

CDL New York Day 1 recap: Huntsmen & Subliners roll, new meta on display Katy Eyre (ESPAT Media) / CDL [jwplayer mnhpUTeb] The first day of action at the Call of Duty League’s New York Home Series has come to a close, setting the table for should be an exciting weekend portion of the tournament. Four matches took place on Day 1 of CDL New York, and while no one was at risk of getting knocked out, the results determined the situation each team will be in heading into the knockout phase of the tournament. Toronto Ultra, Chicago Huntsmen, Atlanta FaZe, and New York Subliners all came out victors, which means they’ll already be vying for a semifinal spot when Day 2 kicks off. As for Paris Legion, London Royal Ravens, LA Guerrillas, and Minnesota ROKKR, it’ll be elimination on the line come first thing on Saturday. Group A Toronto Ultra 3-1 Paris Legion The bottom has fallen out for the Legion, who, after their surprisingly strong to the season, came in having lost a CDL-record eight matches in a row. Add one more to that tally, as the Ultra, continued their recently improved run of form with a much-needed 3-1 victory. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1281687833640603656 The series started tight; Toronto won the Gun Runner Hardpoint 250-189 but Paris answered back with a 6-3 win on St. Petrograd Search & Destroy. However, that was the end of the Europeans’ success, as Ultra took the St. Petrograd Domination 157-147 and Hackney Yard HP 250-237 to advance to the Group A winners final tomorrow. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1281700833927876610 Atlanta FaZe 3-1 Los Angeles Guerrillas Despite this being a heavily one-sided match between the first-place and last-place teams in the standings, there was a lot of extra attention paid to the clash coming in. FaZe had been involved with the recent Gentlemen’s Agreement (GA) controversy, which had fans thinking that Guerrillas might use restricted weapons/equipment against them. Unfortunately for those who don’t like drama, that ended up not being the case, as both sides featured the standard M4/MP5 setup. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1281733223475810305 This, of course, favored FaZe, who happily won all of the respawn maps – Gun Runner HP (210-150), Hackney Yard Domination (168-150), and Hackney Yard HP (250-200) – sandwiched around LA’s 6-3 win on Gun Runner S&D. Atlanta improved to 22-4 on the season, maintaining their still-perfect record in group play, while Guerrillas suffered their 14th loss as they look more and more certain to be one of the lowest seeds going into the Championship. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1281746016388157440 Group B Chicago Huntsmen 3-1 London Royal Ravens A rematch of the CDL Seattle Grand Final featured an identical result, as Huntsmen improved to 3-0 vs their British counterparts with their third 3-1 victory over them this season. It didn’t look like things were going to go the favor of Chicago early on, as London won the Gun Runner Hardpoint 250-201, but three straight maps from the boys in green took care of business: 6-2 on Piccadilly S&D, 164-149 on St. Petrograd Domination, and 250-210 on Hackney Yard HP. It was an important victory for Huntsmen, who failed to make it out of group play for the first time this season at their previous event. The team played with a lot more balance, which star man FormaL explained was due to the new CDL meta that allowed them to play with multiple M4’s at the same time. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1281721329444585472 New York Subliners 3-1 Minnesota ROKKR After consistently holding a top-four spot for most of the season, both in terms of standings and power rankings, the ROKKR have been slipping as of late, and Subliners became the latest team to pile on to their miseries. Wins on Gun Runner Hardpoint (250-144) and St. Petrograd S&D (6-3) gave the hosts a commanding 2-0 lead before Minnesota answered with a clutch 159-144 victory on Hackney Yard Domination. However, thanks to some stellar plays from ZooMaa, any hopes of a reverse-sweep were dashed quickly when New York dominated their favorite map, Rammaza, winning the HP 250-157, handing their opponents a fifth straight loss and eighth out of their last 10. THE ITALIAN STALLION CAN’T BE STOPPED 🐎 @ZooMaa | #NYSL https://t.co/O0p51x88in — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 11, 2020 Looking ahead to Day 2 of CDL New York As always, Saturday will be very pivotal at the New York Home Series as four of the eight teams will be eliminated before everything is said and done. In Group A, Atlanta FaZe will be heavily-favored to beat Toronto Ultra and make their seventh straight semifinal appearance, while the lower bracket will kick off with a bottom-of-the-barrel clash between Paris Legion and LA Guerrillas. On the flip side, Chicago Huntsmen and New York Subliners will face off to determine who wins Group B, followed by a juicy knockout clash between London Royal Ravens and Minnesota ROKKR in the first elimination match. Day 2 Schedule Group A Bracket Group B Bracket Remember, you can watch these matches live and keep up with all of the Call of Duty League action via our CDL New York Home Series hub, which includes streams, updated scores, brackets, and more.

CDL New York Challengers final placements: WaR and UYU reign supreme Unsplash/Activision[jwplayer qYU9URvL]Alongside the New York Subliners winning their own CDL New York home series event, top teams from the US and Europe did battle for bragging rights in their region-specific open challenger tournaments. Here’s how they shook out. With the remainder of the inaugural Call of Duty League season being moved to online, the accompanying challenger open events have followed suit. Though, North American and European teams are no longer clashing in a bid to prove which region is superior. Instead, the events are split, meaning NA teams only play NA teams and European teams are only playing against others on the continent. As a part of the CDL New York home series, 32 teams from each region did battle to try and come out on top, but it was a few familiar names who managed to stand above the newcomers. CDL New York NA Open placements In the North American side of things, the UYU fivesome of Davpadie, Charullz, Jintroid, Wrecks, and Cells managed to secure the event win by taking down P!NG Crew in the final. UYU had consigned P!NG Crew to the lower bracket with a dominant 3-0 victory in the winners’ bracket but P!NG managed to make things a little more interesting in the grand final, though, they came out on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline. The event also marked the debut of Doug ‘Censor’ Martin as a part of team Triumph. His squad managed to finish the weekend in fourth and rounded out the teams who managed to take home some cash. CDL New York EU Open placements On the other side of the Atlantic, the Team WaR lineup of Denza, Dqvee, Vortex, Harry, and Afro reigned supreme after a losers bracket run on their way to claiming the top prize of $3,500. The British squad took down TrainHard Esport in the grand final following a bracket reset – coming out with back-to-back 3-2 scoreline victories. Cementing the victory also gave WaR revenge over the squad who had sent them down to the losers bracket in the first place. With the focus of the CDL quickly switching to London for the Royal Ravens second home series of the season, challenger teams will get straight back into action as well. You can follow along with dedicated coverage of the CDL on Dexerto or on Twitter @DexertoIntel.

CDL MVP Simp unveils his MP40 loadout to dominate CoD Vanguard Activision / CDLCall of Duty: Vanguard is finally out and CDL MVP Simp has revealed the best MP40 loadout to dominate the battlefield. As a new game drops, Call of Duty League pros like Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr are constantly fiddling around with different loadout combinations to figure out what will be the meta. This year is a little different as each weapon can have up to 10 attachments which means that are a ton of ways to mix and match. While Simp plays the game more and more, the reigning CDL MVP has finally found a laser beam MP40 class. Simp’s best MP40 loadout for CoD Vanguard As seen in the picture above, Simp goes for the typical MP40 build but throws in a few changes to give it no recoil. Here are all the attachments that he uses: Muzzle: F8 Stabilizer – Barrel: Krausnick 317MM 04B – Optic: Krausnick IS01M – Stock: Krausnick 33M Folding – Underbarrel: Carver Foregrip – Magazine: 9MM 24 Round Fast Mag – Ammo Type: Lengthened – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip – Proficiency: Brace – Kit: Quick – He uses the F8 Stabilizer because it works like the long barrel attachment in previous CoDs, which is a necessity for submachine guns. He uses the 9MM 24 Round Fast Mag which helps him reload quickly and keep up in the fast-paced action. Next, he opts for the Carver Foregrip which the MVP said helps a lot with the initial kick that the weapon has. He pairs this up with Stippled Grip as he feels it works the same way that it did in Modern Warfare to control the recoil of the gun. In a YouTube video, Simp shows off gameplay from the Spin the Wheel tournament where his team took home first place without dropping a single map. Here he displays the power of this MP40 by dropping 49 kills with only 24 deaths. While the SMG is a laser beam up close you see from his gameplay that it has really good range with this setup, making it one of Vanguard’s best SMG. Next time you load into a multiplayer game or even a competitive wager, you may want to give this loadout a go and see if it will propel you to victory.

CDL MVP Shotzzy uses nutty movement to convince Warzone duo he’s actually a pro Activision / Call of Duty LeagueShotzzy is one of the Call of Duty League’s best players, but that doesn’t mean much in Warzone. So the 2020 MVP found some ingenious ways, including his signature movement, to prove to a random teammate that he’s actually a pro. If you’ve followed competitive CoD at all over the past two years, you probably know Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro by name, face, and, of course, playstyle. The former Halo beast switched games and earned CDL MVP in his rookie season on the Dallas Empire. If you haven’t followed competitive CoD over the past two years, you might not know who Shotzzy is. And, unsurprisingly, many of Warzone’s millions of players fall in that camp. So, stuck in an offseason while waiting for Vanguard’s release, Shotzzy has returned to Verdansk. And, teamed with randoms who don’t know who he is, the 20-year-old decided to prove himself with some unique methods. This guy @Shotzzy is too much 😭 Using his movement to convince a Warzone kid it was actually him. pic.twitter.com/y0Mli3MoHX — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 31, 2021 As you can see in the clip, Shotzzy wants to show his teammate that they’re actually playing with a pro player. So he does so in a way only he could pull off. By returning to Verdansk, the former MVP also returned to the Modern Warfare engine whose mobility mechanics he once pioneered. He knows that, we know that, and after getting his teammate to watch a doorway, a random Warzone player now knows that. The guy really made his teammate center on a door, told him “look at this s**t,” and proceeded to jump, slide, and fly at him as evidence. But he wasn’t done yet, as he then took them outside to introduce himself and his former teammates — who all have championship banners on Verdansk’s Stadium. Really just taking his time to make a new @CODLeague fan 😂 pic.twitter.com/WoouXhTnWw — DEXERTO Call of Duty Esports News (@DexertoIntel) August 31, 2021 A CDL MVP by day and a CDL PR person by night, Shotzzy really pulled out all the stops to convince his teammate. And Twitter loved it, with people cracking up and professing their love for the pro in caps-locked glory. The story has a feel-good ending too, as the salaried CoD star wasn’t satisfied with their game and… continued to play together for hours on end. Eventually, making friends with other randoms along the way, Shotzzy and his motley crew secured a win in Rebirth Island.

Florida Mutineers win CDL Minnesota: results, final placements, highlights [jwplayer fKo7sjsG] Florida Mutineers are champions of the Minnesota Home Series, becoming the fourth team to win multiple tournaments in the Call of Duty League’s inaugural season. Mutineers cast aside any doubts about their consistency as they took down the vaunted Atlanta FaZe in the Grand Final 3-1, looking like the better team for most of the series. Their road to the promised land was the hardest out of any team; Florida clutched up for Game 5 victories against Chicago Huntsmen and Dallas Empire prior to beating FaZe, which means they defeated the league’s top three teams in a single Home Series weekend. It was the perfect ending to what was the most intense and exciting CDL tournament so far, one that featured eight matches that went to a Game 5, three reverse sweeps, and four upsets. Read More: CDL Minnesota Day 2 recap & highlights – The Mutineers’ championship effort earned them the maximum 50 CDL Points, which means they’ve now leapfrogged ahead of Minnesota ROKKR in the 2020 standings. Atlanta earned themselves 30 points to add to their league-leading tally, while Empire and LA Guerrillas came away with 20 points to round off the top-four. CDL Minnesota Home Series final placements CDL Minnesota Grand Final recap & highlights Thanks to their momentum from upsetting Empire in the semifinals, Mutineers came out hot and struck first with a 250-146 win on Gun Runner Hardpoint. The win was relatively stress-free, thanks to strong performances from Fer0 (33-24) and their new man Owakening (29-22) https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1272317885000679425 As they’d done all weekend, Atlanta responded to the early adversity quickly and relentlessly, taking the Arklov Peak Search & Destroy 6-1 to tie up the series at one map apiece. ABeZy really stood out this game, putting in 12 kills, including three in the victory-clinching seventh round. [#CDL2020 Minnesota | Final]@ATLFaZe with the QUICK response as they take Arklov Peak S&D 6-1 to tie up the series 1-1 vs @Mutineers! Next up, St. Petrograd Domination. 📺 Watch live – https://t.co/DPjxvZtDoX pic.twitter.com/qbgijXSDGq — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 15, 2020 With the series shifting back to the respawn modes, Mutineers returned to their winning ways, absolutely smoking FaZe on St. Petrograd Domination 177-132. It was a total team effort from Florida, spear-headed by Skyz’s monstrous 27-11 line, while no one on the Atlanta side managed to break positive in the extremely one-sided affair. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1272327588460011521 As one-sided the first three maps were, the fourth and final one was anything but. It looked like it might end up that way at first, as Florida maintained a healthy lead for most of the way before Atlanta staged a massive comeback to go up top. However, the frantic finish went the way of Mutineers, who got the 250-231 win and secured the Home Series victory. 🏆 IT’S ALL OVER!@Mutineers are your #CDL2020 Minnesota Home Series champions! Congrats to @CesarSkyz, @FrostyBB, @ColtHavok, @f3rocitys, @Owakening, and coach @RickyAtura!#FearTheDeep pic.twitter.com/sSCeN8gK2S — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 15, 2020 CDL Minnesota Home Series scores and brackets Here are all of the scores and brackets from this weekend; teams marked in red were eliminated at that stage of the tournament. Friday, June 12 – Day 1 recap & highlights Saturday, June 13 – Day 2 recap & highlights Sunday, June 14 Group A Bracket Group B Bracket Playoff Bracket CDL Minnesota coverage & recaps CDL Minnesota Day 2 recap & highlights – Octane angry over “nonexistent” competitive integrity after FaZe loss – CDL Minnesota Day 1 recap & highlights – 6 players to watch at CDL Minnesota – Seattle Surge announce Karma replacement for CDL Minnesota – CDL postpones Minnesota Home Series – With the Minnesota Home Series now wrapped up, the Call of Duty League turns to the Paris Legion’s event, which will be taking place on June 19-21. While not stacked with as many top teams as this weekend’s tournament was, CDL Paris is still set to feature some top sides, including three that are currently in the top-five of the 2020 standings. Group A: Paris Legion vs Florida Mutineers – London Royal Ravens vs Dallas Empire – – Group B: New York Subliners vs OpTic Gaming LA – Atlanta FaZe vs Toronto Ultra – – For more information about this tournament and the entire CDL season, make sure to check out our Call of Duty League 2020 hub, which includes updated standings, full event schedule, latest roster changes, and more.

CDL Minnesota Day 2 recap: Huntsmen suffer huge upset, playoff bracket set CDL [jwplayer fKo7sjsG]Day 2 of the Call of Duty League’s Minnesota Home Series has come to an end and the playoff bracket is set for what will be an electric Championship Sunday with some top teams still in action. While no one was eliminated on the first day of the Minnesota Home Series, Saturday was a whole different story as four of the eight teams saw their tournament dreams come to an early end. Florida Mutineers, Atlanta FaZe, Los Angeles Guerrillas, and Dallas Empire all did what they had to do to make it to the next phase of the tournament, which means that Toronto Ultra, Minnesota ROKKR, Chicago Huntsmen, and Seattle Surge were all knocked out on Day 2. Group A Atlanta FaZe 3-2 Dallas Empire Easily the match that fans were looking to the most, FaZe pulled off a remarkable reverse sweep against Empire to lock up yet another spot in the semifinals. Ironically, for a series that went the distance, none of the individual games were really that close. Dallas took a quick 2-0 lead after dominating performances on Gun Runner Hardpoint (250-139) and Rammaza S&D (6-3) before Atlanta shifted things to their own favor with three straight map wins – 180-129 on St. Petrograd Domination, 250-212 St. Petrograd HP, and 6-2 on Piccadilly S&D. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1271893469850677251 The result extended FaZe’s winning streak to six matches while allowing them to maintain their perfect group-play this season. As for Empire, their own five-game winning streak came to an end as they were sent down to the losers bracket for the first time since CDL Los Angeles. Seattle Surge 3-2 Minnesota ROKKR The theme of this tournament so far has been Game 5’s and reverse sweeps, and this match held true to both. It looked like Surge were on their way to yet another early exit after ROKKR took a 2-0 lead, winning Azhir Cave HP 250-217 and Arklov Peak S&D 6-2. However, somehow Seattle found a way to motivate themselves and stage a very impressive comeback, winning Gun Runner Dom 165-155, Hackney Yard HP 250-128, and St. Petrograd S&D 6-2, which concluded with a fun 1v1 between Slacked and SiLLY. Pure ice from @Slacked in this 1v1 clutch for the reverse-sweep 🧊#DrownThemOut | #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/240YC9kbDI — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 13, 2020 What’s not fun is the form that Minnesota currently find themselves in. After solidifying themselves as a top-four team for much of the season, they’ve since been on a major downswing, this loss being their fourth in a row and seventh out of their last nine. Dallas Empire 3-0 Seattle Surge So far, this was one of the very few series this weekend that has followed the script, as Empire were not going to allow Surge to continue the theme of pushing better teams to the distance and sneaking off with an upset. The match was pretty one-sided from start to finish, as Dallas got convincing wins on Gun Runner Hardpoint (250-160), Gun Runner S&D (6-4), and Hackney Yard Dom (199-120). https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1271981650428268544 The victory pushed Empire to yet another semifinals appearance, as they aim to become the first team in CDL history to win three Home Series events. On the flip side, it was yet another group-stage exit for Surge, but their performance was much-improved and they even got a win against a team not named Guerrillas. Group B Florida Mutineers 3-1 Los Angeles Guerrillas Both coming off roster changes leading up to this event, it was Mutineers and their new man Owakening who got the upper hand in this matchup, locking in an early semifinal spot. It looked like the series could be a tight one, after Florida won the Gun Runner HP 250-222 and LA answered with a 6-5 win on Piccadilly S&D. However, Mutineers really tightened their grip the rest of the way, winning 177-126 on St. Petrograd Dom and 250-108 on Rammaza HP to seal the victory. This was a very important win for the team, who had been swept twice in the first round of their last event, and a huge vote of confidence in Owakening, who proved that he could hold his own in the CDL. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1271868738954985477 Chicago Huntsmen 3-0 Toronto Ultra Forced into a rare early trip to the losers bracket, Huntsmen were not about to get eliminated in the first round, ripping apart Ultra in a series that was pretty one-sided after the first map. Things started tight as Chicago barely hung on for a 250-245 win on Rammaza HP, but then they began asserting their dominance, taking the Rammaza S&D 6-2 and St. Petrograd Dom 167-130. After a promising performance in the previous Home Series that saw them reach their first semifinal, this was a huge disappointment for Toronto, who also lost to the league-worst LA Guerrillas on Friday. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1271900098008682499 LA Guerrillas 3-2 Chicago Huntsmen Easily the biggest upset of the weekend, and arguably of the whole season, as Guerrillas, somehow, someway, managed to take down Huntsmen and advance to their first-ever semifinals. It was another series that went to a Game 5 (surprise, surprise) as the two teams traded wins the whole way. Chicago won the Gun Runner HP 250-190 and Hackney Yard Dom 169-149 while Los Angeles took the Arklov Peak S&D 6-1 and Hackney Yard HP 250-243. Read More: CDL Minnesota Day 1 recap & highlights – Down to the fifth map, which had serious tournament implications, it was Guerrillas who clutched up for a 6-4 win on Gun Runner S&D to secure the victory and eliminate Huntsmen from the group stage for the first time all year. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1271957670262706184 Looking ahead to Championship Sunday Everyone was looking forward to finally watching the first-ever meeting between Huntsmen and FaZe on Sunday, but that’s not going to happen, thanks to Guerrillas. Instead, Atlanta and Los Angeles will be facing off in the semifinals instead, an unlikely matchup this late into the tournament but one that LA fans will relish considering how lowly the rest of the season has been. In the other half of the bracket, it’ll be Florida vs Dallas, only the second time the two have faced off this season (the first was a 3-0 win for Empire at the Los Angeles Home Series). If the favorite in each side advances, we’ll be seeing FaZe vs Empire in the Grand Final, a repeat of the CDL Chicago championship match that the latter won 3-1. Brackets & schedule Group A Bracket Group B Bracket Playoff Bracket Day 3 Schedule Also, make sure to check out the CDL Minnesota final placements to see who’s in and who’s out of the tournament, as well as the CDL Points they’ve earned. Remember, you can keep up with all of the Call of Duty action and watch these matches live via our CDL Minnesota hub, which includes streams, updated scores, brackets, and more.

CDL Minnesota Day 1 recap & highlights: Huntsmen upset, FaZe survive scare CDL The first day of the Minnesota Home Series has now come to a close, setting the table for an intense and exciting weekend of Call of Duty League action. As per usual, Day 1 of the Minnesota Home Series only featured four matches, and there was a lot at stake for the eight competing teams, knowing that their results will determine where they stand going into Saturday. It was Game 5s galore on Friday, as three of the four matches went the distance, including one that went to a Round 11. After the dust settled, Atlanta FaZe, Dallas Empire, LA Guerrillas, and Florida Mutineers had claimed victories, while Seattle Surge, Minnesota ROKKR, Toronto Ultra, and, perhaps most surprisingly, Chicago Huntsmen, will be facing elimination on Day 2. Group A Atlanta FaZe 3-2 Seattle Surge Controversy struck CDL Minnesota when FaZe faced off against Surge, who were playing their first match with Proto in the starting lineup following Karma’s surprise retirement the week prior. Read More: MW & Warzone June 12 patch notes – Despite being massive underdogs, Seattle’s victories on Azhir Cave Hardpoint (250-175) and Gun Runner Search & Destroy (6-5) had them up 2-0 and on the verge of pulling off the biggest upset of the season. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1271572367328845827 However, what followed was a long delay while the CDL had to reset the broadcast due to technical issues. That was apparently enough to cool down the Surge, who went on to lose the next three maps and get reverse-swept. Wins on Hackney Yard Domination (199-123), Gun Runner HP (250-188), and St. Petrograd S&D (6-5) was enough for FaZe to avoid what would have been an unthinkable defeat. The Game 5 S&D, in particular, was an exciting affair, as star-man Cellium proved that he’s got ice in his veins with a very clutch 1v2 in Round 11. With the loss, Seattle dropped to 0-13 against teams not named LA Guerrillas this season, and despite the promise they showed in the first two maps of the series, it’s yet another disappointing result. 🧊 @Cellium with the ice in Game 5, Round 11!#EZAF | #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/E04TX0nnTY — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 13, 2020 One player who was particularly unhappy about how things unfolded was Octane, as he went on a Twitter mini-rant ripping the CDL for what he claims is “nonexistent” competitive integrity. He also called the league “garbage” and their level of professionalism and standard “legitimately laughable.” It remains to be seen whether or not they will look to level any sort of punishment against the Seattle star, although he made it clear in his tweets that he won’t care if they do. Dallas Empire vs Minnesota ROKKR While ROKKR have been in the top-four of the 2020 CDL standings for most of the season, their form recently has not been that of a top team. Their struggles continued on Friday as they fell victim to the relentless machine that is Dallas Empire. It looks like the hosts may have found their groove, after a 250-232 win on Rammaza HP, but Empire put their foot on the gas pedal and stormed to three straight map victories: 6-2 in the S&D, 177-133 in Domination, and 250-185 in HP, all of them played on St. Petrograd. It’ll have to be another losers bracket run for Minnesota as they lost for the sixth time in eight matches, while Dallas continue with their winning ways, this being their 10th win out of their last 11, including five straight. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1271639442713911298 Group B Los Angeles Guerrillas 3-2 Toronto Ultra Guerrillas made a last-second swap ahead of CDL Minnesota kicking off, adding Saints back into the starting lineup in place of Spart. The decision seems to have payed off, at least for now, as they’re now just one more win away from their first-ever trip to the semifinals. Read More: CDL announce new weapon and attachment bans – It nearly didn’t happen for them, however. After going up 2-0, thanks to a 250-197 win on Rammaza HP and 6-3 on Arklov Peak S&D, Toronto ripped off two wins of their own to tie things up – 187-137 on Hackney Yard Dom and a dominant 250-84 on Hackney Yard HP. Luckily for Los Angeles, they refound their mojo just in time to win 6-3 on Gun Runner S&D, securing the series victory and avoiding a devastating reverse-sweep. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1271557399120416769 Florida Mutineers 3-2 Chicago Huntsmen If there’s a rivalry forming between Mutineers and Huntsmen, it’s been pretty one-sided so far, as Florida got yet another win in this matchup to improve to 3-0 vs Chicago this season. This time, it came with their new man Owakening, who was signed from the Challengers circuit a few weeks ago to replace the recently-benched Maux. As with the other matches on Friday, this series was an intense affair that went the distance. After Huntsmen took the lead with a 250-239 win on Gun Runner HP, Mutineers ripped off two victories of their own – 6-3 on Arklov Peak S&D and 154-146 on Hackney Yard Dom. Things got back to level after Chicago won the Rammaza HP 250-204, but a 6-4 victory for Florida on Rammaza S&D sealed the deal, despite Scump’s incredible sequence of kills that nearly willed his team to victory. 10 years in, and @scump is still frying like this… 🤯#Huntsmen | #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/zgU8yDZXHY — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 13, 2020 The loss is only the second one they’ve suffered in group play this season, and now they’ll be forced to make a losers bracket run if they’re to make it to the next stage. As for Florida, they’re just one win vs LA Guerrillas away from making it back into the semis after they were swept out of the first round in their own Home Series last month. Looking ahead to Day 2 While no one was eliminated on Friday, that won’t be the case for Day 2 of the Minnesota Home Series, as four of the eight competing teams will see their weekend cut short. In Group A, it’ll be FaZe vs Empire for all the goods while Surge and ROKKR will battle for survival in the first round of the losers bracket. As for Group B, two surprise teams – Guerrillas and Mutineers – will be battling it out in the winners bracket final. The winner will secure a trip to the semis, which would be a first for Los Angeles, while the loser will have to face the victor of Huntsmen vs Ultra in the losers bracket. Group A Bracket Group B Bracket Day 2 Schedule Remember, you can watch these matches live and keep up with all of the Call of Duty action via our CDL Minnesota hub, which includes streams, updated scores, brackets, and more.

CDL Major IV will have no audience and fans are booing Call of Duty LeagueMajor IV of the Call of Duty League will not have a live audience after changing the host city, and fans are disappointed about the news. Every year, different CDL majors are hosted by one of its league’s teams in their city or state. Recently, Major II was hosted by the Boston Breach in Boston and the upcoming Major III is slated to be hosted by OpTic Texas in Arlington. Major IV was similarly meant to be hosted by a team. This time the New York Subliners were slated to host it, but it was announced by the team in late 2022 they would not be hosting it any longer. In a tweet by the CDL, it was announced Major IV will be taking place in Columbus, Ohio from April 20-23. As well as this change of location, the Call of Duty League also confirmed there will be no live audience for the Major. The only way for fans to watch the major will be online through streams. In response to this update, fans of the CDL have reacted negatively to the recent announcement. Especially New York Subliners fans. Creative director for NYXL, the owners of the Subliners, Lucero tweeted in response, “ We get it. We’re not hosting a major here. Thanks for the reminder.” And content creator for NYSL, Tucker, sarcastically replied, “ cheers son’s crying. Nice one.” Many others have also mocked the choice of location in Ohio. Some making fun because of Ohio has become a huge meme, but others criticizing the midwestern town as an odd choice as no CDL team represents it. As of now, Major IV will not have any spectators, but the proceeding Major V hosted by the Toronto Ultra will have an audience, as confirmed by the CDL’s tweet. The upcoming Major III is currently in its qualifying stage. If you would like to read about it. You can find our coverage here.

New York Subliners back on top with CDL Major 4 win: Final Results CDLNew York Subliners have come back to the top of CDL with their trophy lift in CDL Major 4 against Atlanta FaZe. Coming into the Major, most were not looking at the 2023 Champions as heavy favorites. After all, in the qualifiers, it was FaZe and Toronto Ultra who dominated, while the Subliners sat in the middle of the pack. Once the Major weekend kicked off, it continued to be a rocky period for the Subliners as they were knocked down in the first round by FaZe and needed a lower bracket run to reach the Grand Finals. This included having to make it through Los Angeles Thieves – who were on the upswing – and Toronto Ultra – who were looking to make a full lower bracket run as well. Nonetheless, they pulled through. In the Grand Finals, Subliners met FaZe, who had not lost a map yet in the tournament. But after a back-and-forth series, it was the Subliners who won out. Coming into the 2024 Champs event later on July 18, all eyes will be on Subliners to continue defending their throne from last year. CDL Major 4: Final placements CDL Major 4: Schedule Day 4: June 30 Day 3: June 29 Day 2: June 28 Day 1: June 27 CDL Major 4: How to watch All the Call of Duty League matches were broadcast on YouTube, with the final match found below. Be sure to also check out the CDL’s YouTube account to catch up on previous matchups. Additionally, co-streamers within the Call of Duty scene, such as Scump, ZooMaa, and Octane, all broadcast on YouTube. CDL Major 4: Qualifier Standings If you’re looking to play some daily CDL fantasy during Major 4, make sure to use code ReverseSweep on PrizePicks for a matched deposit up to $100! If you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.

Surge drowns out FaZe in CDL Major 3 finals: Full results Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League Major 3 LAN tournament is now in the books as Seattle Surge took out the Toronto Ultra event with a 5-3 win over Atlanta FaZe. If you missed any of the latest event, be sure to brush up on the full results below. Surge took down FaZe 5-3 in the Grand Finals. – Hometown lineup bowed out in third place as Ultra fell to FaZe. – $500,000 prize pool – Major 3 was the penultimate LAN tournament before the Call of Duty Championship, which is yet to have a date or location announced at the time of writing. The all-important event gave CDL teams one of the best chances possible of guaranteeing Champs qualification, or at least moving up the standings, as well as having $500k on the line. If you missed any of the action, we’ve got you covered with a full recap of how it unfolded. CDL Major 3 results Day 1 — Thursday, June 2 Day 2 — Friday, June 3 Day 3 — Saturday, June 4 Day 4 — Sunday, June 5 Below is a list of the placements teams achieved at CDL Major 3: CDL Major 3 stream The Major was streamed live from Toronto’s Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre on the COD League YouTube channel. The first match kicked off on Thursday, June 2 at 1:30 PM PT (4:30 PM ET/9:30 PM GMT), and ran through to the grand final on Sunday, June 5. CDL Major 3 teams Below is the full list of teams and players that competed at Major 3: *Prolute joined OpTic as a temporary replacement for iLLeY, who is injured

CDL Major 3 qualifiers: Biggest storylines in week 2 – FaZe over OpTic, Paris Legion on the up? Call of Duty LeagueCDL Major 3 looks set to be one of the most competitive events in CoD history, with teams like Minnesota RØKKR and Paris Legion looking capable of taking wins despite their low standing on the leaderboards. But what are the biggest storylines in week 2 of qualifiers? Week 1 of Major 3 qualifiers saw some interesting results. Minnesota RØKKR flew up our CDL power rankings after a 2-0 start to the Major 3 cycle, not dropping a map at all. Meanwhile, Major 2 winners LA Guerrillas went 0-6 map count across their two series, and announced the day after Week 1 finished that Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman would be returning to the starting roster, replacing Kris ‘Spart’ Cervantez. Here are the biggest storylines to watch out for in Week 2. Paris Legion finally find wins? Paris Legion have clearly improved from the start of the season, but they’re still struggling to get their feet over the line and actually win the important matches. Champs qualification seems like a pipe dream at this point, with Paris having earned just 20 CDL points so far this season. For comparison, 10th-placed Toronto Ultra are on 70 points, so there’s some real catching up to do. Luckily for them, that doesn’t seem as impossible as it once did. LA Guerrillas: Really just a flash in the pan? Nobody saw the LA Guerrillas’ Cinderella run at Major 2 coming, and while many predicted it could be a huge turnaround for the franchise’s success, that looks like it might have just been wishful thinking. The question is, were they really just a flash-in-the-pan, one-hit-wonder? They looked so good against teams like Atlanta FaZe that it’s almost unfathomable, but with two relatively easy fixtures against Florida Mutineers and Paris Legion this week, they’re going to want to come out swinging in preparation for the big teams. Minnesota RØKKR finding form at perfect time again? In the Cold War season in 2021, Minnesota RØKKR were a decent side for much of the year, until the Stage 5 Major when they pulled off the greatest comeback and reverse sweep in Call of Duty history. Read More: CDL 2022 standings & schedule – Now, RØKKR are showing signs of improvement, and it begs the question: Can they do the same thing again and become a championship-caliber squad at the remaining tournaments leading up to Champs? Perfect time for FaZe to topple OpTic FaZe vs OpTic is a storied matchup in Call of Duty, and this year, it’s no different. They’ve both got the better of each other over the years, winning multiple championships at the expense of the other, but this year the Greenwall has a clear advantage. OpTic has a 3-0 series record against FaZe in Vanguard, but with Prolute stepping in as a temporary replacement for iLLeY, this is FaZe’s best chance to turn the tide. The question is whether they can do it — especially by the time LAN rolls around.

CDL Major 2 breaks viewership records amid reports of switch from Twitch to YouTube Instagram: Atlanta FaZeCall of Duty League Major 2 was a wild ride for CoD fans, with some crazy results, huge performances, and even a mid-tournament retirement. Perhaps most importantly to some, though, the tournament’s viewership reached dizzying heights, becoming one of the most-watched events in CoD history. Atlanta FaZe took home the Major 2 trophy after beating out LA Thieves in a clinical 4-2 grand final. This came mere hours after long-time Call of Duty esports veteran Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni announced his retirement live, on stage, in front of thousands of fans, his peers, and with his tearful family in attendance. The tournament itself though garnered a lot of fanfare, more than almost every other CoD esports event in history, as the Major reached a peak viewer count of over 300,000 between the main stream and the increasingly-popular watch parties from the likes of Scump and ZooMaa. According to Esports Charts, the Loser’s Semi-Final matchup between LA Thieves and OpTic Texas reached 301,953 peak concurrent viewers, which is the third-highest peak viewership recorded in CDL or CWL history — and the highest for an event that wasn’t the Call of Duty Championship. Major 2’s peak fell behind only the CWL Championship 2018, which peaked at 324,086, and the CDL 2020 finals, which peaked at 331,558, when it comes to official competition. This incredible landmark came just days after Dexerto initially reported that the CDL was in talks with YouTube over renewing their exclusivity deal following the culmination of Major 2. Viewership in general has been stronger across the board this season on Twitch, especially when you factor in the watch parties that are pulling in over 100k viewers themselves. The league faced a lot of backlash to this report from both fans and even team owners, with OpTic CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez saying that he had heard similar, but that “I don’t think that the league would not talk to their partners who paid a bunch of cash to be a part of this franchised league.” If Major 3, which is due to take place in Texas, ends up being streamed exclusively on YouTube instead of Twitch, it will definitely make for interesting viewing comparing viewership between the two.

Toronto Ultra dominates CDL Major 1: Final Results Call of Duty LeagueToronto Ultra hoists the first trophy of the 2024 season, with a dominating performance from start to finish, taking down Atlanta FaZe in the Grand Finals. Boston hosted the first tournament of the 2024 CDL season, with some incredible matchups in store. All eyes were on heavy hitters like Atlanta FaZe and Toronto Ultra to see how they would go. Turns out both squads would go far, with Championship Sunday giving viewers a Winners Finals and Grand Finals matchup between both squads. In the end, Toronto Ultra reigned supreme with a dominating 4-1 victory over FaZe. With that, Major 1 is officially complete, and all eyes are facing Miami and Major 2. Contents CDL Major 1 Final Placements CDL Major 1 full results CDL Major 1 match schedule Day 1 — Thursday, January 25 Day 2 — Friday, January 26 Day 3 – Saturday, January 27 Day 4 — Sunday, January 28 How to rewatch CDL Major 1 In case you missed all the action, be sure to check out the Call of Duty YouTube channel to catch up on Major 1. If you’re looking to play some daily Call of Duty League fantasy this season, sign up to PrizePicks with code ReverseSweep for a matched deposit of up to $100.

CDL Los Angeles Challengers final placements: Parasite beats Singularity Paul Reiffer / ActivisionFormer Call of Duty world champion Christopher ‘Parasite’ Duarte led ‘No Mercy’ to their first win in the Modern Warfare CDC Season. Here’s how the event unfolded. CDL Los Angeles had its mix of ups and downs, with OpTic Gaming Los Angeles finally leaving their woeful start behind them, after making it to Sunday’s single-elimination bracket. Atlanta FaZe were looking at going back-to-back after their dominant showing at their home series event, but Minnesota RØKKR had other ideas — ultimately taking them down in the semifinals. Their final boss? Dallas Empire. After a shaky second match against FaZe in groups, Empire seemed a different squad on championship Sunday and played flawlessly to earn their first tournament win of the season. But what happened on the other side of the fence? Let’s take a look. After preventing Team Singularity winning their third Challengers event of the season at CDC Paris, Team WaR were looking to pick-up consecutive tournament wins in the City of Angels. However, after a narrow 3-2 win over Rebel Esports in Winner’s Round 3, Singularity were waiting in the wings. The all-English squad were out to avenge their double-series loss in the Grand Final of CDC Paris. Showing no mercy, Singularity walked through WaR in dominant fashion, taking the series 3-1. Talking of No Mercy, Parasite and co. were putting in the work on the opposite side of the bracket, successfully defeating Sicario and Encrypted Gaming to earn their spot in the Winner’s Bracket Final. Not bad for a team that just barely made the roster lock, with a stand-in no less. Singularity were primed to spoil the party and end No Mercy’s hot streak in the Winner’s Final. In the Loser’s Round 7, Encrypted saw off Team WaR to a fourth-place finish; securing their spot in the top three. Parasite and co. made light work of the British champs, taking the series 3-1 and booking their place in the Grand Final. Encrypted fell short to the English squad in the Loser’s Final, bowing out of the competition in the third spot. With a rematch on the cards in the City of Angels, Parasite mustered up all of his championship-winning experience and led his team to a convincing 3-0 win to take the whole event without dropping a series. WE TAKE IT AGAINST @SNG_Esports 3-0 AND ARE YOUR CDL LA CHAMPIONS!! THIS IS OUR FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT #ShowNoMercy 😈 pic.twitter.com/9G6YKqaL6c — Coming Soon (@LAInstinctGG) March 8, 2020 Of course, this was a significant win for Parasite, whose efforts this year on the amateur circuit have not gone unnoticed. However, with the majority of the roster flocking back to their respective nests, Duarte now finds himself as a free agent for the next CDC event. The next Challengers Open event will take place on March 21-22, where Toronto Ultra will host a list of teams who will be competing for their share of the $10,000 prize pool.

CDL team London Royal Ravens reportedly set to relocate to North Carolina in 2024 season Call of Duty League / London Royal RavensThe London Royal Ravens Call of Duty League team, the only European franchise in the system, is reportedly eyeing a new home in 2024, with Charlotte, North Carolina being the leading destination. Four years on from the CDL being established, it appears another franchise is set to not only rebrand, but relocate in the upcoming season. Despite being the only remaining European team in the league, and one of only two currently representing a region outside of the US, London Royal Ravens could be no more come 2024. The UK-based franchise is reportedly set to move away from the market, potentially moving to Charlotte, North Carolina for next year’s season, according to Sports Business Journal’s Kevin Hitt. While Charlotte is claimed to be the leading candidate at this stage, the report also highlights Mexico City and Washington D.C. as possible options should the initial plan fall through. Having been part of the CDL from the very beginning, the Royal Ravens kicked things off in 2020 with a full UK-based squad including CoD’s notable brotherly duo of wuskin and Skrapz. In the years that have followed, the London franchise has struggled to push into the upper echelons of competition, with its best result, a fourth-place finish in the 2020 playoffs, being the main high point. Most recently, the team finished dead last for the 2023 regular season, only netting $10,000 in prize money for the entire year, and failing to qualify for the end-of-year Champs event. Previously owned and operated by ReKTGlobal, the organization was recently acquired by Infinite Reality, a company dedicated to “world-class Metaverse experiences.” It’s unclear if the idea to relocate was in motion before this acquisition, or if this is a new objective being pushed by the latest owners. This report also comes six days removed from Ravens dropping its two Call of Duty content creators, Jukeyz and Angelika. We’ll be sure to keep you posted here as any further details emerge surrounding London Royal Raven’s future in the CDL.

