Author: Nik Ranger

$1 million Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship announced ActivisionThe first esports competition for Call of Duty: Mobile has been announced, and we’ve got everything you need to try and qualify, including dates, tournament format and more. Released on October 1, Call of Duty: Mobile achieved instant success, as the 148 million downloads in its first month made the franchise’s first-ever handheld game the largest mobile title launch in history. Fast-forward six months, and we now have the first esports competition for the game – the $1 million World Championship 2020 that will give players all over the world a chance to qualify. Qualifiers for the tournament will be split into at least two stages. Stage 1 will take place over the course of four weekends between April 30 – May 24. Each weekend, an in-game competition will go live that players who are ranked Veteran or higher will be eligible to enter. Weekend 1: May 2-3 – Weekend 2: May 9-10 – Weekend 3: May 16-17 – Weekend 4: May 23-24 – The first ten ranked matches in these qualifiers will earn you points, which will be based on both individual wins and current rank, which means you will earn more points the higher your rank. Anyone who manages to reach 80 points during any of the four Stage 1 qualifiers will advance for Stage 2, in addition to receiving exclusive in-game rewards that will be rotated each weekend. Those who qualify for Stage 2 will form need to form a team out of the players who made it that far, and continue to participate in online qualifiers. Activision have not yet revealed information about this stage, or any of the following phases of the competition, so the details regarding rules, format, cash prizes and more are currently TBA. They did mention “watching” the event, so there’s a chance that the final stage of the World Championship could be streamed live online. It’s no secret that CoD: Mobile has been infested with players using external devices, but for those concerned about coming up against such opponents, Activision have set a very important rule in place. Read More: CoD 2020 Vietnam leaks seemingly confirmed – The use of Bluetooth and wired controllers, mouses, keyboards, and other such peripherals is prohibited, so everyone trying to qualify will have to play on an approved mobile device. As always, we will continue to bring you the latest information as more details get announced. Make sure to follow us on Twitter @DexertoINTEL for the latest updates regarding this Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship 2020.

Call of Duty: Mobile Season 3 patch notes – Scrapyard, Battle Pass, more ActivisionActivision have released the patch notes for the latest update to their popular mobile FPS Call of Duty: Mobile, introducing the game’s third season with the return of a fan-favorite map, a new Battle Pass, and more. Call of Duty: Mobile became an immediate hit with players, allowing people to take the legendary first-person shooter with them wherever they go, with both iOS and Android owners squaring off in the game as they fight for dominance. The game’s second season officially kicked off back in November, and two months later, Activision are back again with another major update to the game, giving fans a bunch of new content alongside some important bug fixes and improvements. The headline addition in the Season 3 update is the return of Scrapyard, a map made famous on Modern Warfare 2, and now available on CoD: Mobile for the first time. The map will be available to all players from January 16, meaning you don’t have to spend any cash to get your hands on it, and is a direct remake of the map from the original game, meaning it will look exactly how you remember it once you jump into the action. A new game mode for the battle royale portion has also been added, with a 20v20 mode named Warfare also available for free. The mode will feature “multiplayer-style fast-paced action” inside the battle royale mode, with infinite respawns. The team that reaches 150 kills first is declared the winner. A new Battle Pass is also on the way, based on Infinite Warfare. Players will be able to unlock Phantom and FTL characters from the game, alongside some new futuristic weapons in the form of the Chicom – Irradiated Amethyst or the Type 25 – Geometry. The developers have also slashed the pass from 100 tiers to 50 but confirmed that the same amount of gear and loot will be available when it launches on January 19. The Season 3 update also sees the game’s Ranked Play mode reset, giving players a chance to improve their ranks from last season, along with a host of bug fixes and improvements. You can read the full patch notes from Activision below. Call of Duty Mobile Season 3 Update patch notes Season 3 Update is Live! A brand-new ranked season is now available. – New ranked rewards, including Black Ops III weapons, Yellow Snake series, and more! – Ranked Improvements Updated user interface – Improved matchmaking balance – Increased penalty for frequently quitting – Reduced point deduction for losses below Master – Hijacked map removed from ranked MP – Domination single round score adjusted to 75 in ranked – TDM score adjusted to 50 in ranked – Battle Pass – New Premium and Free Battle Pass Rewards! – Premium Battle Pass price has been lowered – Battle Pass tiers has been reduced to 50, high value content has remained Multiplayer – New Limited Time Mode Rapid Fire Faster Score Streaks – Shorter Operator Skill cooldowns – Unlimited ammo – – – New Maps: Scrapyard TDM, Domination, Search and Destroy, Frontline, Hardpoint – – Cage TDM, Sniper Only – – – New Operator Skill – H.I.V.E New operator skill that kills enemies with the use of traps – – New Scorestreak – XS1 Goliath Unlock this devastating Scorestreak at 900 points – Battle Royale – Time and space have distorted and will soon reveal a new battle area – New Limited Time Battle Royale Mode – Warfare 20 vs 20 Mode Fast-paced objective based mode that brings MP mechanics to Battle Royale – – – New vehicle 2-person motorcycle, perfect for high speed assaults and escapes – – New Battle Royale Class coming soon General – Call of Duty Account Login! Players can create a Call of Duty Account or bind their existing account to Call of Duty: Mobile! This will provide another way to save your data. – Players who link their CoD account will receive the Outrider – Arctic skin. – – Controls Added three new sensitivity modes and shotgun firing in control settings – Improvements and Optimizations Multiplayer – TDM is now unlocked at level 3 – Return of Takeoff and Raid MP maps – Fixed wall geometry on certain maps – Added warning and death for leaving combat zone – Increased damage taken from falls – Added ability to climb down ladders – SMRS has slightly reduced movement speed, lethal range, and damage to Scorestreak – Adjusted shooting stability of S36, reduce its performance in long distance – Slightly reduced recoil stability of Type 25 foregrip attachment – Slightly reduced recoil stability of AK117 foregrip attachment – Reduced MSMC magazine capacity to 25 – Slightly increased recoil stability of ICR foregrip attachment – Increased recoil control of AK-47 and reduced vertical recoil degree – Increased firing stability and animations of LK24, ASM10 and HG40 – Deploying Transform Shield releases a high-pressure air blast that affects incoming bullet trajectory – Gravity Spike gives temporary increased armor effect – Significantly reduced charge time of Gravity Spikes, and increased energy returned by skill – Increased energy usage of Sparrow Operator Skill – Improved throwing and speed of standard and fast grenades – Additional improvements Battle Royale – Improved Shipment and Countdown location layouts – Improved sound effects in cold areas – Added additional strategic ziplines – Increased damage drop-off of SMRS rockets at longer distances – Reduced movement speed while actively using SMRS – Improved helicopter collision mechanics with environment – Airdrops always contain Level 3 body armor – Deploying Transform Shield releases a high-pressure air blast that affects incoming bullet trajectory – Additional improvements System and Client – Slightly increased strength of controller aim assist on MP and BR – MP after action report UI improvements for final scores and team MVPs – Improved experience bonus from certain modes – Reporting cheaters may generate a follow up on actions taken – Fallen players can ping teammates to retrieve or use dog tags in BR – Primary and secondary weapons can be switched during match countdown – Improved quick team-up option in lobby That’s everything for this Season 3 update! Plenty will be rolling out throughout this season and of course we have plenty more planned for the future of Call of Duty: Mobile. Until next time!

Call of Duty Mobile Mythic weapon animation raises the bar for cosmetics ActivisionThe new Mythic skin for the MG42 in Call of Duty Mobile is turning heads with its impressive inspect animation, raising the bar for other skins in the game and the industry as a whole. When inspecting the new Mythic skin for the MG42 in Call of Duty Mobile, players are greeted with an impressive animation that shows an entire cutscene play out on and around the weapon itself. The scene that we see play shows a group of what appears to be WWII era soldiers fighting along the top of the MG42, while different objects fly around. In the end, an aged photograph of a battalion flies by before the animation ends. It’s an astonishing detail that really feels unique and unlike anything seen for weapons skins, both within the game and others like it. It has the Call of Duty Mobile community talking and it seems like it’s going to be overshadowing everything else in the game for some time. Mythic MG42 Inspect Animation.#callofdutymobile #codm #codmobile pic.twitter.com/yTWma7ONFd — Leakers On Duty (@LeakersOnDuty) April 19, 2024 When it was shared on the Leakers On Duty X account, one of the first responses said: “And so the greatest mastercraft inspection award goes to…” Unique animations have been seen across tons of shooters beyond just Call of Duty, with games like Apex Legends featuring special animations for inspecting certain, unique weapons and skins. But these usually revolved around the character just looking at the weapon in some way. Another fan, went so far as to say it’s the “… benchmark of the coolest weapon inspection in CoD history…” Its lasting impression with the community speaks for itself, and shows that people are resonating with this kind of creativity. It’s making waves in a way that suggests others are going to have to try and match it, or be criticized for not being good enough.

Call of Duty Mobile: Five beginners tips to get you started Activision – Call of DutyCall of Duty has finally entered the mobile gaming space in a significant way with the release of CoD Mobile and here are a few handy tips to help you get started. With Early Access for Call of Duty mobile having released around the globe on September 30, players are finally getting their hands on an authentic mobile version of the record-breaking series. The game does a fantastic job of replicating the popular FPS franchise, but the gameplay itself differs for obvious reasons to accommodate the new platform. Here are some helpful tips to get you off and running. Settle on an aiming preference At its core, Call of Duty is all about how well you can aim. If you’re not hitting any of your shots, none of your targets are going to meet their demise. As soon as the game boots up for the very first time, you’ll be entered into Firing Range where you’ll learn the basics of mobile movement and aiming mechanics. Test out the two seperate aiming settings for yourself and find which works best for your personal play-style. There’s the ‘simple mode’ setting which will automatically fires your weapon from the hip when your crosshairs are placed over an enemy. Alternatively, there’s the ‘advanced mode’ which allows you to fine-tune the aiming function and even enable 1-tap ADS, making it easier to fire at targets from a distance. Experiment with both until aiming becomes second nature. Buy and equip weapon upgrades Throughout your time playing Call of Duty Mobile you will earn a plethora of upgrades for your favorite weapons. These upgrades can be unlocked through the use of XP cards. XP cards are attained through the battle pass by completing various challenges and earning experience along the way. Once you have a few cards in your inventory, simply navigate to your loadout, select your weapon of choice and comb through the many available upgrades. From various scopes and sights, to suppressors and foregrips, make sure that you’re not neglecting these unlocks as they can play a pivotal role in giving you a competitive edge. Make yourself harder to hit It’s never the easiest thing to line up a perfect shot in a mobile shooter, let alone when your target seems to be on ice skates dancing all over the place. This is exactly what you should be aiming to do in Call of Duty Mobile once you feel comfortable enough with your own aiming fundamentals. Constantly switching angles, changing directions, and adjusting the speed of your movement, are just a few things you can do to make yourself a more difficult target to hit, all while landing damage of your own on the enemy team. Know the battlegrounds Being aware of the map is a key factor across all Call of Duty titles, thus, the mobile rendition of the game is no different. There are a total of nine maps in the game throughout the Early Access period and most of them are recreations of fan-favorite maps from earlier entires. From Nuketown to Standoff and Raid, it’s absolutely vital that you familiarize yourself with the surroundings so that you can better predict where the enemy team will be coming from. Being aware of spawn locations is an essential way to find yourself some easier eliminations. Use killstreaks wisely Last but not least, be sure to utilize killstreaks as soon as you’re safe to do so. Matches in the mobile version of the game can be incredibly quick, so there’s often no use holding onto a predator missile for all too long. Try to find a safe spot on the map and call in your killstreaks as soon as possible. Call of Duty Mobile is packed full of features, even including a ranked playlist at launch. Unlocked at level 10, this playlist is for those of you who have mastered the aforementioned tips and feel more than confident in their abilities. You can read all about what’s included in the Early Access version of CoD Mobile here.

Call of Duty Mobile Disavowed season: patch notes, Battle Pass, more TimiThe Activision and Timi developers released the next chapter for Call of Duty: Mobile called ‘Disavowed’ and introduced new events and a battle pass, as well as the return of franchise staple Soap. Call of Duty: Mobile is switching over from numbered seasons as it did up until Season 3. Now they’re going for more themed patches, with the first new season introducing the change of pace with Disavowed. The mobile iteration of CoD has already given players a plethora of options when retooling the experience to their liking, and that’s only going to get better with the launch of the next battle pass. Disavowed Battle Pass There’s no better way to kick off a new season with a fresh face, and CoD: Mobile are doing just that by bringing back John ‘Soap’ Mactavish and naming a skin for the AK 117 after him. Players will get Soap and the Mactavish skin right off the bat, unlocking the two Tier 1 rewards as soon as they unlock the pass. Disavowed will also bring the first female operator into CoD: Mobile with the Urban Tracker design that can be unlocked at Tier 12. But Soap and the Urban Tracker will only be a pit stop to the battle pass’s Rainbow Knife, S36 Brambles, and Rus-79U Viking that can be unlocked at tiers 20, 30, and 50, respectively. Spring Into Action LTM The new season is bringing back one of the most popular LTMs called Warfare, which pits two teams of 20 against each other in the battle royale mode. For a more focused arena, the One Shot One Kill multiplayer mode will also be released with the new update. These LTMs will only be available for 24 hours upon release on March 1, along with Double Weapon and Double Player XP. Zombies out, Hardpoint here to stay The new season update didn’t bring all good news. The devs decided that after “extensive evaluations” ZOMBIES mode will be removed on March 25. The devs said that the mode could make a return in the future, but will focus on developing the other modes like Multiplayer, Battle Royale and Ranked Mode. Meanwhile, Hardpoint is getting promoted to permanent playlist status after the devs saw a ton of feedback in support of the mode. Players can get into the Hardpoint action in Multiplayer, but to access the mode in Ranked you’ll have to be at least Elite to participate in it. There’s a lot more to unpack from this update, so check out the patch notes below courtesy of Timi and Activision. Call of Duty: Mobile – February 29th Community Update Greetings Call of Duty: Mobile Community, we are back again after going through hundreds and hundreds of comments over the last week. First off, thank you for embracing our approach to communicating those changes and our plans to improve a variety of aspects of the game in the near future. Your kindness, your feedback, and all of the discussions spurred on from that post have been absolutely wonderful to see! Today we are back and excited with to share a brand-new season with you. Soap is back baby! We are moving away from Season 3, Season 4, etc. etc. and focusing more on uniquely themed names. With this March season we are calling it Disavowed. Login now, take advantage of any of the limited time exclusives, and explore the new season. Instead of the normal cadence, we want to instead focus on everything coming up today on March 1st (UTC) and everything related to this season. You’ll read descriptions not only from our community team, but also directly from developers and designers. Let’s first go through all of the major aspects of this event followed by some general announcement and news. Patch Notes – A new Battle Pass season drops March 1st! Unlock Soap, new weapons, new equipment and more in the Disavowed Battle Pass! – – “Spring Into Action” for 24 hours with new events and rewards, including the H.I.V.E Operator Skill! One Shot One Kill and Warfare unlocked for 24 hours on March 1st – Double Weapon and Double Player XP for 24 hours – – New Cage multiplayer map available March 1st Unlock rewards in a special Cage event – – The credit store has been updated – New weapon and Operator crates coming soon – Hardpoint has been added to core and ranked multiplayer rotation – Search & Destroy win condition reduced from 6 rounds to 5 rounds Battle Pass Highlight With this brand-new Battle Pass we are happy to announce that we will have our first ever female operator in a Battle Pass, Urban Tracker, and the return of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series legend, Soap MacTavish. Of course, that’s just the two main characters featured in the pass, there is also the savagely effective RUS-79U Viking, the Brambles series of weapons and gear, the MacTavish series of weapons and gear, and more. As per usual, there is both a free Battle Pass and a premium Battle Pass available with their own selection of gear to earn and acquire. Spring Into Action – Limited Time Modes For 24 hours we are bringing back both two of the most popular limited time modes: Jump into a chaotic 20vs20 team-based experience with Warfare in Battle Royale or the quick, deadly, and precision focused One Shot One Kill multiplayer mode. CAGE Multiplayer Map This is our first Call of Duty: Mobile original map and it is a close-quarters three lane battlefield contained within a contemporary construction site. This map is mirrored and the ideal battlefield for fast-paced close quarter skirmishes. The map is designed in a way where there ‘perfect’ cover due to the verticality of the map, so be vigilant and keep an eye on your surroundings and not just what is right in front of you. Lastly, there are plenty of unique tactical advantages to be found and mantled throughout the map. Take a quick look at the flyby below and then try it out yourself. H.I.V.E. Operator Skill Highlight This brand-new Operator Skill was once a Specialist Weapon in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, now makes its debut in Call of Duty: Mobile! This versatile weapon can be used for defense or offense. Release pods at doorways and block entry points or crowded routes, like when blocking off the routes to a capture point or use it aggressively to make an area a walking bee-field of deadly pods. Starting today, you’ll be able to earn this skill by completing various Multiplayer based objectives: login, play MP matches, use other operator skills, take out enemies with scorestreaks, or just get general kills. The skill will be available to earn until March 11th (UTC). Credit Store Update While it seems like only a short while we last talked about the credit store updating with fresh new gear, we are back again today with another update! Like we mentioned last week, we are committed to frequently updating the store and in providing a variety of ways to earn or grind for new gear. With this update we have the following coming to the store: · Scorestreak: MQ-27 DRAGONFIRE · Shotgun: HS0405 – Ukiyo-e · Assault Rifle: AK-47 – Metal Note · Assault Rifle: AK117 – St. Patrick’s Day · SMG: MSMC – St. Patrick’s Day ZOMBIES Mode One of the most frequently asked questions to these updates is “what about ZOMBIES Mode?” Today, after extensive evaluation we are sharing that ZOMBIES Mode is being removed on March 25th. We had always mentioned it was limited but with no explicit end-date. We wanted to see the reception, see the feedback, and see how we can potentially shape the mode for the future. However, the mode just didn’t reach the level of quality that we desire. The second map, Nacht Der Untoten, is also not releasing in the global version. We may bring the mode back, with Nacht Der Untoten, once we can make sure it is high enough quality, but for now we’ll focus on development for Multiplayer, Battle Royale, and Ranked Mode. Hardpoint Becomes Permanent Last week after our community update, we saw a huge response to our call for feedback and specifically about Hardpoint. Today, we are thrilled to announce that based on community feedback and in-game participation (when the mode was previously available) that Hardpoint is now permanent! You can find the mode available today in core Multiplayer and in Ranked mode. However, in Ranked Mode you’ll have to rise to the rank of Elite before you can participate in Hardpoint. Well done everyone, you did it! Here is the full look at most events currently running or coming soon in COD Mobile: 2/28 – 3/5 ~ Prop Hunt Mode (MP) – 3/1 – 3/12 ~ H.I.V.E. Challenge – 3/1 – 3/12 ~ CAGE map challenge – 3/2 – 3/8 ~ BR Sniper Challenge – *All Dates UTC We’ll continue to run Weekly Challenges through this Season focused completely around tasks in both Multiplayer and Battle Royale. Check out and complete the seventh weekly challenge, which is live, in-game now, and waiting for you to claim bravery crates or other grindable items. For now, head out there, check out some Spring Into Action events, dive into the Disavowed Battle Pass or get ready for some of the other events coming soon. As always, please keep sharing your feedback, reporting bugs, and reaching out to us about the game. From all of us here at Activision and Timi, thank you for the support, thank you for sharing in the excitement of new releases with us, and thank you for pushing Call of Duty: Mobile to be one of the best mobile games in the world. Plenty more to come and until next time! -The Call of Duty: Mobile Team