Dallas Empire win CDL London: final placements, results, highlights CDL[jwplayer qiSnM8TU] Dallas Empire are champions of the CDL London Home Series, becoming the second team to win three Call of Duty League tournaments this season. After falling short in the semifinal stage of their last two events, Dallas Empire not only got past that particular hurdle, but also took care of business against Paris Legion in the Grand Final, joining Florida Mutineers as the only teams to win three Home Series so far this campaign. It was pure domination from the Empire, not only in their lopsided 3-0 finals victory over Legion, but for the entire tournament overall. They only dropped one map the whole way, ironically against Paris in the first match of the weekend, but then proceeded to sweep New York Subliners and Florida Mutineers – two of the hottest teams in the league. Read More: CDL London Day 2 recap & highlights – Dallas earned the maximum 50 CDL Points for their championship effort, pushing them all the way back up to second place in the 2020 standings. Legion were awarded 30 points, a huge haul for what’s been a difficult first season, while Royal Ravens and Mutineers got 20 apiece to round off the top-four. CDL London Home Series final placements CDL London Grand Final recap & highlights This Grand Final was a rematch of the same matchup that kicked off CDL London back on Friday, and just like with the first map in that series, this Hackney Yard Hardpoint was a similarly one-sided affair. A very fast and strong start from Empire saw them build an early 100 point lead, and even though Legion did rally to make the final scoreline look more respectable, it was a deserved wire-to-wire 250-145 win for Dallas. https://twitter.com/DallasEmpire/status/1284964471232962562 The series then shifted to Gun Runner Search & Destroy, which ended up being just as lopsided of a game as the first map, if not more. Empire overwhelmed Legion straight from the get-go, allowing them just one round while they swarmed for six of their own, which set them up for a commanding 2-0 lead going into Gun Runner Domination. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1284969570013511683 Map three was the first in which Paris actually showed some life, even building a nice lead towards the halfway mark of the game. However, Dallas flexed their respawn prowess in the second half, and it was too much for their opponents to handle. The final scoreline read 167-134, sealing the series victory and yet another championship for the Empire. 🏆 IT’S ALL OVER!@DallasEmpire are your #CDL2020 London Home Series champions! Congrats to: 🏅 @Crimsix 🏅 @Clayster 🏅 @Shotzzy 🏅 @Huke 🏅 @iLLeYYY 🏅 Coach @ramboray #BuildAnEmpire pic.twitter.com/DyvYPm5L7a— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 19, 2020 CDL London Home Series brackets & scores Here are the brackets and results for Group A, Group B, and Playoffs at the London Home Series. Group A Bracket Group B Bracket Playoff Bracket CDL London Home Series coverage & recaps CDL London Day 2 recap & highlights – CDL London Day 1 recap & highlights – Octane blasts “horrible” CDL after Surge forced to play 4v5 – 7 players to watch during CDL London – CDL Power Rankings ahead of London Home Series – What’s next? – CDL Toronto preview With the London Home Series now wrapped up, the Call of Duty League shifts to Canada for the first time, as the Toronto Ultra will be hosting their first-ever tournament of the season on July 24-26. This will be the final Home Series of the regular season, which means that it’ll be the last step in determining each team’s final placement in the 2020 standings and where they’ll be seeded for the CDL Playoffs next month. Featuring alongside the Ultra will be some of the league’s top teams, including Atlanta FaZe, Chicago Huntsmen, Dallas Empire, and Florida Mutineers, all of whom are vying for one of the two top-seeds for the postseason. Group A Chicago Huntsmen vs Seattle Surge – Toronto Ultra vs OpTic Gaming LA – – Group B Atlanta FaZe vs Minnesota ROKKR – Florida Mutineers vs Dallas Empire – – For more information about this event and the rest of the CDL season, check out our Call of Duty League 2020 hub, which includes the latest standings, full tournament schedule, Championship format, and more.

CDL London Day 2 recap: Subliners suffer upset, playoff bracket set CDL[jwplayer br5AuoVJ]Day 2 of the Call of Duty League’s London Home Series is over, leaving just four teams—including one major surprise—to compete on Championship Sunday. So far, the season’s penultimate event weekend has featured as much entertainment and standing shifting as one could imagine, with upsets and drama galore. While there weren’t any internet issues like yesterday, the New York Subliners were shockingly knocked out of action by the Paris Legion while the Florida Mutineers had to claw back into Sunday’s slate of games after being reverse-swept by the hosting London Royal Ravens. Today’s action booked Sunday semifinals tickets for the Legion, Royal Ravens, Dallas Empire, and Florida Mutineers. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Guerrillas, Seattle Surge, OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, and, to everyone’s surprise, Subliners were eliminated. Group A London Royal Ravens 3 – 2 Florida Mutineers The Royal Ravens don’t care if their opponent has twice as many CDL points or even if they have a 2-0 lead. The (virtual) home team pulled out the clutch factor with a reverse sweep of a Florida roster that hadn’t lost a match since Joseph ‘Owakening’ Conley was added to the lineup. With a tremendous, balanced team performance, London was able to break the Mutineers’ hot streak and send them off to the losers’ bracket while locking in a semifinals spot on Sunday. And it all started down 2-0 with a tight, single-digit win that kept the Royal Ravens alive and swung momentum in their favor. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1284569783518793728 OpTic Gaming Los Angeles 3 – 1 Seattle Surge Friday was a big day for both OGLA and the Surge, as the former debuted two new starters and the latter went through more internet controversy than an episode of Silicone Valley. But OpTic’s new players, Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan and Darien ‘Hollow’ Chverchko, helped mold a successful new identity for the team — the Surge were unable to turn their anger into winning momentum. Although Seattle lost 3-1, the team did get to enjoy one cathartic moment, as Sam ‘Octane’ Larew pulled off an unbelievable 1v4 clutch during S&D and snuck in a quick victory lap. A nice moment in what was ultimately a lopsided affair. Absolute filth from @OctaneSam 😱 Seattle couldn’t win the map, but that 1v4 earns some serious style points.#DrownThemOut | #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/Q08bR56h69 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 18, 2020 OpTic Gaming Los Angeles 1 – 3 Florida Mutineers Until their loss to the Royal Ravens, the Mutineers were on an absolute tear. That shakiness seemed to persist as OGLA won a tight first map, but Florida kicked it back into gear with clutch performances across the roster as well as some consistent lethality at the hands of Owakening and Maurice ‘Fero’ Henriquez. Playing Florida twice in your new lineup’s first event is a tough draw, so OpTic should be content with how competitive they kept each series. Florida, meanwhile, gets a trip to the Sunday semifinals and confirmation that the team is now locked in for a first-round bye, at least, in this season’s Champs. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1284654643142897664 Group B Dallas Empire 3 – 0 New York Subliners The day’s most highly anticipated matchup ended up being one of its most disappointing, as the Empire looked completely comfortable ending New York’s 12-map winning streak and sweeping them into the losers’ bracket. While each map was somewhat close, the Subliners never truly seemed to gain momentum. Dallas, meanwhile, seemed so unconcerned that Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter even brought out the Grau for a very rare appearance outside of Verdansk. But, with Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal rocking the sniper on S&D, Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro proved why Dallas continues to stroll into Championship Sundays: their SMG players have ice in their veins. COLD-BLOODED 🥶@Shotzzy with the 1v3 S&D clutch.#BuildAnEmpire | #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/gckXzEQGJ1 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 18, 2020 Los Angeles Guerrillas 1 – 3 Paris Legion Last week, the Legion swept the Guerrillas for their first win in what felt like an eternity. This week, Los Angeles tested them but the result ended up being the same as Paris’ pure domination on S&D shifted the entire series in their favor. With Luke ‘Louqa’ Rigas clicking heads as the S&D sniper while Matthew ‘KiSMET’ Tinsley and Denholm ‘Denz’ Taylor slayed out on respawn maps, Paris appeared to nestle into a strong rhythm — at the expense of the Guerrillas. It was Paris’ first St. Petrograd Hardpoint victory this season and the cementing of a 12th-place finish for the Guerrillas in 2020. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1284593514714669056 Paris Legion 3 – 0 New York Subliners An absolute shocker. Before today, the Legion had been considered one of the league’s worst teams while the Subliners had proven themselves, just last week, to be among its best. New York’s 3-0 loss against an imposing Empire roster was disappointing but somewhat understandable, this sweep was on a completely different level. A rough note to end the season on, but the Subliners have done enough this year, with 140 CDL Points, to ensure a Winners’ Bracket Round 1 seed for August’s Champs. The Legion still have more work to prove, but their Day 2 performances showed impressive poise and balanced control over their preferred maps. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1284637317479661570 Looking ahead to Championship Sunday Can the Mutineers win a third consecutive Home Series? What didn’t feel feasible at the start of Day 2 now most certainly looms as a possibility. But first they’ll need to beat an Empire lineup that looks remarkably comfortable in this new meta. The Royal Ravens feel like a lock to beat the Legion on one side of the semifinals, but so did the Subliners — so that feels impossible to predict. Conversely, the Empire and Mutineers matchup presents an entirely different conundrum. Each is an obvious top-tier team with 17 wins and each has been dominant online. Dallas does seem to benefit most from their SMG stars, iLLeY and Shotzzy, while Florida’s strength often stems from Owakening’s impact on AR, so this matchup will be a riveting one for fans curious to see how this new meta plays out at the highest level. Day 3 Schedule – July 19 Group A Bracket Group B Bracket Playoff Bracket Remember, you can keep up with all of the Call of Duty action and watch these matches live via our London Home Series hub, which includes live streams, updated scores, brackets, and more.

CDL London Day 1 recap: OpTic debuts new lineup, Dallas & NY dominate OpTic Gaming / CDL[jwplayer mCpsAxNx] Day 1 of the Call of Duty League’s London Home Series is now in the books, and things are getting more and more intense heading into the weekend portion of the tournament. While elimination is never a threat on the first day of a Call of Duty League Home Series, how each team performs determines what situation they’ll be in once the next set of matches rolls around. Following the four day one matches of CDL London, the Royal Ravens, Dallas Empire, New York Subliners, and Florida Mutineers will be playing for a semifinal spot on Saturday, while the Seattle Surge, Paris Legion, Los Angeles Guerrillas, and OpTic Gaming LA have to face the danger of getting knocked out in the first round. Group A London Royal Ravens 3-1 Seattle Surge Controversy struck early at CDL London, once again involving the Seattle Surge, who had to play the game four Hardpoint on St. Petrograd a man down after Slacked was having some internet issues. According to Slacked, the league did not allow the map to be replayed because internet disconnections are deemed to be the player’s fault, so the result stood, stopping any hopes of a reverse sweep and giving the hosts a 3-1 win. Following the match, Octane, who has been quite outspoken in his criticisms of the CDL before, went on an enraged, profanity-laced rant against the league, as his team has now lost six out of their last seven. Florida Mutineers 3-2 OpTic Gaming LA This was, by far, the series that most fans were looking forward on Friday, as not only were the three-time champions Mutineers back in action, but, perhaps more importantly, it was also the debut of OpTic Gaming’s new-look roster, featuring rookies Drazah and Hollow. The match was an instant classic, going all the way to a game five, round 11, but it was Florida’s championship experience that ultimately gave them the edge at the very end, extending their winning streak to a CDL-high nine matches. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1284255722591657984 Despite the loss, which was OpTic’s fourth in a row, the Green Wall will at least find the silver lining in how well their new signings played against such tough opposition, especially while facing the pressure of replacing a superstar like Dashy and a veteran like Chino. Drazah went a combined 81-78 in both the Hardpoints, including a 30-kill performance in game four, and both he and Hollow yielded a positive K/D in the two Search and Destroy maps – 18-17 and 18-15, respectively. Dallas Empire 3-1 Paris Legion The series spelled doom for the Legion from the very beginning, as Empire took an unbelievable 116-0 lead on their way to handing Paris perhaps the most one-sided Hardpoint loss of the season. The Europeans did tie things up with a win on Gun Runner S&D, which continues to be their one bread-and-butter mode, but Dallas were simply too strong in the respawn maps and took care of business with a 3-1 victory. The loss is Paris’ 11th out of their last 12, a massive slide over the past three months that has seen the team drop all the way down to ninth in the standings, and possibly even lower after this weekend. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1284189947143114753 New York Subliners 3-0 Los Angeles Guerrillas Fresh off their first-ever CDL tournament victory at their own Home Series, the Subliners demolished Guerrillas and fired a warning shot to the rest of the league that they’re still in championship form. The match was pretty much over as soon as it began, New York started off hot on all three maps and never gave Los Angeles the chance to gain a foothold in the series. NYSL have won their fourth-straight opening match in a row, as they’re now one more victory away from their fifth consecutive semifinals appearance. As for Guerrillas, the loss was their fourth in a row, as they’ve now dropped eight consecutive maps and are in danger of sealing their fate as the league’s lowest-seeded team heading into the Playoffs. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1284222720822083584 Looking ahead to Day 2 of CDL London With Day 1 now wrapped up, the stage is set for what should be an exciting and intense set of matches on Saturday. In Group A, the hosts, Royal Ravens, will face the three-time champion Mutineers for a spot in the semifinals, while Surge and OpTic Gaming will make up the first elimination clash. Read More: CDL Playoffs and Champs dates announced – As for Group B, Empire and Subliners both look to stamp their ticket to the next round as the two powerhouse sides will do battle for the first time since Dallas won way back in early March, at the Los Angeles Home Series. For the second-straight event, Legion and Guerrillas will meet in the first round of the lower bracket. At CDL New York, Paris swept LA to survive, but the series was a lot closer than the final 3-0 scoreline would indicate. Day 2 Schedule – July 18 Group A Bracket Group B Bracket Remember, you can watch these matches live and keep up with all of the Call of Duty League action via our CDL London Home Series hub, which includes streams, updated scores, brackets, and more.

CDL London Challengers final placements: Singularity go back-to-back Unsplash/Activision BlizzardThe first Call of Duty League London homestand gave European challenger teams the chance to prove their worth as they battled it out for a split of the $10,000 prize pool and some ranking points. Here’s how they fared. As eight of the best Call of Duty League teams battled it out to be crowned CDL London Champions, with the Chicago Huntsmen coming out on top, the challenger teams grinded away at the same time. Though they may not have gotten the love of the main stage crowd, or viewed by fans worldwide on a stream, the tightly-contested bracket saw some teams build on their trip to Minnesota for CDL Launch Weekend and others make their debut at the Copper Box Arena in London. Teams from across Europe had players representing the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Denmark, and others, as notable teams like Team Singularity, Team WaR, and TrainHard Esports traded blows. In the end, it was Singularity who managed to come out on top – winning back-to-back challenger events. The first-seeded team took down Team TWI, DarkPanda, Elitist, and the Royal Ravens academy squad on their way to the championship bracket. Once there, they finally dropped their first map of the event to TrainHard. They regained though, grabbing a 3-1 semi-final victory before completing the sweep over TrainHard in the grand finals – defeating them with a clean 3-0 scoreline. BACK 2 BACK!!! Incredible performance over the weekend by the team to win CDC London dropping 1 map only! Your 2 time champions: @InsightGawd @JeDetain @EmigrantChain @gothmaple @LukeBidz! #SNGARMY #CDLLondon pic.twitter.com/1wbufHaevR — Team Singularity (@SNG_Esports) February 9, 2020 While the top 24 were handed ranking points, only the top three teams walked away with a cash prize – with the London Royal Ravens Academy squad toppling Team WaR to finish in third. The final standings of all 33 competing teams can be found below this article, with each team having their respective prize pool split and ranking points rewards noted. Just like the Call of Duty League proper, the focus of the challenger teams will have to switch to Atlanta on February 22, where there will be $25,000 up for grabs. Will Team Singularity be able to continue their early dominance in Atlanta? Or will another squad rise up and make a name for themselves? Only time will tell.

CDL London Challengers final placements: FaZe Academy wins fifth event Ugur Akdemir (Unsplash) / Call of Duty League[jwplayer EKw2S6e2]The penultimate Call of Duty League Challengers event has wrapped up as winners of the London Open have now been crowned. Here’s how the action went down across Europe, North America, and the Oceanic region. Modern Warfare’s time in the competitive Call of Duty spotlight has almost come to an end. With just one Open event left, amateur players are closing in on the Challengers Finals starting August 15. Before we get there, however, plenty of money is still up for grabs. Dozens of teams from three major regions battled it out this past weekend in the CDC London Open 2. $7,500 was on the line for North America, $6,000 for Europe, and $1,500 for APAC. While some teams remained dominant from previous weeks, others were able to cause upsets throughout the online brackets. Here’s how everything played out in the latest Challengers Open. CDC London Open NA placements Many familiar faces lined up for the competition this time around, as teams are all looking to peak in time for the biggest Challengers event of the year. Unfortunately for some, such as the UYU squad, championship-caliber form was not quite on display as they dropped out of the loser’s bracket early on. Throughout the North American side of the competition, it was the Atlanta FaZe Academy team that stood tall. The formidable roster pushed through the Winner’s side of the bracket all the way through until the Grand Finals. It was here that they met former champions in Triumph Gaming. Though defeat wasn’t in the cards as they ended a Winner’s bracket curse and managed to close out the overall event win, taking home the lions share of the NA prize pool for their fifth Open win of the year. CDC London Open EU placements Results on the European end were a bit spicier than usual as the expected favorites fell down a peg. Team WaR has been on a tear throughout the Modern Warfare cycle, ever since a third-place finish at the Minnesota Launch Weekend Open. They’ve won all but four Open events over the past six months but their latest hot streak has now come to an end. After five event wins in a row, Team WaR was knocked down to second place in the London Open. ‘Connect 5izzle’ beat them in both the Winner’s Finals and the Grand Finals. Renegades continued their reign over the APAC region this past weekend. Now sitting on a thirteen event win-streak, the team has remained unchallenged in the region throughout the entire Modern Warfare cycle. Competition proved to be extremely close across NA and EU, this time. In just a few short weeks, teams will be battling for more again. A collective $500,000 will be up for grabs as the Challengers Finals kick off on August 15.

CDL launches “It’s Been a While” video series for Stage 4 Major to celebrate LAN return Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League has officially launched a video campaign series to celebrate the league’s return to LAN, called “It’s Been a While,” ahead of the Stage 4 Major. The Stage 4 Major takes place in Arlington, Texas’ Esports Stadium, and is the first LAN event in well over a year, after the entire spectacle was halted due to the global health situation. Fans and players alike have been desperate for the return of LAN events, and with them coming back, the league has filmed a series of short videos to celebrate. Major IV is the penultimate Major before the highly-anticipated but not-yet-announced Call of Duty Championship event, that is sure to feature a huge prize pool and will crown a new team of world champions. Some of the short, comedic videos also see Minnesota RØKKR’s Dillon ‘Attach’ Price showing off his “WFH beard” as well as Dallas Empire’s Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro reluctant to part with his beloved PC on the way to the event. The Stage 4 Major is guaranteed to bring some fire, and you can keep up with all of the action with our dedicated hub for the event, including results, teams, and recaps of each day. With OpTic Chicago, Toronto Ultra, Atlanta FaZe, and more all vying for the top spot, the action is a must-watch — and it’ll all take place on the main stage once again. Be sure to tune in on June 17-20 to see Call of Duty back at its very best. It’s been a while, but CDL is back on LAN.

CDL Launch Weekend stats: Surprise player tops Simp and FormaL ActivisionFollowing Activision’s Call of Duty League Launch Weekend, fans now have an idea of how the Modern Warfare season will shape up — but one surprise player stole the show from some familiar names. Activision’s Call of Duty League Launch Weekend was an all-round success, as strong viewership numbers for the livestream, but particularly the match VODs on their dedicated YouTube channel. With all eyes fixed on how the pros would show as they represented their cities for the first time, each player was looking to put their stamp on the league, But one player, in particular, left his mark on the competition. Plenty of stories emerged from the weekend’s action, from the Huntsmen versus Empire rivalry kicking off to Guerrillas having to forfeit a series-turning map. Yet wuskin’s standout performance seems to have flown completely under the radar. Thanks to Atlanta FaZe’s analyst, ‘Easy Mac,’ CDL fans have been treated to some in-depth statistics on player performance from the opening weekend, which are all tied up in a neat spreadsheet. While the usual suspects appear on the list, such as FaZe’s Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr and Huntsmen’s Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper, wuskin managed to shine bright at the top of the overall kill-to-death ratio leaderboard for the weekend. Marshall proved his worth the most in Domination, after posting a 1.88 K/D for the entire weekend — blowing FormaL’s 1.62 K/D out of the water. While his Hardpoint K/D only just creeped into the top five (at a still outstanding 1.34), the 22-year-old also clocked in an average hill time of 68.5 seconds… Proving that he can play the objective while holding his own in important enemy engagements. Wuskin was pushed down to sixth on the S&D K/D leaderboard by four members of FaZe, who proved dominant in the game type all weekend. After all, Atlanta’s star-studded squad couldn’t have Marshall taking all of the limelight. Of course, stats don’t paint the entire picture, as S&D can come down to pivotal moments. And wuskin ticked that box too, as he managed to pull off a seemingly impossible one-versus-three clutch versus New York Subliners (which also featured in the top five plays of CDL’s Launch weekend). There is no doubt that wuskin showed up on the big stage when it mattered the most. Despite the Brit’s best efforts, Royal Ravens went 3-3 on map count for the weekend. Nonetheless, wuskin and co. will host the next CDL event in London at the Copper Box Arena, in what is set to be a lively trip across the pond for several teams.

CDL: Kenny replaced by Temp on LA Thieves following medical emergency CDLCall of Duty League org Los Angeles Thieves have confirmed that Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda will temporarily replace Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Williams, as the latter recovers from a medical emergency. The LA Thieves, despite incredible anticipation surrounding their return to competitive Call of Duty, have struggled to find consistency in their first Call of Duty League season. They currently sit fifth in Stage 2’s Group A, with a disappointing 1-3 record. Their initial response to the issues was to replace Temp with rookie Venom, but positive results have remained elusive. However, their struggles show no signs of abating, with confirmation late on April 3 that Kenny will be temporarily removed from the roster amid a medical emergency. “Kenny will not be able to compete in tomorrow’s match,” their tweet read. “Temp will be standing in due to his past experience with our team. We can confirm Kenny is safe and recovering. We’ll be closely monitoring his health as we move into the Major.” The game in question is against Los Angeles rivals the LA Guerrillas, with both teams looking to improve their mediocre form to this point. The previous clash between the two teams came at Stage 1’s Major, with the Guerrillas running out 3-0 winners. Due to a non-COVID medical emergency, @Kuavo will not be able to compete in tomorrow’s match. Temp will be standing in due to his past experience with our team. We can confirm Kenny is safe and recovering. We’ll be closely monitoring his health as we move into the Major. — LA Thieves (@LAThieves) April 4, 2021 Kenny is the only teammate affected, so it will be a straight swap for Temp. As the tweet also points out, it is unclear whether Kenny will be available to compete in Stage 2’s Major, which is set to take place from April 7 to 11. His health will be monitored going forwards, and a decision presumably taken closer to the time. LA Thieves roster for the game against the Guerrillas is as follows: Thomas ‘TJHaLy‘ Haly – Austin ‘SlasheR‘ Liddicoat – Carlos ‘Venom‘ Hernandez – Donovan ‘Temp‘ Laroda – We wish Kenny a full and speedy recovery.

FaZe & ROKKR win Stage 2 Groups – CDL Guerrillas Home Series results, highlights, recap CDLThe third and final week of Stage 2 of the 2021 Call of Duty League season is now in the books! Catch up on all of the action with full scores, highlights, daily recaps and more. FaZe & ROKKR top Stage 2 Groups ahead of $500K Major. – OpTic win second eClasico of the season in a five-map thriller. – Guerrillas wrap up impressive week with victories over FaZe & Thieves. – One of the more crazy events in the CDL so far, the Guerrillas Home Series produced some electric and unexpected results ahead of the $500,000 Stage 2 Major. The biggest storyline of the week was LAG handing FaZe their first loss of the season in a five-map thriller, followed by a big sweep over crosstown rivals, the Thieves, to set themselves up as one of the hotter teams heading into the Major. Now that the dust has settled, FaZe emerged on top of Group A as expected; the bigger surprise was ROKKR making their way out as the top seed despite being in an incredibly difficult Group B. CDL Guerrillas Home Series: Results, highlights, recaps Day 1 – Thursday, April 1 Match 1: Empire back on track with statement sweep There were some doubts creeping in about Empire following their recent shaky spell, but a big sweep of the Mutineers sent a statement that the defending champs are back in form. The series wasn’t totally lopsided as Florida put up a decent fight but ultimately fell short to Shotzzy and Co. Uh-oh… @Shotzzy’s getting back to that MVP form 🔥#DefendTheThrone | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/EH00uHf0pd — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 1, 2021 Match 2: OpTic break out of slump with huge sweep In the midst of one of their worst-ever stretches, OpTic regained in a big way with a strong sweep of the Subliners, who had been playing at a very high level coming into Week 3. Comeback wins on Raid HP and Control ensured that Chicago would avoid a three-game losing streak, thanks to some stellar plays from Envoy in the final round. 🔥 @DylanEnvoy goes HUGE to seal OpTic’s sweep!#BrickByBrick | #CDL2021 https://t.co/1JaPS95soo — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 1, 2021 Day 2 – Friday, April 2 Match 1: Ultra shake up Group A with big sweep Two teams trending in opposite directions over recent weeks, it was actually the Ultra who got back on track with a huge 3-0 of Royal Ravens. The victory was not only Toronto’s second in a row after a tough start in Stage 2, but it also leapfrogged them over London based on the tiebreaker, which could be huge for the upcoming Major. Match 2: Guerrillas hand FaZe first loss of 2021 In what was arguably the biggest upset in CDL history, the hosts won a five-map thriller vs the previously undefeated FaZe to snap their 11-match winning streak. After a routine first map win for Atlanta, the rest of the series was anything but, as LAG dominated the final two maps, including a whopping 6-0 on Express S&D. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1378104840233103365 Day 3 – Saturday, April 3 Match 1: Legion further shake up Group B with big win A massive 3-1 victory over the Mutineers saw Legion throw Group B into further chaos as both teams finished their Stage 2 group-play with a 2-3 record. Paris was impressive to say the least, as three players finished with a positive K/D, including Classic putting in a vintage performance with a 36-22 final Hardpoint. Match 2: ROKKR reverse sweep Surge to clinch Winners Bracket spot A wild reverse sweep from ROKKR over Surge gave some clarity to Group B, ensuring that Minnesota, along with OpTic and Empire, would start the Season 2 Major in the Winners Bracket. Surge very much looked like they would play the spoiler, but by the time it got to game five, all the momentum was on the side of ROKKR. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1378473419608633347 Match 3: Subliners stay hot with tidy win over Ultra Subliners kept the pressure on FaZe atop Group A with a convincing 3-1 win over Ultra, as an Atlanta loss on Day 4 means NYSL would finish Stage 2 atop their group. Ultra looked as though they might launch a serious reverse sweep threat before Subliners clutched up to take the final Hardpoint. 🔥 @CammyMVP has been playing at a whole new level ever since he got fined!#SooUltra | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/pL59OUowIt — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 3, 2021 Day 4 – Sunday, April 4 Match 1: FaZe bounce back with dominant sweep After suffering their first loss of the season in a shocking upset, FaZe regained in a big way with a dominant 3-0 of Royal Ravens. London never looked like they had a chance in this match, as Atlanta came out with a fierce vengeance, including a monstrous 14 kill-streak from Arcitys right from the get-go. Pickup of the offseason? @Arcitys with a monster 14-kill streak for @ATLFaZe 🔥#EZAF | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/9M1XBMlN9V — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 4, 2021 Match 2: Guerrillas stay hot with big sweep of Thieves Guerrillas improved to 2-0 against their crosstown Los Angeles rivals with a statement sweep, the second time they’ve 3-0’ed Thieves this year. The series was much tighter than the final scoreline would suggest, but with Temp having to fill in for Kenny due to a medical emergency, LAT were just unable to find a good enough rhythm to clutch up late in maps. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1378821659939987456 Match 3: OpTic get revenge vs Empire in five-map thriller Just as with the first time these two contenders matched up, the second eClasico of the season was a thriller that went the distance, but it was OpTic who came out on top this time around. Scump put in a vintage performance for the Green Wall with impressive showings in the final two maps to ensure that they wouldn’t fall 0-2 to their rivals. Scump REFUSES to go down easily! A huge game out of the King forces game five vs Empire 🔥#OpTicChiTown | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/cSNRG2YazT — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 4, 2021 CDL Guerrillas Home Series: Format & info Location: Online – Prize Pool: N/A – CDL Points: 10 per win – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse*, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Checkmate, Express*, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – *Apocalypse HP & Express S&D were added to the Stage 2 rotation in place of Crossroads & Garrison. Watch live: OpTic starting Stage 2 Major in Losers would be “scary” CDL Guerrillas Home Series essentials Reverse Sweep panel previews CDL Guerrillas Home Series – 5 players to watch at CDL Guerrillas Home Series – What’s wrong with OpTic? Behind the numbers of Chicago’s struggles – ROKKR overtake OpTic in latest CDL Power Rankings – Enable predicts that Dashy will make a comeback in Week 3 – Reverse Sweep’s Enable & Pacman recap CDL Stage 2 Week 2 – Top 10 plays from CDL Stage 2 Week 2 – Watch now: Can Prestinni lead Surge to the Stage 2 Major finals? CDL Guerrillas Home Series: Teams & Lineups Unlike Week 2, which featured a couple of high-profile roster moves, none of the teams made any changes to their starting lineup heading into Week 3. Group A Group B *Starting lineups are not confirmed until the start of each match Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

CDL franchise Minnesota Røkkr partners with ESG to run MW2 Academy team Minnesota ROKKR / CDLThe Minnesota Røkkr Academy team is trading their purple uniforms for the blue and white of ESG (formerly Electrify Steel Gaming) as part of a new partnership. A few Call of Duty League teams took the initiative to invest in academy teams, and the decision is paying dividends. For example, the Los Angeles Guerillas Academy team shined at CDL Major 1, and three players moved up to the CDL roster. The Boston Breach added Ben ‘Beans’ McMellon from its academy team after Anthony ‘Methodz‘ Zinni retired. Beans made an immediate impact, helping lead Boston to a 4-1 record in Major 3 qualifier matches, securing the second seed. Other CDL teams took note and tried their hand at uncovering the next hidden gem. ‘Ghosty,’ ‘Capsidal,’ ‘Hicksy,’ and ‘Capsidal’ all earned roster spots during Major 3 qualifiers after displaying their chops in the amateur division. Minnesota Røkkr announced a new partnership with ESG to help foster their Challengers’ talent. ESG takes over Minnesota Røkkr Academy team On March 8, ESG announced its first competitive Call of Duty roster since the Vanguard season. The Minnesota Røkkr Academy team will officially be rebranded as ESG moving forward. The partnership is strictly the team itself, not other parts of ESG or Røkkr. José ‘ReeaL’ Manuel Fernández, Adam ‘GODRX’ Brown, Kevin ‘Fame’ Bonanno, and Casey ‘Pandur’ Romano comprise the full roster. Form professional CoD player and 2018 World Champion Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo-Palmer, is the head coach of the new ESG roster. With the same roster, Minnesota has performed well in the first few months of Modern Warfare 2. The team placed third at CDL Raleigh, second at CDC Boston, and won the Elite Stage 1 Playoffs. ESG will be competing in the CDC Dallas Open beginning on March 9.

Atlanta FaZe win CDL Florida: results, final placements, highlights CDL[jwplayer DIFSbJn8] Atlanta FaZe are champions of the Florida Home Series, taking down OpTic Gaming Los Angeles 3-1 in the Grand Final to become the second team after Dallas Empire to win two tournaments in the Call of Duty League. Heartbroken from their loss to the Empire in the CDL Chicago Grand Final, Atlanta FaZe got an instant chance at redemption by making it all the way to the final match of the Florida Home Series. As arguably the strongest team in the CDL, they came up against a suddenly-rejuvenated OpTic Gaming LA squad, who were in the midst of their best tournament of the season, by far. BACK ON TOP! #EZAF We are your #CDL2020 Florida Home Series Winners!@Cellium – @majormaniak – @aBeZy – @SimpXO – @Priestahh – @JamesCrowder – @RJTheSlothbear – @Its_EasyMac pic.twitter.com/wOytBlcrcr — Atlanta FaZe (@ATLFaZe) May 11, 2020 The series was the definition of back-and-forth, especially the wild game two Search & Destroy, but FaZe eventually asserted their dominance to win the series 3-1 and claim their second Home Series championship of the season. Having potentially lost the mantle of “best CDL team” to the Empire following CDL Chicago, at least in some fans’ eyes, this victory could be what it takes to push Atlanta back on top. The 50 CDL Points they earned certainly help, as they now sit atop the 2020 season standings. OpTic Gaming doubled their season total with a 30-point haul for their second-place efforts, while the top-four was rounded off by the New York Subliners and Toronto Ultra, who earned 20 points apiece. CDL Florida Home Series final placements CDL Florida Grand Final recap & highlights The Grand Final kicked off on Azhir Cave Hardpoint, a map on which Simp set the HP kill-record the last two times FaZe have played it. However, OGLA were able to handle him and the rest of his Atlanta teammates on their way to a 250-232 victory. Things got a bit nervewracking at the end, as FaZe made a massive comeback to put the pressure on, but cool and composed, OpTic were able to quell the rally and take the 1-0 series lead. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1259638716253036546 One of the most entertaining games of Search and Destroy of this weekend, and maybe the whole season, came on Arklov Peak in map two of the Grand Final. The back-and-forth nailbiter started with a clutch 1v2 from SlasheR to force round 11, a perfect example at the high level he played at for most of CDL Florida 🔥 @SlasheR_AL is playing at a different level this weekend!#OGLA | #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/HLV0dypPnE — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 11, 2020 However, his FaZe counterpart, Cellium, said “what you can do, I can do better,” and pulled off his own 1v2, with a bomb defuse to boot, winning the map 6-5 and tying the series up at one game apiece. [#CDL2020 Florida | Final] WHAT A MAP 🤯@Cellium gets the 1v2 in round 11 to win Arklov Peak 6-5, tying up the series 1-1 vs @OpTicGaming! Next up, Hackney Yard Domination. 📺 Watch live – https://t.co/Lciwhc23jJ pic.twitter.com/IOFN1m7iIq — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 11, 2020 Things calmed down and stuck to the script more in the Hackney Yard Domination, as Atlanta showed just why that’s one of their favorite map-mode combinations with a convincing 170-149 victory, which gave them an all-important 2-1 lead in the series. This one-sided result, combined with the wild S&D win, handed FaZe all the momentum going into St. Petrograd Hardpoint, another one of those map-mode combos that they rarely ever lose. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1259649694835318789 St. Petro Hardpoint would end up being the final game of the CDL Florida Grand Final, as Atlanta flexed their respawn prowess, especially on that map, to clinch the 250-232 win. OpTic did make it interesting towards the end, however, expertly holding off FaZe in the final hills, but their last rotation ended up being just a bit too early, giving their opponents a chance to sneak the final two seconds they needed for the victory. 🚨 BREAKING – @ATLFaZe are your #CDL2020 Florida Home Series champions! Congrats to @SimpXO, @Cellium, @Priestahh, @aBeZy, @majormaniak, and coach @JamesCrowder!#EZAF pic.twitter.com/AvvWjdnQdE — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 11, 2020 CDL Florida final brackets & scores Group A Group B Playoffs Friday, May 8 – Day one recap & highlights Saturday, May 9 – Day two recap & highlights Sunday, May 10 Event coverage & recaps CDL Florida Day 2 recap & highlights – Skrapz misses start of match vs FaZe after bizarre mixup – CDL Florida Day 1 recap & highlights – Nameless explains why OpTic should pick up Loony – CoD League Power Rankings ahead of CDL Florida – 7 players to watch at CDL Florida – Related – The Upset That Created One of CoD’s Greatest Dynasties: With the Florida Home Series now wrapped up, the league’s attention will turn to the Seattle event, taking place on May 22-24. As per usual, only eight of the 12 CDL teams will be competing in the tournament: Chicago Huntsmen, London Royal Ravens, Los Angeles Guerrillas, Minnesota ROKKR, OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, Paris Legion, and the hosts, Seattle Surge. For more details, make sure to check out our Call of Duty League 2020 season hub, which includes the updated CDL standings, full event schedule, and more.

CDL Florida Day 2 recap: OpTic finally dominate, playoff bracket set OpTic Gaming – TwitterThe Championship Bracket is set for the Call of Duty League’s Florida Home Series after an electric second day of action saw only four teams left standing. Following the first four matches of the weekend on May 8, the eight competing teams at CDL Florida came into day two knowing that four of them would be in for an early exit. A total of six matches were played on May 9, with tournament favorites Atlanta FaZe making it to yet another semifinal. While that came as no surprise, the rest of the results did, including both Toronto Ultra and New York Subliners making it to their first-ever semifinals and OpTic Gaming LA just their second. Related – The Upset That Created One of CoD’s Greatest Dynasties: Group A Toronto Ultra 3-1 Minnesota ROKKR Major surprises were in store for day two of CDL Florida, starting with the Ultra’s stunning 3-1 upset victory over ROKKR, who many expected would coast to a semifinal spot once they beat Florida the day prior. Read More: CDL Florida final placements so far – Toronto, who came into the event with just two wins and 20 CDL Points, looked like the better team all series, starting a 250-192 win on Hackney Yard Hardpoint. Minnesota did briefly make it a series with a 6-4 win on Piccadilly Search & Destroy, but their rivals from the north answered back with victories on both Hackney Yard Domination (157-149) and Rammaza HP (250-109). For the Ultra, it was their first-ever trip to a Home Series semifinal, and considering they won’t have to face Atlanta FaZe, there’s a solid chance they could make it all the way to the final match. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1259201792329617408 New York Subliners 3-0 Florida Mutineers Mutineers came into their own Home Series with massive expectations on their shoulders after they had emerged victorious at the last tournament they’d played in – CDL Dallas. A loss to Minnesota on day one put them on the brink of elimination, and things fell apart against the Subliners. Already down 0-1 after losing Rammaza Hardpoint 250-194, Florida blew leads of 4-0 and 5-2 in the following S&D, suffering a heartbreaking loss in round 11. With full momentum on their side, New York blew out the Hackney Yard Dom 177-143 to seal the 3-0 sweep and series victory, sending the hosts to a shocking first-round exit. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1259238513666637826 New York Subliners 3-0 Minnesota ROKKR The Subliners and ROKKR played what might go down as the tightest 3-0 match in Call of Duty history. Despite the one-sided scoreline, the contest was anything but, as Minnesota ended up losing by a combined one point on Hardpoint, one round of S&D, and nine ticks on Domination. An insane comeback on Rammaza HP gave New York the 250-249 map victory, followed by a 6-5 win on St. Petrograd S&D, a game that featured a miraculous 1v4 from Temp. After a fast start for NY on Gun Runner Dom, Minnesota came back to make it a close map, ultimately falling short 159-150. The result means that Subliners will be going to the semifinals of a Home Series for the first time this season, while ROKKR have been eliminated in the group stage for the first time as well. WHAT A 1V4 FROM @Temp 🤯#NYSL | #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/LgaBfTzcYS — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 9, 2020 Group B Atlanta FaZe 3-1 London Royal Ravens Controversy struck early in day two as the match between Royal Ravens and FaZe started without Skrapz due to an unfortunate mixup between the player and CoD League admins. Despite the London players asking for a restart, the league decided that the contest was to be played on, which resulted in an understandably one-sided 250-104 scoreline on Hackney Yard Hardpoint. The Europeans got back into the series with a 6-1 win on Arklov Peak Search & Destroy, but Atlanta’s ability on respawn modes really showed as they sealed the victory with a 155-145 win on Hackney Yard Domination and 250-130 on Gun Runner Hardpoint. OpTic Gaming LA 3-0 Paris Legion There was a lot of pressure on OpTic Gaming coming into this match because a loss would mean that their decision to bench JKap for Chino would have been for naught, at least for this Home Series. However, Los Angeles showed that they could be on the brink of a major turnaround after handing Legion a 3-0 shellacking while facing elimination. Read More: CDL Day 1 recap and highlights – Wins on Rammaza HP (250-231) and Arklov Peak S&D (6-4) gave them a commanding 2-0 lead, but Paris looked very strong in the first half of the St. Petrograd Dom and looked like they were going to get one map back. But a superb second half from OGLA, which included a couple of nasty spawn traps, saw them run away with a 174-133 win and 3-0 series victory. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1259222875346743301 OpTic Gaming LA 3-0 London Royal Ravens These two teams had already faced each other on day one, a tight contest that Royal Ravens won 3-2. This time around, with just one win away from their second-ever semifinal trip, OpTic did not let the Europeans stand in their way. Convincing victories on Azhir Cave HP (250-199) and St. Petrograd S&D (6-1) put them up 2-0, but London seemed to be on their way to getting on the board after taking a 30+ point halftime lead on Hackney Yard Dom. But, just as they did against Legion that match before, the Green Wall put in a monstrous second-half performance that saw them ultimately win 174-154, sealing up the 3-0 series victory and what may have been their most impressive performance to date. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1259259990805708807 Look ahead to Day 3 The playoff bracket is set, and judging by how the tournament has gone so far, don’t expect Championship Sunday to play along with the usual predictions. Of course, FaZe will be favorites going into their match against Subliners, but the last time these two teams met in the Chicago Home Series, New York almost won the series and even 100-point clubbed them. OpTic Gaming face Toronto Ultra in the other semifinal matchup, which means that this weekend’s Grand Final will feature at least one team that hasn’t made it that far yet this season. Playoff bracket Day 3 schedule Remember, you can watch these matches live and keep up with all of the Call of Duty action via our Florida Home Series hub, which includes streams, updated scores, brackets, and more. If you missed any of the day one matches, make sure to check out our CDL Florida May 8 recap, which includes highlights from all four games.

CDL Florida Day 1 recap & highlights: ROKKR dominate, OpTic lose again Minnesota ROKKR / OpTic Gaming The Call of Duty League’s Florida Home Series kicked off on May 8 with four intense matches, setting the stage for what should be an exciting final two days of competition. The first day at a CDL event can be a tricky affair; while teams go in knowing they can’t get eliminated, how they play in their lone match of the day determines the type of pressure they’ll face the rest of the way. Atlanta FaZe, who came into CDL Florida as heavy favorites, won their first-round match, putting them just one more win away from yet another semifinal appearance. The same could not be said for hosts Florida Mutineers, however, who got spanked by Minnesota ROKKR 3-0 and fell to the Losers Bracket at their own Home Series. Group A Toronto Ultra 3-1 New York Subliners Following their addition of Mack into the starting lineup, Subliners looked massively improved at CDL Chicago. However, they didn’t experience similar success in their first round matchup versus Ultra, who looked very strong despite coming in with just two wins on the season. Read More: ACHES & Scump hit out at MW slide mechanic – After falling behind 1-0 in New York’s 250-214 win on Gun Runner Hardpoint, Toronto reeled off three straight map victories: 6-2 on Arklov Peak Search & Destroy, 156-154 on Hackney Yard Domination, and 250-182 on St. Petrograd Hardpoint. The Dom was definitely too close for comfort; the score was still tied with as little as six seconds left, but the northerners pulled off the last-second win to seal the series. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1258918568957218819 Minnesota ROKKR 3-0 Florida Mutineers The most highly-anticipated powerhouse matchup of the day turned out to also be the most one-sided, as ROKKR dealt Mutineers a dominant 3-0 blow that sent the hosts down to the Losers Bracket. The warning signs were there from the beginning as Minnesota took the Ramazza Hardpoint 250-210 followed by a 6-2 win on St Petrograd S&D, taking a commanding 2-0 lead. Florida looked like they were going to try and mount a comeback but the Hackney Yard Domination slipped through their fingers at the last moment, ultimately going the way of their opponents 162-154. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1258938409713885187 Group B Atlanta FaZe 3-1 Paris Legion Coming off of a rare loss in the semifinals of CDL Chicago, FaZe looked to regain in their first-round matchup against Legion, which they did in 3-1 fashion. Despite the scoreline, however, the series was far from one-sided, as the first three maps were very close; Atlanta took the first two maps – 250-212 on Azhir Cave Hardpoint and 6-5 on St. Petrograd SnD – before Paris clawed back with a tight 148-145 win on Gun Runner Domination. However, the European side couldn’t keep up on St Petrograd Hardpoint, falling 250-117 to their North American counterparts. This victory means that FaZe have yet to lose a group play match this season. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1258862246593212418 London Royal Ravens 3-2 OpTic Gaming LA With both Royal Ravens and OpTic Gaming coming off 0-2 duds at CDL Chicago, something had to give in their first-round matchup, which came just days after OGLA decided to drop JKap from the starting lineup in favor of Chino. The series was tied 2-2 after four maps; London took the two Hardpoints 250-194 and 250-185, on Hackney Yard and Gun Runner respectively, while OpTic won the Rammaza S&D 6-2 and Gun Runner Domination 185-136. Seany, Royal Ravens’ newest addition after Rated was dropped, pulled off a tough 1v2 clutch in round 10 of the game five S&D on Piccadilly, a fitting way to end what was a thrilling, back-and-forth match. For the Green Wall, it was another disappointing result – their fourth loss in a row dating back to CDL LA. They’ll look to survive elimination tomorrow when they take on Paris Legion in the Losers Bracket. What a 1v2 defuse clutch from @SeanyCod to win the match for @RoyalRavens 💪#6thRaven | #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/4L41rUIfGr — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 8, 2020 Looking ahead to Day 2 Elimination will come into play on day two of the Florida Home Series as four of the eight teams will find themselves on the outside looking in once the dust settles. Group A will be decided between Toronto Ultra and Minnesota ROKKR, while New York Subliners and hosts Florida Mutineers will both kick off their Losers Bracket runs against each other. On the other side of the bracket, Atlanta FaZe and London Royal Ravens will battle in the Group B final, with the loser having to face the winner of Paris Legion vs OpTic Gaming LA in the Losers Bracket. Group A Bracket Group B Bracket Day 2 Schedule Remember, you can watch these matches live and keep up with all of the Call of Duty action via our CDL Florida hub, which includes streams, updated scores, brackets, and more.

CDL fans rejoice as MW3 devs “actively investigate” snaking ActivisionCDL fans praised Sledgehammer Games for announcing its intentions to investigate snaking in MW3. Sledgehammer Games’ Multiplayer Creative Director Greg Reisdorf and Senior Development Director Adam Iscove sat down with COD content creator ‘Repullze’ to discuss the launch of MW3 and changes players can expect in the future. Most of Repullze’s interview revolved around multiplayer, like the game’s prestige system. However, the devs did shed some light on what CDL fans and players can expect moving forward. First and foremost, we received confirmation that the devs will focus more on Hardpoint spawns once it’s decided what the competitive pool will be. And in a surprising update, Sledgehammer Games provided some insight on one of the most controversial CDL issues over the past few years. MW3 devs confirm snaking investigation Snaking refers to players positioning themselves behind an object on a map and quickly switching between prone and crouching positions. The movement mechanic makes it hard for players to shoot at players behind cover, and pro players commonly took advantage of the mechanic in MW2. This came at the expense of CDL fans, as some community members argued it ruined the viewing experience watching teams engage in snaking battles every round. Sledgehammer Games Multiplayer Creative Director Greg Reisdorf empathized with players and discussed the MW3 movement mechanic with Repullze. CDL Intel posted a clip from the stream and reported: “Sledgehammer devs have confirmed they are ‘actively investigating’ what can be done about snaking.” Reisdorf claimed: “If you are snaking, you intentionally try to mess with the game and get that advantage. So when people see this from the other side and are actually trying to shoot that person, it’s not a great experience and looks kind of weird and funky.” The MW3 developer explained, “We want you to be good at the game. If you can do it, go do it, but at the same time, there is always one player on the other side of it, and we want to make sure that’s a good experience for them, as well.” Sledgehammer Games understands that snaking is part of the game and doesn’t discourage players from taking any advantage they can find, but a line needs to be drawn. “We want you to be good at the game. If you can do it, go do it, but at the same time, there is always one player on the other side of it, and we want to make sure that’s a good experience for them, as well.” As for what can be done to resolve the issue, Reisdorf added: “It is about how often we let you do it. What is going to feel good and what is not going to feel good, and what can we actually do in that situation.” It remains to be seen if the devs have any plans to make any concrete changes before the CDL season starts in December, but fans can at least feel comfortable knowing the MW3 devs are aware of the problem.

CDL fans actually want legendary map removed as it’s ‘worst of all time’ ActivisionSome Call of Duty League fans have called for one of the most legendary COD maps of all time to be removed from the competitive rotation, dubbing it the ‘worst of all time’ for one particular mode. Modern Warfare 3 launched in November 2023, bringing with it all the classic 2009 MW2 maps fully remastered for the modern day. These maps are some of the most iconic in franchise history, with the likes of Terminal, Highrise, and Rust earning a permanent spot in the hearts and memories of Call of Duty players. While most players have loved the inclusion of these classic maps, competitive players have taken issue with some of them — and even want one of the most popular ones removed. CDL fans want Terminal out of map pool After a few weeks of the CDL being back, and several more of testing out all of the maps and modes, several players have earmarked Terminal as a map that needs to be removed. “Is there any chance Terminal Hardpoint is removed from CDL after Major 1,” asked one player on the Call of Duty competitive subreddit. “I genuinely don’t want to play that map, it’s easily one of the worst hardpoint maps of all time.” While you might usually expect such a comment to be met with furore, much of the comments on the post are in agreement. “It’s actually terrible,” said one player. “I like the map for just casual pub play like a Dom maybe but it’s terrible for HP especially in comp.” Others simply added that “every map is terrible,” while debating which maps could possibly replace Terminal if it were to be removed. “Greece will replace it without a doubt,” said one player, with another fan adding that superstar SMGs like HyDra, aBeZy, and Simp would be “licking their chops at Greece.” Whether or not Terminal Hardpoint is actually removed and replaced remains to be seen, but as one of the most iconic maps in the history of the franchise, this could cause a serious divide between competitive and casual players.

Subliners & Ultra win Stage 3 Groups – CDL Dallas Home Series results, highlights, recap CDL / SublinersThe Dallas Empire Home Series – the third and final week of the Call of Duty League season’s Stage Three – has wrapped up! Catch up on all the action with full scores, highlights, daily recaps, and more. Subliners & Ultra clinch top seeds in Groups for $500,000 Stage 3 Major. – FaZe rip OpTic apart, Chicago finishes season-worst 4th in Group B. – Mutineers, Empire, FaZe & Thieves all secure top-three finishes in Groups. – The group-play phase of CDL Stage 3 is now in the books after yet another excited Home Series, which has now determined where all 12 teams will start in the upcoming $500,000 Stage 3 Major. Group A was decided in the weekend’s final match, as Empire toppled ROKKR to secure top-three and the final spot in the Major’s Winners Bracket. As for Group B, a hugely dominant victory for FaZe over OpTic ensured them a top-three finish, while Chicago ended up in the bottom three for the first time this season. CDL Dallas Home Series: Results, highlights, recap DAY 4 – SUNDAY, MAY 9 Match 1: Royal Ravens pile on struggling Surge Royal Ravens ensured they’d be the fifth seed in Group B after defeating the Surge, who finished Stage 3 winless at 0-5 and have now lost six in a row. London dominated the two Hardpoints, one of them being a 100-point club, as Surge keep looking for their first win since adding Decemate. Match 2: FaZe way too much for OpTic to handle In one of the most dominant victories of the season overall, FaZe handed OpTic their third straight loss with an extremely one-sided sweep. 100-point club to start, a four-round margin on S&D, and a perfect Control, the Atlanta stuffed the Green Wall at every turn, not allowing them to even think about a victory. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1391496627626651649 Match 3: Empire get past ROKKR for key Group A win Group A all came down to one final match between Empire and ROKKR, and despite being considered underdogs, Dallas flexed their championship experience for a huge 3-1 win. Minnesota got a chance to start a reverse sweep effort after coming back from 0-2 down in the Control, but the defending champs were able to close it out in game four. HUGE 1v2 for @FeLo, who also gets the ace ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/jAguonPfCy — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 9, 2021 DAY 3 – SATURDAY, MAY 8 Match 1: Ultra finish perfect Stage 3 with Legion sweep Having already clinched the top seed in Group A, Ultra took care of business vs Legion to ensure that they’d be the only team in the CDL to finish Stage 3 undefeated. The series was pretty routine for the unstoppable Ultra, who won their ninth match in a row going back to the Stage 2 Major. Match 2: Subliners spoil Huke’s Thieves debut & clinch Group B Subliners will begin the Stage 3 Major in the second round of the Winners Bracket after they finished off Thieves 3-1 in Huke’s first match since arriving from Empire. The warning signs were there right from the get-go as NY 100-point clubbed LA in the first HP, although the series was pretty tight the rest of the way. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1391132495459069961 Match 3: Mutineers’ tight victory of LAG secures Winners Bracket spot A very tight and back-and-forth match ended up going the way of Mutineers, who will finish Group A in second and start the Stage 3 Major in the Winners Bracket. Big plays from both sides extended the series all the way to game five, but Florida just did enough to gain the final edge once the dust settled. WOW 🤯 Absolutely disgusting shots from @ColtHavok! pic.twitter.com/3cveAJ50xI — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 8, 2021 DAY 2 – FRIDAY, MAY 7 Match 1: FaZe spoil Decemate’s debut in routine win They say “when it rains, it pours,” and it’s raining a lot in Seattle right now after FaZe handed Surge their fifth loss in a row. Decemate’s addition to the lineup was enough to spark an impressive opening Hardpoint victory, but nothing much after that as Atlanta finished off another win by taking the final three maps. Battle of the twins! @Arcitys clutches up for the 1v1 over @Prestinni 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SRf9ItByID — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 7, 2021 Match 2: Mutineers upset Empire in dominant fashion Empire fell to 1-2 since dropping Huke out of their lineup after Mutineers tore them apart in a surprisingly one-sided match. It felt as though Dallas never really got close to winning any of the three maps, and it doesn’t help with the opponents are pulling off 1v3 clutches in S&D. NASTY 1v3 for @CesarSkyz 🔥 *insert “”invested in his game”” joke here* pic.twitter.com/RDGWXIYAIq — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 7, 2021 DAY 1 – THURSDAY, MAY 6 Match 1: ROKKR survive Guerrillas for key Group A win ROKKR ensured themselves at least a fighting chance of finishing in the top three of Group A after muscling out a big 3-2 win over Guerrillas. The series was the definition of back and forth, with the two teams trading blows before Priestahh dropped a whopping 17 kills in game five to clinch the important victory. Match 2: Subliners beat OpTic to clinch Winners Bracket spot Subliners secured a spot in the Stage 3 Major Winners Bracket after taking care of OpTic with a statement 3-1 win. Not wanting to give the Green Wall a potential reverse sweep opportunity after dominating them in the first two maps, New York clutched up in the final moments of game four to grab the victory. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1390432711987404800 CDL Dallas Home Series: Format & info Location: Online – Prize Pool: N/A – CDL Points: 10 per win – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Checkmate, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – Watch now: How Huke will improve LA Thieves CDL Dallas Home Series essentials 5 players to watch during Dallas Home Series – Huke makes LA Thieves an instant CDL contender – Reverse Sweep’s Enable & Pacman preview Dallas Home Series – CDL Power Rankings ahead of Dallas Home Series – LA Thieves sign Huke in place of TJHaLy – Seattle Surge replace Loony with Decemate – CDL Stage 3, Week 2 Team of the Week and MVP – CDL Paris Home Series results & recap – Watch now: OpTic’s biggest test yet? Reverse Sweep previews Dallas Home Series CDL Dallas Home Series: Teams & lineups Despite it already being past the halfway mark of the season, there were a few more big-time roster changes before this event. Seattle Surge dropped Loony and picked up Decemate for their starting lineup, followed by the bombshell transfer of Huke to LA Thieves to replace TJHaLy. GROUP A GROUP B Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

CDL Dallas Day 2 recap: Empire & Huntsmen soar, playoff bracket set Day two of the Dallas Empire Home Series wrapped up on April 11, featuring some intense competitive Call of Duty League action and breathtaking matches. Following the four matches that took place on April 10, the eight competing teams at CDL Dallas came into day two knowing that four of them would not make it out standing. As expected, the two tournament favorites – Dallas Empire and Chicago Huntsmen – both made it to the playoff bracket with relative ease, winning Group A and B respectively. Minnesota ROKKR and Florida Mutineers, the other two teams to survive the group stage, both had to clutch up in the Losers Bracket in order to secure their semifinal spots. Chicago Huntsmen 3-1 Paris Legion After the Huntsmen’s dominant 3-0 sweep of Minnesota ROKKR on day one, most expected them to go through against Paris Legion, who had to survive a game five in their win against Seattle Surge. Things started ominously for Chicago, however, after Paris took a 1-0 lead with a remarkable 250-230 win on Gun Runner Hardpoint. However, thanks to a spectacular ace from Envoy in the subsequent Search & Destroy, the boys in green not only came back to tie the series but were able to ride their momentum to a 3-1 series victory. A huge ace from @DylanEnvoy helps #Huntsmen tie up the series!#CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/hbFDxwA051 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 11, 2020 Dallas Empire 3-2 Toronto Ultra Tournament hosts Dallas Empire’s 3-1 dismantling of Los Angeles Guerrillas on day one led them to a Group A final against Toronto Ultra, who despite their struggles coming in, found themselves in the second round following their 3-2 win over Florida Mutineers. The match was meant to be an easy one for Dallas, and it started that way, as they took a swift 2-0 lead following a 6-2 win on Gun Runner SnD. Ultra tried their best to flip the script by forcing a game five after two round wins of their own, but the Empire’s talent advantage finally showed out in the end as they clutched up to win a series that was a lot closer than it should have been. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1249070058778886144 Minnesota ROKKR 3-2 Seattle Surge With two of the four semifinal spots filled, the attention turned to the losers bracket, starting with a Group B match between ROKKR and Surge that turned into an instant classic. After going down 0-2, Seattle somehow managed to pull out a tie against Minnesota in the map three Domination, the first-ever draw in Call of Duty League history. Read More: Highlights from insane ROKKR vs Surge series – The teams replayed the map, which Surge won, but the intensity didn’t stop there: the subsequent Hardpoint on Hackney Yard featured an equally breathtaking ending, as the boys in blue stole a 250-249 victory. With everything coming down to the fifth game, ROKKR put their foot down and stamped out a 6-2 win to seal the series victory. [#CDL2020 Dallas | Group B] WE HAVE A DRAW!!!@SeattleSurge and @ROKKR tie the Game 3 Domination, so they will replay the map. Watch live ⬇️https://t.co/qaoWVLEi38 pic.twitter.com/rMfqieTHp6 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 11, 2020 Florida Mutineers 3-1 Los Angeles Guerrillas With both of these teams struggling coming into day two, something had to give, and it was ultimately the Mutineers who took control of the match and won 3-1. Things started tight, with each team winning a game apiece, but Florida’s victory St. Petrograd Domination gave them the momentum to finish the series on hackney Yard Hardpoint. With the loss, Guerrillas got eliminated in the first round for the second straight CDL event, following their own Home Series a month earlier. They now sit dead last in the league with a 1-7 record and only 10 points. 😱 @FrostyBB with the HUGE 1v4 clutch to complete his ace for @Mutineers!#CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/CSG9PdfJsG — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 11, 2020 Minnesota ROKKR 3-1 Paris Legion The final match of Group B took place between two teams that both came in with a top-five position in the CDL standings, but it was the ROKKR who stepped up to secure the third semifinal spot. It was a back-and-forth affair to start, with both teams winning one map apiece before Minnesota pulled away with two convincing victories – 176-112 on Gun Runner Domination and 250-167 on St. Petrograd Hardpoint. Read More: 6 players to watch during CDL Dallas – This marks the third consecutive tournament that ROKKR will be guaranteed a top-four finish, having placed fourth at CDL Atlanta and second in Los Angeles. They’ve managed to make it out of group play in every tournament they’ve played so far. As for Paris, it was another disappointing early exit, as they’ve now failed to make it to the playoff bracket in back-to-back events after their surprisingly hot start to the season. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1249158714269093894 Florida Mutineers 3-1 Toronto Ultra The contest for the fourth and final semifinal spot turned out to be a relatively one-sided matchup, as Mutineers took the 3-1 victory against Ultra to secure their place in the playoff bracket. After falling behind 0-2, Toronto managed to temporarily survive elimination with a win in the game three Domination, but a convincing 250-159 Florida win on the subsequent Hardpoint sealed the deal. It was yet another group play exit for the Ultra, who have failed to make it to the semifinals in all three knockout tournaments they’ve played so far. It’s been a tough season for the northerners, who are know tied with Guerrillas for last place with only 10 points and a 1-7 record. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1249191476246073345 Looking ahead to day three The Dallas Empire Home Series playoff bracket is set following the day two matches, as Huntsmen will take on Mutineers followed by the hosts facing ROKKR in the semifinals. Both Chicago and Dallas will be favorites heading into their respective matches, and most fans will hope that things go according to the script so that the two heavyweights face off against each other in the Grand Final. Here is the schedule and bracket heading into the third and final day of action: Remember, you can watch these matches live and keep up with all of the Call of Duty action via our CDL Dallas hub, which includes streams, updated scores, brackets, and more.

CDL community shaken up as players walk away from MW3 ActivisionThe Call of Duty League community suffered a blow ahead of the 2024 season, as talented players Travis ‘Neptune’ McCloud and Colt ‘Havok’ McLendon have decided to walk away before earning another opportunity on the main stage. The dust has finally settled after what turned out to be a crazy Rostermania period. It took months and several surprising twists to get there, but every CDL team has officially announced its roster for Modern Warfare 3. We also now know when the action starts, as the CDL announced that Online Qualifiers for Major 1 begin on December 1. In the aftermath of organizations reporting rosters, players without a spot are forced to scramble and create their own Challengers team ahead of the upcoming campaign. Yet, while it looked as though Neptune and Havok had spots secured to compete in Challengers, both competitors ultimately decided to make a different career choice. Neptune and Havok walk away from Modern Warfare 3 On November 13, The Rotation reported: “Neptune is stepping away from competing in Call of Duty and is allegedly returning to competitive Halo.” This leaves FeLo, MajorManiak, and 2ReaL needing one more player to complete its Challengers team. Then, minutes later, The Rotation dropped another bombshell, confirming: “Havok is stepping away from competing in Call of Duty.” In Havok’s absence, the Challengers insider added that Assault, Exceed, and Brack picked up JurNii as a replacement. Neptune had three stints in the CDL under Florida, New York, and LA Guerillas. Meanwhile, Havok is a longtime veteran and made his competitive debut in 2015. But it wasn’t until 2019 that the talented player got his first chance in the CDL with Florida Mutineers. In 2022, Havok had a short stint with Minnesota before returning to Florida to finish out the season. Community members paid respects to two players who both showed moments of brilliance during their short CDL careers. One fan responded: “I liked Havok as a competitor, but love him as a content creator, so I think this is a good decision.” A second user added: “Havok’s had a ton of success in content. I’m happy for him!” As for Neptune, a fan argued: “Goes to challengers and is by far the best SMG player down there and still not given a spot? He’s returning to Halo, though, so he’ll be good.” Community members are confident that both former Call of Duty League competitors will do just fine in their next chapters.

CDL community shaken as Scump and The Flank are potentially shut down OpTic Gaming / The FlankPopular Call of Duty League podcasts The Breakdown hosted by Scump and The Flank are facing a potential shutdown due to legal action. OpTic Gaming’s Scump and FaZe Clan’s ZooMaa have been a part of the Call of Duty community for over a decade. The former professional players used their knowledge of the game and communities to begin hosting their own spinoff shows of the CDL. These shows would feature watch parties, LAN attendance, and exclusive interviews with current and former players. Both shows are hosted on Twitch despite the CDL having gone back and forth between streaming on the platform and YouTube. Now that the CDL has returned to streaming exclusively on YouTube the two shows are now facing a potential shutdown. This is due to legal action allegedly being taken against them from an, at the moment, unknown source related to the league. Scump and ZooMaa address issues with The Flank and Breakdown The Flank was the firs tto publicly talk about the legal issues that the show was currently facing. In a clip taken from Twitch, ZooMaa breaks down the email he received regarding what content can and can’t be shown on The Flank. “I received an email this morning saying that we are no longer allowed to review gameplay,” said ZooMaa. “We are not even allowed to pull up CDL gameplay, even when the matches are over. Before the games, after the games, doesn’t matter. I can’t be live on Twitch and pull up YouTube.” Shortly after the news of The Flank facing shutdown began to circulate, Scump was pestered on his own stream about the current situation regarding the rival show. That was when he revealed that The Breakdown was also facing a potential shutdown. “It’s not just those guys over there,” said Scump. “We are literally in talks with [ZooMaa] and them, trying to figure out what the f*** we’re gonna do, man. It’s not just them.” Scump claimed. “Trust me, we’re together on this.” There is no concrete reason why both shows may be facing legal issues. However, some have theorized that it is due to both shows receiving more views during watch parties than what the main channel gets. Activision nor the CDL have spoken about the situation surrounding the shows and their futures still remain unknown.

CDL commissioner Johanna Faries on the new format and goal for the 2020 season Activision Blizzard’s decision to launch the Call of Duty League is arguably one of the biggest risks the company has ever taken in esports. That’s because, unlike with the Overwatch League, there are over 10 years of storied history to take into consideration. That daunting prospect doesn’t appear to faze Johanna Faries, the newly crowned commissioner of a league that reportedly requires a $25 million buy-in. She believes that Call of Duty’s universal appeal, one that attracts even sports stars, will make the difference for the CDL. The former NFL vice president of club business development, marketing strategy, and fan development sounds like she has all of the necessary business credentials to make this work, but all eyes will be on her in the first few years of her tenure to see if she can back it up with results. If you haven’t been following esports or you’ve simply missed what’s happened, Activision Blizzard announced in January 2019 that they would be transforming competitive Call of Duty from an Open Circuit system to a city-based franchise model, a format traditionally used by North American sports such as the NFL, NBA, and MLS. Will location-based teams make the difference for an esport that has struggled to emulate the early success it had between 2012 and 2014? The jury is out for now, but one thing fans needn’t worry about is losing out on the ability to compete, no matter what your skill, as the CDL announced on October 18 that they would still be providing open events and online tournaments. Dexerto had the chance to sit down for a chat with Faries to discuss the new format, the goal of the project in 2020, and what the CDL has learned from the Overwatch League. Q. When can we expect teams to officially announce their branding? J: Over the next several weeks, each of the teams will continue to reveal their brand. London has already revealed theirs, they were the first to do so earlier this week, and again throughout the rest of the month, essentially the remaining teams will reveal anything different and exciting. Q. Teams will have home and away events, was there any consideration to work as the Overwatch League did with the first two seasons based out of LA? J: It was always home and away in the city markets for us. We’re excited about the potential to go first and whilst both leagues have a big 2020 ahead of us, it’s cool to think about Call of Duty League now driving that conversation in early 2020 and to light up the city market. That was always part of the philosophy and we love that we can deliver on that prospect. Read More: How to pre-load Modern Warfare early – Q: A total of 26 events announced so far for the first season, what’s the reasoning behind undertaking such a large number? J: I think there was enough excitement by our various teams and ownership groups behind them, that they feel bullish on the opportunity to host two major weekend events in their market. I think they have seen how popular the Call of Duty ecosystem is, not only as a game but also certainly in CWL’s history and to know that there is so much pent-up-demand for fans to want to get involved with this week on a deeper level and to bring it into so many cities in this way, we felt and I know our teams felt that two opportunities to go big in this space made sense for us. Q. Despite 26 events you’re still only starting the season in early 2020, what was the reason for the delay that some are calling too long? We don’t feel that our season’s wait is too much by any stretch, we are excited to start in early 2020 and we are particularly excited about how the three primary tiers of competition are going to intercept across the season – in addition to our home series weekends of pro-match play, to be able to see the challengers amateur pass to pro system, have its own dedicated platform. But also the opportunity to have those major open bracket events take place alongside our pro events throughout the year and thirdly, to see the city circuit which is a new experience for them to be able to converge as well around championship weekend, as its special, its unique and we think that makes sense for all the things we have planned. Q. Creating the format for the Call of Duty League, how much influence did the existing Overwatch League have? We have gained a tremendous amount, that’s one of the benefits of having both of our leagues under the same Activision Blizzard umbrella. The insights of learning what has worked and what has certainly informed how we have approached our own design principles so that Call of Duty brings something unique and fresh to the conversation. One of the most exciting and well-established franchises in all of gaming and entertainment and by virtue of that, we also had the opportunity to think, what’s new? What’s different? What the fitting ‘Call of Duty’ separates us apart from any other league out there. It certainly was a reference point and helped us get smarter, work smarter in a much more efficient way. Then there is a new space that we are starting that’s specific and unique to this league. Q. What is the goal for the Call of Duty League in 2020? J: We want to establish one of the most loved and exciting leagues in the world and a lot of that will react on fandom, both in terms of viewership but also of sentiment and general engagement. In addition to attendance of course, at the event’s that we host – both in our team markets as well as at our mid-season weekends, to make sure that our players feel proud to compete in this league, feel supported, feel excited about repping their cities in a new way. Lastly, that our teams and the organizations behind them feel proud of the investment they’ve made, and that we are starting an entirely new conversation of what it means to be a Call of Duty esports. Q. You’ve had and come from an NFL background, what have been some of the challenges you’ve had learning all about Call of Duty and learning all about esports? J: I’ve been a fan of Call of Duty for as long as it’s been out, I have been familiar with the game and how passionate its players are, the experiences that it offers, that drives frenzy year after year has always been something I am a fan of myself. I think coming from traditional sports, one of the magical elements that appeals to me and I think appeals to so many people broadly about the Call of Duty league is how loved it is by pro-athletes whom I used to work with as well as some of the most famous celebrities and influencers all over the world for well over 15 years now. That’s a really differentiating element for us, and something that we are excited to infuse in this experience. The Call of Duty League begins in 2020, you can find out more about the specific format and how the home and away format will work by viewing our announcement post.

CDL Commissioner confirms Warzone is part of the league’s competitive plans ActivisionThe Call of Duty League’s commissioner, Johanna Faries, has confirmed that Warzone is part of the league’s competitive plans and will be featured in a more “structured” integration moving forward. Activision’s unprecedented success in 2020 could not have been achieved without Warzone. While Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare, the Activision-Blizzard franchised CDL, and Treyarch’s Black Ops Cold War have all been their own successes — Warzone is more than a cherry on top. Regularly near the heights of Twitch’s viewership, the CoD battle royale has amassed both a huge casual community and more dedicated fans committed to watching tournament play. As such, it’s unsurprising that the CDL wants to do more than the casual Warzone content it created in the inaugural season. That content typically spanned getting pro players, coaches, and analysts involved in custom matches on Verdansk. While entertaining, Faries has revealed that the league has much more competitive plans in store for the battle royale. In an interview with ScreenRant, Faries, who heads both the CDL and Overwatch League, expressed that Warzone will be getting more properly integrated into the CDL’s plans: “There are [plans to bring Warzone to Call of Duty League], and we’re excited to announce those plans in the coming weeks and months.” The Head of Leagues continued, contrasting these new plans with the casual content of the inaugural season and confirming that future integration will be much more esports-focused: “We did bring in Warzone related content with our pros last season, but we’ve taken the off-season to think bigger about what a more structured investment could look like. There are really exciting things to come as early as this season.” As mentioned earlier, the CDL’s Warzone content in 2020 was primarily casual. Weekend custom lobbies created some fun clips and moments, but overall didn’t have quite the drawing power of Warzone’s more legitimate esport events. We’ve seen former CDL bench players grow into massive Warzone careers, such as the London Royal Ravens’ Rhys ‘Rated’ Price as well as Charlie ‘MuTeX’ Saouma and Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewren formerly of the Dallas Empire. The league obviously has the talent for appealing Warzone competition, so fans will be antsy to find out exactly what kind of “structured” integration may be coming in the future.

CDL coach Crowder explains why replacing Al Bagra Control would “break” Search & Destroy ActivisionCall of Duty expert and Atlanta FaZe CDL coach Crowder has revealed a huge problem that will stop Himmelmatt Expo from replacing Al-Bagra Fortress Control in the official CDL rules. Al-Bagra Fortress is one of two maps that is used for all three CDL game modes this season. However, Fortress Control is by far the most disliked map and mode combo in both the pro community and the Ranked Play crowd. Himmelmatt Expo’s arrival in Season 2 Reloaded represented the first opportunity for a map to challenge that dreaded combination, and while some pros have admitted that it plays far better than Al-Bagra, Crowder has killed off any hope of the new arrival entering the map pool for the time being. Crowder explains why Himmelmatt Expo Control won’t replace Al-Bagra Fortress The problem stopping Himmelmatt Expo from being added has nothing to do with the map itself. In fact, it’s a problem with Modern Warfare 2 as a whole that has thrown a wrench in the plans. This problem is the infamous ‘killcam glitch’ where, instead of getting a killcam after dying, a person simply spectates an entire portion of the map for several seconds before either being ushered onto their teammate’s POV or respawning, depending on the mode. “Player’s play on the old patch right now,” Crowder explained on stream. “If they want to add the new map in the game, they have to update to the new patch. If you update to the new patch, then you have a deathcam glitch for every single map in the game, including Search & Destroy.” As he summarized, this leaves the Call of Duty League with a huge problem. “If you want to fix Fortress Control, you have to ruin Search & Destroy as a game mode.” There were already complaints of the deathcam glitch causing problems in S&D at the start of the game, well before the arrival of CDL Moshpit or Ranked Play. The free information given by the glitch essentially allows teams to cheat by calling out information that they wouldn’t have without the glitch. In a one-life game mode where info is everything, the impact is simply too big to be overlooked, and that means there’s no chance that Himmelmatt will make the jump into the lineup, at least for the time being.

CDL Chicago Day 2 recap: Huntsmen survive scare, playoff bracket set Call of Duty League Day two of the Chicago Huntsmen Home Series wrapped up on April 25 with some more intense Call of Duty League action, setting the table for what should be an electric Championship Sunday. After the first four matches of day one kicked off CDL Chicago, day two was all about separating the men from the boys as four of the eight competing teams were eliminated. All three tournament favorites – Chicago Huntsmen, Dallas Empire, and Atlanta FaZe – made it to the playoff bracket and they were joined by Seattle Surge, who are in the semifinals for the first time this season. Group A Atlanta FaZe 3-2 New York Subliners Fresh off their upset victory over Huntsmen on day one, Subliners looked poised for a repeat performance against FaZe before getting shut down in game five for a 3-2 loss. Everything about the series was unexpected except for the final result; New York won both Hardpoints, including a shocking 250-84 victory on St. Petrograd, a map-mode combo that Atlanta had never lost on before. Read More: CDL Chicago Day 1 recap & highlights – However, the difference of quality between the two sides finally showed at the end, as FaZe put on a stellar show in the final Search & Destroy on the same map to win 6-1 and lock up their spot in the semifinals. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1254143856028909572 Chicago Huntsmen 3-1 London Royal Ravens Playing in the losers bracket of a tournament for the first time this season, Huntsmen handled the adversity pretty well, taking care of business against their European counterparts to survive at their own event. The series was a lot tighter than the final scoreline would suggest. A back-and-forth 250-243 St. Petrograd Hardpoint went the way of Chicago, followed by a dominant 6-1 win on Gun Runner S&D. London did put up a fight after going down 0-2, as a convincing 195-102 Domination win on St. Petro put them back in the series. In fact, they might have gone on to force a game five if it hadn’t been for one final tick on Rammaza Hardpoint that granted Chicago a 250-235 win. [#CDL2020 Chicago | Group A] WHAT A SERIES! @Huntsmen take down @RoyalRavens 3-1 and advance to the next round of the losers bracket.#6thRaven have been eliminated with 0 CDL points from this event. Stream, brackets, schedule 👉https://t.co/8dJZ9b8oMu pic.twitter.com/Ewu9v9tCxg — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 25, 2020 Things have certainly slowed down for Royal Ravens after their fast start earlier this season. They’ve now earned a combined 10 CDL Points from their past two events, and it looks like their new-look roster with Seany in the starting lineup will take some time to perfect. Chicago Huntsmen 3-1 New York Subliners Huntsmen came into this matchup with only one thing on their mind: revenge. After losing for the first time in group play this season, Chicago exacted vengeance against Subliners to secure the fourth and final semifinal spot. The series was a nailbiter; after the two teams traded shots on Gun Runner Hardpoint (250-195, NY) and Arklov Peak S&D (6-3, CHI), it looked like New York was going to go up 2-1 before Huntsmen stole the Hackney Yard Domination in the final seconds. That evidently was a massive blow on the Subliners’ morale as they didn’t put up much of a fight in the 250-167 Hardpoint on St. Petrograd. Despite their elimination, New York looked a lot better this weekend and it looks as though their decision to bring in Mack for Zer0 will pay off in the long run. HUNTSMEN STEAL THE MAP 3 DOM!!! 🤯#CDL2020 | #BeTheHunter pic.twitter.com/Ic3ME8CK7d — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 26, 2020 Group B Dallas Empire 3-1 vs Seattle Surge Getting the rare chance to contend for a semifinal spot, Surge had to overcome a massive obstacle in the shape of the Empire if they were going to win their group for the first time this season. It looked like an upset could be brewing after Seattle won the Azhir Cave Hardpoint 250-228, but three straight wins from Dallas, including a tight 157-149 on Gun Runner Domination, saw them seal their playoff spot for the third straight event. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1254108867023290370 Los Angeles Guerrillas 3-1 OpTic Gaming LA The second-ever ‘Battle of LA’ rivalry match between Guerrillas and OpTic Gaming looked like it was going to go the same as the first, which ended in a reverse sweep for OGLA. After LAG took a 2-0 lead, including a dominant 6-1 win on Rammaza S&D, the Green Wall mounted a comeback with a 173-148 win on Gun Runner Domination. However, unlike their match at CDL LA, Guerrillas held their ground and won the series 3-1, sending their rivals packing with zero CDL points earned from this event. The result means that OpTic have now been eliminated without any wins at three of the four events they’ve played, once again sparking roster change speculation that has surrounded them for seemingly the entire season. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1254168570248003584 Seattle Surge 3-1 Los Angeles Guerrillas This losers bracket matchup between Surge and Guerrillas was their second meeting of the weekend (SEA won 3-0 on day one) and already their fourth this season, the most between any two teams. It was all Surge for the first two maps, a 250-103 spanking on Rammaze Hardpoint followed by a 6-4 win on Gun Runner S&D. Los Angeles made it a bit interesting with a 170-133 Domination win on St. Petrograd but a 250-223 Hardpoint loss on the same map sealed the deal for Seattle. The boys in blue will celebrate their first-ever trip to the semifinals of the campaign and another 20 valuable CDL Points in the bank, but the bad news is that they’ll have to face someone other than Guerrillas in the next round. They are 4-0 vs LAG but 0-9 against all other teams. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1254210586164056071 Look ahead to Day 3 Playoff bracket Day three schedule Remember, you can watch these matches live and keep up with all of the Call of Duty action via our Chicago Home Series hub, which includes streams, updated scores, brackets, and more. If you missed any of the day one matches, make sure to check out our CDL Chicago April 24 recap, which includes highlights from all four games.