Call of Duty Mobile reveals Days of Summer Event: rewards, skins, more ActivisionCall of Duty Mobile’s Days of Summer Event has arrived as all-new Legendary cosmetics can now be unlocked through a series of fresh challenges. Season 8 is well underway as dedicated players have grown familiar with an assortment of new modes and maps. While an earlier overview teased that a Days of Summer Event would soon be on its way, fans didn’t quite know what to expect. Activision has surprisingly dropped the summer-themed content in a July 28 update and we’ve got you covered with a full rundown. The limited-time celebration comes boasting new Legendary skins that can be unlocked through 12 unique tasks. An H20 Purifier variant headlines the content drop but players can also unlock random items just by playing. Instead of simply changing the colors of the weapon, this Legendary unlock converts the Purifier into a “giant toy spray gun.” If you’re wanting to get your hands on Call of Duty Mobile’s super soaker immediately, here’s what you’ll need to do. How to unlock CoD Mobile’s H20 Purifier skin While other summery items and new XP boosts can be acquired in the limited-time event, the Purifier skin is what sets Days of Summer apart. In order to claim everything the Season 8 event has on offer, you’ll need to complete new challenges. No different from previous content drops, ticking off various tasks is how you’ll earn these cool new items. Most of the tasks can be smashed out in just a single session, but others might take a little longer. Once you’re through with all 12 tasks, the Legendary Purifier will be yours. 12 new Days of Summer tasks in CoD Mobile The 12 new Days of Summer tasks are now live in CoD Mobile. Some will require you to play for a certain amount of time. Meanwhile, others will have you dropping into Season 8’s Juggernaut mode. All of the necessary tasks can be found below. Play 3 Juggernaut Matches – Play 10 Juggernaut Matches – Select the Highrise map in MP-Featured and Kill 15 Enemies on it – Select the Highrise map in MP-Featured and Play 5 MP Matches with Friends on it – Kill 30 Enemies in Juggernaut Matches – Stay Online for 15 min in total – Stay Online for 30 min in total – Stay Online for 45 min in total – Stay Online for 60 min in total – Play 3 Gunfight Matches – Send 5 XP cards to Friends – Play 5 Kill Confirmed Matches – There’s no telling just how long the Days of Summer event will be around for. There could still be a few secret cosmetic items on the way as the celebration rages on. Be cautious when you next jump into the mobile shooter. While water guns might seem like harmless fun at first, the Purifier is still just as lethal.

Call of Duty: Mobile breaks download record with staggering player count ActivisionAn astonishing number of Call of Duty players have decided to move away from their console and PCs following the release of COD Mobile, marking the largest launch of any game on the platform. The mobile video game market is still relatively new and developing in comparison to its other more traditional counterparts, but Activision decided to bring the Call of Duty experience to handheld devices when they launched their app on October 1. This new game, which is available to download on both Android and iOS devices through their respective app stores, was touted as a major rival for the likes of PUBG Mobile and Fortnite’s handheld version even before release – but now they have the stats to back up such claims. It hasn’t taken long for Call of Duty: Mobile to reach an impressive number of downloads, with figures from Sensor Tower – via Reuters – revealing that it’s amassed over 100 million just over a week after launch, but that’s not the only impressive statistic to come from its release. $2 million has already been spent on the game in the way of microtransactions. Those who have played the Call of Duty games before will know that these transactions allow players to be able to pick up new cosmetics, features and more. “This is by far the largest mobile game launch in history in terms of the player base that’s been built in the first week,” said Randy Nelson, head of mobile insights at Sensor Tower – according to the Reuters report. For those who haven’t seen much of COD Mobile, there’s a lot for players to dig their way through and it brings back a whole host of fan-favorite maps as well – making them playable at any time, on the go. The likes of Nuketown, Firing Range, Hijacked and more are included in the multiplayer mode alone. Call of Duty: Mobile has racked up more than $2 million spent on 20 million installs so far, according to Sensor Tower estimates. This includes Activision and Garena’s versions of the game. India leads with 14% of installs, U.S. is No. 9 with 9%. #callofdutymobile #callofduty pic.twitter.com/2ici0HBa9g — Sensor Tower (@SensorTower) October 2, 2019 As it stands, 17 percent of installs have occurred in the United States, with a good amount of the game’s player base built up in India and other countries across the world as well. While there’s no doubt that the launch has been a successful one for both Activision and Garena, it will be interesting to see just how they can keep it fresh and entice even more players in the future.

Call of Duty Mobile adds Blackout map Alcatraz to battle royale mode ActivisionCall of Duty Mobile’s Anniversary update is in full effect to celebrate the launch of Season 11 and a few big surprises are on the way, including a limited time second map for the battle royale mode. [jwplayer IuWaFCTm] It’s the one year anniversary of CoD Mobile and the developers are celebrating in a big way. The full Season 11 patch notes outlined a bunch of new content on the horizon. From new rewards and weapons to a full Battle Pass and plenty more, there’s a ton to play for amidst the festivities. However, there’s also plenty more excitement set to carry the hype through the entire season. Chief among the additions is a special, limited-time map coming just for the battle royale playlist. If you’re a long-time Call of Duty player, you’ll know the location all too well. Blackout’s Alcatraz map will be available to play alongside the standard Isolated battle royale map you know already. “For our Anniversary Season we’re adding a limited time second map with Alcatraz,” the developers revealed on October 14. This location hasn’t been seen in Call of Duty since Black Ops 4’s take on the battle royale genre with Blackout. If you weren’t around for its original run, Blackout is a considerably smaller map than what you might be used to in CoD Mobile. “Keep your head on a swivel and take advantage of the map’s verticality,” they advised. “Get up high and rain destruction on your enemies below.” Similar to Warzone for PC and console players, plenty of vehicles were scattered around the original Blackout map. Expect to see some of those make a return, though every other gameplay element will play exactly the same as you’re used to. It’s worth noting, however, that this map won’t be a permanent addition to the mobile experience. Alcatraz is included for the Anniversary celebration before it disappears again. Though given how much effort would have been required to port the map to CoD Mobile, it’s likely not the last time we see it. Expect to see plenty of surprises in the battle royale playlist throughout the next month. From new weapons to mods and a ton of balance updates, it’s easily one of the biggest patches to date. Get caught up to speed before dropping in with a full rundown on the Season 11 patch notes here.

Call of Duty Mobile: Activision respond to calls for controller support ActivisionActivision have responded to widespread requests to implement controller support in CoD Mobile — giving players a ray of hope moving forward. Call of Duty landed on iOS and Android platforms on October 1, and has broken records after amassing over 100 million downloads within its first week alone. The game allows players to play iconic multiplayer maps and modes from Black Ops and Modern Warfare iterations of the franchise, while also boasting support for a 100-person battle royale map. Given that plenty of the player-base has come from console, controller support has been sought-after since its release; with players having a hard time adapting to the fiddly controls. Activision have listened to user feedback and posted a community update on the Call of Duty Mobile subreddit, which addresses a number of concerns — one of which is the addition of controller support. Check out the latest community update from the #CODMobile Community Team on Reddit: https://t.co/f5jtYAmJYY pic.twitter.com/N0zGMeMbg8 — Call of Duty: Mobile (@PlayCODMobile) October 11, 2019 Controller support inbound? The CoD Mobile dev team initially addressed the issue with a direct response to the community: “We hear you loud and clear that you want to know about controller support.” Before going on to explain: “We are currently testing controller support and looking at the possibility of offering this feature sometime in the future, but we’d have to make sure it is properly implemented and balanced. Just hang tight.” A commitment of this scale not only shows that the developers are listening to community feedback, but it proves that they’re in this for the long-haul. Given that the title is still in its infancy, this is only a good sign of things to come from Activision.

Call of Duty Mobile $2m World Championship 2021 announced: schedule & format ActivisionThe 2021 Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship has been announced, boasting a $2 million prize pool for teams around the globe. From the format to the schedule, here’s everything there is to know about the next worldwide tournament. CoD Mobile 2021 World Championship announced with $2m prize pool – Players compete through four stages before reaching the global finals – Action kicks off on June 3. – After the cancellation of 2020’s World Championship Finals, CoD Mobile’s global competition is back in full force. The 2021 iteration of CoD Mobile’s biggest event was unveiled on April 14 with a whopping $2 million prize pool up for grabs. Players around the world will be eligible to compete in online ranked games before regional events get underway. It all kicks off on June 3 with the first in-game matches for the lengthy qualifying process. It’s all set to culminate in the biggest spectacle CoD Mobile has seen thus far as teams battle for the right to be called the best in the world. CoD Mobile World Championship 2021 schedule For the second World Championship event in CoD Mobile history, players will have to fight through four stages before they reach the final hurdle. The very first step comes down to individual play. CoD Mobile’s in-game Ranked Mode is where everything starts on June 3. Players will have to queue in Solo Play to attain points across 10 matches. The very best online players will then repeat a similar process in Team Play shortly after. From there, Regional matchups finally get underway though no dates have yet been outlined for this stage of the event. Similarly, no exact timeline has been mapped out for the World Championship Finals either. However, 2020’s Regional Finals came to an end throughout October so we can presume this year to follow suit. We’ll update you here as specific dates are locked in for the biggest stages. CoD Mobile World Championship 2021 format CoD Mobile’s biggest event of 2021 comes with a rather unique format. From the hugely important Regional Playoffs to more minor individual play, there’s plenty to get through before teams reach the global finale. Read More: All Call of Duty creator codes – Below is a complete breakdown on every stage. Stage 1 – Solo Play Throughout the first portion of the event, players need to load into Ranked Solo Play. There will be four weekends of in-game action where players need to earn 60 points across 10 matches. Doing so will advance you into the next Stage. Stage 2 – Team Play After individual play is wrapped up, eligible players will need to form teams for more online Ranked gameplay. Teams will need to play 30 Ranked Matches to earn their spot in the next Stage. Only the top 256 teams will make it through. Stage 3 – Regional Qualifiers The top 256 teams in Ranked play will then have to fight throughout a proper bracket in the Regional Qualifiers. There’s currently no telling how many teams will advance through the elimination bracket though 2020’s event saw just eight teams making it through. Stage 4 – Regional Playoffs The very best teams in each region will finally go head to head in Stage 4. Whoever comes out on top as the number one team will secure a spot in the World Championship Finals. Stage 5 – World Championship Finals The World Championship Finals marks the last Stage of the event where the world’s best teams finally throw down. Exact dates and prizing are yet to be nailed down though we’ll be sure to keep you updated. Whether you’re looking to represent your region on the biggest stage or simply have fun with a team of friends, there’s something for everyone in this global tournament. Even just competing in the online Stages could earn you unique in-game rewards. Read More: Best FR.556 loadout for CoD Mobile – Stay tuned for updates as CoD Mobile’s biggest event of the year gets underway in the months to come.

Call of Duty may have accidentally revealed Warzone Duos coming soon Infinity WardA brief update to the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 3 website briefly displayed an official teaser for a Duos mode in Warzone. The since-deleted image showed a preview of the “New Modes” coming to the battle royale. The teaser included an image of four players dropping together depicting Quads along with characters dressed in covert suits with snipers, possibly for ‘Scopes and Scatter Guns.’ But the third image that made a short appearance on the site was for a previously unannounced Duos mode that showed one player firing at an opponent while another covered them from below with a Tactical Shield. The Call of Duty site was quickly updated which removed the image of the highly-requested mode. A playlist for Quads is already live in Warzone and we know that Season 3 will bring a continuous supply of new playlists for the free-to-play BR component of Modern Warfare. Read more: 6 players to watch during CDL Dallas – While the teaser was shown on an official channel for the devs, the mention of Duos was seemingly premature. The updated site now removes all mentions of Duos. Though the playlist hasn’t yet been officially announced, the mistakenly posted image is so far the strongest evidence that the devs are considering adding two-member squads. If it is something that Warzone will get in Season 3, the Infinity Ward or Activision will likely be making an official announcement detailing Duos soon. The news comes on the heels of player concerns that have cropped up since Warzone lost the fan-favorite Trios playlist in lieu of Quads, following the massive update on April 7. “WHY would you add Quads, but REMOVE Trios?!” Reddit user ‘lWoooooOl’ said. “We want Solos, Duos, Trios, AND Quads, not just 1 or 2 options. This better not mean Quads will go away eventually or something.” Even though there are going to be more rotating modes throughout Season 3, there are some that players would consider as staples for any battle royale. It’s unclear if the yet-to-be-announced Duos would be the next candidate to replace Quads in Warzone, or if the devs would rather have both playlists running simultaneously. In either case, Infinity Ward are bound to appeal to a large portion of their fan base if they do decide to add it, and judging by this slip-up on the official CoD website, the mode is on its way!

Call of Duty: Luminosity’s FormaL to return to streaming in 2019 Luminosity Gaming star Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper has excited his fans by revealing his plan to return to live streaming on Twitch in 2019, saying it will be “like [the] Black Ops 3 days”. During the 2015-16 Black Ops III season, FormaL, at the time playing for OpTic Gaming, was one of the most popular Call of Duty streamers on Twitch. His impressive gameplay and relaxed approach to streaming regularly attracted thousands of viewers as one of the best players in professional Call of Duty honed their craft. However, FormaL’s streaming hours began to dwindle over the following years, eventually becoming almost entirely inactive on his 300,000+ followers Twitch channel. Streaming hours for most professional players reduced in the CoD: WWII season, but have increased massively since the release of Black Ops 4 in October 2018. The addition of Blackout, the new Battle Royale mode, has given pro players and streamers another option when they grow tired of public multiplayer matches, and allow for more interaction with viewers. FormaL has been playing Blackout frequently, so a return to streaming makes sense. Attach explains why FaZe Clan dropped Methodz for Cellium With FormaL’s already established following and the increased viewership overall for the most recent Call of Duty iteration, the LG star should expect a successful return to Twitch.

Call of Duty legend Scump reveals engagement to long-term girlfriend Twitter: ScumpCall of Duty legend Seth ‘Scump’ Abner revealed his engagement to long-term girlfriend Isabelle in a series of social media posts on October 22. Scump is one of Call of Duty’s most loved professional players, with millions of fans following the King’s professional career and sticking around for his content and personality. He is set to compete in another Call of Duty League season when the Modern Warfare 2 cycle kicks off in December. However, before that, he revealed a major development in his personal life by announcing his engagement to long-term girlfriend Isabelle. His Instagram story showed the CoD World Champion on a late-night boat tour that preceded a proposal. He later confirmed the engagement on Twitter, captioning photos of him on one knee with “She said yes!”. A second tweet shared more snaps of the happy couple, this time captioning the post “The Abners.” Congratulations messages flooded in, with long-time colleague and friend H3CZ saying: “Congrats to both of you, I’m so happy for you both” and “The Family keeps growing.” A reply from teammate Shotzzy had Scump joking that he had to end his Halo World Championships watch party stream early in order to propose. Elsewhere, congratulations also came from former CoD caster CouRage, former teammate Envoy and streamer TimTheTatman. Scump confirmed the pair’s relationship back in summer 2019, introducing Isabelle and saying: “We’ve been dating for a while now, but I’ve never introduced her to the Twitter world (she doesn’t have one) but she came to her first event and loved it!” Now the pair are engaged, we’re sure she’ll be attending many more events in the years to come.

Call of Duty legend Scump claims Warzone “already” killed CoD multiplayer Call of Duty League / ActivisionOne of the most famous names in Call of Duty history, OpTic Gaming’s Scump has claimed that the Warzone battle royale is not a threat to ruin the multiplayer scene in the future — it already has. Warzone debuted in March 2020 and has taken the cultural center stage ever since. In recent weeks, following a wildly successful World Series of Warzone tournament, a number of CDL pros have discussed the game’s place in CoD’s ecosystem at length. Most recently, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, a three-time world champion, dove into how Warzone “is taking the f**k over” and how its growth comes at the detriment of the Call of Duty League’s. A central reason? That the work and money being put into Warzone would go to multiplayer otherwise. When Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez brought up Clay’s comments on a recent OpTic Podcast, Seth ‘Scump’ Abner doubled down on his peer’s sentiment. As H3CZ brings up Clay’s suggestion that Warzone kill CoD multiplayer, Scump quickly lays down his perspective: “I’m gonna put it as lightly as possible: it already did.” The pro then elaborated on why saying so isn’t a fineable offense and should just be seen as an obvious truth. “It’s not like it’s not apparent to everybody. Look at Twitch for instance, look at the player base. Cold War has like 6K viewers, Warzone has minimum 100K all the time.” Moving to numbers beside viewership, OpTic teammate Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon jumps on with another angle — noting that Warzone seems to have major tournaments every other day. Dillon we held Red Reserve Reece, no vivid, to like $30k in 3 years, and now he goes to WZ and he’s COD4 Halifax? Spencer is gonna have him replace my specific banner position too and that’ll be never ending banter L for me in regards to that sea lion. — FaZe Crimsix (@Crimsix) June 24, 2021 This point is one that has struck a nerve with other legendary CoD players as well, such as Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter. The Dallas Empire pro took a keener interest in Warzone after the WSOW, particularly focused on former pro Rhys ‘Rated’ Price’s earnings in Warzone. If players like Rated are making over $200,000 in a year of Warzone winnings, it’s clear that there is big money and attention for the scene. Scump has no issue with that side of things, but does use the cash flow as an example of the battle royale’s growing grip on the CoD community. What Scump does have an issue with is the state of the current multiplayer experience in Black Ops Cold War. Citing issues in the ranked play system alongside map frustrations, the pro explained that MP CoD will only be able to compete with BR CoD when more work is put into the multiplayer competitive experience.

Call of Duty Legend ProoF Plans to Return to Competition for Black Ops 4 EsportsNationJordan ‘ProoF’ Cannon has announced his intention to return to competition for the Black Ops 4 season. A legend of the game, ProoF hasn’t been as present at the highest level of Call of Duty in recent years, competing at only three events in total over the past two seasons. While away from the stage ProoF focused primarily on building his brand as a content creator, joining OpTic Gaming in that capacity for some time, and also appeared as a guest analyst for some major tournaments. For the upcoming season, however, ProoF will return to competition. ProoF would not be the first veteran to successfully make a come-back after a period of absence, however. Most notably, James ‘Replays’ Crowder returned from coaching FaZe Clan to competing for them in a season highlighted by a victory in the CWL Pro League Stage 1 and a third-place CWL Championship placement, while Doug ‘Censor’ Martin also reached the CWL Pro League in his return this season. Black Ops 4 releases on October 12, with the first event of the new season, CWL Las Vegas, taking place December 7-9. With the WWII season concluded, teams are already starting to consider their options for the upcoming year, with both compLexity and 100Thieves already expressing interest in starting roster negotiations.

Call of Duty legend Censor joins CDL team Boston Breach as content creator CDL / MLGCall of Duty esport fans everywhere know a thing or two about Doug ‘Censor’ Martin, and his dedication to the game. The legend has been working toward getting back into the CDL, and he has done so as a content creator and brand ambassador for Boston Breach. The Boston Breach are the newest franchise to join the CDL lineup. Following the OpTic and Envy merger, Kraft Sports Group came along to purchase the final slot to make 12 teams. This saw the likes of Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly, Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni, Dylan ‘Nero’ Kock, and Kenyen ‘Capsidal’ Sutton join forces. However, the team has been looking to add some additional people and it looks like they got their man. Boston Breach revealed that Doug ‘Censor’ Martin will be joining the team as their “first ever” content creator and brand ambassador. Censor joins CDL with Boston Breach IT’S NOT A JOKE 💪 Please welcome @Censor to the #BostonBreach as our first ever Content Creator and Brand Ambassador!#IntoTheBreach | #CDL2022 pic.twitter.com/ssqgGrVpue — Boston Breach (@BostonBreach) April 2, 2022 For people that follow the CoD esports scene, you will know that Censor has been very vocal about achieving his goal of reaching the CDL, no matter what it takes. Read More: CDL Major 2: Stream, schedule, & results – Now, that dream it sort of coming true for him as the Breach revealed he would be joining forces with the squad for the the foreseeable future. While this is a ‘way back in’ to the CDL, the seasoned veteran still has some more work to. Despite being in the league as a content creator, Doug still wants his shot at a Call of Duty World Championship and he’s dedicated to that. Two 🐐’s have been spotted in the Passion Pit 👀@Censor @Prestinni pic.twitter.com/SRyNIkbL98 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 1, 2022 Currently, Censor is doing just that as he was spotted in the “Passion Pit” grinding through the Major 2 Challengers tournament, which features numerous amateur teams from around the world. However, when he’s not playing in Challengers, he will be working with the Boston Breach, in hopes to grow the brand and make content.

Call of Duty leaks suggest rumored Ural Mountains map was actually made for Blackout ActivisionA leaked image has revealed our best look at the long-rumored Ural Mountains Warzone map, however, it comes from a now-scrapped project that planned to follow up Blackout. Now more than a year into the lifecycle of Warzone, players have been clamoring for any scrap of news regarding a brand new map. Early rumors pointed towards an enormous Ural Mountains location that would bump lobbies up to 250 players. More recent leaks suggest a simpler 1980s Verdansk makeover is coming instead. All eyes are fixated on the start of Season 3 as the current timeline is all set for a catastrophic finale. What comes after, we’ll just have to wait and see. Though a new leak has just surfaced, revealing what could have been. Ural Mountains was indeed in the works, according to the leaks. However, it might not have been for Warzone; the newly revealed image showcased a giant ‘Ural Map’ featuring elements of Blackout’s HUD, not Warzone’s. https://twitter.com/_Nanikos_/status/1378988998039769093 The supposed battle royale map tied together a number of diverse locations, including Black Ops Cold War’s Sanatorium in the Fireteam playlist. Previous speculation hinted Ural Mountains would be Warzone’s follow-up to Verdansk, though that doesn’t appear to be the case. Instead, this leaked image could stem from a canceled version of “Blackout 2,” according to VGC reporter Andy Robinson. Prior to the release of Warzone, there was no guarantee it would be implemented in future annual releases. As a result, a new iteration of Treyarch’s battle royale “was likely a thing for a while and plans changed.” So while Ural Mountains was real at one point in time, there’s no guarantee it’ll ever see the light of day in Warzone. Perhaps certain elements will be copied over into a different build in the future, but a completely different map remains off the cards for now. An unfinished trailer recently spilled online, revealing an earlier version of Verdansk. The Stadium was under construction, the Dam was nowhere to be found, and lush forests were more prominent than ever. This potential refresh appears to take us back to the 1980s. As mentioned in the VGC podcast this week, there was no guarantee Cold War would support Warzone until after it took off. Blackout 2 was likely a thing for a while and plans changed — Andy Robinson (@Andy_VGC) April 5, 2021 Warzone Season 3 is all set to kick off on April 22. Therefore, we won’t have to wait long to find out what Activision has in store for Verdansk. As Zombies continue flooding the map, a leaked Plague event should send us into new territory. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest.

Call of Duty leaker reveals Uplink & other fan-favorite modes coming to MW2 ActivisionModern Warfare 2 is set to get a major game mode overhaul in the future according to notable leaker GhostOfHope, and Uplink appears to be on the list. Modern Warfare 2 launched with 12 modes, two of which were brand-new additions, which means that several staple game types were left out of the launch rotation. While dependable modes like Team Deathmatch and Domination made the cut, other fan favorites were left behind entirely. Now, just three days after release, we may already know exactly what to look forward to in the coming days and weeks, and it seems that Uplink could be on the way back after a five-year departure from the franchise. Uplink reportedly returning to Call of Duty in Modern Warfare II Uplink was first introduced in Advanced Warfare and served as the third game mode of Call of Duty’s professional scene alongside Hardpoint and Search & Destroy. It involves two teams fighting for control of a ball that needs to be delivered to the enemy team’s goal in order to score points. The last game to feature the mode was Infinity Ward’s 2016 release Infinite Warfare, although a reskinned version of the game called ‘Gridiron’ was in Sledgehammer’s World War II and the MW2 version will likely play closer to that variant of the game. The major difference between these incarnations is that the traditional Uplink mode was played during the so-called jetpack era of Call of Duty, and WWII was the first game to return to the boots-on-the-ground combat style that brought the series to prominence. Uplink isn’t the only popular game mode that could be set for a comeback, as party playlists Gun Game and Infected could also be making their return. Nothing is yet confirmed though so do take this information with a grain of salt for the time being.

Call of Duty leaker reveals next weapon coming to Modern Warfare A renowned Call of Duty leaker has revealed which weapon will be coming to Modern Warfare next – and it may be coming pretty soon, too. The reception to Modern Warfare so far has been mixed, with complaints about overpowered weapons, claymores and hitboxes rife among the community. But, with Activision’s promise to move away from the microtransaction model and start bringing out new content for free, players may come to love Modern Warfare in time. One aspect of the free content would include weapons – we’ve seen certain weapons locked behind paywalls in the past, but now we may be seeing them coming at no extra cost, and the next one may be coming to Modern Warfare in the near future. If popular leaker TheGamingRevoYT is to be believed – and his track record is promising – the crossbow may be coming to Modern Warfare “soon.” Replying to another Twitter user who found an image of the crossbow in Ground War map Krovnik Farmland, TGR said “Coming soon to a video game near you,” implying that it could be being put into the game sooner rather than later. Coming soon to a video game near you 😉 https://t.co/K7SaPsSwF6 — TheGamingRevolution (@TheGamingRevoYT) November 11, 2019 The crossbow has featured in previous Call of Duty games Black Ops, Black Ops II, Advanced Warfare and World War II, so it wouldn’t be a completely new feature in the Call of Duty universe. Despite this, it may feel refreshed in Modern Warfare, with completely different map layouts to previous titles and changes in perks, field orders and gameplay styles providing a different experience. Though we don’t have much of an update on when the crossbow could be coming to the game – or if it does at all – the tweet definitely suggests that fans should anticipate an arrival soon. However, how much it impacts the game and how the players receive it will remain a mystery.

Call of Duty leaker reveals more Black Ops Cold War Zombies details Treyarch / ActivisionA prominent Call of Duty leaker has revealed more details about Black Ops Cold War’s upcoming Zombies mode and maps, after it was teased by Treyarch during the multiplayer reveal. The highly anticipated multiplayer reveal for Black Ops Cold War finally took place on September 9, releasing plenty of new details about the upcoming title and giving fans an early look at gameplay. However, as with any Treyarch title, Call of Duty fans were quite eager to see if any updates would be shared on the classic Zombies mode they can also expect to see in-game. 🚨 The #BlackOpsColdWar multiplayer trailer ends with a Zombies teaser! pic.twitter.com/Upb0YTU0zA — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) September 9, 2020 Despite being a multiplayer reveal, Treyarch did share a short Zombies teaser at the end of the trailer, highlighting a brief look at the upcoming Zombies gameplay. Fans were quick to point out the similarities between the staircase in the clip and the one in World at War’s Nacht der Untoten, claiming that some version of the iconic map could be returning in Black ops Cold War. Prominent Call of Duty leaker Tom Henderson (formerly known as Long Sensation) provided fans with more even details, on September 10, revealing that this new Nacht would fit in with the game’s Cold War theme. https://twitter.com/_TomHenderson_/status/1303993713014824960 The former YouTuber revealed that the Nacht Der Untoten players will experience in BOCW will see the building turned into a base for the Russian Nuclear program before a zombies outbreak turns things upside down. “Nacht reused by the Russians for their nuclear program,” he revealed, “Zombie Nazis escape and infect the site (there’s Russian and Nazi Zombies).” He also shared that BOCW’s Zombies will feature a brand new cast of characters, old WW2 weapons can still be purchased from walls, and that players will start with a torch before turning the power on. While it is still unclear just how big this map will be, fans also spotted similarities to BO3’s TranZit, suggesting that the Nacht building might only make up a small portion of the new map. There has been plenty of theories surrounding BOCW’s Zombies already but it is likely that more information about the survival mode will be shared in the coming weeks.

Call of Duty leaker reveals list of Modern Warfare 2 DMZ missions ActivisionA list of missions from the upcoming DMZ mode in Modern Warfare 2 appears to have been leaked, revealing what players can expect from the Escape from Tarkov-inspired mode. The extraction-style game mode was long rumored online but was finally confirmed by Activision at the COD Next event in September. While there’s still lots of mystery surrounding the actual gameplay in DMZ, we do know that it can feature up to 100 players, and if it is similar to Tarkov, means players lose all loot they take into battle. Now, just weeks before release, a Call of Duty data miner has leaked a list of missions set to appear in the game, giving players their first look at what it could entail. In the list, which was posted to Pastebin, the following details were laid out: Extract X amount of enemy grunt weaponsMission brief: “Al Qatala has set up several surface-to-air missile sites in the DMZ. There are frequently transport planes flying overhead, SAM sites can shoot them down allowing you to recover their supplies.” – – Capture X amount of SAM sitesMission brief: “We need to acquire intel about how Al Qatala is arming its grunts. Bring back some of their weapons so we can analyze them.” – – Extract X amount of cash in one matchMission brief: “We are low on coin because of several consecutive botched operations by your fellow soldiers. We need a lump sum urgently for an upcoming mission.£ – – Extract a Hail StormMission brief: “Uncle Sam is looking to do some research on the weapons being distributed throughout Saba. Acquire and extract a Hail Storm shotgun and we can use it to gain some goodwill with the feds. There’s a rumor the Hail Storm can be purchased at specific buy stations.” – – Kill a boss and extract their weapon caseMission brief: “We’ve received intel that the chemist has acquired a weapon case containing valuable rare weapons. Find a hard drive and upload it in order to track him down. Acquire his weapon case by any means necessary.” – – Extract with a full backpackMission brief “A mission into the DMZ cannot be considered successful without extracting sufficient resources. Fill your backpack before you exfil to maximize your efficiency.” – – Empty X amount of vehicles of gas (empty the gas of civilian vehicles)Mission brief: “Al-Qatala is planning to transport weapons using civilian vehicles, drive nearby vehicles until their tanks are empty to sabotage Al-Qatala’s plans.” – – Extract with X amount of different lethals or tacticalsMission brief: Extract with X amount of different lethals or tacticals – – Kill X amount of grunts in hydro using a shotgunMission brief: Travel to Hydro and get up close to the Al-Qatala infantry so we can observe their tactics. Dispatch them with a shotgun. You can acquire one in a buy station or in an enemy supply cache. – – Kill X amount of riot shield gruntsMission brief: “Enemy strongholds are often guarded by well-equipped grunts with riot shields. If you can outflank them you’ll have easy access to the loot they’re protecting.” – – Kill X amount of special forcesMission brief: “Heavily armored grunts will infil if you cause enough trouble in the DMZ. We need intel on their combat capabilities, get their attention and terminate them.” – – Extract X amount of liquor bottlesMission brief: “Before Saba was evacuated, a famous collector of fine liquors lived there. Looters have stolen and relocated most of his collection all around Saba. Find a few bottles and bring them back, they’re highly valuable.” – – Kill X amount of grunts at long rangeMission brief: “Good marksmen can take out enemies before they’re ever detected. Prove your marksmanship by eliminating some Al Qatala grunts from long range.” – – Kill X amount of grunts in oilfield using a sniper rifleMission brief: “The Oilfields are a critical POI for our operation. Wipe out the grunts there, but don’t get too close. Acquire a sniper rifle at a buy station or elsewhere and use it to eliminate the hostiles.” – – Kill X amount of operators with an assault rifle.Mission brief: “Prove that you have the skills to be a helpful asset to us. Acquire an assault rifle and use it to terminate other operators.” – – Kill X amount of operatorsMission brief: “We need to increase our influence in Saba. Eliminate any operators you find to strengthen our foothold.” – – Kill X amount of operators in QuarryMission brief: “Command wants to get a foothold in Quarry, but informants have told us about rampant activity from other Factions. Clear out some of their operators so we can move in.” – – Kill X amount of operators with an SMGMission brief: “Weapons found in the DMZ are unreliable. Verify the killing potential of a recovered SMG by testing it on hostile operators.” – – Kill X amount of grunts with headshots using a pistolMission brief: Kill X amount of grunts with headshots using a pistol – – Travel to X amount of different Points of Interest (POIs) in one matchMission brief: “We need you to familiarize yourself with the points of interest in Saba to increase our operational efficiency. Travel to as many POIs as you can and scope out the area.” – – Wipe X amount of squadsMission brief: Wipe X amount of squads – – Extract X amount of operator dog tagsMission brief: “We need proof of enemy faction presence in the DMZ to get approval for higher troop deployments. Tech will run a background check on the operator and pay you a lump sum for each dog tag extracted.” – – Complete X amount of elimination contractsMission brief: “Al Qatala has stationed several high value targets in Saba. Intercept their communications to track them down and eliminate them.” – – Hack X amount of UAV towers.Mission brief: “Al-Qatala has deployed UAV towers at many points of interest around the DMZ. These towers provide critical intel on the surrounding areas. Hack them so we can gain an informational advantage.” – – Complete X amount of hunt contractsMission brief: “You can intercept enemy communications in order to find the location of hostile Faction operators. Use this intel to eliminate enemy squads.” – – Enter X amount of different vehicle types in one matchMission brief: Enter X amount of different vehicle types in one match – – Destroy X amount of vehiclesMission brief: “Transportation options are limited in Saba. Destroy vehicles to immobilize the enemy.” – – While this certainly looks convincing, it’s always worth remembering to take hints like these with a pinch of salt. Not only that, but if the list is accurate, things could change ahead of release, meaning the missions we’re seeing now may be completely different.