CDL Chicago Day 1 recap & highlights: FaZe dominate, Huntsmen upset again Call of Duty League Day one of the Chicago Huntsmen Home Series wrapped up on April 24, setting the table for what should be an exciting final two days of competitive Call of Duty League action. The Chicago Home Series kicked off with the usual four matches schedule for day one, and while no one’s been eliminated yet, teams came in knowing that anything but a fast start could see them falling short come the weekend. Two of the tournament favorites, Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe, both won their matches in convincing fashion but the third, Chicago Huntsmen, were upset by New York Subliners and will now play in the losers bracket of a tournament for the first time this season. Group A Atlanta FaZe 3-0 London Royal Ravens The action kicked off with a matchup between two teams that hadn’t competed in nearly two months; their last action in the CDL was at the Los Angeles Home Series in early March before the league had restructured to an online format. Read More: CDL power rankings ahead of Chicago event – Despite making a roster change and bringing Seany into the starting lineup for Rated, Royal Ravens found themselves on the wrong end of the same 3-0 shellacking that FaZe have handed many teams so far this season. A spectacular 49-kill effort from Simp in the Azhir Cave Hardpoint set the tone, and things never really looked good for the Europeans after that. The result means that Atlanta will go on to play in the Group A finals on Saturday, while London will be on the brink of elimination in the first round of the losers bracket. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1253786622195388423 Chicago Huntsmen vs New York Subliners The Match of the Day turned out to also be one of the upsets of the season, as New York Subliners handed the hosts a shocking loss in the final game of day one. The series will definitely go down as one of the more nailbiting ones this season; after NY took a commanding 2-0 lead, Huntsmen won the Domination and Hardpoint to tie up the series, the latter coming thanks to a monstrous 10-kill streak from Arcitys. However, Chicago’s reverse sweep effort came up short as Subliners sealed the deal in the Rammaza S&D on the back of some stellar plays from Temp. The result is Huntsmen’s second loss in a row, following their semifinal defeat to Florida Mutineers in the CDL Dallas semifinal. [#CDL2020 Chicago | Group A] GAME 5 ALERT 🚨 @Huntsmen have come back to tie the series 2-2 vs @Subliners, can they complete the reverse sweep? Watch map 5 live – https://t.co/8dJZ9b8oMu pic.twitter.com/swsVz5WTzU — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 25, 2020 Group B Seattle Surge 3-0 Los Angeles Guerrillas Seattle Surge came into this event with only two wins under their belt this season, both coming against Los Angeles Guerrillas. They can now add a third tally after handing Guerrillas yet another 3-0 smacking, which has offered Surge a rare passage to the second round of Group B. The series was closer than the final scoreline would suggest; Seattle barely won the Rammaza Hardpoint 250-248, followed by a 6-3 win on Arklov Peak Search & Destroy and a 172-132 win on Gun Runner Domination. While Surge will celebrate the rare first-round victory, the massive struggles continue for Guerrillas, who have not made it out of group play in any of the three knockout tournaments they’ve played so far. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1253805470634180609 Dallas Empire 3-1 OpTic Gaming LA Despite showing major signs of improvement back at their own Los Angeles Home Series, OpTic Gaming were not able to match the firepower of Dallas Empire, especially with Dashy and SlasheR having seemingly switched roles just days before the tournament. Dallas got off to a fast start as Shotzzy’s 40-kill effort on Gun Runner Hardpoint gave them a 1-0 lead, and even though OGLA tied the series with a convincing 6-1 win on Arklov Peak Search & Destroy, Empire shut down the series with back-to-back wins on Hackney Yard – 155-150 in Domination and 250-208 in Hardpoint. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1253826159357411331 Look ahead to Day 2 Things will get a lot more cutthroat in the second day of action at the Chicago Home Series as four of the eight teams will be eliminated once the six matches are played out. The Group A winners final features Atlanta FaZe against New York Subliners, while hosts Huntsmen, one of the favorites to win the whole event, will have to claw their way out of an early losers bracket matchup vs Royal Ravens. Meanwhile, the Group B winner will be decided between Dallas Empire and Seattle Surge, with the former likely to go into the match as heavy favorites. In the losers bracket, an in-city rivalr match between Guerrillas and OpTic means that at least one of the LA teams will be out on Saturday. Group A bracket Group B bracket Day two schedule Remember, you can watch these matches live and keep up with all of the Call of Duty action via our CDL Chicago hub, which includes streams, updated scores, brackets, and more.

CDL Champs winners will receive a full-size throne that looks insane CDL / Pixabay[jwplayer Gg7daKPM] The Call of Duty League has announced that the winners of the CDL Championship Weekend will not only receive a lion’s share of the $4.6 million prize pool, but also a full-sized throne that, frankly, looks a bit over the top. Eternal glory and large amounts of cash await the last team left standing from the Call of Duty League’s first-ever postseason, the final portion of which is set to take place August 29-30. $1.5 million, a massive trophy, and an elegant-looking ring will be on the line when the final two teams meet in the best-of-nine Championship Grand Final on Sunday, but that’s not all the winners will get. In addition to all those other prizes, the champions will also be awarded with a full-size throne. Yes, a throne – a giant chair that’s big enough for players to sit in, although maybe a bit too ridiculous-looking for anyone to actually do that. This championship throne resembles the type of chair that an exaggerated supervillain might use while trying to carry out his evil plans. It’s got a tall back that reaches considerably higher than the occupant’s head and features a dark color scheme with two giant CDL logos on the sides. On the front side of its back, there’s the large CDL Championship Weekend 2020 logo embossed in gold. That’s not all; Activision have also added a virtual viewer experience in one of the bunkers on the Verdansk map of Warzone battle royale. The Championship Weekend matches will be broadcast live in this bunker, which is also where the winning team will host their virtual trophy celebration since the CDL postseason’s online format won’t allow for a real-life presentation. Here’s a look at the current version of this setting in Warzone, although Activision have said that they might implement more changes to it before the final product makes its appearance over the weekend. The CDL Championship Weekend takes place August 29-30 and will be the culmination of the Call of Duty League’s inaugural 2020 season. Only four teams from the field of 12 remain: Atlanta FaZe, Dallas Empire, Chicago Huntsmen, and London Royal Ravens. FaZe and Empire will be facing off in the Winners Bracket final, with the victor advancing to the best-of-nine Grand Final. The loser will get another chance in the Losers Bracket final, where they’ll play the winner of the match between Huntsmen and Royal Ravens. For more information about this tournament, including streams, a full schedule, bracket, and final placements so far, make sure to visit out CDL Championship Weekend hub.

CDL Champs stream “hack” reveals new Black Ops Cold War teaser Activision[jwplayer br5AuoVJ]The Call of Duty League Championship stream was “hacked” with a video from a mysterious figure, leading the CoD community to a variety of new clues surrounding the upcoming Black Ops Cold War. To unlock the Black Ops Cold War gameplay trailer, players needed to utilize clues in the Pawn Takes Pawn website coupled with hidden ones throughout Call of Duty: Warzone’s Verdansk map. Following the CDL Champs “hack,” that website has returned with a variety of changes and the community’s easter egg hunters are already investigating. The #CDLChamps Grand Final stream was “”hacked”” with this message!#BlackOpsColdWarpic.twitter.com/YQWKw0qrKW — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 30, 2020 The video ends by saying “it’s time to learn the truth. Pawn takes pawn,” which quickly led players back to the website. On said website, the homepage television set and VCR have been replaced with a retro computer, a locked safe, clock, and a document on the left side that leads you to some instructions. Based on those instructions and the sticky note, players discovered that you can enter “Zork” into the computer to activate the terminal and begin discovering a set of easter eggs, whose ultimate reward is currently unknown. The game Zork is one of the earliest interactive fiction titles, which was first released during the Cold War. Following this “hack,” the #BlackOpsColdWar teaser site was updated with a new computer that starts up a stream if you type in ‘zork.’ There are also these notes that can be found on the desk.https://t.co/22jaKOcnUP pic.twitter.com/grBweYI0FU — DEXERTO Call of Duty #Warzone (@DexertoIntel) August 30, 2020 As you make your way through the game, you unlock different achievements. First, you unlock “Opening Move” for joining, then “With Great Effort” for entering a house, “Night Vision” for lighting up a cellar or attic, “Easter Egg” for securing the “jeweled egg,” “Bat Repellent” for obtaining garlic, and “Dungeon Delver” for entering the “Great Underground Empire.” Upon completing all of those, you unlock “Zork Adventurer,” which asks you to provide your real-world mailing address to obtain “the next piece of the puzzle.” For a full guide to completing Zork, you can follow these instructions. With those clues discovered, one of the website’s two pawns, shown near the keyboard, was toppled over. This follows the original easter egg hunt, which knocked down one of six pawns once each day’s clues were completed. Further, a note is shown on the site upon completion, which congratulates players and lets them know that there is “more to come.” Now, players are wondering what the mailing addresses will be used for and if more clues will be revealed tomorrow as an opportunity for the community to knock the second pawn down too. The Black Ops Cold War multiplayer reveal is scheduled for September 9, so fans are speculating over what this hunt could lead to. This article is being updated as more information becomes available.

CDL Champs Pack leaked in Modern Warfare: M4 & HDR Blueprints, ring, more Infinity WardThe conclusion to the inaugural Call of Duty League season is fast approaching and Modern Warfare looks set to receive a unique in-game bundle to celebrate the biggest event of the year. The annual Call of Duty League Championship event is always held to a different pedigree. It’s the final event of each CoD release and it’s where teams truly stake their claim at being the best in the world. While dates have not yet been confirmed for the final post-season event in 2020, Modern Warfare looks to celebrate the occasion. Following the June 29 update, a ‘CDL Champs 2020 Pack’ has been spotted in the game’s files. This new bundle comes with an assortment of cosmetic items along with unique weapon Blueprints. Additionally, 55 player signatures can also be acquired, though it’s unclear how these will be applied in-game. “The CDL Champs 2020 are here,” the bundle’s flavor text reads. With the final regular season Home Series coming to a close on July 26 in Toronto, it’s likely this bundle releases sometime in August once playoff dates are locked in. “Play like a pro with 3 CDL Blueprints with pro-approved attachments.” These Blueprints cover the M4A1 Assault Rifle, the HDR Sniper, and the M19 Handgun. There’s no telling just what attachments may come equipped, though the builds are supposedly from CDL pros themselves. On top of these Blueprints, two weapon charms are also visible in the leaked bundle. One reveals the new design for the 2020 Championship rings. While the other is a commemorative plaque for the inaugural ‘Championship Weekend.’ While not everything was on display, here’s a rundown of all items included in the upcoming CDL Champs 2020 Pack: Three CDL Blueprints (M4A1, HRD, M19). – Two Weapon Charms (CDL Champs 2020 Ring, CDL Champs 2020 Gold). – 55 Player Signatures (From 11 CDL Teams). – Three Calling Cards. – Three Sprays. – Perhaps the most unique inclusion in this bundle is the player signatures. 55 players will have their autographs available to fans in-game. Perhaps they will be available as custom emblems or even sprays. Of note, however, is that only 11 teams will receive this treatment. One of the 12 teams in the 2020 season will miss out for unknown reasons. There’s no telling the exact cost of the bundle just yet, though you can expect to find it in-game when the 2020 CDL playoffs get underway.

CDL Champs announced: Dates, location, tickets ActivisionThe Call of Duty League Championship weekend will return to Southern California for 2022, welcoming CWL fans to sunny Los Angeles. Here’s everything to know from the event venue to ticket sales. LA will be home to the CDL’s last three physical World Championships as it gets set to host the top squads in the league in a familiar venue. Though we still have the New York Subliner’s Stage 4 Major to look forward to at the end of July, Activision is giving CDL audiences a couple of months to sort out their trip to SoCal. Here’s everything you need to know about getting to CDL Champs 2022 to watch Call of Duty’s biggest stars vie for the lion’s share of $250,000. CDL Champs venue Activision are running it back at the USC Galen Center, where the top eight teams in the league will fight for the right to call themselves 2022 CWL Champions. Aside from the 2020 season, Champs graced the City of Angels since 2019, much to the disappointment of those who wanted to see the event played out in London. Regardless, the 2022 CDL campaign will have an exciting conclusion come August when teams fly into the Golden State. CDL Champs dates and format The CDL Championship Weekend will run from August 4 to August 7 when fans will find out who gets to call themselves the best in the league. There will be a couple of format changes compared to what we saw in 2021 that will now have all eight teams in the same bracket to determine the ultimate Call of Duty team. Biggest CDL Champs Playoffs format change: Eight teams will enter Playoffs – Unlike in 2021, the top two seeds will no longer get byes and the bottom two seeds will no longer start in the Losers Bracket. – All eight teams will start in Winners Round 1. – CDL Champs ticket sale Fans will have two opportunities to cop CDL Champs tickets through a pre-sale window on June 27-29 and a general public release set for June 30. Call of Duty fans are excited to see who will be crowned CDL Champs for the 2022 season, and won’t have long to wait ahead of the most prestigious event of the year.

CDL Champs Dallas Empire sign FeLo as substitute Dallas Empire TwitterThe reigning Call of Duty League Champions, Dallas Empire have signed 23-year-old veteran Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson as their first substitute for the upcoming 2021 campaign. FeLo is set to join the Empire as a substitute player after playing for Triumph. A specialist in Search & Destroy, he’s expected to bolster the team’s prowess in the stringent game type now that the league is moving to a 4v4 format. “Bringing FeLo to the team was a natural move for us as we prepare to repeat our championship run from the League’s first season,” Empire’s Head Coach Ray ‘Rambo’ Lussier said. “He’s a world-class Search & Destroy player and helped us prepare for the Grand Finals last year, so we’re expecting great things from him.” Years ago, FeLo made a name for himself online as one of the best S&D players, and the Team Envy-owned org is relying on him to bring a new type of heat to Dallas’ heavy-hitting squad. Welcome the newest member of the Empire, @FeLo! pic.twitter.com/ngl3kFIXGq — Dallas Empire (@DallasEmpire) January 19, 2021 “Blessed to be a part of such a great organization, going to help the boys in any way I can this year,” FeLo said of the announcement. “Thank you guys for all the love.” During the 2020 North American Challengers Final, Triumph managed to claim the top prize of $50,000 while only dropping one map of S&D during their playoff run to first place. While the Empire had one of the strongest overall offenses in the CDL last year, their Search & Destroy was a glaring point in their game that would look shaky against the best in the league. Read more: How to watch CDL Kickoff Classic 2021 – By signing FeLo, Empire gives themselves some flexibility to switch out Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland or Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter for someone that has a wealth of experience navigating S&D. Even after departing with James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks due to the new Black Ops Cold War format, the Empire’s starting roster has to be considered among the strongest in the league. Now Rambo will have to find the best ways to maneuver his five-man squad when going up against tough competitors like Atlanta FaZe, OpTic Chicago, and more. FeLo has signed with Dallas Empire, but the move is pending league approval. Dallas Empire’s 2021 CDL Roster: Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro – Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland – Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal – Ian ‘C6’ Porter – Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson (Substitute) –

CDL Champs Aug 29 recap & highlights: Huntsmen crash out, Grand Final set CDL / Katy Eyre – ESPAT Media [jwplayer sD84salO] The first day of the Call of Duty League Championship Weekend has now wrapped up, which means that there are only two teams left who will battle for the coveted CDL trophy on Sunday. After over half a year of intense, competitive Call of Duty action, the CDL’s inaugural campaign has boiled down to a single match that will decide who the league’s first-ever champions will be. Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe will be the final two sides standing when the Championship Weekend resumes on August 30 for the best-of-nine Grand Final. As for the day one casualties, it was the London Royal Ravens and Chicago Huntsmen who failed to do what it takes to advance, falling in the Losers Bracket fifth round and final, respectively. Chicago Huntsmen 3-1 London Royal Ravens The day started off in the Losers Bracket as Chicago Huntsmen and London Royal Ravens faced elimination straightaway in their fifth-round matchup. It looks as though there might be a major upset brewing after Royal Ravens took an early 1-0 lead, but three straight maps from Huntsmen clinched the series for the favorites. MVP-finalist Envoy was at his usual best, hitting shots that many would consider impossible, while Prestinni’s bold decision to pull out a sniper rifle on the Rammaza Search & Destroy proved to be a crucial tactic. The result was the end of the line for London and their 2020 season. Despite an up-and-down campaign, there’s no doubt that qualifying for the final four was a huge achievement as they finished the CDL postseason in fourth place with a $450,000 share of the prize pool. Dallas Empire 3-2 Atlanta FaZe There are always high expectations when two teams of this caliber match up in the semifinals of a $4.6 million tournament, and this latest chapter of the Atlanta FaZe vs Dallas Empire rivalry didn’t disappoint. After they traded wins on the first two maps, Empire missed a golden opportunity to grab a 2-1 lead after letting FaZe go on a big comeback to win the game three Domination on St. Petrograd. But they made amends with some crucial plays late in the subsequent Gun Runner Hardpoint which led to a last-gasp victory that forced the fifth map. [#CDLChamps | Winners Final] 🚨 Game 5 alert!@ATLFaZe and @DallasEmpire are all tied up heading into one final S&D on Rammaza! Winner advances to the Grand Final and is guaranteed at least $900,000! 📺 https://t.co/H1hNrAzKaK pic.twitter.com/sHrxiqKdqX — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 29, 2020 The final S&D on Rammaza turned into a lesson of what not do if you’re the Atlanta FaZe, as their error-riddled performance led to multiple round losses in which they had at least a two-man advantage. Clayster, who is looking for back-to-back World Championships and his third ring, came up with some huge kills that really opened up opportunities for Empire to clutch out rounds they had no business winning. This version of @Clayster is VERY scary 🔥#BuildAnEmpire | #CDLChamps pic.twitter.com/Qnm75SOcaq — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 29, 2020 Ultimately, and perhaps poetically, it was Dallas’ regular-season MVP, Shotzzy, who won the final 1v1 vs Priestahh to clinch the series and send his team to the first-ever CDL Championship Grand Final. [#CDLChamps | Winners Fina;] EMPIRE MOVE ON!@DallasEmpire get the 3-2 win over @ATLFaZe and advance to the Grand Final!#EZAF will face Huntsmen in the Losers Bracket final. 📰 Brackets & schedule: https://t.co/H1hNrAzKaK pic.twitter.com/vMBXiM1j29 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 29, 2020 Atlanta FaZe 3-1 Chicago Huntsmen It’s only fitting that the CDL postseason featured two different meetings between the Atlanta FaZe and Chicago Huntsment after the highly-anticipated rivalry matchup came into fruition only once during the entire regular season. But just as they did in the fourth round of the Winners Bracket, FaZe took care of business once more in the Losers Bracket final, winning 3-1 in a highly-entertaining affair that was a lot closer than the overall scoreline might suggest. A crucial turning point in the series came in the S&D on Arklov Peak, which saw Atlanta survive several rounds where they had numeric disadvantages only to clutch up in round 11 to tie up the series at one map apiece. [#CDLChamps | Losers Final]@ATLFaZe clutch up in round 11 and tie up the series 1-1 vs @Huntsmen! 📺 https://t.co/H1hNrAzKaK pic.twitter.com/lZzBNN5Yuz — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 29, 2020 After taking control of the second half of Gun Runner Domination and taking a 2-1 lead in the series, the intensity came to a peak in the final moments of the St. Petrograd Hardpoint, which saw the boys in red overcome a big deficit late to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. [#CDLChamps | Losers Final] DOWN GO HUNTSMEN!@ATLFaZe take the series vs Chicago 3-1 and advance to the Grand Final!#Huntsmen have been eliminated and finish in third place.https://t.co/H1hNrAzKaK pic.twitter.com/b4FhuhX8gt — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 29, 2020 It was heartbreak for Huntsmen, whose season of high expectations fell short of its ultimate goal. While their players and fans will both be disappointed, a third-place finish is still very elite, along with the whopping $600,000 share of the prize pool. Looking ahead to the CDL Championship Grand Final It will be the Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe in the CDL Championship Weekend Grand Final on Sunday, August 30, starting at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET. The series will be a best-of-nine with Empire starting up 1-0 on the virtue of them coming out of the Winners Bracket. This means that they’ll only need to win four maps while FaZe will have to take five if they’re to be crowned champions. Here is the order of the game modes that will be played: Map 1—Hardpoint – Map 2—Search and Destroy – Map 3—Domination – Map 4—Hardpoint – Map 5— Search and Destroy – Map 6—Domination – Map 7—Hardpoint – Map 8—Search and Destroy – As far as their meetings this season go, the two have faced each other seven times this season – six in the regular season and once in the Playoffs. Atlanta won five of those regular-season matchups, but their lone loss was a big one – in the Grand Finals of the Chicago Home Series. You can watch that match and get all the information you need about this series via our CDL Championship Weekend hub.

CDL Champs 2023 viewership peaks ahead of last year’s event with major watch time spike Call of Duty League2023’s Call of Duty League Championship Weekend reached a peak viewership record greater than last year’s Champs event and concluded with a significant increase in overall watch time despite ending on one of the shortest Grand Finals to date. 2023’s CDL Champs has wrapped up, and it ultimately resulted in New York Subliners taking home the trophy after a dominant sweep against the Toronto Ultra. Not only did NYSL take home their very first rings, HyDra took home 2023 CDL MVP and KiSMET took out Champs MVP as well. Another interesting fact about the Grand Finals was that it was one of the shortest ever played in CoD history, with the Best of Nine only going to five maps, and the first three being incredibly speedy wins from the Subliners. Despite the finals being exceedingly shortlived, and the schedule being quite packed into a four-day broadcast run, 2023’s CDL Champs overtook last year’s Vanguard event in regard to peak viewership, and also recorded a considerably greater overall watch time to boot. According to Esports Charts, the 2023 Grand Finals drew a total of 294,178 concurrent viewers at its peak, with a total of 4,419,614 hours watched in total throughout the event. This beats last year’s Champs by quite a bit, as Vanguard’s final tournament peaked at 275,244 viewers, with overall hours watched not going above 3.3 million. However, this is not Call of Duty’s peak as a whole. This year’s Major III Finals still holds the records, with the Lower Bracket Finals between fan favorites Atlanta FaZe and OpTic Texas soaring to 335,170 concurrent viewers. Despite the relatively low results in the grand scheme of 2023, it still saw one of the highest Champs Grand Finals viewership since 2020’s CDL Finals which hit over 331,000 viewers. Unfortunately, CDL Champs’ Grand Finals was not the biggest esports event of the weekend. Mobile Legends: Southeast Asia Cup blew every other competition out of the water with 3.65 million viewers at its peak.

CDL Champs 2022 drew CoD’s best viewership since 2020 Modern Warfare season Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League Championship Weekend took place from August 4-7 and, with LA Thieves beating Atlanta FaZe in the grand final, the tournament hit Call of Duty esports’ highest peak viewership in almost two years. With LA Thieves pulling off a formidable turnaround in their season’s fortunes, they became the only team to win multiple champions in Call of Duty: Vanguard, going back-to-back at Major 4 and Championship Weekend. While players and viewers had both shared criticisms of Vanguard throughout the year, they turned out in droves to catch the crowning event at the end of the season, smashing all season-long viewership records and achieving the highest peak viewership numbers in the CDL in around two years. According to statistics from Esports Charts, CDL Champs 2022 had a peak viewership of 275,244, far above and beyond the ~150k that both Major 1 and Major 4 reached. The last time the CDL reached a viewership of that number was the 2020 CoD League Finals, which hit over 331,000 viewers as Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe battled it out for the top spot. For comparison, the 2021 Call of Duty Championship reached a little under 240k peak viewers, showing a decent growth over the year. On the other hand, though, the 2018 world championship wasn’t far off 2020’s viewership with 324k at its peak, so there’s still some growth to be had before the franchise reaches the numbers of yesteryear. Expectations are high for Modern Warfare 2 and, if it can replicate the casual popularity of its namesake and the competitive interest of Modern Warfare 2019, we may well see a boom period for the CDL next year.

CDL Champs 2022: Atlanta FaZe favorites, LA Thieves & Subliners challengers & other key storylines Call of Duty LeagueCDL Champs 2022 will be the 10th world championship tournament in Call of Duty’s lifetime. With over a decade of CoD esports and a foundation that a small handful of our current stars were around to build, it’s the young guns of Atlanta FaZe looking to make history — but their opponents are hoping to play spoiler in CoD’s most unpredictable season to date. The Call of Duty Championship is the main event in the CoD calendar. It’s the crowning moment that follows a hard-fought year of intense Call of Duty action, the defining victory of many players’ careers. CDL Champs 2022 will be no different, with eight teams taking to battle in Los Angeles’ Galen Center from August 4-7, and this time around, any team could take it — though a few will have the weight of expectation on their shoulders. Atlanta FaZe look to make history Atlanta FaZe have been the most outstanding team of the CDL era, a dominant force since franchising was introduced to the esport with multiple championship wins and comparisons to the Complexity and OpTic Gaming dynasties of yesteryear popping up. Despite being favorites at every Major of the 2022 season, they’ve failed to overcome the final hurdle, placing second at Majors 1, 2, and 3, and third at Major 4. Expectations have remained high throughout 2022 for the reigning CDL Champs, and they head into the event as the favorites once again. They have the chance to secure the dynasty moniker once and for all, as well as to become some of the most successful players in CoD history. This would be impressive considering they’re all still relatively new to the pro scene, especially in comparison to the GOATs of the game. LA Thieves the team to beat? LA Thieves stand as perhaps the main team in the way of Atlanta FaZe’s championship hopes. Not many foresaw their Major 4 victory, but their improvements had been clear throughout qualifiers, despite largely flying under the radar. The two teams sit on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning fans will have to wait for the winners’ final for the two to potentially meet — but that could give the best inclination over who’s going to take the championship ring. Simp, Arcitys and aBeZy already have two rings each, but Octane and Kenny have been chasing their first for some years now, and they won’t make it easy for FaZe. NY Subliners aiming to end their miracle run with a bang New York Subliners pulled off a miracle run at Major 4, earning Champs qualification by the skin of their teeth after placing second, and they head into Champs with an incredible amount of momentum and self-belief — not to mention Crimsix, the greatest player of all time. Subliners are 0-3 against FaZe in the season, though the two teams haven’t faced each other since Week 1 of Major 3 qualifiers. In the round 1 matchup, Subliners will have no doubt in their ability to take down the tournament favorites, and with a round 2 face-off against either London Royal Ravens or Seattle Surge, the winner of that match will fancy their chances of reaching the winners’ final. Can OpTic Texas really challenge? OpTic Texas are the most popular team in the CDL and, after winning Major 1, many viewers expected another year of dominance from the team in green. What followed, though, was disappointment and disarray. They placed Top 6 at Majors 2 and 3, with an injury sustained by iLLeY causing problems for the team. His return then pulled OpTic Texas back into the top 4 at Major 4. With more practice under the team’s belt, OpTic fans will have no doubt that the team can win it all, and while it’s not impossible, they’re not carrying the same momentum as FaZe, Thieves, or Subliners. OpTic coach Rambo claimed that Major 4 was just practice for his team — now they’ve got to come out and prove it. What about the rest? The Vanguard season has been the most unpredictable to date, with three winners coming seemingly out of nowhere in LA Thieves, Seattle Surge, and LA Guerrillas. While it’s easy to look at the likes of Atlanta FaZe and say they should be winning the tournament, what happens in practice is far different from how things actually end up happening. It’s more than plausible that the likes of Seattle Surge, Toronto Ultra, and London Royal Ravens will cause some serious upsets. Seattle were the Major 3 winners and have MVP-calibre players on their team in Pred and Sib, while London could be seriously dangerous if they translate their online performances to LAN. Toronto Ultra, runners-up in 2021, have failed to hit their previous-year heights so far in 2022, but the chemistry and composure of this quartet will make for a tough battle for any opponent. Yes, Atlanta FaZe are the favorites — but in Vanguard, and in Call of Duty esports as a whole, being the favorite is almost never a guarantee of success.

Atlanta FaZe win CDL Champs 2021: Final placements, highlights Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League’s 2021 season grand finale, CDL Champs, ended much the way it started — with Atlanta FaZe asserting their dominance. With a $2.5 million prize pool and legacies at stake, FaZe overcame a formidable Toronto Ultra to win the org’s first-ever CoD Champs. FaZe take down Ultra 5-3 to win Grand Finals. – Atlanta leave with $1.2 million and the org’s first CoD Champs trophy. – Ultra finish 2021 in second place, earning $650,000. – After four days of CoD Champs, Atlanta FaZe have finished atop the mountain. The CDL’s scariest lineup, Simp, aBeZy, Cellium, and Arcitys proved why they’ve long been the league’s most worrisome foes by going undefeated through the bracket and taking down the Toronto Ultra in the Grand Finals. CDL Champs 2021 prizing & final placements CDL Champs 2021: results, recaps, and highlights DAY 4 — SUNDAY, AUGUST 22 Grand Finals: FaZe fend off Ultra The most highly anticipated match of the season, the CDL’s two best teams met for a 2021 grand finale and did not disappoint. After Toronto took the first map off FaZe through the entire Champs event, Atlanta returned the favor by rattling off three straight wins. From SimptheJetpacker to talking his sh*t on the Champs stage@SimpXO is on a mission 🗣pic.twitter.com/r1g37TaMhz — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 22, 2021 But Ultra weren’t going to sit back and lose 5-1, as Cammy and Co. went off to bring the series closer. The Ace Man cometh 🥶@CammyMVPpic.twitter.com/OaDqzuyF1n — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 22, 2021 In the end, though, FaZe proved to be too formidable a group — as Cellium and Champs MVP aBeZy showed out and secured FaZe the org’s first-ever Championship. https://twitter.com/DexertoIntel/status/1429561416994983938 DAY 3 — SATURDAY, AUGUST 21 Match 3: Empire denied as Ultra clutch up One of the greatest matches of the year, Empire and Ultra shocked the entire CoD community with a legendary Hardpoint before Toronto clutched up in Game 5 and set themselves up for the Grand Finals. https://twitter.com/DexertoIntel/status/1429234426966429700 Match 2: Ultra get revenge on ROKKR The Battle of the North rematch started similarly, with an Ultra 100-point club, but then ended in favor of Toronto — as the Ultra denied ROKKR and earned a trip to Loser’s Finals. Match 1: FaZe demolish Empire Like their first match, FaZe ended this one in the blink of an eye. With Cellium and Simp combining for a 1.5-plus K/D through the series, Atlanta demolished Dallas to secure their spot on Championship Sunday. Unbelievable S&D. And the MVP @SimpXO talked his talk after FaZe clutched R11 🗣pic.twitter.com/WJuvNKpzgb — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 21, 2021 DAY 2 — FRIDAY, AUGUST 20 Match 4: ROKKR knock out Subliners The rookie SMG duel did not disappoint, as both Standy and HyDra proved to be menaces on the map. But ROKKR won Major V for a reason and that teamwork prevailed in the end. Match 3: OpTic fall to their Toronto kryptonite When does OpTic play? Not until 2022. Chicago historically struggles against Toronto and Day 2 was no exception, as Ultra ruined an incredible Scump performance and sent OpTic packing. “”It comes down to teamwork.””@Bance broke down @TorontoUltra’s win over OpTic for @WorldsBedford 🧠#StrengthInTheNorth | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/9aKtcQQvZo — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 21, 2021 Match 2: Angry FaZe embarrass Subliners Someone joked that this was the first VoD that could be made into a YouTube Short. And they weren’t lying. Simp came out shooting bodies, Arcitys was talking smack, and FaZe demolished NY. Match 1: Empire edge out Ultra in R11 Dallas continued to impress, narrowly defeating a formidable Ultra squad. But one thing stood out above all else: Shotzzy just might be the best player in Call of Duty. Why is @Shotzzy like this… 😱pic.twitter.com/jdKOg5LPeX — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 20, 2021 DAY 1 – THURSDAY, AUGUST 19 Match 1: Empire sweep ROKKR in rematch The first match of CDL Champs 2021 ended almost as quickly as it started, as reigning MVP Shotzzy laid waste to a formerly upsurging ROKKR roster — kicking Minnesota down to the Loser’s Bracket. Match 2: Playoff Paco leads NYSL past OpTic Champs Clayster, Playoff Paco — whoever you want to credit, the Subliners came out and shocked fans by starting their forced honeymoon phase off with a big 3-2 over OpTic. Scump and Co. made it close, but the rookie HyDra was in demon form. OpTic brought it back, but Playoff Paco clutches up 😤 NY win 3-2 & send OpTic to play Mutineers in the Loser’s Bracketpic.twitter.com/i9kWHJY3LO — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 19, 2021 Match 3: ROKKR outlast streaky Thieves The Thieves made it a wildly competitive series, but a lack of cohesion ultimately proved their downfall as ROKKR survived the Hardpoint slaying to keep their CDL Champs hopes alive. Match 4: FormaL wakes up and OpTic put Mutineers to bed Boy oh boy, fans at the arena got treated to an entirely different OpTic team in the team’s elimination match. The team came out hot and everyone, including the notoriously inconsistent FormaL, absolutely popped off to secure a W. OpTic stay alive!@OpTicCHI win 3-1, sending Florida home & giving themselves a chance tomorrow 😤pic.twitter.com/GuRwUZxNry — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 20, 2021 CDL Champs 2021 bracket Watch now: Arcitys: FaZe “Do It Different” From OpTic CDL Champs 2021 format & details Location: Los Angeles – Prize pool: $2.5 million – Format: Double-elimination bracket – Seeding determined by 2021 regular season standings: Top two seeds start in Winners Round 2 – Third-Sixth seeds start in Winners Round 1 – 7th and 8th seeds start in Losers R1 – – Series are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – Grand finals is best-of-nine (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D, Control, S&D, Hardpoint, S&D) – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Watch now: Simp: “Atlanta FaZe NOT A Dynasty… Yet!” CDL Champs 2021 teams & lineups Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

CDL Champs 2021 date potentially leaked by David Vonderhaar COD League/Call of DutyThe dates for the Call of Duty League Championship event for this season have possibly been leaked – by none other than Treyarch Studio Design Director David Vonderhaar. [jwplayer HTC4QIpT] CoD Champs is the biggest event on the Call of Duty calendar, with millions of dollars on the line as the best teams and players in the world go head-to-head. Last season, as Modern Warfare drew to a close, Dallas Empire came out victorious against Atlanta FaZe, capping off a year where both teams were eagerly fighting for the top spot. Dallas took home $1.5m between them and will be raring to go back-to-back this year, too. That said, there’s not much known about this year’s CDL Champs event — or there wasn’t, until now. With the regular season schedule released in full, many fans have been left wondering when the Championship event will take place. While August is always the month it occurs, exact dates have been impossible to come by, but it seems like Treyarch’s beloved Vonderhaar may have accidentally leaked the dates in a post leading up to the first event of the year. In a tweet discussing a gift box from Atlanta FaZe ahead of their Home Series, Vahn showed several sheets full of messages and various tidbits of information. The bribery note read #FaZeUp Good luck to everyone competing in the @CODLeague this year. pic.twitter.com/wZhTR6fPXb — Vahn (@DavidVonderhaar) February 10, 2021 However, what’s most interesting is the card placed at the very bottom on the left side of the photo. If you zoom in, you can see that following a list of the final Home Series events of the season, there is one event that simply says “August 9-15th: CDL.” Most assume this to be the Champs dates, as it fits with the scheduling of previous years. If so, this places it as a week-long spectacle from Monday to Sunday, spreading matches out until the coveted Championship Sunday. This hasn’t been officially confirmed yet though, so take it with a grain of salt. While we don’t know much about the post-season tournament, it’s bound to be an exciting one, and these potential dates can give fans something to set their sights towards. Dexerto reached out to Atlanta FaZe who clarified the dates in the calendar had not been confirmed.

CDL Champs 2020 dates accidentally revealed during New York broadcast Call of Duty League[jwplayer ax5RSODz]The final event of the Modern Warfare cycle appears to be set in stone, as dates for the Call of Duty League Championship event were accidentally revealed early during the CDL New York Home Series broadcast. Champs has always marked the end of a title in the competitive Call of Duty cycle. It’s the most prestigious event of any given year and more is at stake in 2020 than ever before. Teams will be competing for their share of $4.2 million with the overall winning claiming $2 million for themselves. Activision recently confirmed the CDL playoffs, including Champs, will be held online this year. A cosmetic bundle was also made available in Modern Warfare to promote the event. Despite this, exact dates were still not made available. When is CDL Champs 2020? With only three regular-season Home Series events remaining, time was running out. However, during the CDL New York broadcast on July 12, it looks like the official event dates were accidentally revealed early on-stream. During the closing moments of the New York event, a lower third briefly flashed on screen to reveal the Champs dates. If this information holds true, CDL Champs 2020 will take place from Saturday, August 29 to Sunday, August 30. This would leave just two days for the biggest tournament of the year. Less time than regular season Home Series events. Activision has not yet confirmed these dates since the slip-up, however. There’s a good chance that things change as the final two regular-season events take place throughout July. While the exact week may still be up for debate, the month of August appears to be final. Read More: CDL New York Home Series results – Dylan Henderson of the London Royal Ravens also let slip the final day of Modern Warfare competition in a since-deleted tweet. “38 more days we keep fighting brothers,” he said on July 11. This timing would position Champs a week ahead of the dates that appeared during the New York broadcast. Confirmed CDL Champs 2020 format Champs 2020 will include all 12 teams in a double-elimination bracket. Higher ranked teams will automatically advance through the bracket as lower-ranked teams earlier rounds of competition. The top two teams will instantly move through to the winner’s semi-final. Conversely, the bottom four teams will start with just one ‘life’ on the lower side of the bracket. August has been the month highlighted by the League for Champs in 2020. It’s likely that these dates hold true considering where they were revealed, but nothing is official as of writing, however, so do take this information with a grain of salt.

How to get CDL Championship 2024 drops: All viewership rewards & cosmetics Activision2024’s CDL Championship weekend is now in focus and with it, the conclusion of the season as the top eight teams duke it out. While you’re watching you can get your hands on some exclusive rewards, so here is everything you need to know about the rewards on offer. Running from July 18 to July 21, the Champs event is the culmination of the season to crown the best Modern Warfare 3 team as the top eight rosters gather in Texas to fight for their rings. As you watch the action from home, you can also get some free cosmetics, and maybe if you’re lucky a Black Ops 6 beta code, just by watching the event. So here is everything you need to know about CDL Champs 2024’s drops. CDL Championship 2024 viewership drops Each of the four days of Champs will have its own unique set of viewership drops, all of which can be obtained just by viewing the tournament live. Below you can find all of the rewards: July 18 Got Em! Emblem – Watch one hour – 1 Hour Double XP Token – Watch one hour and 30 minutes – Chip Emblem – Watch two hours – 1 hour Double Weapon XP Token – Watch two hours and 30 minutes – Get Turned on Animated Calling Card – Watch three hours – July 19 Champ’s Here Calling Card – Watch one hour – 1 Hour Double XP Token – Watch one hour and 30 minutes – #1 Weapon Sticker – Watch two hours – 1 Hour Double Weapon XP Token – Watch two hours and 30 minutes – Calculated Calling Card – Watch three hours – July 20 Skkrrt Calling Card – Watch one hour – 1 Hour Double XP Token – Watch one hour and 30 minutes – Rent Free Animated Emblem – Watch two hours – 1 Hour Double Weapon XP Token – Watch two hours and 30 minutes – Gold Face Camo – Watch three hours – July 21 Champs 2024 Weapon Sticker – Watch 30 minutes – Give ‘em The Smoke Calling Card – Watch 45 minutes – Next Up Charm – Unlocks at one hour – 1 Hour Double XP & Weapon XP Tokens – Watch one hour and 30 minutes – Brick By Brick – Watch two hours – How to get Black Ops 6 beta codes watching CDL Champs 2024 During Championship Sunday, viewers can become one of 50,000 players to receive a free Black Ops 6 Beta code, and all you have to do is watch. To do so, you’ll need to watch a certain amount of minutes to get a sweeps ticket, and the longer you watch the higher your chance of getting a code becomes. Here are the minutes required: Beta Code Sweeps Ticket #1 – Watch one hour – Beta Code Sweeps Ticket #2 – Watch one hour and 30 minutes – Beta Code Sweeps Tickets #3 – Watch two hours – May the odds be in your favor, but if you’re unlucky in claiming a Beta code, here’s how you can still get in and play Black Ops 6 early.

CDL Challengers team forced to forfeit after using inappropriate language at ROKKR Open Minnesota ROKKR / CDLAs teams compete in the Minnesota ROKKR $75K Challengers Open, a European squad, Team Invicibles, were forced to forfeit a map in their series after shouting inappropriate language. The Minnesota ROKKR $75k Challengers Open not only signifies the return of Call of Duty in-person events, but it marks the first Challengers Open LAN since March of 2020. Spanning a total of three days, April 1 through April 3, non-franchised teams have the opportunity to fight through a grueling open bracket that oftentimes leads to late nights and early mornings. With everything riding on being all to be able to participate in the CDL Pro-AM Classic in May. One of these was a European team, Team Invincibles, who in their match against another squad, Team WaR, were forced to forfeit a map in their series. Team Invincibles forfeit Map 2 at ROKKR Open Brought up by commentator, Nfinity, Team Invincibles forfeited Map 2 in their series versus Team WaR “for misconduct.” Nfinity tweeted, “so Invincibles have forfeited map 2 in the series against Team WaR for misconduct, allegedly after three warnings. Really disappointed in Invincibles if true.” So @Invincibles_CDC have forfeited map 2 in the series against @OfficialTeamWaR for misconduct, allegedly after three warnings. Really disappointed in Invincibles if true. pic.twitter.com/NHlDTjjJk8 — Nfinity (@NfinityBL) April 2, 2022 This was later corroborated by infamous esports’ coach ‘Chitasaz_’ on Twitter, where he gave a bit more detail as to what Team Invincibles were saying during the game that led to the forfeit. “Rafi’s team [Invincibles] won map 1 and got forfeited map 2 for saying ‘r**ped’ when they killed someone.” Rafi team won map 1 & got forfeited map 2 for saying “”R**ped”” When they killed someone — Arian (@Chitsaz_) April 2, 2022 The map forfeit ended up contributing to their eventual elimination from the Challengers bracket as they fell to Team WaR 3-1. At the time of writing this, there has been no word from the CDL on possible further punishment.