Call of Duty leaker claims Treyarch’s 2024 game will have a two-year cycle ActivisionAll leaks and rumors point to Modern Warfare 2 having a two-year life cycle, and a call of Duty leaker claimed Treyarch’s 2024 title follows the same cycle. Modern Warfare 2 finally launches on October 28. Activision has not officially confirmed it, but Infinity Ward’s latest series entry is rumored to have a two-year life cycle. Battlefield releases games two years apart, and even three in some cases, but Call of Duty has always stuck to an annual release window. There are conflicting reports on Call of Duty’s timeline. A CoD leaker claimed Sledgehammer Games are developing Advanced Warfare 2 for the 2025 mainline game, but CharlieINTEL denied any development plans. A CoD leaker claims Treyarch had their budget approved for a 2-year lifecycle on CoD 2024. Call of Duty 2024 will reportedly have a two-year life cycle CoD leaker GhostOfHope claimed, “Treyarch have had their budgets approved for a two-year lifecycle on their next installment as part of Activision Blizzard’s three-year budget cycle.” The leaker added that CoD 2024’s two-year cycle is contingent on Modern Warfare 2’s sales figures and Activision Blizzard’s pending acquisition of Microsoft. GhostOfHope doubled down amid claims that Sledgehammer games are developing the 2025 mainline title. “I assume he just hasn’t heard what I have. Even Charlie kinda knocked that part of his leak down.” Tom Henderson reported that “Treyarch’s next game is semi-futuristic.” Other rumors have pointed to the Iraq War of the early 2000s. Treyarch helped develop a Black Ops Cold War Warzone spin-off map, and leaks claim a Treyarch-developed Warzone 2.0 map will drop with CoD 2024. All rumors must be taken with a pinch of salt until Activision confirms series development plans.

Call of Duty leaker claims Treyarch creating “F2P” title for 2023 ActivisionA Call of Duty leaker revealed that Black Ops Cold War studio Treyarch are developing a free-to-play CoD title for 2023. This would be the franchise’s third F2P game, following Warzone and CoD Mobile. After the successes of Fortnite, Warzone, and other free-to-play titles whose profits depend on microtransactions, it’s no surprise that the industry is embracing F2P. With reports that the 2023 CoD will be delayed, players have wondered what to expect from Activision in the meantime. This was expected to mark the first time in franchise history that CoD won’t have an annual release, or so we thought. Now, leaker ‘TheGhostOfHope’ has added some fuel to the fire of speculation. A third F2P game was already reported on in February 2022 and GhostOfHope claims it will be a new Treyarch title. CoD leaker claims Treyarch building F2P Call of Duty for 2023 Treyarch is currently working on a F2P game for 2023, Vanguard Zombies, Ranked Play for Vanguard, MWII to a small extent, and their next installment in 2024… pic.twitter.com/T6P406uxVZ — Hope (@TheGhostOfHope) March 2, 2022 Back in February, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier explained that 2023 “will include a new free-to-play game.” This would come alongside the franchise’s already-planned F2P titles: Warzone 2 and the already-existing CoD Mobile. GhostOfHope has now followed that up with a new parcel of information. According to the leaker, Treyarch are the ones tasked with this new F2P game and are “currently working” on it. With GhostOfHope also noting that Treyarch’s next main title is still scheduled for 2024, this means they’ve got their hands full. The devs just released a Black Ops Cold War update and are still managing both Vanguard Ranked Play and Zombies. It remains uncertain what their F2P title will be, but the studio is obviously being entrusted with much of CoD’s present and future. With the team unlikely to make a F2P Blackout since Warzone 2 will be available, and if their 2024 game is another entry in the Black Ops series, then it seems this could be an entirely different foray. At the moment, most speculation drives toward a second mobile CoD or, as many have hoped for, a free, PVE Zombies game.

Call of Duty leaker claims supply drops will get “nasty” in Modern Warfare Activision/GameInformerCall of Duty YouTuber and leaker TheGamingRevolution has revealed new details on microtransactions in the upcoming Modern Warfare, claiming they’ll follow the precedent set by recent titles. While some recent entries in the franchise have been positively received by the community, one feature has been overwhelmingly and consistently criticized by fans of the series: microtransactions. While microtransactions did not feature in older CoD games, Activision have been heavily criticized for their inclusion in current-gen games, at least since supply drops became the primary way of dispensing DLC in Advanced Warfare. Leaks have already indicated that supply drops are coming to Modern Warfare, but new details were revealed by the leaker on October 4. TheGamingRevolution is one of the CoD scene’s infamous leakers, and has correctly ‘leaked’ some Modern Warfare details already, such as the 2v2 Gunfight mode. On October 4, he hosted a Q&A with “one of my sources”, in which he answered a wide variety of questions pertaining to Modern Warfare. Among other topics such as skins and killstreaks, a number of questions answered related to microtransactions, and the form they will take in Modern Warfare. In response to a fan asking whether weapons in supply drops are definite, TheGamingRevolution replied that: “Yes, (it is) certain… unfortunately, this is still part of the plan.” “Yes, certain. TGR’s leaks are months ahead of time. Of course we can answer questions currently on its current state, but we know what the future holds. And unfortunately, this is still a part of that plan.” https://t.co/n5sXxywVTU — TheGamingRevolution (@TheGamingRevoYT) October 4, 2019 A glitch in the Modern Warfare Beta was heavily indicative that supply drops would feature in Modern Warfare, but many remained hopeful they would be cosmetic only. Black Ops III was launched with supply drops being cosmetic only, but over the game’s life-cycle, this promise was broken and the game finished with more supply drop exclusive weapons than base weapons. Another Twitter user asked whether there was talk of the microtransaction system being changed over time, to which TGR responded: “No, it’ll be decent at first but will then get nasty over time.” “No, it’ll be decent at first but will then get nasty overtime” https://t.co/JQDnjWpqb6 — TheGamingRevolution (@TheGamingRevoYT) October 4, 2019 Activision have been accused by community members of using supply drops to maximize the amount of money they make from the community, often hiding the best weapons behind pay-walls. Read More: Best weapons to use in Call of Duty Mobile – Despite the explicit criticism from the community, it doesn’t sound like Activision have any plans to change their approach to microtransactions and, unfortunately for fans, Modern Warfare could feature supply drop exclusive weapons, as a number of its predecessors have. It’s important to remember that these leaks are unconfirmed, and will likely remain that way until Modern Warfare drops on October 25.

Call of Duty leaker claims Modern Warfare has replacement for mini-map ActivisionThe next Call of Duty, Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare, might not feature a mini-map, but it appears as if fans won’t be completely left in the dark about enemy locations. Concerns were raised about Modern Warfare not having a mini-map in Multiplayer back in June when YouTuber LongSensation claimed the game would be “more tactical” and do away with the on-screen help. Since then, fans and professional players have been scrambling to uncover any official word. The closest anyone has gotten, so far, was the recent Gunfight showcase which didn’t feature a mini-map. Yet, it appears as it won’t be all bad news for players with Modern Warfare. On July 21, YouTuber TheGamingRevolution – who has leaked information about game’s online portion including the apparent killstreaks, all-new multiplayer perks, and an alleged battle royale mode, weighed in on the concerns about having no mini-map. “Big change to the “no mini-map” in Modern Warfare,” he began his Tweet. “There’s no mini-map before you get a UAV but your “shots still appear” but how? I’ll let you figure that one out,” he concluded, attaching a thinking face emoji. Big change to the “no mini map” in Modern Warfare. There’s no mini map before you get a UAV but your “shots still appear” but how :thinking_face: I’ll let you figure that one out. — TheGamingRevolution (@TheGamingRevoYT) July 21, 2019 Of course, he couldn’t stay cryptic for too long as fans flooded his mentions with questions about what he seems to know. TheGamingRevolution gave in and dropped more information with a handful of follow-up tweets. Firstly, he added: “There’s a long compass on top of your map and it tells you the direction of a bullet firing. People worrying about no mini-map, calm down bois.” He followed up with more insight too: “It goes across the top of your screen and is always there, even when you get a mini-map, it’s just like in MWR where it told you the objective on the rectangular compass,” stated the YouTuber in his continued description. It goes across the top of your screen and is always there, even when you get a mini map, it’s just like in MWR where it told you the objective on the rectangular compass. — TheGamingRevolution (@TheGamingRevoYT) July 21, 2019 For anyone who has never had the pleasure of playing the campaign of Call of Duty 4 or Modern Warfare remastered, TheGamingRevolution even followed up with an image of what to expect. “It’s like this but with more numbers and stuff,” he tweeted, with an image of the compass from single-player attached. It’s like this but with more numbers and stuff pic.twitter.com/EaSfB7RxuS — TheGamingRevolution (@TheGamingRevoYT) July 21, 2019 Now, it still remains to be seen if the YouTuber’s information is right as neither Activision or Infinity Ward has released key details about multiplayer. That reveal will come on Thursday, August 1, and only then will we know for certain if Call of Duty is getting rid of the mini-map.

Call of Duty leaker claims hated feature will finally be fixed in Black Ops 6 ActivisionA Call of Duty leaker has claimed that one of the game’s most hated and divisive features will be addressed in Black Ops 6, finally appeasing mass player complaints from the last couple of years. CoD has undergone some huge changes in recent years, be it gameplay-related, the massive growth of the game on Twitch and YouTube thanks to Warzone, or even the ever-changing esports scene for the FPS franchise. However, with the last two games — Modern Warfare 2 & 3 respectively — there has been one feature that the player base has despised almost unanimously, and that’s the User Interface (UI). Even for people who play regularly, the menus can be hard to navigate, especially if you want to switch between Warzone and multiplayer. This, in turn, has left players dumbfounded and frustrated, both trying to find their way around the menus and also on why the developers would implement a UI like this. Now, reliable COD leaker BobNetworkUK has suggested that the UI could change for Black Ops 6, with players hopeful for a return to simplicity. Many in the replies celebrated the leaked change, calling the current design “so bad” and one even admitting that it’s taken them two years to find certain things, such as changing vehicle skins. In a follow-up tweet, Bob admitted that he doesn’t know the full extent of the change but has “high hopes” that Treyarch will bring what players want. It’s unclear how much the developer could change about the game’s UI, especially as it all lives inside the Call of Duty HQ app. This means it would require a complete change in the app’s layout rather than just the individual game. Needless to say, players are hoping they will find a way to make the menus simpler and more streamlined going forward.

Call of Duty leaker claims controversial Roze skin will return for Modern Warfare 2 ActivisionA Call of Duty leaker has claimed that the controversial Roze operator skin is set to return in Modern Warfare 2, and some fans aren’t too pleased by it. As Call of Duty has dipped into the cosmetics market more and more over the last few years, there have been a few skins – both for characters and weapons – that have divided the opinion of the community. Though, there hasn’t been a more controversial skin than Roze’s blacked-out look. The dark wetsuit became a problem back in Season 5 of Modern Warfare 2019, as players constantly complained about being unable to see it in poorly lit parts of the map. That prompted changes from the devs, who re-calibrated the lighting for different maps, but Roze has remained difficult to see at times regardless. Now, the character is set to haunt players for a little while yet. Hated Roze Warzone skin set to return in Modern Warfare 2 Reliable Call of Duty leaker GhostOfHope claimed that the controversial operator is set to return in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, with the hard-to-see skin also making a return. “EXCLUSIVE: Roze will be a returning character and operator in Modern Warfare II,” they tweeted back in March, before claiming it was confirmed on October 9. “She has the black skin,” the leaker also tweeted at the time, leaving some players less than impressed. “Oh dear lord not again,” said one. “And still no red name tags above enemies? Visibility is gonna be so bad FFS,” added another. “This better be a joke,” commented another. As of writing, there is no word on whether Roze will available at launch or if it’ll come at a later date. There may also be some outrage around the fact that previously purchased skins are not set to carry over to the new game and Warzone 2, so if you’ve purchased Roze before, you may have to do so again.

Call of Duty leaker claims CoD 2020 reveal coming “very soon” Activision[jwplayer br5AuoVJ]A reputable gaming leaker with a strong track record of success has reported that Call of Duty 2020 is set to release on schedule and will be revealed “very soon.” New Call of Duty titles are typically first revealed in May, so the absence of information about CoD 2020 has left many concerned that the game was delayed. But prominent leaker, ‘Okami13_’ has allayed concerns by reporting that the game is, in fact, not delayed and will be getting revealed shortly. Small update regarding COD 2020. As of about a week ago, it’s still on schedule to release this year. No delay. Reveal coming very soon 👌 — KAMI (@Okami13_) July 25, 2020 Black Ops 4, Treyarch’s 2018 title, was teased with a first reveal trailer in March 2018 and official reveal event two months later. Modern Warfare, this year’s Infinity Ward title, had its trailer and release date revealed in May 2019. Both games were released in October. Although there have been some minor reveals of CoD 2020, which is expected to be called Black Ops 2020, most have come through leaks and no official trailers or release date have been announced. This is obviously peculiar as we’re nearing August, months past the franchise’s typical release pattern. But Okami’s sources indicate the game is still in line for a presumable October release and will be getting revealed in the coming weeks. As for their credibility, Okami’s predictions have mostly landed. Back in March, they correctly predicted the Modern Warfare 2 Remastered release and they’ve also correctly predicted Warzone dates and the “Black Ops: Cold War” working title for CoD 2020. Of course, especially this year, development schedules are chaotic and it’s entirely possible that Okami’s expectations are not met. But it has to be encouraging for fans to know that credible inside expectations are for the game to be released without delays, especially if the official teaser actually pops up in the next two weeks. Considering that teaser, an event like Black Ops 4’s is unlikely, so Okami and others are expecting Activision Blizzard to take advantage of Warzone’s current popularity as a way to subtly reveal hints about the next title. As has been done on Verdansk for other teases, like the introduction of accessible bunkers to the game and plot teasers, once can envisage a Black Ops easter egg hitting the battle royale first. At the moment, Modern Warfare Season 5 is expected to release in August and numerous teases for the upcoming season have emerged suggesting various map changes tied in with plot development. With an earlier leak confirming that Warzone will continue alongside CoD 2020, it feels very likely that the two titles will be intertwined in such a way that players should keep an eye out for in-game teasers.

Call of Duty leaker claims all classic MW2 maps will come to Modern Warfare 2 2022 ActivisionA Call of Duty leaker has claimed that Modern Warfare 2 2022 will bring back every single one of the iconic maps that were in the original MW2 from back in 2009. Modern Warfare 2 is regarded by many as the greatest Call of Duty game in franchise history, with the very best maps the series has to offer. That’s one part of the reason why fans are so excited for the next Modern Warfare 2 game, due to arrive in October. While it may not be the highly requested remaster fans have requested for years, it’s going to bring the Modern Warfare series forward and, best of all, it might bring some classic MW2 features with it. In fact, while some players have asked for the most popular maps to return, such as Highrise and Terminal, they may be getting way more than they bargained for. According to reliable CoD leaker TheGhostOfHope, Infinity Ward are “planning to release all/almost all Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps together all at once sometime during the post-launch of Modern Warfare II (2022).” Ghost hypothesized that these maps could all arrive in bulk as Year 2 content, though that’s certainly up in the air. As shown in the screenshot, Modern Warfare had 14 original maps not including DLC that came throughout the year, many of which are considered some of the best or seriously underrated. While this is only a leak and should always be taken with a pinch of salt, it will give players hope in how Modern Warfare 2 could develop. They’ll just be praying that the original maps on MWII can live up to the hype.

Call of Duty: Leaked Modern Warfare ranking system explained Activision – Call of Duty: Modern WarfareThe traditional Call of Duty ranking formula appears to be getting a major revamp for the 2019 release of Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare, according to new leaks. ‘Prestiging’ has long been a typical function in the Call of Duty franchise. When a certain level is attained in the multiplayer component of the popular First Person Shooter, players are able to enter prestige and reset their rank entirely. That popular system appears to be getting overhauled in the upcoming release of Modern Warfare on October 25 however. According to new leaks from TheGamingRevolution on YouTube, the traditional prestige system will not be present in the new entry whatsoever. “Instead, there is a new ranking up system,” the gaming personality explained. Read more: Fortnite, there are challenges to complete which grant “XP modifiers for the rest of the season.” Seasonal ranks in Modern Warfare won’t be limitless, according to the leaks, the level cap should be “around 160, but that’s still being determined.” Seasonal ranks in Modern Warfare won’t be infinite, the max will be around 160, but it’s still being determined. — TheGamingRevolution (@TheGamingRevoYT) October 9, 2019 The real challenge for those that want to grind the game will supposedly come from ranking up individual weapons now, as“most weapons will have over 80 plus levels.” There is “no need for permanent unlock tokens anymore,” the leaker elaborated. With the removal of the prestige system entirely, there’s no longer any need to permanently unlock a weapon or a piece of equipment as items will never reset. Simply just your seasonal rank with the conclusion of each individual season. According to the leaks, the first five seasons are titled as follows: Season 1: Broken Arrow – Season 2: Cyber Attack – Season 3: Bio Warfare – Season 4: Home Grown Terrorism – Season 5: Climate War – Exactly how long each season will last remains unclear, however with the new weapon leveling system, it appears that Infinity Ward have implemented new ways to appease those looking for a real time-sink in Call of Duty. –

Call of Duty leaker claims WWII-era Warzone map won’t arrive until 2022 ActivisionWhile Sledgehammer Games is reportedly taking us back to the WWII-era with the 2021 Call of Duty release, new leaks suggest that a tie-in Warzone map won’t be arriving until 2022. As we get further into the year, more and more leaks surrounding CoD 2021 have begun to appear online. After months of speculation, we now know that the upcoming title is reportedly titled ‘WWII: Vanguard.’ With the campaign and multiplayer experiences supposedly set in an alternate version of the 1950s, exactly how this new release will merge with Warzone remains unclear. Early reports suggest that Sledgehammer’s title will utilize the 2019 Modern Warfare engine. Beyond that, however, the future of Warzone is shrouded in mystery. One thing appears certain though, according to new leaks from CoD insider Tom Henderson: “we are 100% not getting a World War 2 Warzone map in 2021.” While the community might have expected to see a full-size battle royale map with each new entry, the “botched release” of Black Ops Cold War allegedly put an end to those plans. Treyarch’s 2020 title was supposed to deploy a brand new Warzone map “months ago,” according to Henderson. Yet almost five months after launch and the first teaser has only just leaked. Allegedly behind schedule, this has an impact on Warzone’s future integration with WWII: Vanguard. “We’re likely to see some kind of WWII Warzone map around April 2022,” Henderson suggested. “Although, official development of such a map hasn’t started.” Moreover, it won’t be a full-scale map like in the same vein as Verdansk. Instead, it will supposedly “be similar” in scope to “Rebirth Island, with 40-60 players” in mind. A different studio outside of Sledgehammer Games will reportedly be responsible for this smaller Warzone development. When it comes to WWII integration with Warzone, outside of a new map, Activision also has plans to bring relevant weapons into the battle royale. Rather than a full-sized content drop similar to BOCW’s merge, Vanguard could cycle new weapons in across various seasons, according to Henderson. Players would need to unlock WWII-era guns in Warzone before being able to use them. These in-game challenges could, in turn, encourage players to pay for quicker access. “The reason for this change is to incentivize people purchasing Blueprints, or even the full game, to complete weapon challenges faster to use them in Warzone,” he said. “ Essentially day one weapons in Vanguard could come to Warzone, but as DLC, which will require players to unlock them via in-game challenges.” Obviously, we’re still months out from the release of Sledgehammer’s new title, so it’s worth taking this information with a grain of salt for now. Plans could certainly change in the lead-up to launch. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled over the coming weeks as Warzone Season 2 comes to a close. The future of CoD’s hugely popular battle royale could be made clear after the leaked nuclear event.

Call of Duty League’s New York Subliners deny “Pizza Rat” name rumors Activision / PexelsIn just two years of existence, the Call of Duty League has had a ton of naming and ownership discussions. But the New York Subliners clarified that no, they do not actually want to be called the Pizza Rats. It’s not every day that you get to talk about New York rodents and their affinity for cheese and marinara sauce. But it’s the CDL offseason and that means that no content stone can go unturned. While people wonder about the rumored Washington team’s potential team name (the Demon Cats?), the Subliners have set their own record straight. Former Subliners pros, Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto and Dillon ‘Attach’ Price, seemed to suggest that NYSL initially considered “Pizza Rats” for their team name. In response, co-founder Farzam Kamel has shut the speculation down. New York Subliners were never going to be the New York Pizza Rats New York Pizza Rats? We never actually suggested that did we? You guys are faded lol. @ZooMaa @Attach — NYXL Farzam (@FarzamKamel) October 18, 2021 Kamel had a simple rebuttal to the rumored cheesy rodent name: “You guys are faded.” And it’s easy to see why, as the replies included concern from current player (and presumed team captain) James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks. As Clayster jokingly expressed, “if it was the Pizza Rats, I wouldn’t have joined.” New York Pizza Rats CDL alt jerseys? These would be incredible alt jerseys for NYSL https://t.co/gueXGpmeCk — Jake Patterson (@RealPatterson50) October 18, 2021 Still, others are kind of into the team name. As we poked fun at the idea of Pizza Rat alternative jerseys, another user — ‘Jake Patterson’ — responded in agreement. The Pizza Rat mythology in New York is well-documented, so it’s easy to understand why people could get behind the concept. At the very least, it could work for an alt jersey even if it’s not the default branding. For what it’s worth, NYSL’s navy and yellow branding is considered by many to be among the CDL’s best. But the rumors have lit the fire for another potential colorway: grey, yellow, and red.

Call of Duty League’s 2020 signature player stickers revealed Infinity Ward / Activision[jwplayer mCpsAxNx]Call of Duty League’s 2020 Playoffs are fast approaching and each of the pro players will be getting their own stickers in Modern Warfare, marked with their personalized signature to celebrate the upcoming event. With the first year of the franchised Call of Duty League coming to a close, pro players will be looking to hit their stride in the lead up to the massive playoffs event, the CDL Championship, at the end of the year. After picking up CDL points, which will be used for seeding, at many of the home series events over the season, the twelve teams will have a chance at earning the prestigious rings and a chunk of the massive $4.6 million prize pool at 2020’s CoD Champs. To commemorate the Modern Warfare season, Activision will be releasing some new cosmetic items themed around the Call of Duty League and all of the teams involved. While they have introduced team stickers in past Call of Duty titles to celebrate esports leagues and events, the upcoming bundles will look to be among the biggest yet after they were leaked, on CoD Tracker, following the June 29 update. Each of the pro players in the Call of Duty League will also be getting their own signature added to the game as a sticker, with 55 unique autographs for fans to collect and customize their weapons with. However, it seems as if one team will be missing from the collection, with many pointing out that the Chicago Huntsmen’s stickers were noticeably absent from the leaked game files. While it is still unclear whether or not the Huntsmen stickers will be added at a later date, there will still be plenty of unique stickers to choose between. As of now, there’s no telling exactly how much each of the player signatures and other cosmetics will cost, however, they will likely be released when the 2020 CDL Playoffs get underway. You can take a full look at each of the CDL player signatures below.

Call of Duty League was Twitter’s most-discussed 2021 FPS esport despite CoD’s issues Activision / TwitterDespite a number of concerns over Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard, Twitter revealed that the CDL was still the most talked-about FPS in 2021. It’s no secret that CoD has been in a weird state these past couple of years and that those issues have filtered into the Call of Duty League. Black Ops Cold War’s balancing was questioned by players, Vanguard’s interest has plummeted, and community icons like Nadeshot have consequently torn Activision’s handling of the games and CDL apart. Despite all that turmoil, one fact apparently remains: CoD Twitter is still undefeated. In Twitter’s insights blog, the platform reviewed all “Gaming” conversations held during 2021. As it turns out, CoD’s demise may have been greatly exaggerated – with the CDL reigning supreme as the most-discussed shooter esport all year. Call of Duty League: Most-discussed FPS esport in 2021 Twitter’s most-discussed esports in 2021 👀 LoL obviously split across different accounts, but CoD Twitter was still in peak form pic.twitter.com/mYurnmUTIm — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 10, 2022 As far as methodology, the Twitter report seems to primarily consider inclusion in conversations. With that said, the CDL sitting as the second-most-discussed esport in 2021 is impressive—even if League of Legends is split across different accounts. While the CDL seemed to be the most-discussed first-person shooter, it’s also worth noting that its video views lagged behind the Valorant Champion Tour (which was 2nd for views, while CDL was 3rd). Explaining this data, CoD fans seem to believe that the reason engagement was so high was simply because of negative feedback. CoD fans not inspired by CDL engagement numbers Sure but I guarantee it’s 85% negative 😂 https://t.co/DXo3iEcXBd — fusion (@fusionx2x) January 10, 2022 A number of replies to the news follow a similar logic, noting that the discussion of the league was likely negative. That’s a reasonable explanation, as an esport’s engagement could be inflated by people complaining about it. Regardless, you don’t talk about something unless you’re somewhat passionate about it. Call of Duty may be in an unideal state and Activision may be in the crosshairs, but it’s clear that of people cared about CoD esports in 2021.

Call of Duty League Vanguard ruleset announced: modes, maps, bans Activision / CDLThe Call of Duty League has officially announced Vanguard’s first rulest for the 2022 season including modes, maps, and banned items. Since Vanguard’s launch, players had the option to enable a CDL ruleset in custom games but we now have an official system from the league itself. While we still don’t have a third game mode, we can at least take a look at the restricted items and maps for Hardpoint and Search and Destroy. Some notable things include all ammo types being banned while damage mags remain available. However, this list doesn’t include any Gentlemen’s Agreements that CDL pros are known for making after the rules are released so we could see some items not used this season that aren’t technically banned. Here’s what version 1.0 of the CDL rules looks like. CDL Ruleset V1.0 Maps & Modes: Hardpoint Tuscan – Bocage – Gavutu – Berlin – Desert Siege – Search and Destroy Tuscan – Bocage – Desert Siege – Berlin – Demyansk – Restricted Items: Primary Weapons: All LMGs – All Shotguns – Combat Shield – Secondary Weapons: All Launchers – Attachments: Muzzle MX Silencer – Mercury Silencer – M1929 Silencer – Optic M19 4.0X Flip – 1913 Variable 4-8X – ZF4 3.5X Rifle Scope – 1229/Slate 3.25X Custom – SVT-40 PU Scope 3-6X – MK. 12 Night Vision – Underbarrel GF-59 Flashlight – Bayonet – Ammo Type All Ammo Types – Proficiency Akimbo – Trigger Action Rapid Action – Lethal: Throwing Knife – Thermite – Demolition Charge – Molotov Cocktail – Tactical: Stim – MK V Gas – S-Mine 44 – Decoy Grenade – Perks: Perk 1 Dauntless – Ghost – Perk 2 Tracker – High Alert – Forward Intel – Piercing Vision – Perk 3 Overkill – Tactician – Field Upgrade Goliath – Jammer – Deployable Cover – Armor PLates – Field Mic – Tactical Insertion – Dead Drop – Killstreaks Intel – Care Package – Spy Plane – Counter Spy Plane – Mortar Barrage – Warmachine – Guard Dog – Deathmachine – Emergency Airdrop – Flamenaut – Attack Dogs – Firebombing Run – Local Informants – You can find the complete ruleset with each game mode setting here. This competitive ruleset is bound to change as new updates roll into the game. Also, there still has been no word on what the third game mode will be for the CDL season. Read More: CDL 2022 Rostermania hub: all roster changes – When this changes we will be sure to update you on the new ruleset. For now, we await more information regarding the format and start date of the 2022 Call of Duty League season.

Scump & H3CZ sue Activision for $680M over Call of Duty League’s “monopoly” on CoD esports ActivisionCall of Duty legends Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez have filed a lawsuit against Activision, citing its ‘monopolistic’ hold over the CoD esports scene. CoD’s most popular player and OpTic’s owner respectively in Scump and H3CZ, filed a lawsuit on February 15, 2024 against Call of Duty publisher Activision. The suit alleges Activision holds an “unlawful monopoly” over the CoD esports scene, and has ‘wielded’ its power to “prohibit” growth in an “anticompetitive” nature. Namely, those involved have taken a legal stance against the Call of Duty League’s initial ‘entry fee,’ alleging “Activision coerced 12 teams to pay an “extortionate $27.5 million” for the “privilege” of being able to compete. It was just last year the Overwatch League, another exclusive esports ecosystem under the Activision Blizzard King umbrella, crumbled, with teams being owed up to $7.5 million at the time of its shuttering. Teams impacted are seeking up to $680 million in damages. This news was first reported by Bloomberg Law. The lawsuit points to a number of restrictions enforced by CoD’s publisher. For one, Activision allegedly holds the “exclusive right to contract with the most lucrative sponsors,” limiting the brands individual teams and players can enlist to drive additional revenue. Furthermore, those signed to the CDL allegedly must “refrain from participating in or supporting any Call of Duty leagues of tournaments other than the Activision CoD League.” This has been a hot topic in recent years, with offseason tournaments typically a sore spot with CDL player involvement never guaranteed. This restriction also extends to “commercialized Call of Duty gameplay outside of the league,” meaning teams cannot monetize friendly competitions with zero bearing on the CDL standings. Referencing specific interactions with League officials, the lawsuit highlights one occasion in which Scump, the biggest name in the CDL at the time, was “forced to agree to lengthy, Activision-drafted” documentation “while at a photoshoot, without adequate time to review, under threat of being excluded from the CoD League.” This can be traced back to a tweet posted by Scump in November 2020. Keeping with Scump, the lawsuit even claims the CDL is still imposing various restrictions on the mega-popular CoD star to this day, despite his retirement last year. “Activision used its monopoly power to prevent these former players from accepting vast categories of revenue opportunities related to professional Call of Duty.” Ultimately, those involved in the lawsuit claim the CDL “impermissibly enriched Activision at the expense of the professional Call of Duty players and the team now under Activision’s thumb.” At this stage, with Major 2 Online Qualifiers just about to commence, it’s unclear how the remainder of the 2024 CDL season will pan out. Competition could come to a close much sooner than planned, OpTic would refuse to compete, or the remaining weeks may play as intended out in what could be the CDL’s final year of operations. Shortly after publishing, Dexerto received the following statement from Activision Blizzard: “Mr. Rodriguez (aka OpTic H3CZ) and Mr. Abner (aka Scump) demanded that Activision pay them tens of millions of dollars to avoid this meritless litigation, and when their demands were not met, they filed. We will strongly defend against these claims, which have no basis in fact or in law. “We are disappointed that these members of the esports community would bring this suit which is disruptive to team owners, players, fans, and partners who have invested so much time and energy into the Call of Duty League’s success.”