CDL Challengers player suspended for 3 months after viciously threatening opponent CDLThe Call of Duty League’s Challengers amateur circuit has suspended player Bryan ‘Jimbo’ Sabman for three-months after he was recorded threatening another competitor in a post-game lobby by saying he was going to “shoot him in the head.” After last week’s Challengers match between amateur team Fantastic Four and Built By Gamers, Jimbo broke the league’s policy on player conduct by threatening former Paris Legion pro Matthew ‘KiSMET’ Tinsley. BBL beat Fantastic 4 in the CDC Elite North America Stage 2 Qualifier on March 13, prompting Jimbo to lash out at KiSMET: “Keep talking like that, you’re going to get shot in the head.” Challengers player ‘Jimbo’ has been suspended by the CDL for three months for threatening @KiSMET6_ after a match. (clip via @COD_Gamepedia)pic.twitter.com/pxPpuXMl2q — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 21, 2021 This didn’t sit well with anyone else in the post-game lobby and, presumably after a report was filed, the league has now responded a week later by suspending the player. The CDL deemed that Jimbo’s comment violated Rule 9.1.3 of the Challengers handbook, which requires players to “settle their differences in a respectful manner and without resort to violence, threats, or intimidation (physical or non-physical).” Call of Duty esports is famous for its wealth of trash-talkers and outspoken personalities but the league has set rules so that conversations don’t spiral into threats of violence. The earliest Jimbo will be eligible to return to Challengers is in June, somewhere between Stage 4 and Stage 5 of the Elite Series. For now, former LA Guerrillas pro Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato will be replacing him on the Fantastic 4 roster, according to CDL news outlet @INTELCallofDuty.

CDL Challengers forces amateur team to play match against cheaters FaZe TestyAn amateur Call of Duty team was apparently forced to play a recent CDL Challengers Cup match against a team that just had a player get caught cheating the round prior. You never want to run into cheaters while playing CoD, be it in Team Deathmatch or Warzone, but being forced to play against a team that’s already been caught doing so is on a whole other level. Apparently, this is just what happened to Challengers Cup team Hope Esports, based on a post from player Chris Abbott, who tweeted images of a conversation with a Gamebattles tournament administrator, confirming that situation. “The kids we’re supposed to play in our next round just got banned for cheating 10 minutes ago!” he wrote. hahahahah the kids we’re supposed to play in our next round just got banned for cheating 10 minutes ago!!!! CoD Gods tried to give me the bracket of death today SHEESH pic.twitter.com/xwczMPw1Hy — Chris (@ChrisRadial) December 12, 2020 Since the other team had a member that had literally just been caught breaking the rules, Abbott asked if his team could be given a free win. Instead, the admin simply replied that the match would be going ahead as scheduled. “So, we have been informed that they can finish this tournament, but he will be banned from the site after this,” the admin replied. “So you’re good to go.” One wouldn’t exactly call being forced to play against confirmed cheaters, “good to go,” and Abbott felt the same way, tweeting that conversation as well saying he “refused” to play against cheating teams back to back. The good news is that Team Hope managed to win both matches on December 12, even if they were forced into a game they felt they shouldn’t have played. BROOOO WHATTTTTT I REFUSE TO PLAY BACK TO BACK CHEATERS WHATTTTT https://t.co/KtZZkUGuax pic.twitter.com/RlrSp90PKV — Chris (@ChrisRadial) December 12, 2020 Based on communications with Abbott, the two teams were letstrythisagain and FF, the latter being the team that Hope was forced to play second, even after having been exposed. A good number of CoD players and fans replied to Abbott agreeing with him that the situation was pretty ridiculous, including Atlanta FaZe’s Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson, but it also sparked a larger conversation about the need for an anti-cheat in Black Ops Cold War. So he’s banned but can finish the tourney LMAOOOO https://t.co/0bt3pOs02m — alec (@Arcitys) December 12, 2020 This is just another instance of what’s been a very turbulent start to the CDL Challengers season, particularly when it comes to the uber-sensitive topic of cheaters and hackers. In the first Challengers Cup, which was held December 5-6, numerous players who appeared to be using third-party software were exposed, leading to a massive outcry from CDL pros about the need for better moderation at the amateur level. Read More: When is Black Ops Cold War Season 1? – They’re not alone; the player-base has been calling out for Activision to create their own anti-cheat system — in the same vein of Valorant’s Vanguard — in order to deal with the hackers that have plagued both multiplayer and Warzone ever since its release. The best we’ve got so far is that the publisher has said they’re working on an anti-cheat software, but when it will be released and how it will operate remain to be seen, and until it does come out, these kinds of issues and problems will just keep popping up in the Call of Duty competitive scene.

CDL Challengers event location sparks surprising debate in CoD community Activision Blizzard / Tim Kiser via Wikimedia CommonsFootage from the inside of the Challengers open bracket tournament at the Call of Duty Launch weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota led to an online debate between members of the CoD and esports communities regarding the venue. On the eve of the launch weekend for the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League, players with pro aspirations have already made their way to the frozen North for the Challengers Open tournament. With $250,000 and a plethora of Challengers points on the line, players arrived at the Minneapolis Armory with their PS4 controllers ready to sign up early on Thursday, January 23. But before matches could take place, footage from the venue appeared online, drawing lots of attention from the gaming community. https://twitter.com/KingGudnite/status/1220419344188035072 The footage comes from Challengers player KingGudnite, a pro player for WolfBlood eSports, who commented that the Challengers games are being played “in a parking garage.” The tweet blew up, drawing lots of commentary about the potential for cold and bad acoustics, while others claimed that the perception of players playing in a parking garage could be a bad look for the league. Well, I’ve been more bearish on Call of Duty League than Overwatch League lately, but after seeing posts about the challengers tournament location and a streaming partner not being announced the day before kickoff, I’m imagining it’s like this right now… pic.twitter.com/pyjgOCztQD — Jacob Wolf 🐝 (@JacobWolf) January 23, 2020 However, many Call of Duty pros chimed in to say that people complaining were overreacting, and that there are no issues of cold affecting the players. Toronto Ultra player Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni said that the “Challengers area is completely fine,” and that the players who were complaining “haven’t seen it in person or will lose in the first round.” The Challengers area is completely fine, checked it out yesterday. The players complaining about it either haven’t seen it in person yet or will lose in the first round as they always do. Ignore the negativity, incredible things are happening. — OpTic Methodz (@Methodz) January 23, 2020 Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewren doubled down on Methodz’s sentiment, saying that Challengers players playing in a $250k open event t complaining about the location are “pathetic.” You’re playing in a $250,000 open event. You’re playing in a $250,000 open event. You’re playing in a $250,000 open event. You’re playing in a $250,000 open event.How some of you are complaining of the location is pathetic. — Tommey (@Tommey) January 23, 2020 The Minnesota ROKKR account confirmed on their Twitter account that the venue is indeed heated, with GM/coach Brian Saintt saying it’s actually a basement and not a parking garage. Esports caster Alex ‘Goldenboy’ Mendez commented on the ROKKR statement, saying that “anyone with common sense” would have known the event is heated, and alleged that the area is only cold now because there are no games going on. Anyone with common sense would have known this. When I used to work events with UMG we wouldn’t turn on the air or heat until the day the event started to conserve. CmonBruh https://t.co/iFbprekWhY — Goldenboy 🇵🇷 (@GoldenboyFTW) January 23, 2020 KingGudnite, who tweeted out the footage that sparked the debate, even replied to the Minnesota franchise’s tweet, confirming that the venue was heated. It’s possible that complaints and outrage towards the Challengers area were compounded by the other issues that the Call of Duty League have experienced heading into Launch Weekend. A massive new patch was released just two days before the first set of games, catching several members of pro teams off guard by how last second it was. On top of that, a plethora of players in Minnesota are furious that their setups aren’t working, leaving them unable to scrim while the ROKKR practice without problem at their training facility. While it appears now that the problems with the Challengers event were perhaps overblown, for a league worth millions of dollars heading into opening weekend, the fewer problems surface this weekend the better.

CDL Challengers Elite Stage 3 playoffs final placements & results ActivisionThe Call of Duty League Challengers Stage 3 Elite is over and done with, with some intense matches between the very best amateur teams across Europe and North America. Throughout the entire Black Ops Cold War season, hundreds of competitors across the world have been battling week in, week out to prove they’re among the very best, attempting to fight their way into the CDL. Dominated by former pros who feel they deserve to be back in the big leagues, and hot young guns just waiting for their opportunity, here are the results from the Elite Stage 3 in EU and NA. NA Challengers Stage 3 Elite placements After finishing 2nd in the regular season, EastR went and took home the lion’s share of the $48k prize pool at Stage 3 playoffs, beating uT Crew 3-1 in the grand final. An evolution of the former WestR team, this squad has been a regular sight in grand finals throughout the season, with some seriously stacked talent. Fantastic Four, a squad stacked with benched CDL talent, came in 5th, while the LAG Academy look like they’re really coming together, pulling a 3rd place finish out of the bag. EU Challengers Stage 3 Elite placements After some time playing together, Amelia Strays finally managed to put all their best traits together to take out Europe’s finest. They beat Elevate 3-2 in an action-packed grand final, naming themselves Challengers champions of Europe in the process. The Spanish sides came out in force once again, too, with Mav3ricks Gaming Club and Team WaR showing that there’s more to European Call of Duty than just the Brits that typically dominate. Those are all of the final placements from the Challengers Stage 3 Elite tournaments in NA and EU. Can these teams keep up their momentum throughout the rest of the season? With the CDL poaching some top amateur talent, we might be seeing a big shake-up going forward.

CDL Challengers Elite Season 1: schedule, teams, format, more ActivisionCall of Duty Challengers Elite is a brand new system for 2021 that aims to push the best amateur teams against one another in a seasonal format. From how you can tune in to a rundown on every team, here’s all there is to know. [jwplayer HTC4QIpT] Most significant Challengers events of the year. – $50,000 up for grabs across both North America and Europe. – Eight best teams in each region competing in a round-robin format. – Outside of the regular Challengers Cup events, there’s far more competition for amateur teams in 2021. The new Elite seasons bring the top eight teams together in NA and EU for an ultimate showdown. $50,000 is on the line, along with a huge pile of Pro Points to help with seeding in future tournaments. There are three intense weeks of action to look forward to and we’ve got the complete rundown below. CDL Challengers Elite Stage 1: Stream The Challengers Elite matches will be streamed live on a brand new channel. Activision has put together a dedicated hub for the amateur scene with broadcasts going out on the Call of Duty Challengers YouTube channel. Not every game will make it onto this broadcast. However, every team is guaranteed to be on stream at least once, regardless of wins and losses. CDL Challengers Elite Stage 1: European Standings CDL Challengers Elite Stage 1: North American Standings CDL Challengers Elite Stage 1: Schedule The first Challengers Elite Stage spans three weeks of action with eight games played each day. This means each squad will be competing twice on each day of action. Read More: CDL Opening Weekend Schedule – EU and NA both kicked off on February 9. Below is a complete rundown on every matchup from week two of season one. Europe – Week Two: Tuesday, February 16. Europe – Week Two: Wednesday, February 17. North America – Week Two: Tuesday, February 16. North America – Week Two: Wednesday, February 17. CDL Challengers Elite Stage 1: Format Location: Online – Prize Pool: $50,000 per region – Pro points: 49,000 per region – At the end of the regular season: 8th-7th are relegated. – 3rd-6th compete in Knockout Bracket (5th-6th are also relegated. 3rd-4th advance to Playoff Bracket). – 1st-4th compete in Playoff Bracket. – 1st-2nd retain spot for Stage 2. – – CDL Challengers Elite Stage 1: Teams & Players There are 16 teams competing in the first Stage of Challengers Elite. Eight teams across North America and eight across Europe. You can find the full list of every lineup below.

CDL Challengers Cup #5 final placements: new champions crowned ActivisionThe fifth Challengers Cup is now in the books as brand new teams in NYSL Academy and RAMS claimed their first event wins of the Black Ops Cold War cycle, while Renegades took down Chiefs in one of the closest APAC finals yet. WestR finished Top 16 for the first time in Black Ops Cold War as Slammed-xD ended their four-event winning streak. – NYSL Academy won in NA for the first time while RAMS won for the first time in EU. – APAC Grand Finals went the distance as Renegades narrowly edged out Chiefs in a grueling 10 map series. – Challengers Cup #5 Final Placements Hundreds of amateur CoD teams lined up for an intense weekend of competition across NA, EU, and APAC. While a collective $6,500 was up for grabs this time around, Challengers Points were the main draw once again as players look to secure their spot in the upcoming Challengers Elite competition. North America Europe Asia Pacific Challengers Cup #5 Results & Recap The biggest storyline coming out of Challengers this week was WestR’s run finally coming to an end. After a four-event winning streak, the amateur lineup was turning heads, even the likes of OpTic Chicago began to hype them up. However, it was Slammed-xD who put a stop to their winning ways before ultimately finishing in fourth place. Meanwhile, the New York Subliners Academy squad locked in their spot in the NA Grand Finals against uT Crew. Ultimately, the Subliners claimed their first Challengers Cup, coming out on top with a 3-1 map count in the final series. After four weeks of placing inside the Top 8, RAMS finally closed out their first Challengers Cup victory in the EU competition. They pushed through the winner’s bracket and eventually took down former champions Obtained Esports in a thrilling 10 map series. Two of the top dogs in APAC continued to excel this week as Renegades and Chiefs once again made it to another Grand Final. This time, it was Chiefs that had the advantage coming through the winner’s bracket. However, Renegades fought back, winning two consecutive best of fives that both went the distance.

CDL Challengers Cup #4 final placements: WestR’s reign continues ActivisionWestR, House Tarth, and Renegades have all come away as champions in their respective regions as the fourth Black Ops Cold War Challengers Cup event is now in the books. WestR continues to be the most dominant force in NA, taking home their fourth consecutive Challengers Cup victory. – House Tarth finally get back atop the EU region with an impressive upper bracket run over former champions. – Renegades reclaim the throne in APAC, taking down VOID Collective in the Grand Finals. – Final placements Just under 1,000 teams competed around the world as the weekend-long event offered up pro points alongside the standard prize pool. No different from earlier Challengers Cups, $2,500 was on the line across NA and EU while APAC battled it out for a share in $1,500. Challengers Cup #4 Results & Recap The fourth Challengers Cup event kicked off on January 16 and came to a close just one day later. Hundreds of teams duked it out though a number of familiar names topped the pack once again across all three regions. WestR once again proved to be an unstoppable force in NA. The reigning champs cruised through this week’s upper bracket without much difficulty. Despite a remarkable showing from NSYL Academy on their way through the lower bracket, they couldn’t quite matchup in the Grand Finals. On the EU side, House Tarth climbed their way back to the top spot after two weeks of finishing in the Top 6. They took down Connect 4 in back to back matchups, winning 3-2 in the Winner’s Finals and then 3-1 in the Grand Finals. Similarly, Renegades pushed back to the top of the APAC region after their extraordinary winning streak came to an end in Challengers Cup 3. They took down VOID Collective 3-1 in the final series.

CDL Challengers Cup #3 final placements: WestR wins third straight event ActivisionThe third Challengers event of the Black Ops Cold War cycle is all wrapped up as dominant champs remained on top in North America while other regions saw drastic upsets. Here’s how everything played out. With a new competitive year comes all-new tournaments for the world’s best Call of Duty players. With Black Ops Cold War now in focus, the third Challengers event of the latest cycle is now in the books. 2021 just opened with a bang as WestR continued to reign supreme in NA while underdogs secured their first victories in EU and APAC. Over a thousand teams were lined up for action this past weekend. After a few days of heated competition, we’ve got you covered with all of the results. NA Challengers Cup #3 Results The NA leg of the latest Challengers Cup saw some familiar names taking out the top spot once again. The boys under the WestR banners cruised through another upper bracket run before taking out their third consecutive trophy. UT Crew managed to secure a spot in the Grand Finals for the first time, but they couldn’t keep their momentum going. While the final result was a 3-0 scoreline, that doesn’t accurately reflect how close things were. The S&D came within a few rounds while the Control went all the way to a fifth round. It’s clear there is some heavy competition at the top, but this week was WestR’s once again. EU Challengers Cup #3 Results After back to back top-eight finishes, it was finally time for Obtained Esports to shine in Cup #3. They had some nail-biting matchups on their way through the upper bracket, but the amateur roster was able to close the show and secure their first victory. The Grand Final series saw the young squad up against Team eMpted who had just won four consecutive games in the lower bracket. However, it was a short-lived affair as Obtained closed things out 3-1. While veteran players like Dqvee and JurNii finished among the top eight this time around, it simply wasn’t enough to keep up. APAC Challengers Cup #3 Results In the APAC region, new champs were crowned for the first time since local Challengers events began in April 2020. While Renegades recruited the help of former CDL talent this year, their extraordinary winning streak finally came to an end in Cup #3. They were knocked out in fourth place at the hands of Equilibrium. Ultimately, however, it was VOID and the Chiefs Esports Club in the final showdown. Despite losing the first bo5 series, it was the Chiefs that managed to come out on top. Winning their first Call of Duty event since 2017.

CDL Challengers Champs final placements: NA, EU, APAC results ActivisionWith the CDL’s regular season finished and the lead-up to the CDL Playoffs underway, the best Challengers teams in the world took to the server to prove they’re worthy of spots in the big leagues. We’ve seen countless talents rise up from the Challengers ranks and become dominant CDL names since the launch of the league in 2020. It goes to show just how many insane Call of Duty players there are out there, with so many names fighting to earn their spot among the best. Across North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific regions, many top players etched their names in the history books, putting on a show and letting their gameplay explain why they should be in the league. Here are the top placements in each region, but you can also find full results at CoD Gamepedia. NA Call of Duty Challengers finals results The players of ‘We Are Trying Now’ — formerly the New York Subliners Academy team — took home the gold and the lion’s share of the grand prize in North America. They dropped just six maps across the entire tournament, but won 3-0 in both the Winners Final and Grand Final, topping off a dominant run. EU Call of Duty Challengers finals results One of the most exciting grand finals you’ll see in a long time, Atlas Lions beat Amelia Strays in back-to-back best of fives to be named champions of Europe. They’ve made a habit of doing it the hard way, but Atlas Lions are full of insane talent, and CDL scouts will have been watching the players from both teams intently. APAC Call of Duty Challengers finals results Who else but Renegades? They’ve won just about everything this season, and not one person was surprised to see them lift the trophy once again at the Challengers Finals.They lost two maps the entire tournament — both to second place Vertex Gaming — to ensure there were absolutely no question marks over who the best team in the APAC region is. Don’t be surprised to see some of the above players take to the CDL stage next season, especially if the highly anticipated league expansion does happen. There’s some serious talent in the Challengers scene, and impressive performances here might have just earned them some huge contracts.

CDL Challengers $500K Finals: full results, recap, more Call of Duty LeagueThe last Challengers event of the Modern Warfare era has come to a close as the best teams across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific have been crowned in the $500K Finals event. Here’s how the biggest amateur competition of the year unfolded. While various teams have dominated Challengers competitions throughout the year, no amateur tournament was more important than the Finals. With $500K up for grabs across the three major regions, more was on the line than any other event in the Modern Warfare cycle. 32 squads in NA, 32 in EU, and 16 in APAC all battled it out for their shot at glory. However, only one team in each region could go down as the top dogs of the first year in the Challengers scene. Not only that but with the Call of Duty League offseason fast approaching, standout players would be looking to put on a show for potential scouts eyeing new talent. Some players continued their remarkable form through the final event while others came through with surprising results. Here’s how the final Challengers event of the year played out. CDC Finals NA results FINALLY THE BEST IN NORTH AMERICA. WE ARE YOUR NA COD CHALLENGERS CHAMPIONS! 🏆 @Diamondcon_ 🏆 @FeLo 🏆 @Nagafen 🏆 @SaugaRoyalty 🏆 @Staaandy 🏆 @Mochila #TogetherWeTriumph pic.twitter.com/OgwZolnAbr— Triumph 🦌 (@TriumphGamingGG) August 16, 2020 The North American side of the competition saw some veterans clash with up and comers for the biggest chunk of the prize pool. $250,000 was available in the Finals and plenty of big names were ready to give it their all. Atlanta FaZe Academy had won a majority of the Challengers events throughout the year, however, the formidable squad fell to fourth place when it mattered most. Having not closed out an event win since May, it was the Triumph roster that managed to walk away as champions in the Finals. The team blitzed through AF Academy with a 3-1 win before going flawless in the winner’s finals. They met Carnage Gaming in the grand finals but kept the momentum going. Ultimately, they clinched another consecutive series win to take their spot atop the NA scene for the biggest Modern Warfare event of the year. The Top 8 placements for the final NA Finals can be seen below: CDC Finals EU results 🏆WE ARE YOUR CALL OF DUTY CHAMPIONS!! 🏆 🥇 @SteVortex (Captain) 🥇 @Dqvee 🥇 @BSDenza 🥇 @HWPayne7 🥇 @AstrosInMyAfro 🥇 @AdamJamesRoper (Coach)””THE DYNASTY HAS BEEN CEMENTED”” pic.twitter.com/MWs9oA2VZ8 — Team WaR (@OfficialTeamWaR) August 16, 2020 With $200,000 on the line, more than every other EU event throughout 2020 combined, competition was fierce in the Challengers Finals. Similar to Triumph in NA, Team Singularity hadn’t won an EU competition since April. However, they came out firing on all cylinders ready to win the big showdown. They won through their group bracket only dropping a single map before the winner’s finals. It was here that they took down the most successful squad in the region with a 3-1 win over Team WaR. Dropping to the lower bracket, WaR pushed through the adversity and narrowly secured a 3-2 victory over Connect 5 to clinch a spot in the Grand Final. While they had to win two best of five matches against a roster that had just toppled them, Team WaR did just that. They won both series with a 3-1 map count, solidifying their spot as the top EU lineup of the Modern Warfare era. The Top 8 placements for the final EU Finals can be seen below: CDC Finals APAC results PERFECTION ACHIEVED!#RNGCOD IS YOUR APAC COD CHALLENGERS CHAMPIONS!@Fighta71 @Setzyy @Pred__AGz @Crimzaah_ @DSwiftyy #CDL2020 #QUESTFORPERFECTION #RNGFAM #RNGWIN pic.twitter.com/kdLllfDP0C — Renegades (@Renegades) August 16, 2020 Only 16 teams made it through to the Finals tournament in the Asia Pacific region. Though one roster continued to stand head and shoulders above the rest. Renegades managed to dominate the competition once again, taking home the biggest share of the prize pool and cementing a flawless year overall. The team was certainly pushed this time around, having to fight through the lower bracket, though the result of the grand final series was never in question. Renegades were the only squad across any region that went undefeated at Challengers events in 2020. The Top 8 placements for the final APAC Finals can be seen below: There’s no telling how the Challengers structure may be shaken up as we transition to the 2020 CoD release. Modern Warfare’s Finals could very well be the last event we see until the new year. With the CDL Playoffs just days away, the first major offseason in the league is fast approaching. Perhaps many of these dominant Challengers teams will finally get a crack against the very best players in the world.

CDL Call of Duty League 2020 season: standings, schedule, format, more Call of Duty League[jwplayer DIFSbJn8] The inaugural 2020 season of the newly-formed CoD League is now underway and we’ve got everything you need to know, including updated standings, the full tournament schedule, the official format and ruleset, and more. UPDATE – Due to the ongoing global issues, the CDL has announced that all events will be played online for the 2020 season. 2020 might go down as the most important year for competitive CoD, as the esport debuted its new home-and-away franchise-based Call of Duty League. Featuring 12 teams based in 11 cities, the CDL represents the new era of CoD esports, made up of three important pillars: the pro circuit, amateur Challengers division, and the fans. Starting from January and continuing until well into August, the CDL . Below, you can find everything you need to know about the inaugural 2020 campaign. Jump to section: Standings Here are the final standings for the CDL 2020 regular season, last updated following the CDL Toronto Home Series. For information about how points work and the playoff structure, read the Format & Point Structure section below. CDL Home Series winners: Florida Mutineers (3): Dallas, Minnesota, Paris – Dallas Empire (3): Los Angeles, Chicago, London – Atlanta FaZe (2): Atlanta, Florida – Chicago Huntsmen (2): London, Seattle – New York Subliners (1): New York – Toronto Ultra (1): Toronto – Event Schedule The 2020 CDL season is made up of 13 regular-season events — the Launch Weekend and 12 other tournaments that will be hosted by the different franchises. A full schedule for all of these events can be found below, including the teams that have been chosen to compete at each. For your convenience, for the tournaments that have already taken place, we have linked our full coverage hubs, which include rebroadcasts of all the action, scores, top plays, interviews, and more. LAUNCH WEEKEND – MINNESOTA RØKKR – COVERAGE HUB Dates: January 24-26 The first-ever event of the CDL was also the only one that didn’t feature a tournament-style format. All 12 teams participated and each played two matches against pre-determined opponents. Four teams (FaZe, Huntsmen, ROKKR, and Legion) finished the weekend 2-0 while another four (Empire, Subliners, OpTic, and Surge) went winless at 0-2. Each win was worth 10 points, setting up the undefeated teams as early leaders in the season standings. Teams: Atlanta FaZe (2-0) – Chicago Huntsmen (2-0) – Dallas Empire (0-2) – Florida Mutineers (1-1) – London Royal Ravens (1-1) – Los Angeles Guerrillas (1-1) – Minnesota RØKKR (2-0) – New York Subliners (0-2) – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (0-2) – Paris Legion (2-0) – Seattle Surge (0-2) – Toronto ULTRA (1-1) – LONDON ROYAL RAVENS HOME SERIES – COVERAGE HUB The first tournament-style event of the 2020 CDL season saw Chicago Huntsmen crowned champions. Their 3-0 domination of the Empire in the grand final was their third win over Dallas just at this event alone and their fourth consecutive victory in the rivalry to start the season. The top-four was rounded off with the two European sides – hosts London Royal Ravens and Paris Legion – who both crashed out in the semifinals after making it out of Group B. Dates: February 8-9 Final placements: Chicago Huntsmen (+50 points) – Dallas Empire (+30 points) – London Royal Ravens (+20 points) – Paris Legion (+20 points) – Seattle Surge (+10 points) – New York Subliners (+10 points) – Los Angeles Guerrillas (+0 points) – Toronto ULTRA (+0 points) – ATLANTA FAZE HOME SERIES – COVERAGE HUB The CDL World Tour stopped at Atlanta, Georgia for its third event, and the Atlanta FaZe became the first franchise in the league’s young history to win as the hometown team. As expected, they made it all the way to the Grand Final, however, contrary to most predicted, their opponents ended up not being the Chicago Huntsmen, who were stunningly upset in the semifinals and handed their first-ever loss by the Florida Mutineers. FaZe took care of business in the final against the Mutineers, destroying them in 3-0 fashion. The top-four was rounded off by Minnesota ROKKR, who too were an underdog coming out of the group stage. Full event recap, scores, brackets, and more Dates: February 22-23 Final Placements: Atlanta FaZe (+50 points) – Florida Mutineers (+30) – Chicago Huntsmen (+20) – Minnesota ROKKR (+20) – London Royal Ravens (+10) – Paris Legion (+10) – Toronto Ultra (+0) – OpTic Gaming (+0) – LOS ANGELES GUERRILLAS & OPTIC GAMING LA HOME SERIES – COVERAGE HUB The fourth Home Series of the 2020 season took place in Los Angeles, CA, hosted by the two hometown teams Guerrillas and OpTic Gaming. Dallas Empire were crowned victors, defeating Minnesota ROKKR in what ended up being an intense Grand Final. Atlanta FaZe, who were heavily favored to win the event, ended up falling in the semifinals, taking just their first loss of the season. On the flip side, OpTic, who came into the event as the lone winless team, snagged two victories and made it all the way to the semis, a huge improvement over their dreadful start to the campaign. Full event recap, highlights, scores, brackets, and more Dates: March 7-8 Final Placements: Dallas Empire (+50 points) – Minnesota ROKKR (+30) – Atlanta FaZe (+20) – OpTic Gaming LA (+20) – Seattle Surge (+10) – Florida Mutineers (+10) – LA Guerrillas (+0) – New York Subliners (+0) – DALLAS EMPIRE HOME SERIES (Online) The first tournament since the CDL restructured to an online format turned out to be the most surprising one of the season so far, as Florida Mutineers claimed victory despite being the fifth-best team at the event in terms of standings. Favorites Chicago Huntsmen and Dallas Empire both lost in the semifinals, to Mutineers and Minnesota ROKKR respectively, and the Grand Final turned out to be relatively one-sided, as Florida dominated the last three maps to win 3-1. For a full recap of the event, check out our CDL Dallas post-event hub, which includes highlights, scores, brackets, and more. Dates: April 10-12 Final Placements: Florida Mutineers (+50 points) – Minnesota ROKKR (+30) – Chicago Huntsmen (+20) – Dallas Empire (+20) – Paris Legion (+10) – Toronto Ultra (+10) – Seattle Surge (+0) – Los Angeles Guerrillas (+0) – CHICAGO HUNSTMEN HOME SERIES (Online) A tournament featuring the top three teams in the CDL was bound to finish with one of them on top, and it was Dallas Empire who became the first side to win two championships this season. The victory was undoubtedly a statement one – not only did they finally get their first win against rivals Chicago Huntsmen in dominant 3-0 fashion, but they also defeated the vaunted Atlanta FaZe 3-1 in the Grand Final. For a full recap of the event, check out our CDL Chicago post-event hub, which includes highlights, a summary of the Grand Final, brackets, scores, and more. Dates: April 24-26 Final Placements: Dallas Empire (+50 points) – Atlanta FaZe (+30) – Chicago Huntsmen (+20) – Seattle Surge (+20) – New York Subliners(+10) – Los Angeles Guerrillas (+10) – London Royal Ravens (+0) – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+0) – FLORIDA MUTINEERS HOME SERIES (Online) CDL Florida was full of shocks and twists, but the one thing that didn’t come as a surprise was Atlanta FaZe being crowned champions, becoming the second team after Dallas Empire to multiple tournament wins this season. They took care of OpTic Gaming LA 3-1 in the Grand Final, a series that had its fair share of back-and-forth action. Despite the loss, OGLA put in their best performance of the season this weekend, by far, looking like a completely different squad after what had been a very disappointing campaign so far. For a full recap of the event, check out our CDL Florida post-event hub, which includes highlights, brackets, scores, and more. Dates: May 8-10 Final placements: Atlanta FaZe (+50 points) – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+30) – New York Subliners (+20) – Toronto ULTRA (+20) – Minnesota RØKKR (+10) – London Royal Ravens (+10) – Florida Mutineers (+0) – Paris Legion (+0) – SEATTLE SURGE HOME SERIES (Online) Tournament favorites Chicago Huntsmen were crowned champions at CDL Seattle, becoming the third team this season (Dallas & Atlanta) to win multiple Home Series events. They navigated the event relatively stress-free, as none of their four opponents – Paris, Minnesota, New York, or London – managed to push them to a game five. Speaking of Royal Ravens, although they fell in the Grand Final, the decision to bring in Zer0 seems to have already paid off, as they managed to make it farther than any other tournament this season. For a full recap of the event, check out our CDL Seattle post-event hub, which includes highlights, brackets, scores, and more. Dates: May 22-24 Final Placements: Chicago Huntsmen (+50 points) – London Royal Ravens (+30) – New York Subliners (+20) – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+20) – Minnesota RØKKR (+10) – Los Angeles Guerrillas (+10) – Paris Legion (+0) – Seattle Surge (+0) – MINNESOTA RØKKR HOME SERIES (Online) The most exciting and intense Home Series so far saw Florida Mutineers become champions for the second time this season after they took down Chicago Huntsmen, Dallas Empire, and Atlanta FaZe over the course of the weekend. The tournament had enough twists and turns to satisfy any fan: eight of the matches went to a Game 5, there were four upsets, and three reverse-sweeps, all unprecedented numbers for a CDL event. For a full recap, check out our CDL Minnesota post-event hub, which includes highlights, brackets, scores, and more. Dates: June 12-14 (delayed by CDL) Final Placements: Florida Mutineers (+50 points) – Atlanta FaZe (+30) – Dallas Empire (+20) – LA Guerrillas (+20) – Chicago Huntsmen (+10) – Seattle Surge (+10) – Minnesota ROKKR (+0) – Toronto Ultra (+0) – PARIS LEGION HOME SERIES (Online) The Florida Mutineers solidified their status as one of the league’s best teams by cruising to another championship at CDL Paris, becoming the first team to win three tournaments and also go back-to-back. Their Grand Final performances vs Atlanta FaZe was especially amazing; not only did they pull off a comfortable 3-0 sweep, but their 235-70 victory in game three was the most one-sided Domination we’ve seen all year. For a full recap, check out our CDL Paris post-event hub, which includes highlights, brackets, scores, and more. Dates: June 19-21 Final Placements: Florida Mutineers (+50 points) – Atlanta FaZe (+30) – Dallas Empire (+20) – New York Subliners (+20) – Toronto Ultra (+10) – London Royal Ravens (+10) – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+0) – Paris Legion (+0) – NEW YORK SUBLINERS HOME SERIES (Online) A statement performance from New York Subliners as they defended their own Home Series and became the fifth different team to win a CDL tournament this season. A dominant 3-0 win over Chicago Huntsmen in the Grand Final has many thinking it’s time to consider NYSL as a elite-level threat. The event also featured the first-ever meeting between Huntsmen and Atlanta FaZe, a highly-anticipated matchup that ended up being extremely one-sided as Chicago swept them in dominant fashion. For a full recap, check out our CDL New York post-event hub, which includes highlights, brackets, scores, and more. Dates: July 10-12 Final Placements: New York Subliners (+50 Points) – Chicago Huntsmen (+30) – Atlanta FaZe (+20) – Toronto Ultra (+20) – Paris Legion (+10) – London Royal Ravens (+10) – Los Angeles Guerrillas (+0) – Minnesota RØKKR (+0) – LONDON ROYAL RAVENS HOME SERIES (Online) It was pure domination from Dallas Empire as they dropped just one map on their way to becoming the second team to win three CDL Home Series this season. Not only did they rip apart Paris Legion in a lopsided 3-0 Grand Final victory, but Empire also swept defending champion New York Subliner and three-time tournament winners, Florida Mutineers, all while their entire lineup finished with positive K/Ds. For a full recap and highlights, check out our CDL London post-event hub, which also includes all the brackets and scores from the weekend and more. Dates: July 17-19 Final Placements: Dallas Empire (+50 points) – Paris Legion (+30) – London Royal Ravens (+20) – Florida Mutineers (+20) – New York Subliners (+10) – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+10) – Seattle Surge (+0) – Los Angeles Guerrillas (+0) – TORONTO ULTRA HOME SERIES (Online) With the Toronto Home Series arguably being the most stacked event of the season, very few expected the Ultra to be the last ones standing. Not only did Toronto prove everyone wrong, but they did it in impressive fashion, taking down Atlanta FaZe, Dallas Empire, and Chicago Huntsmen in the process. It didn’t come easy, however; they had several matches that could have gone either way, including their 3-2 victory over FaZe in the Grand Final. The series went all the way down to a game five, round 11, which took a clutch 1v2 from star-man Methodz to secure. For a full recap and highlights, check out our CDL Toronto post-event hub, which also includes all the brackets and scores from the weekend and more. Dates: July 24-26 Final placements: Toronto Ultra (+50 points) – Atlanta FaZe (+30) – Dallas Empire (+20) – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+20) – Chicago Huntsmen (+10) – Florida Mutineers (+10) – Minnesota RØKKR (+0) – Seattle Surge (+0) – CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS & CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND (Online) Dates: August 19-23 (Playoffs); August 29-30 (Championship Weekend) Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Seattle Surge – Toronto Ultra – Format & Point Structure The Call of Duty League 2020 season features 13 regular-season events and Championship Weekend, where the World Champions for the inaugural campaign will be decided. With the exception of Launch Weekend, which all 12 teams attended and played two matches each, all of these events are tournaments with a straight-up winner and placements. CDL 2020 TOURNAMENT FORMAT Each of the 12 regular-season tournaments will feature eight of the 12 franchises competing, so not every team will attend each event. At each tournament, the eight teams will be split into two groups of four. The teams will play each other and the two squads that win two matches in each group will advance to the single-elimination bracket, from which the event’s champion will be determined. Each victory a team gets at these tournaments will be worth 10 points, with an additional 10 points going to the overall winner. This means that teams can earn up to 50 points by winning an event. 1st – 50 CDL Points + $50,000 – 2nd – 30 CDL Points + $30,000 – 3rd/4th – 20 CDL Points + $10,000 – 5th/6th – 10 CDL Points – 7th/8th – 0 CDL Points – CDL PLAYOFFS AND CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND On May 19, the CDL announced changes to their original plan for the Championship Weekend in August. In this new format, all 12 teams will make it into the Championship tournament, as opposed to only the top eight, and their seeding in the bracket will be determined by where they finish in the regular-season standings. 1 and 2 place automatically seeded into Round 3 of the Winner’s Bracket – 3 and 4 place automatically seeded into Round 2 of the Winner’s Bracket – 5-8 place seeded into Round 1 of the Winner’s Bracket – 9-12 place seeded into Round 1 of the Elimination Bracket – As a result, the prize pool distribution has also been tweaked: League Champion—$1.5 million – Runner-up—$900,000 – 3rd place—$600,000 – 4th place—$450,000 – 5th place—$300,000 (2 teams) – 7th place—$175,000 (2 teams) – 9th place—$100,000 (2 teams) – All of the Playoff matches will be best-of-five as usual, but the Championship match is set to be a best-of-nine, with the team from the winners bracket starting up 1-0. Map 1—Hardpoint – Map 2—Search and Destroy – Map 3—Domination – Map 4—Hardpoint – Map 5— Search and Destroy – Map 6—Domination – Map 7—Hardpoint – Map 8—Search and Destroy – Competitive Ruleset The CDL’s competitive ruleset lists the maps, modes, game settings, and restricted items at official competitions and online tournaments. The latest version of the ruleset can be found below. Latest changes (June 11) Restricted Attachments Muzzle – Suppressors (All) Tactical Suppressor – Lightweight Suppressor – Monolithic Suppressor – – Optic – Thermal Sights (All) Solozero NVG Enhanced – Merc Thermal Optic – Thermal Hybrid – Thermal Sniper Scope – Thermal Dual Power Scope – – Underbarrel – Merc Foregrip – – Muzzle – Suppressors (All) – Restricted Weapons: Shotgun VLK Rogue – – LMG Bruen Mk9 – – Marksman Rifle SKS – – – Shotgun – Maps & Modes List Search & Destroy Settings Domination Settings Hardpoint Settings Restricted Items Teams & Rosters There are 12 total franchises representing 11 cities in the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League. Each team is required to have at least seven players signed to their active roster, with a maximum of ten, meaning that every roster has a starting five and at least two substitutes. In addition, teams have also brought on coaches, analysts, and specialists to help supplement their roster, with some on the coaching staff also doubling up as subs. Confirmed in-season roster changes JUNE 4 Proto: Seattle Surge bench > starting lineup – JUNE 3 Karma: Seattle Surge > retired – MAY 22 Owakening: Free Agent > Florida Mutineers – Maux: Florida Mutineers > bench – MAY 19 Zer0: New York Subliners > London Royal Ravens – Jurd: London Royal Ravens > bench – MAY 18 Prestinni: Florida Mutineers > Chicago Huntsmen – General: Chicago Huntsmen > bench – MAY 12 Pandur: Seattle Surge > bench – Enable: Seattle Surge bench > starting lineup – MAY 11 Pacman: OpTic Gaming LA coach > F/A – MAY 4 JKap: OpTic Gaming LA > bench – Chino: OpTic Gaming LA bench > starting lineup – Gunless: Chicago Huntsmen > bench – General: Chicago Huntsmen bench > starting lineup – APRIL 24 Happy: New York Subliners > bench – Mack: New York Subliners bench > starting lineup – APRIL 10 Loony: Toronto Ultra > bench – MettalZ: Toronto Ultra bench > starting lineup – APRIL 5 Nastie: London Royal Ravens > bench – Seany: London Royal Ravens bench > starting lineup – MARCH 13 Rated: London Royal Ravens > bench – Nastie: Free Agent > London Royal Ravens – MARCH 8 Mack: Free Agent > New York Subliners bench – Zer0: New York Subliners > bench – Happy: New York Subliners bench > Starting lineup – MARCH 6 Fero: No Name Esports > Florida Mutineers – Prestinni: Florida Mutineers > bench – MARCH 5 ACHES, Saints, Lacefield: Los Angeles Guerrillas > LAG bench – Blazt, Vivid, Spart: LAG bench > Starting lineup –

CDL broadcast “in shambles” after return to YouTube Call of Duty League/YouTubeThe Call of Duty League started its 2023-2024 season with multiple technical difficulties after switching to a YouTube-exclusive stream. The CDL recently announced they would no longer be dual streaming on Twitch and YouTube. Instead, the league returned to YouTube with yet another exclusivity deal for the remainder of the season. Multiple community members expressed their displeasure with moving away from Twitch, especially after it brought more viewership to the CDL. This was echoed when the CDL broke a viewership record on Twitch during Major 3 of the 2022-2023 season. The viewing experience has been less than ideal now that CDL has returned to YouTube. Within the season’s first two matches, fans noticed multiple broadcast errors during the games. CDL fails to impress during season opener on YouTube During a match between the Los Angeles Thieves and Seattle Surge, the CDL broadcast began experiencing issues. Despite the league being in operation for the last four years, they could still not properly match player names to their webcams. However, this wasn’t the only issue; at one point, the scoreboard showed two of the same player. Another player was also kicked from the lobby completely, being replaced by one of the referee accounts that was also in the lobby. “Dude the CDL is in shambles,” said one user on Twitter/X. “Two Arcitiys now, Abuzah still Illey, two number 5s on the map. Like I don’t understand how you constantly continue to sh*t the bed.” Other watches tried to find the humor in the mistakes. One user on Twitter/X gave the referee account nomination for ‘MVP’ at the end of the season. The CDL has yet to officially comment on the errors made on the broadcast – although it is the start of the new season, so it could be another case of first-day jitters.