Call of Duty League team skins and items coming to Modern Warfare ActivisionActivision Blizzard unveiled plans to bring Call of Duty League skins into Modern Warfare based on the brands and orgs participating in the inaugural campaign. Giving their community the greenlight to “battle like the pros in the Call of Duty League,” fans will be able to pick up in-game gear celebrating the Launch Weekend for the new franchised league. In the January 20 Call of Duty Briefings, the company announced that all 12 teams in the CDL will be getting everything from “home and away skins for Operators, weapon camos that can be equipped to any weapon, calling cards, and more.” There’s a ton of hype revolving around the upcoming league, and players will be able to rep their favorite team’s logos and colors throughout their matchmaking games The Minnesota RØKKR’s bundle was previewed with a peek into the black and purple colorway dominating their bundle. The bundle for the RØKKR includes two Operator skins, a watch with the logo on the screen, a Camo based off the primary colors, and logos emblazoned on a charm, sticker, calling card, emblem as well as spray. Meanwhile, fans of the Chicago Huntsmen, Dallas Empire, and Atlanta FaZe also got a first look at the items coming into the game. Chicago Huntsmen Dallas Empire Atlanta FaZe Similar to the Overwatch League, Activision Blizzard will supply every form of customizable gear in Modern Warfare with the sights and colorways that the teams on stage wear. The twelve teams debuting in the CDL are the Huntsmen, Empire, FaZe, RØKKR, Florida Mutineers, London Royal Ravens, Los Angeles Guerrillas, OpTic Gaming, Paris Legion, Seattle Surge and the Toronto Ultra. There’s a ton of potential with these skins, which the tournament organizers are sure to explore as the league develops. Fans like Twitter user ‘vLionMan’ have already been making their own ideas for possible skins come to life. Fans are already looking forward to downloading the bundles to rep in their Modern Warfare games. The bundles will be available on January 24 under the Franchise Store tab in the Modern Warfare Store, where players can choose any one of the 12 inaugural teams of the CDL. Update Jan 20 3:17 PM PST Activision deleted every reference to CDL team camos from their earlier briefing announcing the new bundles. Updated: Activision has removed all references to CDL team camos from one of their posts (where some images where shown) and have completely deleted the “This week in Call of Duty” blog post. We’ve reached out to Activision Blizzard for a comment on what’s happening. — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) January 20, 2020 The previous links to the Call of Duty Briefings for January 20 have been removed, with links to the announcement rendering Unexpected Error screens. Update Jan 24 10:45 AM PST The CDL team bundles have reappeared in the in-game shop, on the date that the previously deleted blog post said they would. Each in-game bundle is $10, and features a primary and alternate operator skin, a watch, a weapon camo, a charm, a sticker, a calling card, an emblem, and a spray. You know you want it, and WE know you want it, and you know we know you want it, so why not just get it? The London Royal Ravens bundle is available now in Modern Warfare! #CDL2020 #6thRaven pic.twitter.com/wVrn8UBzqr — Carolina Royal Ravens (@RoyalRavens) January 24, 2020 All 12 bundles are available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Call of Duty League start date and venue announced for opening weekend The first franchised season for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is set to officially launch on January 24-26, in the Minneapolis Armory, Minnesota. The latest iteration of the Call of Duty series has brought a plethora of updates, none more so than the changes coming to their esports division. Activision Blizzard’s new city-based league (formally known as the Call of Duty League) will see 12 teams from across the world battle it out for top honours — for the first time in the first-person shooter’s history. To kick-off the flagship season, Activision have announced that the season opener will take place in the iconic Minneapolis Armory (former home of the Minneapolis Lakers) and will be hosted by the Minnesota Røkkr. During the launch weekend, the Call of Duty Challengers Open will also begin, which will see amateur players from around the world compete in an open bracket tournament to showcase their talent with the intention of propelling themselves into the professional league. Call of Duty League Launch Weekend is coming to Minnesota! Join us January 24-26 at the Minneapolis Armory for the first event in our inaugural season. For first details on spectator passes, sign up at: https://t.co/xa46UzvfTF pic.twitter.com/2c0ZokgGI3 — Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) October 29, 2019 Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, announced their excitement heading into the forthcoming CDL season: “We are thrilled with the continued growth of the Call of Duty esports footprint as an international, city-based league with 12 teams in 4 countries, all of which deliver epically entertaining competition to millions of fans around the world.” Kotick continued to shed light on the vision behind the new league: “Building on our city-based model’s success in esports first established by the Overwatch League, we are excited to unite the historic passion for the Call of Duty franchise with city-based fandom, to create a league to rival the very best leagues in traditional sports in recognizing, celebrating and rewarding our players.” Although full details of the league’s structure are yet to be released, fans can now look forward to seeing the action get underway in Minnesota on January 24. Given that the season opener will get under way in the new year, teams will begin to announce their finalized rosters and team branding as we draw closer to January 24. Keep up-to-date with all the roster moves ahead of the CDL season with our dedicated roster hub.

How to get CDL skins in Modern Warfare 2 & Warzone 2 CDL / ActivisionCall of Duty League weapon and character camos have returned in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0. Here’s everything you need to know, from cost to the items included to how to actually get them in-game. Ever since Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, there have been some links to the esports and competitive side of things, with fans being able to represent their favorite teams in a number of different ways. It started out as character skins but has progressed well beyond that since. Over the last few games, players have been able to purchase bundles to support their favorite Call of Duty League teams that include character skins, weapon skins, weapon charms, watches, calling cards, and badges. That remains the same with Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0, both of benefit from CDL skins for characters and weapons. Modern Warfare 2 & Warzone 2.0 CDL skins The league confirmed via Twitter that the CDL Launch Pack is live in game from November 16. As expected, there are unique home and away skins, as well as weapon camos, charms and more. How to get CDL skins in Modern Warfare 2 & Warzone 2.0 To get your hands on them is incredible simple, and exactly as you’d expect. Navigate to the in-game store, in either MW2 or WZ2. – Scroll over to the CDL Launch Pack. – Select purchase. It currently costs $9.99 / £8.50. – Modern Warfare 2 & Warzone 2.0 CDL Launch Pack Items There are 12 items in the Launch Pack, all of which are received on purchasing the item. They are: CDL Male Home Skin – CDL Male Away Skin – CDL Female Home Skin – CDL Female Away Skin – Call of Duty League Weapon Camo – Golden Bracket Weapon Charm – Holding It Down Weapon Sticker – Call of Duty League Weapon Sticker – Press F Calling Card – Easy Money Calling Card – It’s Official Emblem – Free Agent Emblem – Modern Warfare 2 & Warzone 2.0 CDL Team Skins CDL Franchise skins were released on November 29, just ahead of the Call of Duty League’s December 2 start date. All 12 bundles are available in the store for $9.99 USD each. Each pack includes operator skins in home and away variants, a team weapon camo, a team icon vinyl sticker, an animated calling card, a weapon sticker, and an emblem. Players can find all of the operator bundles on the CDL website as well.

Call of Duty League shifts to PC from 2021 season onwards Ben Pursell for ActivisionThe Call of Duty League will officially be transitioning to PC and controller gameplay from the start of the 2021 season, Activision has confirmed, after a decade of professional Call of Duty being a console-only esport. The top-level professional Call of Duty scene will no longer be a ‘console esport’: from 2021 onwards, all official CDL matches will be played on PC. Controllers will remain the required peripheral for the global competition. “Today, the league is announcing it will move pro competition to PC + controller, beginning with the 2021 season,” CDL administrators wrote on Sep. 13. “This means that all pro matches will be played on PC and all pro players must use a league-approved controller of their choice.” This change is expected to “provide players with expanded choice of controller.” Activision has confirmed that further details on official Call of Duty League rules regarding PC peripherals will be released “at a future date.” https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1305400937880539137 The CDL’s shift to PC heading into the Black Ops Cold War season marks the first time Call of Duty has moved away from consoles for a full professional season. The franchise has long been played on console, all the way back to Xbox 360 in the early MLG days. Call of Duty XP 2011, regarded by many as CoD’s first true championship calibre event, was also played on Xbox 360, during Modern Warfare 3. The Call of Duty League also stayed on console in its inaugural year, playing out 13 events and its first Champs tournament on PlayStation 4. The CDL now shifts to PC alongside the return to the 4v4 format for its sophomore season. The shift to PC isn’t the only change the Call of Duty League announced late on September 13 either. Activision also confirmed the Challengers scene would move to crossplay in 2021, allowing players in the second division to play on either computer or console. Controllers will still be required in Challengers, and mouse and keyboard peripherals “will not be allowed.” Any LAN events played throughout the Challengers season will be played on PC. The Call of Duty Challengers next season will also have altered broadcast plans to “continue to spotlight top Challengers talent” across the second-tier competition.

Call of Duty League sets new viewership record on Twitch amid OpTic’s CDL Major 3 run Twitter: OpTicThe Call of Duty League has recorded a new all-time viewership high on Twitch with CDL Major 3, as more viewers tuned into the historic event than any previous tournament since the swap to a franchised system. The third Major of 2023, hosted by OpTic Texas at the Esports Stadium Arlington, has etched its place in the history books as the most-watched CDL event since the league kicked off in 2020. With a peak of 333, 277 collective viewers during the grand finals, according to data from EsportsCharts, the series between hometown favorites in OpTic and foreign rivals in Toronto Ultra is now the biggest in CDL’s brief history. While the central broadcast itself soared with six-figure viewership, this new all-time peak factors in a considerable amount more from watch parties and co-streams alike. In particular, Optic’s own Scump led the charge on the day, climbing well ahead of the CDL stream with more than 175,000 fans tuned into his watch along with CoD veterans filtering in and out. When it comes to CDL-specific events, the previous record was held by the 2020 finals which saw a similar number of viewers jumping in as 331,558 fans marked the occasion. Just one other event has cleared the 300K figure in the past three years, that being the most recent tournament before OpTic’s LAN, the 2023 Stage 2 Major. Of note, however, this new record pertains exclusively to CDL events, not Call of Duty on the whole. That record, instead, belongs to a Spanish MW3 OldSchool tournament that landed 439,776 concurrent viewers in 2022. On its way to narrowly eclipsing the former record, Major 3 saw a rise in viewership day over day, in large part, thanks to OpTic’s exceptional lower bracket run. Having been knocked down right away, with an immediate 0-3 loss to Boston Breach, the hometown team had its back against the wall. Not going out without a fight, however, the Green Wall then went on to win five matches in a row, securing a spot in the grand final for their troubles. It was this last series that led to yet another surge in viewers across the official CDL broadcast along with Scump’s co-stream, dominating Twitch as the two most-watched accounts at the time. Clearly a great sign for interest in the league, it’s only a matter of time before we see if the CDL can carry the momentum into the fourth split and beyond as the 2023 season continues.

Call of Duty League rumors could reveal the name of new Washington franchise Unsplash / CDLWith Washington DC looking set to acquire a Call of Duty League spot ahead of its third season, new information appears to have revealed the name of the organization and fans are divided. The offseason of the Call of Duty League guarantees change in both rosters and organizations. In terms of the former, we’ve seen plenty of players move around as orgs try and find a cohesive team ahead of the season’s start point. When it comes to organizations and franchise structure, much remains unclear. We’ve heard multiple reports that OpTic Chicago and Dallas Empire are seeking to merge, with the Chicago franchise up for sale. Reports also claim it is set to be purchased by Washington Esports Ventures, the current owners of Washington Justice in the Overwatch League. The acquisition looks set to proceed, with new information potentially revealing a name for the Washington organization. Eagled-eyed Twitter users clocked a Washington QNTM account, which appears to be a hub for all of Washington Esports Venture’s organizations. It previously leaked as a potential name for the team, but appears to be more of an umbrella name for the organizations. Responding to the news, Call of Duty insider Cory ‘CCRONEE‘ Davis revealed that they are following just one account – Washington Demon Cats. While it could be a deliberate misdirection, past leaks from TMZ claim that Washington’s NFL team flirted with ‘Demon Cats’ as a nickname in the past. It looks like a hub for all their esports teams, but the only account they’re following is Washington Demon Cats pic.twitter.com/m64zEUFye9 — Cory Davis (@CCRONEE) October 17, 2021 Opinions quickly followed, with many lamenting the name as laughably bad. One user said: “Demon cats is a horrendous name for anything”, while another commented that it “Sounds like a kid made up the name”. Whether the names stick remains to be seen, and much could change with the future of the franchise still not 100% decided. Regardless, early fan opinion seemed united in questioning the name.

Call of Duty League rumored 2022 rosters: Subliners, Thieves, Guerrillas, Surge Call of Duty LeagueAs the Call of Duty League’s offseason rostermania heats up, four teams have had star-studded rosters leaked: the New York Subliners, LA Thieves, LA Guerrillas, and Seattle Surge. CoD fans have been eagerly awaiting more news about the 2021 title, Vanguard, but also about the game’s best players for CDL 2022. Now, some of those questions may have been answered, as numerous rostermania leaks point to rumored lineups. With top pros like Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, Sam ‘Octane’ Larew, and Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon expected to shift teams — rostermania is as spicy as ever. Those players, alongside some other stars and highly touted Challengers players, are all part of the day’s announcements. Here’s how the Subliners, Thieves, Guerrillas, and Surge rumored rosters look for CDL 2022. Two reports suggest a major reunion on the Subliners for CDL 2022: 🔹 @Clayster 🔹 @Crimsix 🔹 @HyDrAnml 🔹 @NNeptuunE(per @INTELCallofDuty & @UnscriptedCoD) pic.twitter.com/G1ZYweTJmM — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) September 3, 2021 Possibly the most exciting of the rumored rosters, it looks like New York may be working to reunite two of CoD’s most winningest players: Crimsix and James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks. Past that, the Thieves and Guerrillas reported rosters also have serious starpower — while the Surge bring up some intriguing young talent. New York Subliners rumored 2022 roster James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks – Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter – Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez – Travis ‘Neptune’ McCloud – LA Thieves rumored 2022 roster Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams – Sam ‘Octane’ Larew – Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon – Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan – And another one! Reports claim Guerrillas are eyeing this lineup for CDL 2022 💪 • @SlasheR_AL • @Huke • @GstaAsim • @Gunless(per @INTELCallofDuty) pic.twitter.com/4aW50ghfZ8 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) September 3, 2021 LA Guerrillas rumored 2022 roster Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat – Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland – Obaid ‘Asim’ Asim – Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman – Seattle Surge rumored 2022 roster Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi – Makenzie ‘Mack’ Kelley – Daunte ‘Sib’ Gray – Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari – All rumored rosters are courtesy of INTELCallofDuty, who shared the leaked lineups based on information from sources. It’s worth noting that no deals can be made official until September 5, meaning that these rosters are all entirely speculative. When rosters are finally formalized, we’ll be sure to keep fans in the loop over at DexertoIntel and with our rostermania hub for CDL 2022.

Call of Duty League reveals new custom Nike sneakers that fans can win CoDLeague – YouTubeWith the inaugural 2020 season fast approaching, the Call of Duty League has commissioned the production of custom CDL-themed Nike Air Force 1 sneakers, which are now available for fans to enter to win. The launch of the 2020 regular season of the newly-formed Call of Duty League is less than two weeks away, and it looks like the CDL has pulled all the stops to make sure its inaugural campaign is a memorable one. On January 17, they revealed a collaboration with “Kickstradomis,” a popular artist and shoe designer, who created exclusive Nike shoes themed with the league’s branding. The CDL revealed the sneakers on January 17 with a video featuring Kickstradomis. The designer used both white and black Air Force 1’s for this project. Read More: First look at CDL 2020 jerseys for all teams – Each pair features a bunch of miniaturized versions of the CDL logo on the front and sides, one giant logo on the outside of each sneaker, and ‘EST. 2020’ on the inside of the sole, representing the league’s founding year of 2020. In the video, Kickstradomis talked about the project and gave some insight as to what inspired him to choose the design that he ended up using. “The colors of the League are white, black, and gray, keeping it monochromatic,” he explained. “So it’s really cool to be able to use these colors and still make something pop. The Call of Duty League logo has three pillars, and they all represent something different. So, in this custom that I’m doing, I’m going to try to do justice to those three pillars.” He even designed a special pair for CDL commissioner Johanna Faries, whose sneakers now say the word “COMMISSIONER” in large letters on the outer sole. How to win a pair of these custom CDL Nike sneakers As part of this collaboration, Kickstradomis created a single pair of size 10 sneakers for the CDL to give away. In order to enter for a chance to win this one-of-a-kind pair of shoes, you must visit the contest’s official webpage, enter the required information, agree to the terms and conditions and click submit. The contest is open to all legal residents of 50 states and DC who are 18 years of age or older – but not too much time is left to enter, as it will be wrapping up on January 23.

Call of Duty League reveals 2023 season schedule & details Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League 2023 season schedule has been revealed and the new era of the CDL has added at least one new stop to an otherwise familiar itinerary. The Vanguard season is behind us and the CDL has turned its eyes to the Modern Warfare 2 season. After months of fans calling for an earlier start date, their wish has finally come true and pro-CoD is returning sooner than expected. Instead of pushing the launch event until after the start of the new year, an early December kickoff will get the season rolling more than a month earlier than it ever has before. Call of Duty League 2023 season schedule revealed While there are no specific dates set in stone quite yet, the league will once again be operating on a five Major event schedule in 2023. The festivities will officially kick off on December 2 with Major I following only two weeks later on December 13. The first Major will take place in Raleigh, NC, and is said to be “like nothing will be like nothing we’ve done before” according to the CDL itself. The official announcement states that the competition will work as a Pro-Am, with Challengers teams being able to qualify in order to compete for pro points and a share of the $500,000 prize pool. A Challengers Open event and the Call of Duty Mobile World Championship will also take place that weekend. From there the competition will return to team-hosted events, with Boston Breach, OpTic Texas, and New York Subliners, all getting a chance to host the festivities. Details on Major 5 and the climactic Championship Weekend are still forthcoming, with details expected to arrive during the regular season.