FaZe & Thieves off to flying starts – CDL Opening Weekend recap, scores, highlights LA Thieves / CDLThe Atlanta FaZe Home Series Opening Weekend has wrapped up and a few teams are off to strong starts in Stage 1 of the 2021 Call of Duty League season. Catch up on all the action below with scores, highlights, and recaps of all four days. FaZe & Thieves finished 2-0, the first teams to two wins in 2021. – OpTic & Empire suffered their first defeats after both lost five-map thrillers. – Quick turnaround as CDL Stage 1 Week 2 takes place Feb 18-21. – Nothing beats competitive Call of Duty at the highest level and that’s exactly what we all got to witness in the CDL’s Opening Weekend. With all 12 teams in action, numerous big-name players made their highly anticipated team debuts, including Clayster with NY Subliners, Dashy with OpTic Chicago, and Arcitys with Atlanta FaZe. For a full recap and highlights of the event, make sure to check the daily reports below: CDL Opening Weekend: Scores, Highlights, Daily Recaps Day 1 – Thursday, February 11 Thieves dominate in CDL debut, Empire still look untouchable High hopes for the Thieves turned into frenzied concern when they lost 0-3 to OpTic Chicago in the preseason Kickoff Classic. Now, those concerns have washed away as Los Angeles shut down an impressive Minnesota lineup in their first official match of the season. After starting the series tied 1-1, the Thieves simply started frying. With SlasheR and Temp holding down lanes, Kenny and TJHaLy around the map creating space for a 100-point-club victory. While MajorManiak continues to play well, Minnesota heads back to the lab to prepare for their Sunday matchup with the reigning champs. OMG @SHOTZZY 🤯#BuildAnEmpire | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/1FNhnINzw7 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) February 11, 2021 Speaking of the reigning champs, Dallas continue to look like the CDL 2021 favorites just months after winning the inaugural season’s championship. The team had to drop Clayster in the swap to 4v4, but they still have 2020 MVP Shotzzy and he is still, on a new game, dropping absurd highlight plays. The Surge retooled and put an entire new lineup around Octane, but that didn’t amount to much in face of a cohesive Dallas unit. Fortunately, they get a couple of days off before a much easier matchup against the London Royal Ravens on Sunday. Day 2 – Friday, February 12 OpTic prove Texas FormaL right, FaZe untouchable vs LAG Before facing the Paris Legion in their 2021 debut, OpTic’s FormaL let it be known that their foes would need an absurd performance out of highly touted rookie Fire to avoid getting smacked. Unfortunately, adding Fire and star veteran Skrapz in the offseason wasn’t enough — as a vibing, Texas-based OpTic squad dismantled the European unit almost instantly. In nearly another 100-point-club effort (a 250-102 Hardpoint win in Map 1), Chicago sent Paris back to the drawing board, gifting Fire some much-needed experience. Afterward, Scump made it clear that this Dashy reunion is going to last. OpTic’s @scump on having @DashySZN as a teammate again: “”Bruce has been amazing thus far. I know a lot of people were worried about him after last year. He says he’s never leaving, so I think Bruce is here to stay.””#BrickByBrick | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/ElkOcpYKbT — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) February 12, 2021 After Chicago swept their opponents, former teammate Arcitys made his debut for FaZe and helped the team overcome preseason jitters with a dominant performance. Having dropped 2-3 during the Kickoff Classic, FaZe made their 2021 season debut count as Arcitys posted a nutty 1.31 K/D and Atlanta comfortably swept what seemed like an upsurging Guerrillas lineup. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1360349093835456515 Day 3 – Saturday, February 13 Thieves spoil Clayster’s NY debut, Ultra & Guerrillas get first wins It turns out that Apathy’s preseason form was no fluke, as the veteran SMG helped the Guerrillas jump out to a big lead over the Legion before things got tight. Eventually, Paris evened the game up at 2-2, but Los Angeles, bolstered by a 1.13 K/D out of Assault and a 1.06 from SiLLY, rocked the XM4s and secured a match-winner in Map 5. Later, in a battle of underrated rosters, the Ultra surprised everyone by comfortably outdueling the Mutineers 3-1. This is a big bump for Toronto’s expectations, as Florida impressively beat FaZe 3-2 in the preseason. In the final match of the day, the Thieves kept up their Week 1 form by dominating a continually coalescing NYSL roster — despite Clayster’s best efforts. Without ZooMaa or HyDra available, New York are a step behind and that showed against a Los Angeles unit that looks revitalized to start the year. https://twitter.com/LAThieves/status/1360760746045370369 Day 4 – Sunday, February 14 FaZe win first battle vs OpTic, ROKKR stun Empire in five-map thriller Parasite’s CDL debut was highly anticipated, but one computer monitor dashed his team’s hopes. The winless Seattle and London’s match went the distance, but, bolstered by Gunless’ finally fixed monitor settings, the Surge denied the reverse sweep and secured their first win. 40 FOR @GUNLESS 🔥 Looks like switching from 60hz last night is already paying off 😅https://t.co/Fn8Wf07pw7 pic.twitter.com/T7eu76hr42 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) February 14, 2021 In the next match, the revamped ROKKR lineup shut down doubters and threw power rankings into disarray. With huge performances across their roster, an underdog Minnesota unit shocked Dallas with a 3-2 victory. Rounding off the day and weekend was a match that everyone had been waiting for – the next chapter of the storied OpTic vs FaZe rivalry. While the respawn games were very tight, the S&D was as one-sided as can be as Atlanta won both with a combined 12-1 round count. Atlanta’s perennial MVP candidate, aBeZy, stepped up massively in the final two games, delivering clutch plays in the Moscow HP to force a game five and then went huge in the final S&D to take the series. ABEZY GOES HUGE TO FORCE A MAP 5 😱#EZAF | #CDL2021https://t.co/MBBXUWiQUN — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) February 15, 2021 CDL Opening Weekend essentials CDL 2021 pre-season power rankings – 5 players to watch at CDL Opening Weekend – OpTic Chicago season preview: Reclaiming the throne – Atlanta FaZe season preview: Championship caliber reunion? – Dallas Empire season preview: Don’t fix what isn’t broken – LA Thieves season preview: Escaping OpTic’s shadow – Can Scump & FormaL Destroy Atlanta FaZe? – CDL Opening Weekend: Format & CDL Points Location: Online (hosted by Atlanta FaZe) – Prize Pool: N/A – CDL Points: 10 per win – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Checkmate, Crossroads, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Checkmate, Garrison, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – CDL Opening Weekend: Teams & Rosters All 12 teams competed in the Opening Weekend, split into two groups. The groups are determined in a special draw that takes place before each Stage and are then redrawn after the Major at the end of the Stage. Group A Group B That wraps up everything there is to know about Opening Weekend. Make sure to check out our CDL 2021 season hub for the latest standings and a look ahead to Stage 1 Week 2.

CDL Atlanta Challengers final placements: FaZe Academy win on home turf Unsplash/Call of DutyAtlanta FaZe Academy ensured that the hosts of the February 22-23 Call of Duty league event completed the double, as they picked up a win in the Challengers event. Here’s how the event finished up. While the hopes of the competitive Call of Duty world hung on the chance to see a potential mouth-watering matchup between Atlanta FaZe and Chicago Huntsmen, the Huntsmen didn’t live up to their end of the bargain. Atlanta FaZe dominated the second Call of Duty league bracket-based event, securing the victory during their first-ever home showing. Though, while they were swatting opponents away on the main stage, their academy team grinded through the challengers event. With Team Singularity, who have secured two challenger event wins from two, not taking part in the Atlanta event, it gave way for another team to pick up a trophy. 48 squads descended on the ATL but it was the home team that matched their CDL lineup’s success over the weekend. The academy roster entered as the fifth seed and quickly made their way through the open bracket – reaching the winner’s bracket fifth round before falling into the loser’s bracket after defeat to first seed UYU. They staved off elimination by defeating Rebel Esports in a 3-2 series, giving them passage to the Championship stage. From there, the Atlanta FaZe Academy didn’t hold back. They swept Recon 5 3-0 and defeated Team Insite 3-1 before pulling off a bracket rest on Team UYU – defeating them 3-1 and 3-0. ATLANTA CHALLENGERS OPEN CHAMPIONS! 🔥🏆#EZAF LETS GO!@tomGRVTY @Jimbolah @Sibilants_ @itsSpart @JurNiii pic.twitter.com/I7q8t96BHN— Atlanta FaZe (@ATLFaZe) February 23, 2020 The victory landed the academy squad almost half of $25,000 prize pool, as they got to take home the top prize of 10,000. With their second-placed finish, UYU grabbed 7,000, while Team Insite scored $4,000 for finishing third. The final standings of all 48 competing teams can be found below this article, with each team having their respective prize pool split and ranking points rewards noted. Challenger teams will be back in action as the Call of Duty League heads to Los Angeles, California – where the lineup of teams will, more than likely, be dominated by North Americans. It might be up to Team Singularity to answer the call and go for three for three or for FaZe Academy to match their consecutive wins.

CDL appears to ‘leak’ Clayster returning for CoD Champs Call of Duty LeagueCall of Duty League fans think that the league itself may have inadvertently leaked the return of James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks to the New York Subliners roster ahead of CoD Champs 2021. Towards the latter half of Stage 5, Clayster announced that he would be taking a step back from competing with the team, citing mental health reasons. Conor ‘Diamondcon’ Johst stepped up to replace the veteran AR, but the team hasn’t quite hit the same levels as when Clayster was leading the troops into battle. Since then, though, there have been a lot of questions over whether the Subliners will keep Diamondcon on the team, especially after a clearly disappointed Asim let his feelings on the Clay situation be known. While fans patiently await confirmation of either player representing the team at the biggest event of the year, a post from the CDL themselves might have given things away. Posting graphics of all eight teams in attendance at Playoffs to their official Instagram page, everything seemed to be going swimmingly. However, when they posted the New York Subliners graphics, Clayster was emblazoned across them, despite not featuring for the team for several weeks. Does @CODLeague know something we don’t? Clayster’s return teased in brand-new CDL Champs graphics 👀 pic.twitter.com/wHRtbmPu6T — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 9, 2021 Naturally, this got fans talking. Many saw it as proof that Clayster would be returning for Champs, despite no announcement from the player or team. Others are speculating that it’s simply a matter of the CDL social team having prepared the graphics with Clay in them ahead of time. Meanwhile, popular CDL leaker account CDL Intel revealed that he had heard that Clayster was scrimming with the Subliners again. Can confirm I’ve heard Clay was scrimming with @Subliners last week, but if they choose to bring him back for Champs I’m not 100% sure. — CDL Intel (@intelCDL) August 9, 2021 Whether this means he’s definitely back on the roster, though, can not be certain. Regardless of what happens, the Subliners will have to be on their A-Game at Champs — it just so happens three-time world champion Clayster knows all about that.

CDL announces Scump watch party and fans are ecstatic ScumpThe CDL announced Major 2’s co-streamers and included recently retired CoD legend Seth ‘Scump’ Abner among the participants. The CDL Major 2 Qualifiers kicked off on January 13. Little did we know it would be Scump’s final match before retiring. OpTic Texas defeated Boston Breach 3-2 in the King’s final match, and he went down swinging with a series-leading 1.22 KD and 94 kills. Two days after OpTic’s dominant showing, Scump called it a career. In his farewell video, Abner spoke about his new focus on creating content, stating, “Content is always something I have wanted to do. I’ll still be attending events and meeting people, which I couldn’t do as a player.” Scump has his first opportunity to sit back and approach CoD from a different perspective, hosting a watch party for the remainder of Major 2. CDL Watch Party unveils Scump as co-streamer On January 19, The Call of Duty League announced participants for the Major 2 Watch Party. Notable names include Scump, Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow, Chris ‘Parasite’ Duarte, and Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt. One fan responded, “Scump is about to break the all-time CDL viewership record.” A second user added, “Looking forward to watching the main CDL broadcast (Scump’s stream).” Scump averaged around 8,000 Twitch viewers over the past 30 days, according to streamschart. It will be interesting to see how his co-stream performs compared to the official broadcast. OpTic Gaming faces off against Seattle Surge in a highly anticipated matchup on Friday. Seattle’s star SMG Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari came close to joining OpTic Texas after Major 1, and fans have been waiting for a matchup between the two teams. We will also get our first look at OpTic’s new roster, featuring ‘Huke,’ ‘Dashy‘ ‘ILLeY,’ and ‘Shotzzy.’ You can watch along with Scump on his Twitch channel.

CDL announces return date for LAN events, starting with Stage 4 Major CDLThe Call of Duty League is returning to LAN! Actual offline events are back on the horizon after the league officially confirmed that the Stage 4 Major will be held at the Esports Stadium in Texas. It’s been over a year since the CDL’s last offline event – the Los Angeles Home Series, hosted by Guerrillas and OpTic Gaming March 7-8. It was right after that when the CDL, like every other esports league, had to cancel all their 2020 live events and play them online. Now, the wait to return to live matches is coming to an end. On May 6, the league announced that starting with the Stage 4 Major, they’ll be going back to hosting in-person LAN events, hopefully culminating with what every fan and player wants: an offline CDL Championship. “Teams will be welcomed back and able to compete on stage once again, reintroducing the dynamics of in-person play and re-igniting season rivalries after a full year of remote play,” the league said in a press release. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1390351150311002115 When is the CDL returning to LAN in 2021? The $500,000 Stage 4 Major will be the first offline event hosted by the CDL in the 2021 season, taking place on June 17-20 at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas. Read More: CDL Dallas Home Series schedule & scores – Unfortunately, only the teams and limited CDL staff will be allowed, meaning that there will be no fans in attendance for at least this first tournament, as part of strict protocols that the league has to follow for “the safety and comfort of all participating players and staff.” There’s no word yet on if the league plans on allowing fans at any future LAN events this season, but the Stage 4 Major will be available for live viewing on YouTube. What other CDL LAN events will there be in 2021? As of now, the league has not announced plans for any other LAN events beyond the Stage 4 Major. One would presume that they’ll try to host the Stage 5 Major and CDL Playoffs/Championship offline as well, while the weekly Home Series events in between stay online. This would make the most sense because the Home Series are all city-based, meaning they’d need to be held at the city of the hosting team, which could prove too big and tricky to pull off on short notice. Majors and Champs are not tied to any team or city and thus can be held wherever, so those events could be a lot easier to go through with – not to mention they’re a degree or two more significant than the weekly Home Series.

CDL announces elimination and refund of $25 million team entry fees Call of Duty LeagueThe CDL has announced some major changes that will help teams grow and earn more revenue through team bundles, more events, and the elimination of entry fees. Daniel Tsay, the General Manager of the Call of Duty League, announced on April 16 that the league is “redoubling efforts on the business side,” to continue the success of CoD esports. To this end, all outstanding entry fees for teams have been eliminated, according to the announcement, and the previously collected feeds will be returned. The elimination of the estimated $25 million entry fee to play in the league was reportedly in the works as early as summer 2023. Activision Blizzard waived the entry fee for its other major esports league, the Overwatch League, in 2023. The company had already allowed teams to pause payments for both leagues in 2020 as neither could hold in-person events that would help organizations earn revenue to pay off the massive entry fees. Activision Blizzard eventually paid OWL teams a small slice of their fees back when they voted to end the league in 2023. CDL teams, however, are getting all of the money they paid the developer returned to them. The announcement also revealed that teams will get a “two-year minimum guarantee of revenue” from the league to continue investing in the ecosystem. Teams are also getting “increased revenue” from the sale of CDL in-game cosmetics and the Champs bundle too. Lastly, Tsay said the league will also add more “existing event subsidy amounts” for teams putting on in-person events like Majors, Champs, and Open tournaments. These changes come on the heels of the dissolution of OWL and a downturn in the esports industry that has seen many organizations tighten their belts when it comes to spending on player salaries and teams in general. The League is also dealing with a lawsuit from one of its owners and star players. Those legal issues, however, have gone to arbitration.

CDL announce new Modern Warfare weapon and attachment bans ActivisionThe Call of Duty League have updated the CDL ruleset in Modern Warfare, banning a bunch of weapons and attachments from competitive play both at professional level and in the CDL playlist. This update to the CDL rules is the first since a small change on April 16 in which restrictions on CDL team skins were lifted, and removes certain weapons as well as taking some highly-used attachments out of competitive play. This update might not make a huge difference to the pro level of play, in which much of these items had already been ‘GA’d’ (a Gentleman’s Agreement not to use them), but will certainly change the outlook of the CDL playlist for budding competitors. In total, three weapons have been restricted in the ruleset, while nine attachments in total are henceforth disabled in CDL rules. Here’s a rundown of everything that’s been removed. In terms of weapons, three have been taken out, but they were to be expected after their addition to Modern Warfare due to the weapon classes they belong to. They are: VLK Rogue (Shotgun) – Bruen MK9 (LMG) – SKS (Marksman Rifle) – As for the restricted attachments, the list is a little longer: All Suppressors Tactical Suppressor – Lightweight Suppressor – Monolithic Suppressor – – All Thermal Optics Solozero NVG Enhanced – Merc Thermal Optic – Thermal Hybrid – Thermal Sniper Scope – Thermal Dual Power Scope – – Merc Foregrip (Underbarrel) – The Merc Foregrip has become somewhat of a staple for the MP5 in particular, allowing for greater hipfire accuracy and recoil control. As for the thermals, this will be a bit of a blow for snipers who like to utilize one to counter smoke grenades, particularly in CDL Search & Destroy. The restriction of suppressors might be the most significant though, with the Monolithic Suppressor in particular being highly-used for those looking to play a stealthy role and stay off the minimap. Overall, this is perhaps the biggest update to the CDL ruleset in several months, so it will likely cause some interesting changes in the lower levels of play but, as mentioned previously, this is unlikely to impact the professional game much at all.

CDL and OWL to stream exclusively on YouTube Gaming Activision/YouTubeActivision Blizzard and Google have teamed up in a multi-year partnership that will see the Call of Duty League, Overwatch League, and Hearthstone Esports streamed exclusively on YouTube Gaming. There were just hours left before the Call of Duty League’s Launch Weekend was set to kick off, and fans were still wondering where they’d have to tune in to watch the matches. All of that uncertainty was put to bed on January 24, however, after Activision Blizzard and Google announced their multi-year strategic relationship that handed exclusive broadcast rights to YouTube. Starting from the 2020 season, the official events and matches of the CDL, OWL, Hearthstone Esports and other Activision Blizzard competitions will all be streamed only on YouTube Gaming. The newly-formed CDL’s inaugural season launched on January 24 while the OWL’s 2020 campaign will get started just a few weeks later, on February 8. The League’s will each have their own official YouTube channels where the matches will be broadcast, along with any other “special content.” https://twitter.com/Fwiz/status/1220809570827689984?s=20 Call of Duty esports was streamed on a variety of platforms in recent years, such as Activision’s MLG.tv, YouTube, and Twitch – the latter generally having the highest concentration of views for tournaments and the Pro League. The Overwatch League was streamed on Twitch, who established a two-year, $90 million deal with Blizzard as the league’s sole third-party stream broadcaster. The company later also signed a multi-year deal with Disney for league matches to be broadcast on ESPN, Disney XD, and ABC, starting with the first season’s playoffs and into the second season. Both deals expired prior to the third season, which left a void that Google and YouTube Gaming happily filled. Read More: CDL Challengers venue location sparks debate – “With more than 200 million gamers a day watching more than 50 billion hours of gaming content per year, YouTube provides gamers and their passionate fans with the most popular video gaming platform in the world,” said Ryan Wyatt, Head of Gaming at YouTube. “Both the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League are the quintessential examples of world-class esports content. As a former Call of Duty esports commentator myself, I couldn’t be more excited for Activision Blizzard to choose YouTube as its exclusive home for the digital live streaming of both leagues. This partnership further demonstrates our dedication to having a world-class live streaming product for gaming.” The announcement included an important second part as well – this partnership with Google means that Activision Blizzard esports events will feature Google Cloud technology. Players will be privy to the state-of-the-art AI tools that the service offers, which will look to improve their overall gaming experiences. Read More: CDL Power Rankings ahead of Launch Weekend – “Players will benefit by experiencing premium network quality-of-service, including low latency and packet loss when playing high-fidelity games on any device,” Google said in the official announcement. “They will also have optimal personalized interactions, as Activision Blizzard can tap into Google Cloud’s AI tools to offer curated recommendations for in-game offers and differentiated gaming experiences.” You can read the full press release HERE.

CDL and LA Thieves respond after accusations of throwing match vs Florida Mutineers ActivisionAn odd seeding scenario for the upcoming CoD Vanguard Major has raised some eyebrows, with suggestions that LA Thieves lost on purpose in their match against the Florida Mutineers. Both the CDL and Thieves’ coach have responded to the claims. The Los Angeles Thieves and Florida Mutineers faced each other on May 29 in the final match of Major 3 Qualifying. The winner of the match would punch their ticket for a match against OpTic Texas in the Winners Bracket of Major 3, while the loser would match up with the Minnesota Rokkr in the winner’s bracket. Even though the Rokkr are 5-0 in Major 3 Qualifying, the consensus is that both teams would still rather face Minnesota than go up against the superpower OpTic Texas. Los Angeles lost the match 3-0. The Search and Destroy and Control matches were close, making it hard to accuse anyone of losing on purpose, but the Hardpoint match prompted several members of the CoD community to speak out. Did LA Thieves lose on purpose? Call of Duty Youtube content creator TacticalRab tweeted an image of Los Angeles potentially losing on purpose against Florida. TacticalRab claimed that no members of the Thieves were trying to get near the objective even though they had control of the map and also showed Los Angeles player Kenny standing idly by at a crucial point in the match. LA Thieves head coach Jordan Kaplan responded to the tweet accusing Kenny, arguing, “Three dead, he should push out. The rest of the team messed up not getting towards the time. But again, nice try.” They are for sure throwing lmao, Envoy got a three-piece and legged it away from the hill 🤣 pic.twitter.com/0h3CClsiXl — Rab (@TacticalRab) May 30, 2022 Kaplan also tweeted: “I didn’t even know OpTic was the 2 seed until the Official Call of Duty League broadcast publicly told everyone that both teams should try to lose.”Figured it would be the perfect time to get practice on our weaker maps in an ultimately meaningless match.” I didn’t even know OpTic was the 2 seed until the official Call of Duty League broadcast publicly told everyone that both teams should try to lose. Figured it was the perfect time to get practice on our weaker maps in an ultimately meaningless match — Jordan Kaplan (@JKap415) May 30, 2022 The Call of Duty League commentators picked up on the behavior of both teams in the Hardpoint match. Call of Duty League caster Chance said, “neither team is doing their Sunday best to get into the hill.” His co-caster, Miles, noted: “The LA Thieves are not doing much to take the Hardpoint time.” Before the match, the Call of Duty League production team poked fun at the odd scenario in a graphic. Call of Duty Esports GM Daniel Tsay responded after fans questioned the graphic, and said that while it was a joke, “it shouldn’t have been put up there full stop.” We try to make our broadcast fun and push the lines in good taste. Obviously this was a joke, but it shouldn’t have been put up there full stop — Daniel Tsay (@dtsay56) May 30, 2022 Regardless if this match was “thrown” or not, the Thieves’ first match against the Minnesota Rokkr in Major 3 will be a must-watch. We have you covered for all of the essential information on Major 3.

CDL All Star Weekend: How to vote and earn free Double XP Tokens Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League’s 2021 All-Star Weekend is going to give fans the opportunity to vote, watch, and earn Black Ops Cold War Double XP Tokens throughout the event. Here’s how to collect that free Double XP. All-Star Weekend is going to have two events: the CDL All-Star Pro Skills bracket and the 4v4 Casters draft tournament. And fans will get to vote on the action. There’s going to be a total of 16 players repping the 12 CDL teams throughout the weekend, and the fans are going to get involved to see which pros will be participating in the games. Fans will vote in 12 players, one from each team, and CDL players, coaches and broadcast talent will vote in the other four. How to vote for CDL All-Star pros At the moment, CDL fans can go to the All-Star Weekend vote page to select the players that will be featured in the event. Once the selection process is over, fans will be able to start assessing the best players in the All-Star Weekend. The site has every team and their players listed, and you can go through every org to pick the best among them. No account or sign-in is needed to submit your picks for all 16 teams in the league. CDL All-Star Weekend Double XP Tokens Free 15-minute Double XP Tokens will go to the people who correctly predict the winners of each match, so there’s some incentive to vote in the players you think can easily win their 1v1 matchup. Once everyone is voted in, you’re going to have to fill out your bracket and trust in your picks when the action goes down. Every correct prediction will earn you one 15-minute Double XP Token to apply to your account while playing Black Ops Cold War. CDL All-Star Weekend Bracket The only way to get free Double XP Tokens will be to fill out your bracket once they become available on May 18 at 9 AM PST / 12 PM EST / 8 PM BST. After you’ve filled out your bracket, all you have to do is watch the CDL All-Star Weekend events to see which players and Broadcast teams come out on top to see if your picks were right. CDL All-Star Weekend date & schedule For two straight afternoons, the best in CDL are going toe-to-toe in 1v1 GunFight matches and in 4v4 Caster Drafts starting on Saturday, May 22 and ending on Sunday, May 23. The first day will have three hours of all 1v1 Pro Skills matches, and winners will get to advance to Sunday for the quarters. The Caster Draft tournament kicks off at the end of Day 1 and will wrap up with a Finals match to open Day 2. Don’t forget to get your picks in and fill out your bracket when they become available for your chance to earn Black Ops Cold War Double XP Tokens throughout CDL All-Star Weekend.

CDL 2024 season: Schedule, teams, format, more CDLAfter what felt like an agonizingly long offseason, the 2024 Call of Duty League season is almost upon us. This season has all the makings of becoming a memorable one, with plenty of new faces in new places and an exciting new qualifying format. Victories at Major 1, Major 5, and COD Champs capped off a dominant year for New York. Despite reaching the mountaintop, the Subliners shocked fans by dropping Priestahh for Sib. Other teams followed suit in what turned out to be one of the craziest rostermanias in years. In typical OpTic fashion, Texas made moves to go for it all this upcoming season by adding Pred and Kenny to an already stacked roster. And after another strong regular but poor LAN season, FaZe added Drazah as the fourth and final missing piece to its puzzle. Other exciting teams include Boston and Toronto, who shrewdly retooled over the summer. Now that you know who to keep an eye on, let’s jump right into this season’s schedule. CDL 2024 Schedule The 2024 CDL season starts just under a month after the Modern Warfare 3 release date and controversially features one less Major than last year. Major 1: December 8 – January 28 December 8-January 21: Online Qualifiers – January 25-28: Major 1 hosted by Boston Breach – Major 2: February 16 – March 24 February 16-March 17: Online Qualifiers – March 21-24: Major 2 hosted by Miami Heretics – Major 3: April 12 –May 19 April 12-May 12: Online Qualifiers – March 9-12: Major 3 hosted by Toronto Ultra – Major 4: May 24 – June 23 May 24-June 16: Online Qualifiers – June 20-23: Major 4 hosted by Carolina Royal Ravens – CDL 2024 teams & rosters Here is what the teams currently look like as of November 2. Carolina, LA Guerillas, and Vegas have yet to reveal official rosters. CDL 2024 format The CDL announced significant changes to its online qualifier format. Every team will get seven matches per set of qualifiers. Majors 1 and 4 will have four weeks of qualifiers, while Majors 2 and 3 will have 5 weeks of qualifiers. 2024 also introduces a new point system that gives out more points for wins at Major events compared to online qualifiers. CDL Point changes It’s important to note that every Qualifier match is worth 10 CDL Points. Here is the CDL Major point format. CDL Game Modes Here are the three competitive game modes coming to Modern Warfare 3 Hardpoint – Search and Destroy – Control – That’s everything we know about the 2024 season so far. For more, check out the rest of our CDL coverage.

CDL 2024 rostermania: All team changes & rumors Call of Duty LeagueThe second major of the CDL has officially concluded, and with it comes a new wave of roster moves for teams who weren’t able to perform up to expectations. Below are the current rosters and rumors as CDL 2024 rostermania heats up once again. Since New York Subliners’ win at CDL Champs 2023, the league already looks drastically different just a few months later. London packed its bags and shocked the CDL community by relocating its franchise to Charlotte. In other relocation news, the Miami Heretics took over Florida’s CDL spot, though they haven’t found too much success just yet. Though the CDL Rostermania was thought to be all but over once the free agency period ended last year, things have really kicked into gear now that Major 2 has wrapped up. With some teams falling far below where they expected to finish, orgs are scrambling to switch things up on their rosters and try to find success in the later half of their season. Here are the latest CDL moves: Contents CDL Rostermania returns after Major 2 – Call of Duty League teams & rosters – CDL rostermania changes and rumors – CDL Rostermania returns after Major 2 On July 3, 2023, the new season, and thus free agency, officially started, meaning organizations could enter into negotiations with players, and contracts could start to be signed. However, rostermania has once again been kicked up in the aftermath of CDL Major 2, with a number of teams rumored to be swapping out players after their failed runs at the event. CDL 2024 teams Here is what the teams currently look like. There are a number of teams projected to switching up their rosters after Major 2, so this list is subject to change. An * indicates roster moves that haven’t been locked in just yet. What are the rumors for CDL rostermania? Here are the reports so far, separated between changes that have been made through the 2024 season and ones that were made during the pre-season: Mid-Season Rostermania March 28: 04 set to replace Arcitys on Seattle Surge – Minnesota Rokkr set to release Owakening, but his replacement isn’t yet clear. Dak is the most likely candidate at this time. – March 27: Though he’s still technically signed with LA Thieves, Afro is set to head back to Europe with Team WaR, replacing Denza on that roster. – March 26: LA Thieves bench Afro, bringing JoeDeceives back to the main roster. – March 25: Miami Heretics drop JurNii. – Pre-Season Rostermania September 1: LA Thieves announces roster of Ghosty, Afro, Cammy, JoeDeceives – August 31: Minnesota Rokkr announces roster of Lynz, Owakening, Vivid, Accuracy – August 24: Florida Mutineers is replaced by Miami Heretics. Pick up MettalZ, Vikul, JurNii, Lucky, EriKBooM. – August 8: New York Subliners officially sign Sib – Seattle Surge has reportedly decided on a roster of Arcitys, iLLeY, Huke, and Abuzah – July 30: OpTic Texas officially signs Pred & Kenny – July 24: Rambo has reportedly signed as Seattle Surge head coach – July 23: Owakening is reportedly a “top target” for Minnesota Røkkr – July 21: Beans announces he is a restricted F/A for 2024 season – LA Thieves planning roster of Ghosty, Cammy, Afro, JoeDeceives – July 20: Atlanta FaZe officially signs Drazah – July 19: Toronto Ultra officially sign Envoy – Boston Breach signs SlasheR & Priestahh – July 18: New York Subliners part ways with Priestahh – July 14: Boston Breach announced the departure of Kremp – July 13: LA Thieves announce the departure of Drazah – July 12: LA Thieves announce the departure of Envoy – July 10: Boston Breach signs Snoopy for the 2024 season. – July 7: OpTic Texas is reportedly “leaning towards” picking up Kenny. – July 5: Atlanta FaZe wanted Scrappy but never negotiated with Toronto Ultra – Drazah made the decision to join Atlanta FaZe over OpTic Texas – July 3: Seattle Surge announce the departure of Pred, Sib, Accuracy, & Mack – Envoy reportedly chooses to sign with the Toronto Ultra – Pred is reportedly “very likely” headed to OpTic Texas – OpTic Texas is reportedly “expected” to sign Drazah but there is still “no guarantee” – June 29: Toronto Ultra have held talks with Envoy – Drazah is reportedly at the top of Atlanta FaZe’s wishlist – June 27: Octane retires – Atlanta FaZe reportedly interested in Insight to replace SlasheR – June 26: Minnesota Røkkr release Afro, Cammy, Attach, Bance & ReeaLL – Toronto Ultra drop Hicksy – OpTic Texas announce the departure of Huke & Ghosty. – Florida Mutineers release Brack, Capsidal, Felo, Havok, a& coaching staff – Boston Breach release Owakening – Los Angeles Guerillas release JoeDeceives, Assault, & Exceed – Atlanta FaZe reportedly release SlasheR – London Royal Ravens release Asim, Nastie, Skrapz & Uli – June 25: Boston Breach announce the departure of Nero and Vivid – Boston Breach reportedly releasing Owakening, in talks with Clayster, per The Rotation – June 22: Toronto Ultra reportedly open to offers for CleanX and Insight – June 21: OpTic Texas hold talks with Drazah and Envoy – Be sure to check back throughout the offseason to see how things progress and which new rumors or reports come out!

CDL 2023 season: Standings, schedule, teams, more ActivisionThe 2023 Call of Duty League is reaching its climax now, as the regular season rounds out and the preparation for Champs starts. Here’s everything that’s happened so far this season. The 2023 season was not short of drama and excitement. Call of Duty legend Seth ‘Scump’ Abner officially retired at the start of Major 2 after a tumultuous period for OpTic, replaced by Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland after a lengthy saga in which the team tried to buy out Pred from Seattle Surge. Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni also retired and joined OpTic Gaming. Meanwhile, Thomas ‘Scrappy’ Ernst put on some dominant performances to make him a clear Rookie of the Year favorite, and New York Subliners became the only two-time champions of the season. Take a look for the full rundown on what’s happened so far, and what’s still to come, in the CDL 2023 season. Contents CDL 2023 standings It’s worth noting that only the top eight teams qualify for the Call of Duty Championship at the end of the season, so any team that has fallen below that threshold is missing out on the crowning event, already seeing their season come to an end. CDL 2023 Schedule The 2023 CDL season starts just over six weeks after Modern Warfare 2 releases on October 28. Major 1: December 2 – December 18 December 2-9: Online Qualifiers – December 15-18: Major 1 Hosted in Raleigh, NC – Major 2: January 13 – February 5 January 13-29: Online Qualifiers – February 2-5: Major 2 hosted by Boston Breach – Major 3: February 17 – March 12 February 17-March 5: Online Qualifiers – March 9-12: Major 3 hosted by OpTic Texas – Major 4: March 24 – April 16 March 31-April 16: Online Qualifiers – April 20-23: Major 4 in Columbus, OH – Major 5: May 5 – 28 May 5-21: Online Qualifiers – May 25-28: Major 5 hosted by Toronto Ultra – CDL Champs 2023: June 15 – 18 June 15-18: CDL Championship Weekend in Las Vegas, NV – CDL 2023 teams & rosters There have been some significant team changes and new arrivals to the CDL this season. We are still awaiting a roster announcement for the London Royal Ravens. Here are all of the teams and their current rosters. That’s everything you need to know for the CDL 2023 season, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back to find all the info in one place.

LIVE: CDL 2023 Rostermania hub after Major 3 Call of Duty LeagueCDL 2023 Rostermania season is well underway, with new rosters taking to battle on Modern Warfare 2. In close proximity to Major 4, we’ve seen even more roster shakeups big roster shakeups involving the likes of OpTic Texas, LA Guerrillas, and Florida Mutineers. Here’s where things stand currently after Major 3. Culminating a wild CDL season, the LA Thieves won CDL Champs 2022. In the aftermath, teams officially shifted gears towards Modern Warfare 2. Teams were required to exercise player extension options by August 14, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Any player that did not have their option extended immediately became a free agent. Players can officially sign new contracts. Here’s a complete overview of the latest rostermania news after Major 3 as teams finalize their roster decisions. Current CDL 2023 rosters Below is a look at every current CDL lineup as it stands after the 2022-2023 offseason. It’s worth noting, however, that following Major 3, some teams made changes or have moves in the works. CDL 2023 mid-season Rostermania updates April 3 Kremp: Boston Academy → Boston Breach – Standy: Boston Breach → Boston Breach (Bench) – March 28 Attach: Minnesota RØKKR → Minnesota RØKKR (Bench) – Fame: Minnesota RØKKR (Bench) → Minnesota RØKKR – March 24 2ReaL: Las Vegas Legion → F/A – Standy: F/A → Las Vegas Legion – Ulisses: F/A → London Royal Ravens – March 17 PaulEhx: London Royal Ravens → F/A – Zer0: London Royal Ravens → F/A – February 18 Hicksy: Toronto Ultra (bench) → Toronto Ultra – Standy: Toronto Ultra → Toronto Ultra (Bench) – February 15 Capsidal: OMiT → Florida Mutineers – February 14 Methodz: Boston Breach → Retired – Prolute: Las Vegas Legion → F/A – FeLo: Decimate Gaming → Florida Mutineers – 2ReaL: Decimate Gaming → Las Vegas Legion – February 13 Beans: Boston Breach Academy → Boston Breach – February 12 Davpadie: Florida Mutineers → F/A – February 9 Ghosty: Decimate Gaming → OpTic Texas – iLLeY: OpTic Texas → F/A – February 7 Brack: Florida Mutineers (Bench) → Florida Mutineers – Vikul: Florida Mutineers → Florida Mutineers (Bench) – February 6 MajorManiak: Florida Mutineers → F/A – January 27 Rambo: OpTic Texas (Coach) → F/A – January 24 Davpadie: Florida Mutineers (Bench) → Florida Mutineers – Brack: Florida Mutineers → Florida Mutineers (Bench) – January 17 Scump: OpTic Texas → Retired – PaulEhx: London Royal Ravens (Bench) → London Royal Ravens – Zer0: London Royal Ravens → London Royal Ravens (Bench) – January 11 Skrapz: London Royal Ravens (Bench) → London Royal Ravens – PaulEhx: London Royal Ravens → London Royal Ravens (Bench) – January 9 (CDL 2023 Rostermania post-Major 1) Huke: F/A → OpTic Texas – Dashy: OpTic Texas → OpTic Texas (bench) – January 3 Exceed: LAG Academy → LA Guerrillas – JoeDeceives: LAG Academy → LA Guerrillas – Assault: LAG Academy → LA Guerrillas – Spart: LA Guerrillas → LAG Academy – Neptune: LA Guerrillas → LAG Academy – Huke: LA Guerrillas → F/A – October 7 TJHaly: F/A→ Las Vegas Legion – Clayster: F/A→ Las Vegas Legion – Prolute: F/A→ Las Vegas Legion – Wardy: F/A → New York Subliners – October 6 Priestah: F/A → New York Subliners – Sender: F/A → New York Subliners – October 5 Skyz: F/A→ New York Subliners – October 4 Kismet: F/A → New York Subliners – October 3 HyDra: F/A → New York Subliners – September 20 Owakening: F/A → Boston Breach – September 19 Brack: F/A → Florida Mutineers – MajorManiak: F/A → Florida Mutineers – Havok: F/A → Florida Mutineers – Vikul: F/A → Florida Mutineers – September 15 Asim: LA Guerrillas → F/A – August 26 SlasheR: F/A → Atlanta FaZe – August 25 Attach: F/A → Minnesota RØKKR – Afro: F/A → Minnesota RØKKR – Cammy: F/A → Minnesota RØKKR – Bance: F/A → Minnesota RØKKR – Prestinni: Atlanta FaZe → F/A – August 24 Arcitys: F/A → LA Guerrillas – Sender: OpTic Texas → F/A – Afro: London Royal Ravens → F/A – August 18 Arcitys: Atlanta FaZe → F/A – Dashy: F/A → OpTic Texas – iLLeY: F/A → OpTic Texas – August 17 Dashy: OpTic Texas → F/A – iLLeY: OpTic Texas → F/A – August 15 Ricky (Coach): LA Guerrillas → Team Manager – Classic: Seattle Surge → F/A – Clayster: New York Subliners → F/A – HyDra: New York Subliners → F/A – Jimbo: Paris Legion → F/A – Revan (Coach): New York Subliners → F/A – Cammy: Toronto Ultra → F/A – Yeez: Florida Mutineers → F/A – Skyz: Florida Mutineers → F/A – Owakening: Florida Mutineers → F/A – 2ReaL: Florida Mutineers → F/A – MajorManiak: Florida Mutineers → F/A – John: Paris Legion → F/A – Gunless: LA Guerrillas → F/A – JPKrez (Coach): New York Subliners → F/A – August 14 Prolute: OpTic Texas → F/A – General: OpTic Texas → F/A – Crimsix: New York Subliners → F/A – PaulEhx: New York Subliners → F/A – Pentagrxm: LA Thieves → F/A – GRVTY: Paris Legion → F/A – Attach: Minnesota RØKKR → F/A – Standy: Minnesota RØKKR → F/A – Havok: Minnesota RØKKR → F/A – Priestahh: Minnesota RØKKR → F/A – Bance: Toronto Ultra → F/A – Capsidal: Boston Breach → F/A – August 12 TJHaLy: Boston Breach → F/A – August 9 (Start of CDL 2023 rostermania) Bevils (Coach): Los Angeles Guerillas → F/A – Be sure to follow along at @DexertoEsports to keep up with all the latest as rostermania continues.

Call of Duty League 2023 v1.0 ruleset for Modern Warfare 2 revealed ActivisionThe initial ruleset for the Modern Warfare 2 Call of Duty League season has officially been revealed, giving fans and players the maps, modes, restrictions, and more to expect in coming tournaments. The Call of Duty League season officially gets underway on December 2, with qualifiers for the Major 1 Pro-Am that’s set to take place in North Carolina from December 15-18. As such, and with Challengers tournaments due to take place a month prior to the Pro-Am, an official CDL ruleset is needed to get the ball rolling for the elite level of competition. On Monday, November 7, the CDL version 1 ruleset was officially published. Here’s what’s included. CDL Modern Warfare 2 rules revealed Call of Duty League 2023: MW2 maps These are the maps that will be played in each game mode at CDL Major 1, though as always these are subject to change, especially as the season progresses. The initial v1.0 map pool was changed after just a few hours following the announcement, after mass backlash from CDL pros. Here’s what it changed to: With the promise of two new classic maps arriving during Season 1 of Modern Warfare 2, it may be that they could make their way into the competitive rotation, depending on what comes. Of course, with more seasons of new maps, and perhaps two years of competitive MW2, the mapset may look completely different throughout the years. Call of Duty League 2023: Weapon & equipment restrictions As always, certain weapons, such as LMGs and Shotguns, have received blanket restrictions in competitive play for this year. Others have also been banned for various reasons, so here’s the full list of restricted weapons and equipment: Primary WeaponsAll Shotguns – All LMGs – All Battle Rifles – Marksman RiflesEBR-14 – SP-R 208 – Lockwood MK2 – LM-S – SA-B 50 – TAQ-M – – MeleeRiot Shield – – – Secondary WeaponsAll Launchers – – AttachmentsAll Silencers – All Lasers – – EquipmentTacticalShock Stick – Decoy Grenade – Spotter Scope – Stim – Heartbeat Sensor – Snapshot Grenade – Tear Gas – – LethalProximity Mine – Drill Charge – Molotov Cocktail – C4 – Claymore – Thermite – Throwing Knife – – – Tactical – PerksOverkill – Scavenger – Tracker – Strong Arm – Extra Tactical – Resupply – Spotter – – All Ultimate Perks – Field UpgradesTactical Camera – Inflatable Decoy – DDOS – Deployable Cover – Munitions Box – Loadout Drop – Portable Radar – Tactical Insertion – Battle Rage – Recon Drone – Smoke Airdrop – Suppression Mine – Anti-Armor Rounds – – That’s the full v1.0 ruleset for the CDL 2023 season, as pros look to make this iteration of Modern Warfare 2 even more successful than the last.

CDL 2022 season: Standings, schedule, format & teams Call of Duty LeagueThe 2022 Call of Duty League season is well underway, with three Majors down and just one more to go before CoD Champs. Here’s all the info you need on the 2022 season including schedule, standings, format, and more. The Call of Duty League came back with a bang in 2022. We’ve had brand new franchises entering the fray, players and teams seeking revenge on their 2021 rivals, and reigning champions Atlanta FaZe looking to become Call of Duty’s greatest-ever dynasty. They’ve had to fend off competition from the likes of Seattle Surge and newly-formed OpTic Texas, a result of the merger between OpTic Chicago and Dallas Empire in the offseason, but to no avail: they’ve come second at every Major this season so far. Take a look for the full rundown on what to expect over the coming season. Jump to section CDL 2022 overall standings The regular season of the CoD League kicked off on February 4. Four months later, here’s how the standings look before Major 3. It’s worth noting, too, that only the top 8 teams after Major 4 will qualify for Champs, meaning teams like New York Subliners have found themselves in a very tough situation. CDL 2022 schedule The CDL Kickoff Classic took place from January 21-23, with all 12 teams looking to get themselves off to a hot start before the season officially got going. Toronto Ultra ultimately took home the win, beating a surprisingly strong Seattle Surge side in the grand finals. From then onwards, the regular season has played out as follows: Major 1: February 4-March 6 February 4-20: Online Qualifiers – March 3-6: Major 1 hosted by OpTic Texas – Major 2: March 11-April 3 March 11-27: Online Qualifiers – March 31-April 3: Major 2 hosted by Minnesota RØKKR – Midseason tournaments: April 9-May 8 — All-Star Event postponed to end of season – April 24: CDL Warzone Pacific Tournament Each of the 12 League teams assembled a four-person squad and dropped into Rebirth Island Resurgence Quads. The last person standing on each map takes home a cash prize for their team and additional prizing was awarded for kills. – – May 5-8: Pro-Am Classic (LAN) All 12 League teams are scheduled to compete on LAN in front of a live audience alongside the top four Challengers squads. $100,000 in first place prizing is on the line as the pros face off against their Challenger foes. No CDL points will be awarded for this event. – – Major 3: May 13-June 5 May 13-29: Online Qualifiers – June 2-5: Major 3 hosted by Toronto Ultra – Major 4: July 1-24 July 1-17: Online Qualifiers – July 21-24: Major 4 hosted by New York Subliners – CDL 2022 season format: Qualifiers, Majors, Playoffs Here’s the format for the 2022 CDL season: Major Qualifiers 2022 season is divided into 4 Majors – No more team-hosted Home Series’ – Regular season matches will be all online and treated as ‘Qualifiers’ for the Major – Qualifiers will consist of teams playing 5 prescheduled online matches against randomly drawn teams – 10 CDL points per Qualifier series win – Majors Majors will feature all 12 teams after initial announcements said they would only have eight – One weekend of LAN play, hosted by individual franchises – $500k prize pool – CDL points breakdown is as follows: 1st – 65 CDL Points – 2nd – 50 CDL Points – 3rd – 40 CDL Points – 4th – 30 CDL Points – 5th-6th – 20 CDL Points – 7th-8th – 10 CDL Points – 9th-12th – 0 CDL Points – – Playoffs The Call of Duty Championship has been confirmed to be taking place in the Galen Center, LA, from August 4-7 – $2.5m prize pool – CDL 2022 teams & rosters There have been some big team changes and there are two new franchises on the board this year. Here are all of the teams and their current rosters: That’s everything you need to know for the CDL 2022 season, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back to find all the info in one place.

LIVE: CDL 2022 Rostermania hub: all roster changes ActivisionThe 2022 CDL season is underway we’ve got all you need to keep on top of this year’s rostermania as teams look to upgrade spots. There’s nothing quite like a Call of Duty offseason as rosters fall apart and players move on to fresh opportunities. Heading towards Champs, revamped lineups will be looking to give their all at the biggest event of the year. While it’s Atlanta FaZe and OpTic Texas leading the overall standings, as Seattle Surge proved at the latest Major, it’s still anyone’s game. Here’s a complete overview of all the latest rostermania news to keep you up to date with all the latest changes as the 2022 season winds down. Current CDL rosters Below is a look at every current CDL lineup in the 2022 season. Latest CDL roster changes June 29 iLLeY: Substitute → OpTic Texas – Prolute: OpTic Texas → Challengers – June 23 2ReaL: Challengers → Florida Mutineers – June 22 MajorManiak: Challengers → Florida Mutineers – Davpadie: Florida Mutineers → (Substitute) – June 21 Vivid: Florida Mutineers → Boston Breach – Capsidal: Boston Breach → (Substitute) – June 16 Neptune: Challengers → Los Angeles Guerrillas – Spart: Los Angeles Guerrillas (Substitute) → Los Angeles Guerrillas – Asim: Los Angeles Guerrillas → (Substitute) – Gunless: Los Angeles Guerrillas → (Substitute) – June 12, 2022 Gismo: Substitute → London Royal Ravens – Harry: London Royal Ravens → Substitute – May 16, 2022 Gunless: Substitute → Los Angeles Guerrillas – Spart: Los Angeles Guerrillas → Substitute – May 14, 2022 Neptune: New York Subliners (Substitute) → Challengers – May 11, 2022 Prolute: Challengers → OpTic Texas – General: OpTic Texas → Substitute – May 5, 2022 General: Substitute → OpTic Texas – iLLeY: OpTic Texas → Substitute – May 4, 2022 Kismet: Challengers → New York Subliners – May 2, 2022 Gismo: London Royal Ravens → Substitute – Harry: Substitute → London Royal Ravens – April 29, 2022 Neptune: New York Subliners → Substitute – April 27, 2022 MajorManiak: Minnesota RØKKR → Substitute – Havok: Challengers → Minnesota RØKKR – April 18, 2022 Gunless: Los Angeles Guerrillas → Substitute – Spart: Substitute → Los Angeles Guerrillas – Be sure to follow along at @DexertoEsports to keep up with all the latest as rostermania continues.

CDL 2021 viewership rewards to include Cold War & Warzone Operator Skins ActivisionIf you’re a Call of Duty League fan and enjoy all of the in-game perks that come with the esport’s livestreams then you might be in luck, as 2021 CDL viewers should be getting Operator Skins as a reward in the near future just for watching the season unfold. Rewards are nothing new for watching CDL gameplay. Since the league’s debut, Activision have incentivized viewers to watch these livestreams by giving them cosmetic items that they can use in Call of Duty. All of the rewards, however, are usually relatively minor. While the devs will give out a bigger item like a knife blueprint every once in a while, they usually stick to smaller things like stickers, sprays, emblems, etc. But for the 2021 season, that might be changing. According to an interview with Sports Business Journal, Activision Blizzard Esports’ Chief Commercial Officer, Brandon Snow, says that the company is going to be offering “high-end” rewards, and, more specifically, Operator skins. While the interview doesn’t mention any game specifically, the planned Operator skins will almost certainly be for Black Ops Cold War, which would mean that they would be usable in Warzone as well. Unfortunately, that’s where details end. While the interview mentions that these rewards will be given out based on how long you watch CDL livestreams, there’s nothing specific about how long you’ll need to watch or reward release dates. Because Snow mentions that the skins are “high-end” rewards, it sounds like viewers will have to watch CDL livestreams for a while before they end up earning the goodies. Generally speaking, viewers have to put in a couple hours before they earn other items, so it can be assumed that the more exclusive rewards will take much longer to acquire. This might mean that these ideas are in the pipeline and will come to fruition sometime later this season, rather than right around the corner. Of course, that’s pure speculation and there’s always a chance that big rewards could pop up sooner than later.

CDL Champs 2021: Team of the Week & MVP And that’s that. The Call of Duty League’s 2021 season is over, with Atlanta FaZe securing the bag at CDL Champs. The league’s eight best teams fought through the bracket and the game’s biggest superstars did not disappoint. CDL Champs was a fitting climax to a wild season of professional CoD, with teams like OpTic Chicago and the Minnesota ROKKR falling out despite herculean efforts. Ultimately, the Toronto Ultra robbed the Dallas Empire of a Championship repeat — before being robbed themselves by the dominant Atlanta FaZe. LAN, fans, and highlight pop-off plays galore — CDL Champs 2021 had it all. But we can’t only focus on FaZe. Here’s our Team of the Week after the league’s playoff bracket, with these stars truly shining and, trophy or not, deserving of praise. CDL Champs 2021 TOTW It’s rare for an MVP to come from a losing side, but Cammy was in rare form this week. A testament to his individual prowess, the Ultra slayer received 44.2% of our Grand Finals MVP vote — edging out the likes of FaZe’s aBeZy (29.3%) and Cellium (23.8%). Of course, those two FaZe dynamos deserve the gas as well. While Simp and Arcitys were absolute juggernauts, aBeZy and Cell enabled Atlanta to secure the championship by popping off routinely. But there were incredible performances from players on teams who didn’t make it to the Grand Finals too, with the Empire’s Shotzzy leading the pack. OpTic’s Scump and the ROKKR’s Standy were just barely edged out by 2020’s MVP, who — once again — proved he’s the best POV in Call of Duty. Here’s how we came up with our CDL Champs 2021 Team of the Week. MVP: Cameron ‘Cammy’ McKilligan (Toronto Ultra) “”Operation ‘Do Not Get 4-Pieced By Cammy”” – @ChanceCasts#CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/CYr0iJea5L — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 22, 2021 How do you even pick a top highlight from Cammy? The timeline was littered with capslocked reactions to the Scotsman’s destructive tendencies, as he went on unimaginable sprees when Toronto needed him most. While his ace and pop-off moments against FaZe were instrumental to ensuring the match wasn’t as lopsided as it could have been, it was the performance against Empire that truly took the league by storm. Tied 1-1, Cammy went from an abysmal 12-25 K/D to… 33-29. Ultra proved, without a doubt, that they are a top-two team in CoD and that was in major part thanks to Cammy’s takeovers. McArthur ‘Cellium’ Jovel (Atlanta FaZe) And some more trickery, @Cellium apparently saved this spot for months 💀pic.twitter.com/lyqunZbUY1 — DEXERTO Call of Duty Esports News (@DexertoIntel) August 23, 2021 The hardest kill in Call of Duty, Cellium doesn’t always get the individual awards, but his impact is practically unrivaled. After Major 5 he got his team to focus on the mysterious L-stick-slide tech and, in Champs, he opened his entire bag of tricks. Game 1 of the Winner’s Finals vs Empire? Cell dropped a 29-13 with 5.4k damage (1k+ more than anyone else in the lobby). Grand Finals vs Ultra? Cell’s clever plays helped secure the 5-3 win. By the end of Champs, Cell had the highest K/D in the league: 1.32 (via BreakingPoint). Different breed. Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris Your 2021 CDL Champs MVP: @aBeZy 🏆 pic.twitter.com/XbcKN3qKNR — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 22, 2021 Speaking of different breeds, aBeZy was in peak form this Champs. While 2021 MVP Simp could deserve the praise, it was aBeZy’s relentless pace that enabled FaZe to secure the trophy. And, as an added bonus, he walked away with Champs MVP. Read More: aBeZy: Haters fuelled FaZe the whole year! – Likely the fastest player in Call of Duty, aBeZy’s absurd gun skill helped him put up stat lines like 24-11 in FaZe’s Game 3 against Ultra. Known as the “First Blood King” for his S&D prowess, the demon showed why he’s the ideal CoD teammate: a dirty worker who somehow, some way still slays out. Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro Why is @Shotzzy like this… 😱pic.twitter.com/jdKOg5LPeX — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 20, 2021 Yes, Scump posted a higher Champs K/D (1.18) and yes, Simp and Bance made it further in Champs. But no, there is not a chance in hell that Shotzzy is being left off of the Champs TOTW. The 2020 MVP was an animal on the map all weekend. From dropping 25-10 in Game 1 against the ROKKR to finishing with a top-five K/D (1.16), the movement maestro Shotzzy willed the Empire all the way to third place and into our TOTW. Previous CDL 2021 Team of the Weeks CDL 2021 Stage 1 TOTWs CDL Stage 2 TOTWs CDL Stage 3 TOTWs CDL Stage 4 TOTWs CDL Stage 5 TOTWs Disclaimer: Dexerto has partnered with Misfits Gaming Group to create and package branded content across its platforms.

CDL 2021 season: Live standings, event schedule, season format, teams & rosters This is the main central hub for the Call of Duty League’s second season; whether it’s the most recent standings you’re looking for or the full schedule of upcoming events, make sure to check back here for everything CDL 2021. The Call of Duty League is back with a bang in 2021 and there’s lots of competitive CoD action to look forward to in what should be an intense and exciting season. Defending champions Dallas Empire look to go back-to-back, but they’ll have to fend off some stacked rivals in Atlanta FaZe, Toronto Ultra, and OpTic Chicago, all of whom look to complete the ultimate mission they fell short of last season. With a whole new season format, lots of familiar faces in new threads, and two massive organizational rebrands, here’s everything you need to know about this CDL season. Jump to Section CDL Overall Standings The CDL 2021 regular season is over and that means rankings are set for Champs. Here are the 2021 overall standings, showing which eight teams made the postseason cut and which four fell short. 2021 Overall Standings CDL 2021 season event schedule There are a total of 21 events in the 2021 season calendar: 15 in-Stage Home Series events, 4 end-of-Stage Majors, and the Playoffs. (Please note that this schedule can change anytime at the discretion of the CDL) Stage 1: February 11 – March 7 Stage 2: March 18 – April 11 Stage 3: April 25 – May 16 CDL All-Star Weekend Dates: May 22-23 – Location: Online – Format: Voted in CDL pros play a 1v1 Gunfight tournament – Stage 4: May 27 – June 20 Stage 5: July 8 – Aug 1 Playoffs/Champs: August 19-22 Date: August 19-22 – Location: Galen Center, Los Angeles, CA – Prize pool: $2.5 million – CDL 2021 season format: Stages, Majors, Playoffs There are some major differences between the CDL’s format in 2021 vs last season, so make sure to catch up on all the new information about how it all works. Stages 2021 season is divided into 5 Stages – Each Stage is composed of three Home Series-style events and one Major – At the start of each Stage, the 12 teams are drawn into two Groups Teams play 5 matches within their group during each Stage – Each Group win earns 10 CDL Points towards standings – – Standings in each Group determine seeding for Major – Groups for the next Stage are redrawn after each Major ends – Majors One Major at the end of each Stage (5 total) – Double-elimination bracket – played online – Seeding for Major is determined by Group standings during the Stage 1st place teams start in Winners Round 2 – 2nd & 3rd place teams start in Winners Round 1 – 4th place teams start in Losers R2 – 5th & 6th place teams start in Losers R1 – – $500,000 prize pool at each Major: 1st: $200,000 – 2nd: $120,000 – 3rd: $80,000 – 4th: $40,000 – 5th-6th: $20,000 – 7th-8th: $10,000 – – CDL Points earned at each Major: 1st: 75 – 2nd: 60 – 3rd: 50 – 4th: 40 – 5th-6th: 30 – 7th-8th: 20 – 9th-10th: 10 – 11th-12th: 0 – – Playoffs/Champs Top-8 teams in overall CDL Points qualify for postseason play – $2.5 million prize pool: 1st: $1,200,000 – 2nd: $650,000 – 3rd: $300,000 – 4th: $150,000 – 5th-6th: $75,000 – 7th-8th: $25,000 – – CDL 2021 teams & rosters Here are the full rosters for all 12 teams competing in the CDL in 2021, including the coaching staff. Keep track of all roster changes and player signings with our Call of Duty League Rostermania hub. CDL 2021 competitive ruleset All CDL matches are played according to the league’s official competitive ruleset, which determines the map-mode combinations, as well as which weapons, attachments, perks, and items that are restricted from use. These settings gets adjusted on a regular basis by the league, so for the latest and most up-to-date version, make sure to check the Call of Duty League ruleset page here. CDL 2021 maps & modes Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – That’s everything you need to know about the 2021 CDL season. For all CoD League news, updates, and event coverage, make sure to follow us on Twitter, @DexertoIntel.

Minnesota ROKKR win historic $500K CDL 2021 Stage 5 Major: highlights, results, recap Dexerto / Call of Duty LeagueThe final event of the CDL’s 2021 regular season was the wildest event of the year, as FaZe got knocked out early, OpTic made a run, and ROKKR capped it off with the biggest comeback in CoD history. Here are the highlights, results, and recaps for those who missed, or want to relive the action. ROKKR reverse-sweep Ultra in Grand Finals. – OpTic get revenge vs Empire to kick day off. – Ultra shut down OpTic in Loser’s Finals. – The last chance for four of the CDL’s teams to play before missing Champs did not disappoint, as Surge whooped derriere throughout the Major and took down FaZe. But Championship Sunday was the biggest day of the year thus far. It started with eClasico 2.0, as OpTic dethroned the Empire, but it ended with an impossible victory. Down 0-4 to the Ultra, ROKKR made CoD (and professional competitive) history by reverse-sweeping and pulling off the 5-4 win. A fitting finish for one of CoD’s greatest tournaments ever. The greatest comeback in CoD history. Reverse sweeping from 0-4, @ROKKR are your Stage 5 Major Champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/4ceISTJVJd — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 2, 2021 CDL Stage 5 Major: results, recaps, and highlights DAY 1 – THURSDAY, JULY 29 Match 1: Surge send Legion home Despite Paris looking like a refreshed beast for some parts of Stage 5, the Seattle Surge proved why their leader is called LAN Larew. Seattle blew the door off in this one. Match 2: Subliners outlast Guerrillas It wasn’t pretty, but the new-look Subliners roster got a dub on their first day on LAN. Fittingly, the nail in the coffin was a masterful round of Game 5 S&D by Mr. Do It All, Asim. 😳 @GstaAsim goes 12-6 in Game 5 to keep NYSL’s run alive. LAG now set their eyes on CoD 2021 (…set in WW2?)https://t.co/pIuasZhu77 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 29, 2021 Match 3: ROKKR shock FaZe No words here. Stellar series from the rookie Standy and an even better performance by the former FaZe man, Priestahh, who shocked his old teammates and CDL fans everywhere with a ROKKR W. Match 4: Ultra edge out Thieves While the Thieves can certainly slay out on LAN, there’s still some work to be done on S&D and Control. Outside of Hardpoint, LAT got smoked 15-3. Ultra are poised, have sneaky spots, and play OpTic next. Big-brain plays from @InsightGawd help Ultra get the W!#StrengthInTheNorth set a date vs OpTic & send LAT south into the Loser’s Bracket. pic.twitter.com/r299avM2Xt — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 30, 2021 DAY 2 — FRIDAY, JULY 30 Match 1: Surge stomp Royal Ravens Things started close, but the gap widened as Prestinni and the Surge grabbed the wheel. The win pushed Seattle to 4-1 on LAN, setting them up for a LR3 matchup with FaZe. Match 2: Subliners survive Mutineers Possibly the wildest Game 5 of the year, Subliners capped off their reverse sweep with some absolutely wild plays on Standoff S&D. Every player chipped in for the key W. GOOD LORD 🤯 Huge plays help NYSL clutch the reverse sweep in possibly the wildest Game 5 this year. pic.twitter.com/jTJmIwZlGZ — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 30, 2021 Match 3: ROKKR maintain form vs Empire Something’s in the Minnesota juice these days, as the ROKKR followed up a win over the Stage 4 champs with a 3-1 over the runner-ups. Textbook teamwork from the underdog squad. Match 4: Ultra’s S&D too strong for OpTic OpTic had been on a tear for much of Stage 5, but they swapped out the Foam Runners for Air Maxes and things got shakier. Ultimately, Toronto’s S&D prowess proved pivotal. DAY 3 — SATURDAY, JULY 31 Match 1: Thieves knock out Subliners The Subliners made things incredibly competitive, but a team of youngsters simply couldn’t overcome the LAN iciness from the Thieves. Match 2: Surge upset FaZe Arguably the greatest upset in CoD history, Seattle played like an inspired beast vs FaZe. Classic was in a different form as the Surge knocked Atlanta out of Major V. Wow… 🤯 Nicky D caps it off for a Surge 3-2 win over FaZehttps://t.co/Xzw1Lf5jLS — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 31, 2021 Match 3: Empire dismantle Thieves They came out with cowboy hats and presents, they left with a W. Dallas shut down a hot Thieves squad emphatically to keep their Loser’s run alive. Match 4: OpTic end Surge’s cinderella run My oh my. The LAN-favorite Surge met the fan-favorite OpTic and the game did not disappoint, going the distance to a Game 5. Ultimately, the Green Wall proved too sturdy. Match 5: ROKKR sweep Ultra to secure GF ROKKR may only be the CDL’s seventh-ranked team this season, but they proved themselves to be a real contender here — emphatically sweeping an impressive Ultra squad. DAY 4 — SUNDAY, AUGUST 1 Match 1: OpTic get revenge on Empire In Major IV, it was Empire who got the best of OpTic. But the Green Wall has grown sturdier and, with fans juicing every single play, Chicago handily threw Dallas out of the Major. Big Bruce goes on a spree & the fans are loving it 🔊@DashySZN helps OpTic 100-pt club Empire in Game 1 pic.twitter.com/qt2ShsDMr9 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 1, 2021 Match 2: Ultra upset OpTic in rematch What goes around, comes around, and that was the case when Ultra beat OpTic just as effectively as Chicago had just beaten Dallas. Toronto, with immaculate teamwork, ruined fans’ hopes with a smooth W — making that two wins vs OpTic in the same Major. Match 3: ROKKR pull off greatest comeback ever They put up 34 points in the opening Hardpoint then lost the next three maps. And then the ROKKR pulled off the unimaginable, reverse-sweeping from down 0-4 and pulling off the wildest comeback in CoD history — a best-of-nine reverse sweep. Minnesota Miracle, ROKKR Redemption, whatever you call it, this game goes down in CoD history. Ladies and gentlemen, the @Staaandy takeoverhttps://t.co/9oDVMfXctr — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 2, 2021 Watch now: CDL Seattle Highlights | Top 10 Call of Duty League Plays CDL Stage 5 Major placement & prizing CDL Stage 5 Major format & details Location: Arlington – Prize pool: $500,000 – Format: Double-elimination bracket – Seeding determined by Stage 3 standings: 1st place teams start in Winners Round 2 – 2nd & 3rd place teams start in Winners Round 1 – 4th place teams start in Losers R2 – 5th & 6th place teams start in Losers R1 – – CDL Points: Based on placement (see placements section above for breakdown) – Series are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – Grand finals is best-of-nine (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D, Control, S&D, Hardpoint, S&D) – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Watch now: Is Everyone AFRAID of “SCARY” Dallas Empire? CDL Review CDL Stage 5 Major teams & lineups Clay is still on a break and, with rumors he may be disgruntled due to a shattered trade, the new-look Subliners came into the loser’s bracket with a chip on their shoulder. Past that, most rosters looked about the same as they did in Stage 5 — but with some extra, financial incentives. Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

Atlanta FaZe win $500K CDL 2021 Stage 4 Major: highlights, results, recap Dexerto / Call of Duty LeagueThe Atlanta FaZe have gone back to back and won the Call of Duty League’s 2021 Stage 4 Major. It was LAN and the penultimate CDL tournament ahead of Champs, so here are all the recaps, highlights, and results from a wild event. FaZe go back-to-back, winning Stage 4’s $200K. – Impressive Empire run jumped them to No. 2 in the standings. – OpTic made Loser’s Bracket push, but fell short. – The Stage 4 Major had $500,000 up for grabs as well as a ton of valuable CDL Points. While all 12 teams qualify for each Major, only eight will be invited to the $2.5 million CDL Champs — making those CDL Points more valuable than ever. Last week, the LA Thieves Home Series, saw new rosters struggle in debuts while others bounced back. The Stage 4 Major saw even newer rosters struggle, while the dominant FaZe maintained their form. After a historic series, @ATLFaZe are the Stage 4 Champs! They beat Dallas 5-4, capping off an undefeated tourney run and earning $200K 🏆 pic.twitter.com/krziE2b8Q3 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 21, 2021 CDL Stage 4 Major: results, recaps, and highlights DAY 1 – THURSDAY, JUNE 17 Match 1: Surge ruin London’s LAN debuts The Royal Ravens came in with two highly touted rookies making their LAN debuts. Unfortunately, the Surge has some vets who have been dying to get back on LAN and one of those, Octane, was way too much for London to handle. Match 2: Guerrillas upset new-new-look Thieves Just before the Battle for LA, the Thieves revealed that Huke would be missing the contest and replaced by Drazah due to some… miscellaneous difficulties. While Drazah had some big plays, the Guerrillas cohesion ultimately earned them a win. MOVING DIFFY 🤯 @Drazah_ helps the Thieves take Guerrillas to Map 5! pic.twitter.com/LkKdcpk6kR — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 17, 2021 Match 3: Dallas dismantle OpTic After a week of anticipation, this premium grudge match ended in the blink of an eye. Thanks to a nasty 1.32 K/D from Vivid, the Empire absolutely demolished an OpTic club, sending many’s tourney favorite to the loser’s bracket. Match 4: ROKKR sweep undermanned Subliners High expectations dimmed for New York when it was revealed that Asim wouldn’t be playing in the Stage 4 Major due to visa issues. Then the ROKKR quickly snuffed out remaining hopes, with Standy excelling in his LAN debut. DAY 2 – FRIDAY, JUNE 18 Match 1: Surge continue their LAN dominance Was Seattle’s LAN dominance on Day 1 a fluke? If this game was any indication, then nope. LAN ‘Octane’ Larew continued to feast as he and the Surge earned a trip to loser’s Round 3. Match 2: Mutineers prove they’re no “onliners” Many wondered if Florida’s Owakening and Neptune could maintain momentum in their CDL LAN debuts — and they most certainly did. The Mutineers quickly eliminated an upsurging Guerrillas roster. Match 3: Ultra clutch up vs Empire What a series this was, back and forth with multiple comebacks. Eventually, it all came down to the last second, as Cammy went under a bus to spot Vivid’s defuse attempt and give Ultra the win. Ice in their veins 🥶 Went to Map 5, Round 11 — but the @TorontoUltra send Dallas to the loser’s bracket!https://t.co/aoutq1FjjN — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 18, 2021 Match 4: FaZe dominate ROKKR The ROKKR looked great against a suddenly changed Subliners lineup, but Atlanta simply look like an All-Star team. The S&D was close, but FaZe absolutely crushed Minnesota and sent them down to the loser’s bracket. DAY 3 – SATURDAY, JUNE 19 Match 1: Subliners outduel Mutineers Quickly meshing, New York proved they may be a pick-up team — but they’re still a team to be reckoned with. As Decemate popped off on S&D, Subliners eliminated Florida and moved into the next round. The pick-up team advances! Dece gets 3 and NYSL get the W 😤 pic.twitter.com/qfgI2esqXO — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 19, 2021 Match 2: OpTic survive Surge Seattle looked fantastic on LAN, but OpTic regained and made sure the Surge would have to work for a W. With huge plays from Envoy, the Green Wall eked out the win and drowned the Surge. Match 3: Empire ruin New York’s Cinderella run The Clayster grudge match, the pick-up team vs the home team — whatever narrative you chose, this matchup was spicy. Unfortunately for New York, Dallas was too cohesive to slip up (again) in their home arena. Match 4: OpTic regain and knock out ROKKR There needed to be a proper regain for OpTic to make a loser’s bracket run and regain they did. With huge numbers from a rejuvenated FormaL, OpTic earned their spot on Championship Sunday. Match 5: FaZe punish Ultra FaZe are a Call of Duty team that is good at Call of Duty. First, Simp almost put up a 3.0 K/D in the first Hardpoint. Then, Cell was squad wiping by his lonesome on the last Hardpoint. FaZe were filthy here. Just a casual squad wipe for @Cellium 😨 pic.twitter.com/7wCezQ4rT2 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 20, 2021 DAY 4 – SUNDAY, JUNE 20 Match 1: Empire dismantle OpTic A wild start to Championship Sunday, OpTic’s form was put to the test by a rejuvenated Empire squad and that form failed under pressure. Match 2: Empire reverse sweep Ultra Toronto immediately put a red-hot Empire in the blender to start this match before Dallas regained, stormed back, and flew toward a reverse sweep. Match 3: FaZe survive scare, beat Empire in Map 9 It wasn’t going to be easy, but FaZe got it done. Coming in cold against a warmed-up Empire, FaZe needed hero plays from everywhere to get the win in the CDL’s first-ever Map 9. The spicy six-piece for @aBeZy 🔥pic.twitter.com/TAJGokWNxV — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 21, 2021 Watch now: Top 10 CDL Plays | LA Thieves Home Series CDL Stage 4 Major placement & prizing CDL Stage 4 Major format & details Location: Dallas – Prize pool: $500,000 – Format: Double-elimination bracket – Seeding determined by Stage 3 standings: 1st place teams start in Winners Round 2 – 2nd & 3rd place teams start in Winners Round 1 – 4th place teams start in Losers R2 – 5th & 6th place teams start in Losers R1 – – CDL Points: Based on placement (see placements section above for breakdown) – Series are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – Grand finals is best-of-nine (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D, Control, S&D, Hardpoint, S&D) – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid, Standoff – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Watch now: BEST Roster Moves in CDL History CDL Stage 4 Major teams & lineups A bunch of lineups were different from Stage 3’s Major, and multiple changed just ahead of Stage 4 — as visa issues forced the Subliners to sub in Decemate for Asim and a name misspell forced the Thieves to sub in Drazah for Huke. Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

CDL 2021 Stage 1 groups announced Call of Duty LeagueThe 2021 season of the Call of Duty League is about to kick-off and teams have just been locked into their groups following the Stage 1 group draw during the CDL Kickoff Classic on January 24. [jwplayer gEgeaFbf] The CDL Kickoff Classic marked the first time fans could see their favorite teams in action this year, with every franchise playing one match against fan-voted opponents between January 23-24. Perhaps the most important part of the weekend was the CDL Stage 1 group draw, which saw teams pick out who they want their opponents to face throughout Stage 1 of the season. Each stage consists of three Home Series tournaments as well as a Major, all of which feeds into the World Championship tournament at the end of the season — so how these groups play out could have huge implications on the rest of the year. Here’s how the group draw played out and how the unique drafting system all worked. CDL 2021 Stage 1 groups CDL 2021 Stage 1 group draw process The group draw selection took place on Sunday, January 24, in a format that left some fans a little confused. The draw was described as a reverse-snake-draft format, with teams picking who wound up in the opposing group, starting with the top two seeds of the 2020 season, Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe. Here’s how it worked: Dallas picked the first team to be in Atlanta FaZe’s Stage 1 group — let’s call them Team 1. – Atlanta then picked a team to be in Dallas’ group — let’s call them Team 2. – Team 1 then picked another team to be in Dallas’ group. – Team 2 then picked a team to be in Atlanta’s group, and so on. – When was the group draw? As mentioned, the group draw took place on Sunday, January 24. As revealed by the CDL, it was featured prior to the OpTic Chicago vs Los Angeles Thieves Kickoff match, which took place at 3pm PST (6pm EST/11pm GMT). This has now set the stage for the first few events of the season, with the groups being shaken up for Stage 2. After the first Major, teams will go through the same process to decide Stage 2 groups, and for each Stage after that until Champs rolls around. Be sure to keep up with all of the action on Dexerto, and follow us over on @DexertoIntel for on-the-pulse updates!