Call of Duty League returns with ‘headless’ players DexertoThe Call of Duty League has returned after its holiday break and is still showcasing new issues. this time removing the heads of players. Since switching back to YouTube Gaming before the start of the season, the CDL has not had the most outstanding production. The first two days were riddled with issues like players being duplicated and even a referee joining the game at one point. These aren’t the only issues that the CDL has been facing either. A cease and desist was issued to popular co-streamers Scump and The Flank, preventing them from watching or showing the games on Twitch. Yet another bug has surfaced with the CDL’s return, this time by removing enemy players’ heads with the overlay. Call of Duty League makes heads harder to hit During the first match of the day between Atlanta FaZe and Los Angeles Guerrillas, the casters began noticing that the heads on the overlays were not showing up. At first, they thought that it could be due to the new team skins that feature hoods. But, upon further inspection, it became clear that the players were, in fact, headless. “No, they’re headless bro,” said Maven. “They’re headless. That guy did NOT have a head, I am 100% certain. That man had his head shot off but didn’t even have a head before it was shot off.” The issue is likely due to the CDL’s use of skin and weapon overlays in the game. Instead of forcing the players to equip their team skins, they use a stream overlay to convey which team is which. After the holiday, the CDL introduced team-themed operator skins, which would be shown on stream during the third week of qualifiers. However, it seems like the overlay isn’t exactly perfect by taking off the heads of enemy players.

Call of Duty League returning to 4v4 format for 2021 season Activision[jwplayer RDIo8tSY] Just a day after Dallas Empire won the $1.5 million during the CDL Championships, Activision has already revealed a major change coming to the 2021 season: 4v4 teams are back. On August 29-30, the Call of Duty League Championships were held and Dallas Empire thoroughly beat Atlanta FaZe during the Grand Final. At the end of the day, the competition wasn’t even close, with the former beating the latter 5-1. During the Final, Activision began teasing new aspects of the competition. First, the stream got “hacked” by an unknown person in order to tease a new easter egg for Black Ops Cold War on the Pawn Takes Pawn website. Then, players got a look at some new subway stations coming to Warzone. It seems like, however, the teases and announcements aren’t anywhere close to being done. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1300479714306519041 The Call of Duty League has officially confirmed that it will return to a 4-person team format during the 2021 season, in what’s been seen as a major shakeup to the competition. Currently, teams consist of five players, so this news is going to completely change how teams are formed next year. According to the League, the move was done in order to “return” to the competition’s “roots”. While it’s easy to see this move blindsiding the teams, Commissioner for CDL Johanna Faries wrote in a post that it was done “in close collaboration with the teams and players.” “We know that this transition also brings new implications for both pro and amateur players with rostermania season fast approaching,” she said. While there’s currently no details about a schedule, the 2021 CDL season is set to start on September 14th and will see the transition over to Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War. All in all, it’ll be interesting to see how the current teams are split up for the next season. With each team losing a player, who knows what will happen.

Call of Duty League reportedly has no plans to expand for 2021 season Katy Eyre for ESPAT MediaThe Call of Duty League will not expand beyond its original 12-team format in its second season, insider reports are suggesting, despite commissioner Johanna Faries confirming there is “great demand” for potential CDL expansion ahead of the competition’s 2021 edition. The behind-the-scenes decision to keep the competition contained at 12 teams — for now, at least — is due to the fact the Call of Duty League was forced into an online format mid-way through its inaugural campaign. According to multiple insider reports, including from ESPN, both the league and team owners were unified in the ‘null’ expansion decision. The plan, sources are suggesting, is to give the CDL an opportunity to “showcase [its] original business plan” before recruiting further teams. Dexerto expects the Call of Duty League to run one more year of city-based tournaments for 2021, before returning to its original expansion plan for 2022. Reports suggest Activision will seek higher franchising sums this time around. Inaugural teams joining in the Call of Duty league’s very first season paid a $25 million buy-in, paid over an unspecified amount of time. It has not yet been confirmed how high the planned slot price-hike may go, internally or otherwise. The non-expansion news comes at the same time as confirmation the CDL’s second season will be played on Black Ops Cold War. This is especially important because the new Treyarch title is returning to 4v4 modes with its 2020 release. That means each of the 12 franchised teams will now have their starting roster sliced from five to four. This will effectively leave a full dozen starters from the 2020 season either riding the bench or cut from CDL rosters entirely. According to CDL commissioner Faries, the move was made “in close collaboration with teams and players”. That doesn’t change the fact, however, that the 4v4 plans combined with no expansion cut the starting player pool by a hefty 20%. One potential avenue for CDL expansion when the plan does eventually return to the table in the 2022 preseason is Europe. There’s hope from the London Royal Ravens front office that Activision and the league “look to Europe next.” “If the league can expand in Europe, whenever that happens, it will be great,” Royal Ravens managing director Michael O’Dell said during the Champs media press conferences last week. “To get [the players] over here, do a lot more activations. The UK fans are fantastic. The event we did get to do at the Cooper Box was amazing. It’s just a shame that [we lost] our other event as well. Expansion is what I would like to see.”

Call of Duty League explain how 15 tournament format will work for 2020 Activision have announced a new point-based system for the 2020 Call of Duty League season, as well as a revamped schedule for all 15 tournaments that will be played during the regular season. With just a few weeks left to go until the inaugural campaign of the newly-formed CDL kicks off, Activision are still implementing whole-scale changes to the league format and schedule. Instead of having 22 individual home series in which a handful of teams would play a maximum 1-2 matches, the new format is instead tournament-based, featuring 15 tournaments in total – 13 regular-season events, the All-Star Weekend, and Championship Weekend. The regular-season tournaments will each be hosted by one of the 12 participating franchises, with the other two – the All-Star Weekend and Championship Weekend – at neutral venues. Each of the 13 regular-season events will see eight teams compete, with the only exception being the Launch Weekend in Minnesota, which will feature all 12 teams. Call of Duty League 2020 schedule Here is the full schedule for the inaugural 2020 season of the CDL, including all of the teams that will be competing at each of the 13 regular-season tournaments. LAUNCH WEEKEND – MINNESOTA RØKKR Dates: January 24-26 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 – LONDON ROYAL RAVENS HOME SERIES Dates: February 8-9 Teams: Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – New York Subliners – Paris Legion – Seattle Surge – Toronto ULTRA – ATLANTA FAZE HOME SERIES Dates: February 22-23 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – Florida Mutineers – London Royal Ravens – Minnesota RØKKR – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Toronto ULTRA – LOS ANGELES GUERRILLAS & OPTIC GAMING LA HOME SERIES Dates: March 7-8 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Seattle Surge – DALLAS EMPIRE HOME SERIES Dates: March 28-29 Teams: Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – Paris Legion – Seattle Surge – Toronto ULTRA – CHICAGO HUNSTMEN HOME SERIES Dates: April 4-5 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Seattle Surge – FLORIDA MUTINEERS HOME SERIES Dates: April 11-12 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Florida Mutineers – London Royal Ravens – Minnesota RØKKR – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Toronto ULTRA – SEATTLE SURGE HOME SERIES Dates: April 18-19 Teams: Chicago Huntsmen – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Seattle Surge – MINNESOTA RØKKR HOME SERIES Dates: May 9-10 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – Seattle Surge – Toronto ULTRA – PARIS LEGION HOME SERIES Dates: May 16-17 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – London Royal Ravens – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Toronto ULTRA – NEW YORK SUBLINES HOME SERIES Dates: June 6-7 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – New York Subliners – Paris Legion – Toronto ULTRA – CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE ALL-STAR WEEKEND Dates: TBA Details coming soon LONDON ROYAL RAVENS HOME SERIES Dates: June 20-21 Teams: Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Seattle Surge – TORONTO ULTRA HOME SERIES Dates: June 27-28 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – Seattle Surge – Toronto ULTRA – CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND Dates: TBA Details coming soon New points-based CDL format explained Starting from the London Royal Ravens home series in week two of the regular season, the eight teams that compete each week will be split into two groups of four, with the matchups decided by the league office. The teams in each group will play each other and the ones that win two matches will advance to a single-elimination bracket to determine the home series’ winner. Each victory that a team gets throughout the regular season will be worth 10 points, with home series weekend event winners getting an additional 10 points, which means a team can earn up to 50 points in a single weekend by winning the tournament. 1 Place – 50 CDL Points – 2 Place – 30 CDL Points – 3/4 Place – 20 CDL Points – 5/6 Place – 10 CDL Points – 7/8 Place – 0 CDL Points – The only home series not to follow this format will be the Launch Weekend since all 12 teams will be participating. For that event, each team will play two matches over the course of the three days, with all victories being worth 10 points. At the end of the regular season, the eight teams with the highest points total will earn a spot in the playoffs – the top four advancing directly and the next four getting in as wild cards. Read More: Hastr0 reveals alternate Dallas Empire logos – The four wild card teams will play a single-elimination bracket with the two winning teams advancing to play the third and fourth place teams from the top-four in the first round of the double-elimination phase. The top two overall seeds will get a bye through the first round of this stage. The team that comes out of the Winners Bracket will then face the Losers Bracket winner in the CDL Championship grand final, with the Losers Bracket team needing to win two straight matches to claim the title.

Call of Duty League receiving franchise interest in Las Vegas & EU ActivisionActivision’s Call of Duty League has reportedly received interest for new franchise spots across multiple markets including Las Vegas, D.C., Charlotte, and even undisclosed cities in Europe. [jwplayer DDwImsV8] When the CDL kicked off in 2020 with its inaugural season, it did so with 12 teams. A majority of those teams were based in North America with a few outliers such as Paris Legion, the London Royal Ravens. Despite no immediate plans to expand in 2021, the league has received a great deal of interest from prospective new markets, CDL Commissioner Johanna Faries told the Sports Business Journal. Among the new areas looking to get involved are Las Vegas, D.C. and Charlotte, according to The Esports Observer. Beyond these NA markets, however, the league is also “hearing interest from across the pond in Europe and beyond,” Faries said. While the CDL is only just entering the 2021 season, plans already appear to be in motion for major expansion in the years ahead. There’s no guarantee the specific locations mentioned will come to fruition, though they’re eyed as the frontrunners at this point in time. Three new NA orgs would bring the total to 15, with the potential for further additions from Europe to boot. Faries also didn’t rule out the idea of entirely new areas joining — opening up the door for speculation of a team from the Asian or Australian markets. Joining the league is no small feat, however. For additional regions to get involved, they’re looking at a minimum of $25 million for a team slot, let alone player and staff salaries on top. Moreover, reports suggest that Activision will be looking for an even larger sum from expansion teams. If Activision follows suit with a similar rate of expansion to its Overwatch League, we could see plenty more teams than initially expected. The OWL launched in 2018 with just 12 teams as well, but just one year later and eight new organizations were locked in. With the swap to 4v4 for the Black Ops Cold War cycle, there’s no shortage of talent ready to pick up for any future additions to the league. CDL expansion could still be a ways off, though 2022 seems to be a safe bet for some fresh blood. Meanwhile, the league is roaring back into action in a matter of days. The CDL Kickoff Classic is set to go live with our first 2021 matchups on January 23.

Call of Duty League “probable” 2022 rosters for Washington & Paris Legion revealed Pexels / Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League 2022 rosters for the Paris Legion and rumored Washington teams have finally been revealed, with a mix of veteran and young talent shoring up their expected lineups. Back in early September, Cory ‘CCRONEE’ Davis revealed three rumored lineups for the New York Subliners, LA Thieves, and LA Guerrillas. All three have since been confirmed, so the reporter is leaking two other lineups. In an October 25 tweet, the CDL 2021-22 rosters were listed for both the Paris Legion and technically unannounced Washington DC teams. Neither team includes any rookie talent, but a mixed bag of known players. So far, the internet has taken the news with fittingly mixed reactions. Paris and Washington’s CDL 2022 rosters leaked Rumored CDL 2022 rosters for Paris and Washington: 🔸 Paris: John, Decemate, Temp, FeLo 🔹 Washington: Vivid, TJHaLy, Methodz, PaulEhx(per @INTELCallofDuty) — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) October 25, 2021 In CRONE’s original tweet, he mentioned that these lineups are “probable” and that it is unlikely that “either team has officially signed” any of the players. Regardless, his earlier leaks were on point — so here are the rumored squads: Paris Legion rumored CDL 2022 roster Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson – Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda – Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato – John ‘John’ Perez – Washington rumored CDL 2022 roster Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni – Reece ‘Vivid’ Drost – Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila – Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly –

Call of Duty League pro banned for allegedly using camo unlock tools on CDL account Call of Duty LeagueAt least one Call of Duty League pro has been given a permanent ban in-game, allegedly for using unlock tools to get exclusive skins before they even launch in-game on their official CDL accounts, or paying others to get the skins on their account. On April 10, Seattle Surge’s Jordan ‘Abuzah’ François posted on Twitter that his CDL account had been permanently banned, to which one fan responded saying that he had “had someone with an unlock tool put camos on his account.” To this, Abuzah responded saying: “I just wanted to have some camo, I do nothing wrong, I didn’t download something.” After Abuzah’s admission, 3-time world champion James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks revealed that he knew of one player who had to pay a fine to the Call of Duty League after they had paid for camos. Finally, Abuzah suggested that around 90% of current pros have used unlock tools or paid someone to give them camos for free. Unlock tools have become increasingly popular in Call of Duty since the launch of Warzone, as the list of camos, skins, and various other cosmetics became ever more varied. Using these tools, players can, as expected, unlock everything, even skins that are due to come out weeks or months down the line. Obviously, this is against the rules and has been known to be a surefire way to cop a ban in Call of Duty, but that hasn’t stopped these CDL pros from taking the risk — and doing it on their professional CDL accounts they use for matches, no less. Most ironic of all is that when watching CDL matches on-stream, the stream is overlaid with the players’ team camo, so it doesn’t even matter what they use when they’re playing. There is no verdict on whether Abuzah will face punishment for the incident but, if Clayster is correct, it could just mean a fine to the CDL. If you’re looking to play some daily CDL fantasy for the upcoming matches, make sure to use code REVERSESWEEP when you sign up to PrizePicks for a first deposit match up to $100.

Call of Duty League Power Rankings: FaZe and Huntsmen Drop after CDL Chicago Dexerto With Crimsix and Clayster’s Dallas Empire running away with the win from CDL Chicago, we reassess our CDL Power Rankings as the Florida Mutineers’ home series grows closer. The Call of Duty League so far has been something of a three-way duel, with Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas all fighting for the top spot. However, Dallas’ win at the Illinois home series sees them become the only CDL team with two separate tournament victories – putting some distance between themselves and the chasing pack. While Dallas cemented themselves in first place in the overall standings, struggles continued for both Californian outfits. The LA Guerrillas smashed OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, but that was the only high point for the Californian roster. As for the Green Wall, they didn’t have a single high point to celebrate, going away from Chicago without, once again, winning a single series. As their dire form continues, the Green Wall may be the first roster to look to make significant changes to their playing squad. Chicago were also rumored to be in the market for players, but their recovery to the Winners’ Semi-Final appears to have quashed that speculation – for now, anyway. The midst of our list consists of teams who have shown promise but have not been able to break their way into consistent high placements. Florida Mutineers are the pinnacle of this, and will be looking to join Dallas on two tournament victories when their home series comes round on May 8.