Empire & OpTic clinch top seeds — CDL 2021 Seattle Home Series highlights, results, recap Call of Duty LeagueIt was the last week of regular-season group play before the CDL 2021 Stage 5 Major and Champs — and it did not disappoint. Big upsets, big plays, and final placements for the Major. If you missed (or simply want to relive) it, here are all the scores, highlights, and recaps. Dallas and OpTic secure top seeds for Major V. – New-look Subliners struggle after Clayster benching. – FaZe bounce back in terrifying manner. – Eight teams have clinched their spot at Champs so the postseason’s $2.5 million is now closed off to the rest. But there’s a tasty $500,000 up for grabs in the Stage 5 Major and the bottom-four teams are hungry to cash out. This week, the top teams duked it out for seeding while the bottom teams hoped to play spoiler. After OpTic surprised everyone by beating FaZe in Stage 5, Week 2, the LA Thieves shocked everyone again — by reverse-sweeping OpTic this week. Meanwhile, FaZe simply regained and stomped a Subliners squad forced to sub in Diamondcon for Clayster. A wild week saw the Stage 5 Major’s bracket locked in place with storylines galore. CDL Seattle Home Series: results, recaps, highlights DAY 1 – THURSDAY, JULY 22 Match 1: New-Look New York regain With Clayster stepping down, a young Subliners group debuted down 103 points in Game 1. Then… they came back, fought back-and-forth until Game 5 and secured the dub. Big win for a young group. Match 2: OpTic maintain run of dominance OpTic have looked like a different beast in Stage 5 and that continued into the Seattle Home Series as they dismantled the Royal Ravens in just three games — with major credit to Dashy and Scump. Look at Foam Runner @scump, man. So inspirational 👑https://t.co/7Mkiu0xnOO — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 22, 2021 DAY 2 — FRIDAY, JULY 23 Match 1: Ultra shut down rising Mutineers You would have thought this was going to be a close series after a close HP and Mutineers S&D win, but the Ultra just ramped up and kept their Stage 5 undefeated streak going. Match 2: Empire sweep home team Surge While fans may have hoped that Seattle would celebrate their Home Series by breaking GA’s, the Surge instead hoped Octane on an SMG would help them out. Unfortunately it turns out, no, it wouldn’t — and it didn’t. DAY 3 — SATURDAY, JULY 24 Match 1: Royal Ravens win Battle of EU Whether you call it the Battle of EU or the War of WestR, this match had more on the line than most would expect. Neither team is eligible for Champs, but the Ravens went out, performed, and spoiled the Legion’s chance at the winner’s bracket in the Stage 5 Major. Match 2: ROKKR stomp Mutineers This was a… very quick series. It felt like viewers got to watch Garrison for a moment and then the match was done, as the ROKKR regained momentum after a close S&D — thanks in major part to Priestahh’s 1.63 K/D in the series. Match 3: Thieves upset OpTic in wild reverse sweep An incredible series sees Foam Runner Scump taken down by none other than Gucci Kenny. Thieves stormed back into the match on Checkmate, one of OpTic’s favorite maps, of all places and proceeded to clutch up with a wild reverse sweep. REVERSE SWEEP COMPLETE! Gucci Kenny clutches the 1v1 vs Scump to cap it all off 😮 pic.twitter.com/AbnDQhU6xK — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 25, 2021 DAY 4 — SUNDAY, JULY 25 Match 1: Surge win Battle of the Bottom Neither the Surge nor the Guerrillas have anything to truly play for this season, both relegated to the loser’s bracket in the Stage 5 Major and out of Champs. But Seattle proved they’re the better of the bottom-dwelling clubs with a clean sweep. Match 2: FaZe are mean to the Subliners FaZe can’t be a fun team to play against, especially for a team with very little practice. It shouldn’t be surprising that they swept NYSL, but to do so while more-than-doubling NY’s score in each game is bully behavior. Match 3: Empire hit wicked form vs Ultra Some thought it was a fluke when the Empire beat the Ultra in the Stage 4 Major. Well, Dallas have once again proven that it was not. Crimsix got in his camera’s face, Shotzzy and iLLeY wrought havoc, and the Empire secured a bye in the Stage 5 Major. Knew Empire were winning when Crim got in his cam’s face like that 😭pic.twitter.com/XsXApEFBPA — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 25, 2021 Watch now: CDL Minnesota Highlights | Top 10 Call of Duty League Plays CDL Seattle Home Series format & details Location: Online – Prize Pool: N/A – CDL Points: 10 per win – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – Watch now: How Crimsix Became a COD LEGEND After Almost QUITTING CDL Seattle Home Series teams & lineups The Thieves held tight after a recent drop in performance, but the Subliners did not. As Clayster benches himself in order to regain mentally, New York called Diamondcon back up to the starting lineup this week. Con was tremendous before HyDra’s arrival, but struggled to replicate that form against an angry Atlanta. GROUP A GROUP B Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

Call of Duty League 2021 power rankings after CDL Kickoff Classic Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League is set to get underway very soon, with the CDL Kickoff Classic finished and teams showing what we can expect in the coming season. The return of the Call of Duty League means the return of Dexerto’s power rankings, tracking each team’s performances and highs and lows throughout the season. While the inaugural 2020 season of the CDL saw teams like Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe dominate, fans will be looking to see more sides stake their claim as best team in the game throughout Black Ops Cold War. With the roster shuffles that occurred during the Call of Duty League offseason, some teams are looking much better off — while others may struggle to find their feet. We’ve considered 2020 performances, our limited information on scrims, team potential and the CDL Kickoff Classic to come up with our pre-season power rankings. 12. Seattle Surge Different Seattle, but no extra Surge Despite some roster changes that look to be a positive for the team, including the acquisitions of Gunless and Prestinni, Seattle don’t look to be much better off now than they were last season. On paper, the squad has a limitless skill ceiling, but it seems something still isn’t clicking and it’s an uphill battle for this squad to become legitimate contenders. 11. LA Guerrillas Close victory over Seattle may spell struggles? Featuring three of the four 2018 world champions, LA Guerrillas have some clear firepower on their team, but none of these guys have experienced much success of late. Apathy had a strong showing at the CDL Kickoff Classic, and him performing well could be key to their hopes of becoming true championship contenders. That said, there’s some way to go for these guys to challenge the best. 10. Paris Legion Bizarre, but it just might work… For many fans, this Paris Legion squad doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, a group of players that not many would have put together given the choice. That said, it doesn’t seem as though they’re struggling like some expected them to. They’ve looked decent in scrims and clutched a 3-2 win over London Royal Ravens at the CDL Kickoff Classic. But we’ll have to give them more time to really judge where they’ll bed in. 9. New York Subliners ZooMaa’s retirement could spell disaster New York Subliners were hit very late with the announcement of ZooMaa’s retirement, as well as an ongoing battle to get French star HyDrA into the US thanks to visa issues. As such, the squad is hard to rank right now — but we expect them to improve over time and find themselves moving into the upper half of the rankings. 8. London Royal Ravens Zer0 chance of proving themselves without Trei London Royal Ravens are having a bit of a tough go of things right now, with Zer0 still stuck in the UK and seemingly unable to find a temporary replacement in the US to fill his spot. Read More: CDL 2021 Stage 1 groups announced – If they manage to get Zer0 out to the States and get some proper practice in, London could become a serious dark horse side. They lost a close 3-2 to Paris Legion at the Kickoff Classic, but it’s hard to tell whether that’s a fair appraisal of London’s ability. 7. Toronto Ultra Huge dark horse potential in Toronto On paper, you wouldn’t look at this Toronto Ultra squad and expect much from them, but they’re all players who have flown under the radar despite proving their insane talents over the years. If the CDL Kickoff Classic was anything to go by, Bance is in for a serious year, and he could be the key to moving Toronto up the standings. 6. Minnesota RØKKR Similar to last season, the RØKKR look primed to cause some upsets at the opening events, and their close 3-2 win over Toronto Ultra suggests the ‘Battle of the North’ will rage on into this season as it did the last. These two teams look neck-and-neck, but RØKKR’s win puts them ahead of the Ultra. While last year, the team slowly fizzled out as the season went on, the new roster has made some serious pickups. As a product, their strong start during the Kickoff Classic has put them in good stead. 5. LA Thieves Stealing top spot is possible for this squad LA Thieves had a rough go of things at the CDL Kickoff Classic, with a 3-0 loss to OpTic Chicago that really never looked to be going any other way. That said, they’re full of talent and their fellow pros clearly rank them quite highly — we just need to see them get some competitive wins before we put them any closer to OpTic or Dallas in our rankings. 4. Florida Mutineers Can they be the best team in the game? Florida Mutineers suffered a horrendous setback prior to the 2021 season, starting with the sad and sudden loss of standout talent and person, F3ro. While a phenomenal player, Florida look set to make him proud this season, and could push themselves to enter the championship conversation if they continue to improve. A 3-2 win over Atlanta FaZe at the Kickoff Classic suggests that another potential frontrunner is on the cards. 3. Atlanta FaZe Rough start for world championship contenders Atlanta FaZe were perennial runners-up for much of the 2020 season, often considered the best team in the game… But when it came to the events that really mattered, they fell short at the final hurdle. Nonetheless, bringing over Arcitys from Chicago will no doubt elevate the Tiny Terrors, and they will continue to find themselves challenging top teams at each Major this season. Don’t expect to see them losing too much this year, despite their loss to the Mutineers. 2. OpTic Chicago Forced to settle with 2nd… for now OpTic are back with H3CZ and Scump, and they’re finding the results that the brand has become associated with over the last decade of CoD esports. They’re natural winners and are going to continue to challenge at the top, just like they did last year as the Chicago Huntsmen. The inclusion of Dashy to the squad seems to be key to OpTic, and if he can find his Black Ops 4 form, we’re looking at an MVP-caliber player. 1. Dallas Empire The Empire remain on top It would be impossible to put the Dallas Empire anywhere except first right now. They’re the reigning world champions, are performing well in scrims and made short work of New York Subliners at the CDL Kickoff Classic. By all accounts, it looks like we should be preparing for another big year for Dallas — and these guys won’t relinquish their hold on the top spot too easily. So, those are our pre-season power rankings for the Call of Duty League 2021 season. The likes of Dallas Empire and OpTic Chicago will likely hover near or at the top for much of the season, but it will be interesting to see which teams can become their closest competitors. The first official event of the 2021 season is the Atlanta FaZe Home Series on February 11-14, and that will be when teams really put their hard work over recent months into practice and prove how good they are.

Call of Duty League 2021 Power Rankings after Stage 5 Major | Reverse Sweep Activision The Call of Duty League 2021 regular season is over, with the Stage 5 Major being perhaps the most shocking rollercoaster of an event of the CDL era so far. The Minnesota RØKKR — who have failed to truly make an impact over the last couple of stages — emerged victorious, taking down Toronto Ultra in a best of 9 reverse sweep in the grand final. They also beat both Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe on their way to the final, taking down all of the CDL’s top dogs in a run of results literally nobody predicted. But how has that impacted the Reverse Sweep power rankings? Katie Bedford and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker discuss what has been a huge change of the guard in the league. CDL power rankings after Stage 5 Major This week sees some of the biggest changes in the power rankings since the season started, with so many results going completely against the grain. Read More: CDL Stage 5 Major Highlights – Here’s how the Reverse Sweep crew picked their latest rankings. 12. LA Guerrillas (-) Another rough year for the Guerrillas will have them seriously questioning what they have to do next season. No Champs, barely a win on the board, the LA outfit might need to splash the cash to see success in 2022. Pacman: “Tough season for them, but I think we’ve beat down LAG enough.” 11. London Royal Ravens (-2) London failed to win a map in their sole match against Seattle Surge, sending the team packing back to the UK and with some serious food for thought. With no Champs to think about, these players have a lot of time to figure out their next steps. Pacman: “Since [Afro] played so well, I think that’s an obvious and solid potential building block for the future.” 10. Paris Legion (-) Paris lost to Seattle in the opening round, seeing off what has been a disappointing and overall pretty dull year for the organization. They’ve got some work to do ahead of the 2022 season. Pacman: “Individually they have the talent, it’s just as a unit they never clicked together.” 9. Florida Mutineers (-3) Florida lost 3-2 to New York to see out their Major hopes, and their hot-and-cold gameplay continues to leave fans and critics alike completely baffled. Pacman: “They lost to a team that has not looked good and, in general, Florida on LAN is a disappointment. I don’t think they scare anyone.” 8. New York Subliners (-) The Subliners have been gradually dropping off since Clayster announced he was taking a break. Although they beat both LA Guerrillas and Florida Mutineers, they were both 3-2 scorelines that weren’t entirely convincing. Pacman: “You have to feel for the New York organization and what they’ve been through. But there’s no time for that, they have to get the job done.” 7. Seattle Surge (+4) Seattle Surge are LANimals? At both the Stage 4 and Stage 5 Major, Seattle looked considerably better, even taking down Atlanta FaZe to claim a 5-6th placement this past weekend. Pacman: “Seattle has proven to us that LAN makes a huge difference for them. It sparks something in them & their gameplay. They’re the only team that made this great LAN adjustment.” 6. LA Thieves (+1) LA Thieves took Toronto to a game five and beat New York Subliners at the Stage 5 Major. They look like they’re getting better, but whether it’s enough to truly compete at the big one is a big doubt. Pacman: “I think they can go beyond where they are now because their individual talent is absurd. If it clicks on the right day, it can work, just like we saw with RØKKR.” 5. Dallas Empire (-3) After weeks of looking like they had improved drastically, even being coined as championship contenders, Dallas struggled relentlessly at the Major and will be back to the drawing board for Champs. Pacman: “For me, everything was pointed in the right direction and looking good… Then when I watched them play, it was a very flat version of Dallas.” 4. OpTic Chicago (-) OpTic look like they’ve made improvements, but they’re still not capable of breaking the upper echelon of teams. Victory over Dallas will be huge for the team, who achieved their highest placing yet in 3rd. Pacman: “OpTic is finally showing us what we talked about all season, and they finally hit that next gear, it’s just disappointing they ran into a red-hot Toronto.” 3. Atlanta FaZe (-2) The team that has been seemingly immune to losing had an event to forget, with straight losses at the hands of Minnesota RØKKR and Seattle Surge knocking them out in 7-8th — the franchise’s worst placing in two seasons of the CDL. They drop out of the top two for the first time this season. Pacman: “The way that they lost… That’s the first time we saw some of FaZe’s players look human.” 2. Toronto Ultra (+1) Toronto had the tournament as good as wrapped up, until the biggest collapse in CoD history occurred. They looked formidable throughout, and they will still be one of the favorites heading into Champs. Pacman: “Toronto played so amazing. All that’s going to be remembered is their grand collapse but, in general, they’re such a good team and so consistent. They’ve proven they belong at the top.” 1. Minnesota ROKKR (+4) — Kontrol Freek Biggest Mover Minnesota’s win was not something anybody expected to see, but they played near-flawless Call of Duty for the entirety of the event. Even 0-4 down in the grand final, we saw an unprecedented level of composure to bring it back, in a truly historic matchup that saw Standy earn himself an MVP accolade in our Team of the Week. Pacman: “This was probably the most unlikely win simply because of their road. I had to move them up to number one because they beat all the best teams in the game.” So, those are the Reverse Sweep CDL power rankings following the Stage 5 Major. Previous CDL Power Rankings Disclaimer: Dexerto has partnered with Misfits Gaming Group to create and package branded content across its platforms.

FaZe demolish OpTic, Mutineers start hot – CDL OpTic Home Series highlights, results, recap CDLThe 2021 Call of Duty League season has reached Stage 4, and the action kicked off with Week 1’s OpTic Chicago Home Series! Here’s how it all unfolded, with highlights, results, recaps, and more. FaZe destroy OpTic to go 2-0 in Stage 4 and ruin Chicago’s Home Series. – Mutineers finally reaching form? Florida undefeated to start Stage 4. – Ultra sweep revamped Empire, bouncing back from Mutineers loss. – The CDL Playoff race continues to tighten and, if the OpTic Home Series was any indication, things could get spicy in Stage 4. Refusing to be ignored, the Florida Mutineers threw all predictions into disarray by beating the formerly dominant Toronto Ultra on Day 1. But, while Florida — with serious improvements from SMGs Havok and Neptune — showed up for all underdogs, the CDL’s top teams put their foot on the gas as well. Restoring balance in the world, the Ultra bounced back and swept a Dallas Empire squad whose Vivid signing has yet to impress. And, to cap it all off, the league-leading, Stage 3 champion Atlanta FaZe went undefeated on the week — demolishing OpTic Chicago in the final match of the week. CDL OpTic Home Series results, recaps, highlights DAY 4 – SUNDAY, MAY 29 Match 1: Mutineers storm through Royal Ravens While the Royal Ravens kept things tight over the first two maps, the Mutineers simply could not be denied. With Havok controlling the map and Neptune making plays, Florida’s SMG duo looked more cohesive than ever in a comfy sweep. Match 2: Ultra bounce back and quickly sweep Empire This could have been a series, as Empire regained from an ugly Hardpoint and took a 3-0 lead in S&D. But, then, iLLeY somehow killed Vivid and himself, throwing momentum to Toronto. Ultra took that, ran, and got the quick sweep. Match 3: FaZe ruin OpTic Chicago’s Home Series Sorry, OpTic — there’s no home field advantage online. It was the week’s most highly anticipated matchup, but also one of the shortest — as FaZe made (very) quick work of a formerly revitalized OpTic squad. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1399125283765096449 DAY 3 – SATURDAY, MAY 28 Match 1: ROKKR hold off Legion comeback Two revamped rosters hoping to regain, but only one could snap their losing streak. Despite the Legion’s best efforts in Map 4, Minnesota shut down the chance for a Map 5 and finish off their week at 1-1. Match 2: Thieves edge out Surge in TJHaLy’s return After a wild back-and-forth affair, the Thieves capped off TJHaLy’s return with a win. Despite Seattle looking stronger with Classic replacing Decemate in the lineup, the Surge simply couldn’t get over their Raid struggles. LA THIEVES CLUTCH IT! How did Surge let this slip… 🤯 pic.twitter.com/BSsVSJq3aG — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 29, 2021 Match 3: Subliners stay hot vs LAG in first match of Stage 4 While LAG mixed things up by fielding a QBZ and FFAR, NYSL was unbothered and kept up their Stage 3 momentum. The Guerrillas kept things competitive early, but New York dominated the last two maps for an easy win. DAY 2 – FRIDAY, MAY 28 Match 1: Empire get clutch win in Vivid’s debut Both the Royal Ravens and Empire came into Stage 4 with revamped rosters, but — despite Afro and Alexx helping London to a lead — the reigning champion Empire regained and clutched up a win in Vivid’s debut. Match 2: OpTic kick off Home Series by dominating ROKKR After a day full of delays, OpTic made up for lost time by quickly sweeping the ROKKR. While Hardpoint was close, big plays from Envoy and Chicago made the rest of the series a speedy affair and a comfortable start to their Home Series. ENVOY 🔥 A HUGE two-piece secures #OpTic the Hardpoint win! pic.twitter.com/kxyTzhh1wZ — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 28, 2021 DAY 1 – THURSDAY, MAY 27 Match 1: FaZe start Stage 4 off with win over new-look Legion Legion’s decision to replace Classic with Zaptius may pay off down the line, but it fell short of helping them beat the league’s top team to kick off Stage 4 and the Chicago Home Series. While Paris did look very good on the season’s first Standoff S&D, FaZe’s respawn ability was just too much for them to handle. Match 2: Mutineers clutch up for big upset over Ultra Mutineers came out strong in their opening match of Stage 4, winning the first two maps convincingly. However, a big Control win for Toronto got them back in the series, and the reverse sweep looked inevitable when they went up 3-0 in the game five S&D. That’s when Florida kicked it up a gear and stunningly won six straight rounds to seal the big upset over the Stage 2 Major champs. Watch now: Why LAN won’t save OpTic Chicago CDL OpTic Home Series format & details Location: Online – Prize Pool: N/A – CDL Points: 10 per win – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Standoff*, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – *Standoff replaces Checkmate in S&D rotation for Stage 4 Watch now: Can FaZe FINALLY become a Dynasty? CDL OpTic Home Series teams & lineups Despite it already being past the midway point of the 2021 season, several teams have still made roster moves heading into Stage 4. Surge have replaced Decemate with former Legion player Classic, while Empire opted to bring on benched Guerrillas pro Vivid in place of FeLo. GROUP A GROUP B Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

OpTic & Thieves impress in key wins — CDL New York Home Series highlights, results, recap Call of Duty LeagueIt’s the last stage of the CDL 2021 and that means CoD Champs is right around the corner. Things got spicy during Stage 5, Week 1’s New York Subliners Home Series and we’ve got the results, highlights, and recaps to keep you covered. OpTic shock New York in quick sweep. – FaZe maintain league dominance with 2-0 week. – LA Thieves impress in John’s debut weekend. – Just three weeks separate us from the $500K Stage 5 Major and then we’re on to CDL Champs, where only eight teams will compete for the season’s biggest trophy and biggest purse: $2.5 million. This stage is the last chance to clinch postseason seeding and berths, so the pressure is higher than ever. With so much at stake, Stage 5’s first week was all about the action. And the teams didn’t disappoint, as the Thieves jumped out to a great start after bringing John in and OpTic shocked the home-team Subliners. CDL New York Home Series: results, recaps, highlights DAY 1 – THURSDAY, JULY 8 Match 1: FaZe obliterate Royal Ravens Nothing to see here. FaZe won the Stage 4 Major and walked all over the Royal Ravens for a quick W to start Stage 5. Things got a little close, but never enough for the Atlanta guys to sweat. Match 2: T2P on top as OpTic trounce Legion After getting booted from the Stage 4 Major by Crimsix and the Dallas Empire, OpTic bounced back in a major way to kick off Stage 5. In particular, the iconic T2P duo of FormaL and Scump absolutely popped off. DAY 2 – FRIDAY, JULY 9 Match 1: ROKKR deny MentaL’s CDL debut A legendary Gears of War player and highly anticipated CDL rookie, MentaL helped the Guerrillas break a Hardpoint losing streak in his first map. And then it all went downhill, as the ROKKR ramped up. Match 2: John & Thieves clutch up vs Subliners After two years away, John returned to the CoD’s top league and this divisive new Thieves lineup did not disappoint. Denying the reverse sweep, LAT clutched up and secured a W in Game 5, Round 11. DAY 3 – SATURDAY, JULY 10 Match 1: FaZe obliterate Legion This was maybe the fastest match in CDL history, as FaZe stopped letting the Legion compete after the Hardpoint. Impressively, Cellium and Simp even raised the bar — hitting absurd number as they finished off the Saturday sweep. Fastest CDL sweep ever?@Cellium & @SimpXO went a combined… 105-64 🤢 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 10, 2021 Match 2: Mutineers fend off Surge Florida want to maintain a spot at CDL Champs and the Surge want to play the upset card. Unfortunately for Seattle, the Mutineers continued their run of form and made quick work of this contest despite one blip. Match 3: Empire sweep Guerrillas Vivid used to be on the Guerrillas. Now he’s on the Empire and the Guerrillas have made a couple roster changes since. Dallas continued their hot streak and made this a rough first weekend of pro CoD for MentaL. DAY 4 — SUNDAY, JUNE 11 Match 1: Thieves outduel Royal Ravens The second game of John’s debut weekend ended much like the first, with a big LA Thieves victory. While the Royal Ravens aren’t the most intimidating roster, this Thieves roster is showing promise and carving out their place in the standings. Match 2: Ultra deny ROKKR hot start The ROKKR jumped out to an early lead over a premiere Ultra squad, but Toronto quickly bounced back and sent a message over the next maps. Helped by a strong Control and S&D, Toronto helped themselves inch toward better seeding. Match 3: OpTic shock home-team Subliners It was expected to be the marquee matchup of the weekend as the Home Series hosts took on a streaky OpTic roster, but this game would have been over in mere minutes if it wasn’t for technical delays. Led by a huge Envoy performance, OpTic secured a sweep and made a statement. Bruce just betrayed Gotham City.@DashySZN and OpTic beat NYSL 3-0 🦇 pic.twitter.com/WypxFkOmno — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 11, 2021 Watch now: Can This CRYPTIC COD World Champ Save LA Thieves Season? CDL New York Home Series format & details Location: Online – Prize Pool: N/A – CDL Points: 10 per win – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – Watch now: Nameless Reveals LA Thieves Huke MISTAKE CDL New York Home Series teams & lineups Roster locks are here, but not before the LA Thieves made yet another change — bringing in legendary vet John for his CDL debut. Other changes included MentaL making his pro debut in place of Cheen on the LA Guerrillas, but you can check out the full groups, records, and rosters below. GROUP A GROUP B Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

OpTic make a statement — CDL 2021 Minnesota Home Series highlights, results, recap Dexerto / Call of Duty LeagueStage 5, Week 2 came and went as the CDL 2021 season pushes toward CoD Champs. After a hectic week of play, the final eight Champs teams were finalized and OpTic made a huge statement. Here are the results, recaps, and highlights for the ROKKR Home Series. Surge, Legion, Royal Ravens, Guerrillas eliminated. – Royal Ravens and Legion play spoiler vs NY and LAT. – OpTic clutch up vs FaZe in huge matchup. – This isn’t your typical Call of Duty season. Only eight teams make it to CDL Champs in 2021 and that means four squads are missing out on the chance to fight over $2.5 million. But there’s still $500,000 available at the Stage 5 Major and placement points to earn for seeding at Champs. While no one can touch FaZe for the first seed, they can apparently bleed — as OpTic proved by beating them 3-2 in a wild match. Four teams are eliminated from Champs, but the season is still as spicy as ever. And that’s it, the list of teams who can’t make Champs is set: ❌ LA Guerrillas ❌ Paris Legion ❌ Seattle Surge ❌ London Royal Ravens— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 17, 2021 CDL Minnesota Home Series: results, recaps, highlights DAY 1 – THURSDAY, JULY 15 Match 1: Ultra obliterate Guerrillas A wise man once asked who was smoking the “papanya” in the Guerrillas camp. While that question remains unanswered, the Ultra made one thing clear: this MentaL situation may take longer than LA fans hoped. Match 2: ROKKR smoke Surge What a way to start off your Home Series. With Rookie of the Year candidate Staaandy dropping a nasty 1.31 series K/D, the ROKKR tucked Seattle away in minutes. DAY 2 — FRIDAY, JULY 16 Match 1: Mutineers shock Empire The Empire were one of the hottest teams in the CDL, but Havok is treating every match like it’s CoD Champs and apparently that energy helped Florida break everyone’s predictions this week. Wavok’s energy is unmatched 😤https://t.co/pdUvRV6mE0 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 16, 2021 Match 2: FaZe shut down John & Thieves John was undefeated in his CDL career at a nice 2-0, but then he and the Thieves had to get scheduled against FaZe. The four scary dudes could not be denied, even with LA putting up a fight. DAY 3 — SATURDAY, JULY 17 Match 1: Royal Ravens upset Subliners Things continue to sour for the Subliners, as the Royal Ravens added to their misery with a shocking 3-2 victory that sends New York back to the drawing board. Match 2: Mutineers carry momentum vs Guerrillas Unlike NYSL, Florida were not going to let a bottom-tier team play spoiler. The Mutineers maintained their recent momentum and throttled LAG. Match 3: Ultra shut down Surge Things change quickly in Call of Duty and there’s no better example than this match. Seattle were three points from a map win, but Ultra came back, won Hardpoint and quickly swept the Surge. The Surge only needed… 3 points 🤯https://t.co/1TmA7NgHW7 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 17, 2021 DAY 4 — SUNDAY, JULY 18 Match 1: Legion upset Thieves Any chance for a Temp grudge match storyline needs to be seized, and that’s precisely what happened here. Despite LA’s improvements, the Legion played spoiler and made quick work of Temp’s former team. Match 2: OpTic clutch up vs FaZe What an absolute stunner. Few expected OpTic to put up much of a fight against a dominant FaZe unit, but they did more than that — as Envoy piled up a 1.21 K/D and T2P clutched up the W in Game 5, Round 11. Match of the year?! OpTic beat FaZe as T2P clutch the Game 5, R11 🤯 pic.twitter.com/SZ0PA30u2V — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 18, 2021 Match 3: Empire ruin ROKKR’s Home Series The ROKKR had a whole watch party and everything for their Home Series. But Shotzzy and the Empire rained on that parade, as the 2020 MVP dropped a 1.20 K/D and Dallas spoiled Minnesota’s fun. Watch now: The ULTIMATE OpTic… Problem SOLVED? CDL Review CDL Minnesota Home Series format & details Location: Online – Prize Pool: N/A – CDL Points: 10 per win – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – Watch now: CDL New York Highlights | Top 10 Call of Duty League Plays CDL Minnesota Home Series teams & lineups It feels like this was the first week this entire CDL season that didn’t have any roster moves, but there were still some intriguing players and situations to keep an eye on. GROUP A GROUP B Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

Ultra dominate, OpTic bounce back – CDL LA Thieves Home Series highlights, results, recap Call of Duty League / DexertoThe Call of Duty League entered Stage 4, Week 3 with the LA Thieves Home Series. Action ramped up with CDL Points on the line and the teams did not disappoint. Here are the recaps, highlights, and everything else you need from a wild week of play. Ultra go undefeated to take Group B’s top seed. – OpTic bounce back to secure Winner’s Bracket. – Next up: Stage 4 Major on LAN. – Every week becomes more critical to CDL Champs placement, where only eight teams will get to compete for the league’s biggest prize pool. But the LA Thieves Home Series also had serious short-term implications as well. This was the final week that teams will be able to determine their seeding for the Stage 4 Major, which will be CDL 2021’s first LAN event of the year. CDL LA Thieves Home Series results, recaps, highlights DAY 1 – THURSDAY, JUNE 10 Match 1: Ultra trounce Guerrillas Things haven’t been looking great for the LA Guerrillas and that continued into the LA Thieves Home Series, as Ultra proceeded to smoke them in three straight maps. Match 2: Surge upset OpTic Boy oh boy. With some serious impact plays, Seattle took OpTic the distance — and finished them off. Thanks to big numbers from Octane, the Surge finally broke their 10-match losing streak in a wild upset. The 10-match losing streak is OVER!@SeattleSurge have upset OpTic 3-2 🤯https://t.co/ZaktiKx3az — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 10, 2021 DAY 2 – FRIDAY, JUNE 11 Match 1: Subliners sweep Royal Ravens We mentioned in the Players to Watch that HyDra could be scary once healthy and… he was. The French Felon and Mack went off against London for a quick sweep. Match 2: ROKKR spoil new Thieves lineup’s debut What. A. Match. With LA bringing back SlasheR and Huke into the lineup, things got dicy and spicy. Eventually, Minnesota pushed into the Major’s Winner’s Bracket with a big Map 5 W. Raise your hand if you missed @Huke 🙋♂️ https://t.co/dC5NIGdPxM — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 11, 2021 DAY 3 – SATURDAY, JUNE 12 Match 1: Royal Ravens smother Guerrillas The first match of Day 3 was a quick one, as the Royal Ravens not only 100-point-clubbed the Guerrillas, but had their rookie, Afro, drop a 1.38 K/D in the process. Match 2: FaZe survive hungry ROKKR Minnesota are not to be taken lightly and this was maybe the closest 3-1 series of the year. Unfortunately for the ROKKR, Cellium came to fry and FaZe could not be denied. 250-246?! ROKKR came to play… but so did @Cellium 💪 pic.twitter.com/Z4LLUh5vrq — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 12, 2021 Match 3: Empire outlast upsurging Mutineers The Empire host the Stage 4 Major on LAN and it’s clear they want a chance to be in the Winner’s Bracket for it. They bounced back and narrowly beat Florida with some clutch plays. Clean plays 👏@DallasEmpire clutch up a 3-2 W to end Day 3 and keep Winner’s Bracket hopes alive for the Major.https://t.co/c0sivGzA4Y — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 13, 2021 DAY 4 — SUNDAY, JUNE 13 Match 1: Legion beat down Surge For a second there, it seemed like Seattle were going to bring this back and turn it into a series. Unfortunately, that second passed and Paris, thanks to some wild Skrapz play, showed that they’re a force to be reckoned with. Match 2: Ultra shock Subliners Everyone thought this match would be the best of the week, but Toronto simply shut it down. After narrowly taking down New York on Hardpoint (a nutty feat in itself), the Ultra kept their foot on the gas and pulled off the sweep. Well, that was quick.@TorontoUltra sweep NYSL to secure a #1 seed in the Stage 4 Major 💪https://t.co/m02UUguWMC — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 13, 2021 Match 3: OpTic put Thieves in a blender OpTic might just be back. Literally everyone on the team fried, as they dominated the home team Thieves so badly that their 3-1 win may have taken less time than typical CDL sweeps do. Watch now: Top 10 CDL Plays | Florida Mutineers Home Series CDL LA Thieves Home Series format & details Location: Online – Prize Pool: N/A – CDL Points: 10 per win – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – Watch now: Why OpTic ARE BACK! CDL LA Thieves Home Series teams & lineups After roster moves continued into Stage 4, things have seemingly slowed down as rosters settle in and try to mesh. Still, with a bunch of newer rosters in play, every team is still trying to cement its identity ahead of the Stage 4 Major. GROUP A GROUP B Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

Call of Duty League 2021 first Home Series & launch weekend dates announced Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League has officially announced the dates fans will finally see competitive Black Ops Cold War kick off, as well as the first official Home Series event, of the 2021 season. Fans have been patiently waiting for the start of the second CDL season ever since the first ended back in August 2020. Since then, we’ve had the release of Black Ops Cold War and a litany of roster changes to get excited about, but now we can see it all come into play. With the action kicking off very soon, here’s everything we know so far about the CDL 2021 season. CDL 2021 Kickoff Special This season, the CDL are hosting the Kickoff Special, which will see all 12 teams go to battle on January 23-24. In a unique spin on this kickoff tournament, fans will be able to vote on who they want each team to face. Each of 2020’s top three regular-season teams — Dallas Empire, Atlanta FaZe, OpTic Chicago — will hold online polls to determine which team they will face-off against at the Kickoff Classic. Here are the possible teams: Dallas Empire: New York Subliners, Paris Legion, London Royal Ravens – Atlanta FaZe: Florida Mutineers, Los Angeles Guerrillas, Seattle Surge – OpTic Chicago: LA Thieves, Minnesota RØKKR, Toronto Ultra – The method through which fans can vote has not yet been announced. First CDL 2021 Home Series: Atlanta FaZe Atlanta FaZe will be hosting the very first event of the regular season in their online Home Series from February 11-14. As with all COD League content, this will be streamed on the official CDL YouTube channel. As has been made clear in the 2021 CDL format explainer, Home Series events will help provide seeding, storylines and more heading into major events, and teams will be desperate to kick their year off with a bang and get off on the right foot. The Home Series events themselves haven’t been detailed yet, though it goes without saying that the Atlanta online event will be a great insight into what we can expect from the league in the future — especially with a new, unique format for drawing groups… Unique Home Series group draw This year, Home Series groups will be drawn a little differently than how they were before. For the Atlanta FaZe Home Series, the top two teams from last year — Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe — will get to pick each others’ opponents. Using a snake draft format, Dallas will be able to pick who enters Atlanta’s group — and vice versa — until both groups are fully populated. This group draw will be broadcast during the Kickoff Special, and the CDL have promised more details to come on the draw and the season as a whole. So, that’s our first look at the opening CDL events of the 2021 season! It will be great to finally see teams take to the battlefield once again, and the group draw will give us a great idea of which teams to look out for at the opening Home Series events, as Dallas and Atlanta try to give each other the toughest time possible.

Subliners impress, FaZe dominate – CDL Florida Home Series highlights, results, recap CDLThe Call of Duty League’s 2021 season continued into Stage 4’s Week 2: Florida Mutineers Home Series. And, as CDL teams looked to secure seeding for the Major, here are the biggest moments, highlights, and recaps to keep you on top of all the action. Subliners go 2-0 in clutch performances. – FaZe and Simp absolutely dominate Thieves. – Florida prove strength despite 1-1 finish. – Each week, the CDL Champs conversation grows louder. The Florida Home Series marked Stage 4’s second week of play, making all matches pivotal to Stage 4 Major seeding and, in turn, to CDL Champs qualification. While most top teams have locked in their rosters, others continue to shuffle lineups in hopes of finding tournament form. Among current Champs teams, the LA Thieves and Minnesota ROKKR’s changes were tested in Week 2. CDL Florida Home Series results, recaps, highlights DAY 1 – THURSDAY, JUNE 3 Match 1: FaZe stomp Surge If you blinked, you missed this one. While Seattle was able to keep things somewhat close, Atlanta’s Stage 4 undefeated streak cannot be denied — as FaZe clutched up in S&D and absolutely dominated Control to wrap things up. Match 2: Empire rout Guerrillas in Vivid grudge match It was the storyline of the day, but most definitely a short story. While people expected the Guerrillas to compete, Shotzzy has a new haircut, Vivid has a new team, and Dallas easily swept the latter’s former team. Grudge match: ✅@VividTheWarrior heats up alongside @Shotzzy as Dallas sweep the Guerrillas 💪https://t.co/l93JVLV59a — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 3, 2021 DAY 2 – FRIDAY, JUNE 4 Match 1: Legion upset Thieves in Temp grudge match The LA Thieves continue to be an enigma, as the team’s replacement of Huke with TJHaLy was outright dismantled by the Legion. Despite Temp dealing with some sickness, his grudge match ended quite favorably. Firework ending 🧨 @ParisLegion take down the Thieves 3-1 in a @Temp grudge match!https://t.co/90WEuRc6Zw — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 4, 2021 Match 2: Subliners narrowly defeat Mutineers Two of the hottest teams in the CDL faced off, but only one could come out victorious. Thanks to some heroics from New York’s Asim, the Subliners were able to ruin Florida’s Home Series debut. WASIM IN THE CHAT 🤯@Subliners & @GstaAsim take down Florida 3-2 to wrap up Day 2 of the #CDL2021 Florida Home Series! pic.twitter.com/Gp5VFqE6lU — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 4, 2021 DAY 3 – SATURDAY, JUNE 5 Match 1: Ultra ruin Royal Ravens’ regain It looked like the Royal Ravens were going to bounce back against the Ultra after getting routed by 112 points in Hardpoint, but Toronto simply clutched up. This makes it zero map losses since losing to Florida last week. Checkmate Cam! Calm 5-piece for @CammyMVP 😤https://t.co/GKud7bqFnH — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 5, 2021 Match 2: OpTic bounce back and smoke Legion After OpTic got swept by FaZe 0-3 last week, the team needed to regain fast. And they did so against Paris, withstanding some pressure and proceeding to lock in and dominate the series. #GreenWall were LOCKED IN today!pic.twitter.com/p7WGCwb0jm — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 5, 2021 Match 3: ROKKR survive early scare from Surge Seattle’s losing streak gets pushed to 11 as they simply couldn’t clutch up against a hungry ROKKR squad. With MajorManiak hitting three-pieces and Standy outright frying, Minnesota secured a clean W. DAY 4 – SUNDAY, JUNE 6 Match 1: Mutineers bounce back vs Guerrillas After narrowly falling to the Subliners on Day 2, the Mutineers viciously bounced back into form against the Guerrillas. Banking on S&D and Hardpoint prowess, Florida dropped the reeling LAG. Match 2: FaZe absolutely dismantle Thieves Scary stuff when the Tiny Terrors are in form. While the entire FaZe squad put in work against LA, including a team 2.7 K/D in S&D — it was Simp who tore the Thieves apart to cap off the sweep. 😈 @SimpXO is on his worst behavior today…https://t.co/0vJPjOr54b — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 6, 2021 Match 3: Mack leads Subliners to clutch win What a wild series to end the week. On the back of two 40-bombs from Mack, New York survived an upsurging Dallas squad and clutched things out in S&D to win the tightest, juiciest revenge match of the year. Did somebody say “”grudge match””? 😳 pic.twitter.com/I4qj2xHDAY — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 6, 2021 Watch now: Top 10 CDL Plays — OpTic Chicago Home Series CDL Florida Home Series format & details Location: Online – Prize Pool: N/A – CDL Points: 10 per win – Maps & Modes: Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid – Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid – Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid – – Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D) – Watch now: Call of Duty League’s best objective players…ranked! CDL Florida Home Series teams & lineups Deep into the 2021 season, teams are still making roster moves for Stage 4. London brought in Alexx and Afro to replace Zaptius and Zed, while Empire brought on former Guerrillas pro Vivid for FeLo. GROUP A GROUP B Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.

FaZe’s aBeZy wins CDL 1v1 All-Star tournament: final placements & results CDLThe 2021 Call of Duty League season’s All-Star Weekend is now in the books and Atlanta FaZe superstar aBeZy navigated the star-studded 1v1 bracket to be crowned champion. Catch up on all of the action with full final placements and results. aBeZy took down Dashy in the Grand Final 2-0 to finish in first place. – FaZe go back-to-back as Cellium won the 1v1 All-Star event in 2020. – OpTic’s Envoy and NYSL’s HyDra round out top four. – CDL All-Star Weekend final placements CDL All-Star Weekend 1v1 Gunfight Bracket A big part of All-Star weekend was the single-elimination 1v1 tournament that was played in Black Ops Cold War’s Gunfight mode. The 16 All-Stars were placed into the bracket and had to fight their way to victory over the course of two days. CDL All-Star Weekend 1v1 scores SATURDAY, MAY 22 SUNDAY, MAY 23 Team Chance wins 4v4 Caster Tournament In addition to the 1v1 Gunfight Tournament, the weekend featured a Caster Draft Tournament in which four of the league’s casters – Miles, Chance, Nameless, and Studyy – drafted four All-Stars each into their teams. Those teams then faced off in a 4v4 single-elimination bracket. In the first round, it was Team Chance who got things started with a 2-1 win over Team Miles, including a big 3-0 win on Checkmate Control to close things out. In the other first-round match, Team Nameless came back from their opening Hardpoint loss to squeeze out a 2-1 win. Chance’s squad completed their journey to victory with a 2-1 win over Nameless’ team in the final on Day 2. After falling behind 1-0, they won Express S&D 6-2 before taking Raid Control 3-1 to seal the series win. Team @ChanceCasts wins the 4v4 Casters Tourney at #CDL2021 All-Star Weekend! You think these guys would win Champs if they teamed? 👀 pic.twitter.com/LbVfeBXkR3 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 23, 2021 2021 CDL All-Stars In terms of the All-Star selection process, 12 of the players were picked through fan voting, set up in a way where there’s at least one player from each team who gets in. An additional four players were selected by coaches and pro players, bringing the total to 16. Note: Due to unspecified circumstances, Kenny pulled out of the All-Star Weekend and was replaced by NYSL’s Asim. For more information about this season, including the latest standings, full event schedule, the latest competitive ruleset, and more, make sure to visit our 2021 CDL season page here.

CDC Paris Challengers final results: WaR upset Singularity in grand final Call of Duty/UnsplashThe Call of Duty League made its debut in Paris for the fourth Challengers Open Bracket event of the year on February 29 in La Seine Musicale. Only a week after fans got to witness the incredible action at CDL Atlanta, competitors made the trip to Paris for the first, exclusively, Challenger event of the year. Atlanta FaZe managed to complete the Double at their home event, winning both the Challenger and Pro tournament, although the academy roster decided not to take part in the Paris Challenger event. Instead, Team Singularity came into the tournament as the heavy favorites after their back to back performances at the start of the season, winning both challenger events in Minnesota and London. As many would have predicted the top two seeds, Team Singularity and Team WaR both found themselves matching up in the grand finals, after first clashing in the Winner Bracket finals where Singularity managed to pull off a clean 3-0 sweep earlier in the event. The rematch between the top two teams was not as clear cut, however, as Team WaR clutched up in a back and forth game 5, round 11 to force a bracket reset against the favorites. Although the second best-of-5 series was equally as close throughout, WaR managed to close it out 3-1, upsetting the number one seed after an incredible comeback on Hackney Yard domination with a score of 163-162. WE WON OUR FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP!!! 🏆 FOLLOW THE 🐐’s: @Dqvee @SteVortex @Peatie @BSDenza @Nastiee_ THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS! WE DID IT!! #CDL2020 #TEAMWAR pic.twitter.com/Hhm8uWp7nV — Team WaR (@OfficialTeamWaR) March 1, 2020 Team WaR’s roster, which features many familiar European faces such as Dqvee and Vortex, managed to secure their first championship of the year and the majority of the $10,000 prize pool. The final placements for the top 24 teams who competed can be found below, with each team having their respective prize pool split and ranking points rewards noted. Challenger teams will be back in action as the Call of Duty League heads to Los Angeles, California on March 7 to see which teams can prove their worth once again.