Call of Duty League Power Rankings after CDL Launch Weekend The Call of Duty League is officially underway after an action-packed weekend in Minnesota, which saw all 12 teams head north to kick off their seasons. With CDL London taking place February 8-9, eight teams are preparing to stake their claim atop the standings. Four teams had perfect 2-0 showings in Minnesota: Chicago Huntsmen, Atlanta FaZe, Minnesota RØKKR, and Paris Legion, but only Paris and Chicago will be headed to London to claim the top spot, with Atlanta and Minnesota having to wait to keep their flawless streaks going. However, the standings are looking a far cry from what many CoD fans expected heading into the first LAN event of the season and, with the first tournament-style event approaching, we take a look at our current power rankings, which will be updated between every CDL event. To see how these lists compare, take a look at our preseason power rankings. 12. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles Expectations weren’t particularly high for OGLA heading into the inaugural event of the season, and those low expectations were met in Minnesota. Though they weren’t completely blown out – they did manage to take two maps from Paris Legion – there was nothing to suggest this team had clicked just yet. That said, with the names on this roster, we fully expect to see them shoot up the rankings over time, and they’re not likely to sit in this spot for long. However, with the team not headed to London, they’ll have to wait a little longer to start moving upwards. 11. New York Subliners New York were tipped as a top-five team by fans and players alike prior to opening weekend, but a weak showing in Minnesota has made many fans question their ability at this point in the season. New York’s matchup against Atlanta FaZe, which saw them take the Domination in convincing fashion, proves that there is fire in the belly of the East Coast team – they just have to pinpoint their weaknesses and mistakes to live up to expectations. 10. Seattle Surge Seattle got off to a rocky start this season, with close losses to both Florida Mutineers and Toronto Ultra with 3-2 scorelines. It doesn’t reek of failure, but you would expect more from the players on this squad. Read More: 6 players to watch during CDL London – The Surge’s main issue is a glaring lack of skill in Search and Destroy, a gamemode many on this roster have had issues with in the past. That said, if they can get past their SnD woes, they could become a force to be reckoned with. Seattle will have Chicago Huntsmen, Dallas Empire and Los Angeles Guerillas in their pool at CDL London, so if they can make it out of this group, they’re sure to fly up the rankings. 9. Toronto Ultra Toronto’s 10-man roster already appears to be undergoing changes after a mixed Launch Weekend, with rumors that Ben ‘Bance’ Bance will be taking the place of Mettallz on the starting line-up. A tight win over Seattle Surge allowed them to get a win under their belt, but they lost convincingly to Minnesota Rokkr, giving them a 1-1 win/loss record and 4-5 map count to open the season. They’ll need to tighten up a lot more to move upwards. 8. Florida Mutineers Florida Mutineers is comprised of a team of scrappy players that have all shone at different times throughout their careers, and heading into Launch Weekend there were murmurings that they could be a dark horse to watch out for throughout the season. They were held to a tight 3-2 win over Seattle Surge, taking it all the way, but narrowly lost by the same scoreline to Los Angeles Guerillas after. They clearly have things to work on, but they can’t be completely judged after just one weekend. 7. Los Angeles Guerillas There was a lot of controversy over LA Guerillas’ matchup with Minnesota Rokkr during the opening week, which they lost 3-1, after they were forced to forfeit a map due to an incident with a player’s perk. It’s impossible to say how that match would have ended if they weren’t forfeited, which makes it much harder to rank the team, but a 3-2 win over Florida Mutineers places them somewhere around the middle of the pack. 6. London Royal Ravens London were expected to be a mid-tier team preseason, and they showed why in their CDL Minnesota performances. Despite taking the win against New York Subliners, a loss to European rivals Paris Legion, who weren’t expected to be great, put the London side back in their place. At CDL London, we’ll see whether the homestand advantage can help move the Royal Ravens up the ranks. 5. Paris Legion Paris Legion were the standout team in Minnesota in January, coming in regarded as a bottom-of-the-pack team but managing to pull off two series wins to kick off a flawless record. They beat Los Angeles Guerillas 3-2, and saw off London Royal Ravens in an easy 3-0 win. The wins didn’t look like flukes, either – the players looked like they knew what they were doing and had figured out how best to play the game, but only time will tell whether they can keep that up. 4. Dallas Empire Arguably, Dallas should be lower on this list – after all, they recorded two losses with a 1-6 map record – but that might not be a fair analysis on how this team is actually looking. In Minnesota, Dallas had to go up against the two best teams in the game in Chicago Huntsmen and Atlanta FaZe, making it a lot harder to give them a full appraisal. Despite their current record, we trust Dallas will keep up their preseason performances and prove they’re a top team. 3. Minnesota RØKKR Minnesota were tipped as a top-five team ahead of Launch Weekend, and lived up to expectations. They’re one of four teams with a 2-0 record, with wins over Los Angeles Guerillas and Toronto Ultra. They looked great, but they were playing against opposition that didn’t have the best weekends, including that controversial win over Los Angeles Guerillas on the opening day. They might not be in third place after a few more events, and will need to work hard to maintain this position, but they’re definitely up there for now. 2. Chicago Huntsmen Chicago opened their season with an emphatic win over Dallas Empire, and you could see how much the victory meant to them as they screamed some choice words across the stage. Chicago were widely considered the third-best team in the game before the opening event, behind only Atlanta FaZe and Dallas themselves, but this blowout victory proved that they had the potential to be a dominant force in the Call of Duty League’s opening season. 1. Atlanta FaZe Atlanta FaZe came in and did exactly what they were expected to do: dominate the competition. The 3-0 decapitation of Dallas Empire showed that the youngsters are worth far more than their lesser experience would suggest, and will likely be a force to be reckoned with not only this season but for years to come. Atlanta are no doubt the best team in the game right now, and don’t have to put their crown up for availability in London as they will not be playing again until their own homestand event later on in February. Though these rankings have changed quite a bit since preseason, we expect there to be several power shifts throughout the year and especially over the first couple of events when teams are still trying to find their footing. Though the likes of Atlanta and Chicago look unlikely to drop off much throughout the year, nothing is impossible. They’ll need to work hard to maintain their top dog statuses, and that continues in London on February 8-9.

Call of Duty League Power Rankings after CDL London – February 2020 The Call of Duty League has kicked off and the first Home Series of the event has been and gone, with London hosting their CDL rivals. After CDL Launch Weekend in Minnesota, four teams had perfect records: Chicago, Atlanta FaZe, Minnesota Rokkr and Paris Legion. Atlanta and Minnesota maintained those records through having a bye week, while Paris lost theirs after defeats to Chicago Huntsmen and New York Subliners at CDL London. With two weekends of the Call of Duty League in the books, we have a look at the power rankings as they stand right now, and there’s a slight difference from how they looked after Launch Weekend. 12. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (-) Having not had the opportunity to play in London, OpTic Gaming were unable to prove their worth and move up the leaderboards. A disappointing showing at Launch Weekend will need to be rectified in Atlanta, which is set to take place from February 22-23. They’ll be hoping to live up to the names they’ve made for themselves in recent years and bring some glory back to the OpTic Gaming brand. 11. Toronto Ultra (-2) Despite Toronto’s incredible squad depth, they’ve not managed to make things click yet, with two underwhelming appearances at Launch Weekend in Minnesota and CDL London. Toronto lost their only two matches in London, both 3-1 scorelines against London Royal Ravens and Paris Legion, with their only recorded win so far being a tight 3-2 victory over Seattle Surge. 10. Los Angeles Guerrillas (-3) Los Angeles Guerrillas are a hard team to judge. In the two weekends we’ve seen them play, they’ve gone 1-3, their only win a 3-2 victory over Florida Mutineers. However, with their poor results in London, 3-0 and 3-2 losses to Chicago and Seattle respectively, they’ve had to move down a few spots from our post-Launch Weekend rankings. The Guerrillas won’t be in attendance at CDL Atlanta, so will be hoping their closest competitors don’t get any good results at FaZe’s homestand. 9. Seattle Surge (+1) Despite Seattle’s loss to Toronto at Launch Weekend, they looked better at Search and Destroy in London, which was really their only major pitfall in Minnesota. Read More: Top 6 moments from CDL London – Although they took a rough loss to Dallas Empire in the opening match at CDL London, Seattle proved they’re overcoming their weaknesses with a 3-2 win over Los Angeles Guerrillas, which came down to a tense round 11, 1v1 to stay alive in the tournament. If they keep up that momentum, they’ll find themselves getting ever-closer to the mid-table teams before long – but they won’t be playing in Atlanta, giving them some more time to practice with Casey ‘Pandur’ Romano, who has replaced Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt on the starting line-up. 8. Florida Mutineers (-) Florida Mutineers are another potential dark horse for the season, and they proved that in Minnesota with some solid play and a 1-1 record after the event. The team wasn’t in London, and so find themselves unable to move up in the rankings, but a tough group alongside OpTic Gaming, Atlanta FaZe and London Royal Ravens in Atlanta could see them pushed further down if things don’t go their way. 7. New York Subliners (+4) New York definitely looked better in London than in Minnesota, but are still struggling to live up to expectations with a 1-4 record so far. They beat Paris 3-1 in the first match of the weekend but just lost out to London in a 3-2 scoreline in their next matchup, before Paris got their revenge and trounced the Empire State representatives 3-0. 6. London Royal Ravens (-) There’s definitely a debate to be made to move London further up the rankings, especially considering their solid showing at their own homestand, but there’s no doubt this side has a bright future if they manage to keep improving. Their most secure victory in London was one over Toronto to kick off the weekend, but their following win over New York wasn’t quite so convincing, having to pull off three straight map wins to advance in the tournament. They did manage to take Dallas to a game 5, which not many teams can, but couldn’t quite pull it out the bag to be considered by one of the best teams in the league. 5. Minnesota RØKKR (-2) Minnesota Rokkr were not in attendance at CDL London, and as such were not able to stake their claim to move up the rankings. They’ve definitely come out looking better than expected at the start of the season, but it’s still an uphill battle to reach the upper echelon of unbelievable talent in the Call of Duty League. They managed to hold London below them – just about – in our power rankings, but the next couple of weeks will show where they really belong at this point in the season. 4. Paris Legion (+1) Paris proved that their incredible success at Launch Weekend wasn’t simply a fluke, with convincing wins over Toronto Ultra and New York Subliners showing what they can do as a team despite their low expectations pre-season. They fell in the semifinals to eventual winners Chicago Huntsmen, but they didn’t make it easy for Scump and co., taking it all the way to a game five and making clear that they’re the real deal. 3. Dallas Empire (+1) Dallas are no doubt an incredibly talented team, but they’re still showing severe struggles against the top two teams. They had a very tough start to the CDL, with losses against Atlanta and Chicago in Minnesota, but pulled it back in London by making it to the final of the event. Although they didn’t end up winning, they proved to the large majority of their opposition that they are an incredible team and can really pull a result out of anywhere. 2. Atlanta FaZe (-1) Perhaps a controversial opinion to have them in second, but with Atlanta’s absence from CDL London, it became much harder to keep them atop the power rankings. They may still the best team in the game, and their homestand at the end of February will give us a better idea of what to expect from them, but based on the events that occurred in London, a different team is currently standing tall above the rest. 1. Chicago Huntsmen (+1) Chicago Huntsmen looked utterly dominant in London (barring a close match against Paris Legion), beating Dallas Empire in the final of the tournament with a convincing 3-0 win, moving them to the top of the official Call of Duty League standings. It’s possible that they shift down again based on Atlanta’s performance at their homestand, but it’s possible we see the two finally face off: and that’s the only way we’ll ever be able to truly judge which side is the best. These rankings look quite different to what they did after Launch Weekend. Eyes are on the likes of the Subliners to continue to improve, while Atlanta will look to move back to the top after this weekend and prove that Chicago are still some way off being the best. Do you agree with our power rankings? Which team do you think looks the strongest in the game right now?

Call of Duty League Power Rankings ahead of Launch Weekend ActivisionThe Call of Duty League is fast-approaching and, with less than a week left until matches officially kick off at the first event of the season, we’ve seen a big shift in how the teams have performed online. While Dallas Empire seemed the team to beat in the very early days of Modern Warfare’s release, it appears that they might have lost their grasp on the top of the Call of Duty scene as more teams are learning the game – but they’re not to be taken lightly. So how do our power rankings look as the teams head to Minnesota? 12. Paris Legion Roster: Denz, Shockz, Phantomz, Kismet, Zed, Louqa, Breszy The Paris players have definitely been a victim of geography during pre-season practice. With an international roster comprised of American, British and Australian players, it’s not been easy to get everyone on the same page – let alone in the same country – so they haven’t been able to scrim their opponents as much as they might have hoped. Although this is the case, it could make them somewhat of a surprise entity when the league kicks off, and we might see them play a lot better than expected once they have some LAN matches under their belt. 11. LA Guerillas Roster: ACHES, AquA, Decemate, Saints, Lacefield, Blazt, Ricky Similar to their foes from Paris, Los Angeles Guerillas have not had much practice against their CDL opponents, and while this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a bad team, we simply don’t have enough information to fully assess their potential and where they’re at currently. That said, the players on this team are good enough and experienced enough to make their presence known, but they might just be under-practiced as the league kicks off. 10. Toronto Ultra Roster: Loony, Methodz, Cammy, Mettallz, Classic, CleanX, Bance, Mayhem, Brack, Luckyy Toronto Ultra is the only team to have a full 10-man roster, but based on what we’ve seen and heard so far, the depth of the squad may not relate to results on the battlefield. It has been suggested that Toronto has settled on its final roster, and many players believe that Classic could be great in this game, so he might be the key to bringing Toronto to the top of the standings. 9. OpTic Gaming LA Roster: TJHaLy, Dashy, Kenny, SlasheR, JKap, Chino, Goonjar OpTic Gaming is a name that has a storied history of winning in Call of Duty, but not many trust this current side’s ability to compete among the best in the opening weekend of the CDL. A team with players of this caliber will likely be in fine form as they got more time under their belts – for example, SlasheR’s teams have had underwhelming starts for about four years running now – but heading into week one, they’ve not been playing how you would expect. 8. London Royal Ravens Roster: Wuskin, Skrapz, Dylan, Jurd, Rated, Seany, Madcat London is a team that has elite-level players with a huge ceiling of potential. Skrapz and Dylan were top-tier in Black Ops 4, while Wuskin, Jurd, and Rated have all proven in the past that they’re able to compete among the very best. Although they don’t seem to have set the world alight like other teams in the weeks since Modern Warfare’s release, London has been splitting maps with top teams in scrims – so we may see them way higher than 8th in the next few months. 7. Seattle Surge Roster: Karma, Enable, Octane, Slacked, Apathy, Pandur, Proto Seattle Surge is a side that, on paper, should be hovering around the top. Each player has a history of winning and has experienced periods of dominance in their career, including Enable and Octane’s 100 Thieves side arguably peaking the highest of any team during the Black Ops 4 season last year. While initially, they looked better than some teams that are above them on these rankings, others have managed to pick up their efforts a lot and currently look to be a stronger side than Seattle. 6. Florida Mutineers Roster: Prestinni, Maux, Skyz, Havok, Frosty, Maniac, Atura Florida Mutineers seem to be a team ready to take the world by surprise. At the start of the season, they were commonly regarded as a team made up of “the best of the rest.” They didn’t have some of those star names that you see on other teams, but they seem like they’ve got a chip on their shoulder and a big point to prove. 5. New York Subliners Roster: ZooMaa, Temp, Accuracy, Zer0, Attach, Censor, Happy From what we’ve gathered, most pro players consider New York to be a top-five team. They seem to be part of a bubble of teams that aren’t quite as good as the top three, which seem to be undisputed at this point in time, but are notably better than their competition. This doesn’t exactly come as a surprise: the players on this team, and the coaching staff they have supporting them, seems like a great mix of talent and experience with a winning mentality. All they have to do is break the barrier between themselves and the higher competition. 4. Minnesota Røkkr Roster: Assault, GodRx, Silly, Alexx, Asim, Exceed, TTiny Minnesota look, without a doubt, like they’re going to be the surprise of the season. Hosting the rest of their CDL opponents on the opening weekend, Minnesota will be looking to prove that their online success is no fluke and give the home crowd something to cheer for. This is a team that not many foresaw being formidable opposition ahead of the CDL, but most teams now consider them to be one of the best in Modern Warfare. The question is, will they keep it up? 3. Chicago Huntsmen Roster: Scump, FormaL, Arcitys, Envoy, Gunless, MboZe, General Chicago Huntsmen are almost unanimously agreed upon as the third-placed team at the time of writing. Their two biggest opponents seem to be way ahead of them, but they, in turn, are clearly better than the rest of their opposition. Despite not always winning convincingly against seemingly-inferior opponents, Chicago have cemented their spot as one of the best teams in Modern Warfare – they just have to learn how to counter the top two. With the likes Scump, FormaL, and Gunless on the team, the sky is the limit for the Huntsmen. 2. Dallas Empire Roster: Clayster, Shotzzy, Huke, iLLeY, Crimsix, Tommey, Tisch Dallas Empire kicked off the Modern Warfare preseason tournaments with a string of dominant results, winning any online tournament they entered and looking seemingly untouchable. Any questions surrounding iLLeY and Shotzzy’s ability as players were quickly answered, as they showed that, despite never competing at the pro level in CoD, they could hang with the very best. Before long, though, it became clear that there was one team capable of beating them – and dominating in every sense of the word. While the youngsters are setting the world alight for Dallas, the experience of two of Call of Duty’s greatest champions, Crimsix and Clayster, will surely be an asset when the LAN matches get underway. 1. Atlanta FaZe Roster: aBeZy, Simp, Cellium, MajorManiak, Priestahh, JurNii, GRVTY Atlanta FaZe seems to be a near-unanimous number one as things currently stand, with pro players and fans alike making note of their dominance online. Although closely-contested by Dallas Empire, in the weeks leading up to the event we’ve seen a number of community members, from pros to casters, speak about how insanely talented this Atlanta roster is. It has also been reported that over the Christmas period, Atlanta went on a 92-1 map winning streak in scrims which, even though it’s online and not LAN, is still a truly ridiculous figure. It’s hard to look past the name of Simp, the MVP of the Black Ops 4 World Championship, when discussing FaZe’s roster, but aBeZy and Cellium have also been setting the world on fire in scrims according to multiple sources. The real competition starts in Minnesota Of course, LAN play is an entirely different beast, and scrims don’t always show the whole picture since they’re only practice. By the end of January, it may be clear that a team like London or OpTic Gaming is far better than they’ve been given credit for, or Chicago not as strong as we initially thought. One thing is certain, though: in the first year of franchising in Call of Duty, these teams have a lot to fight for and need to prove their worth, with the competition as high as it’s ever been.

Call of Duty League Power Rankings after CDL Toronto Dexerto[jwplayer ax5RSODz]The inaugural Call of Duty League regular season has now been played out in its entirety, with Toronto Ultra taking the win in their own Home Series, the last of the season before CDL Playoffs and Champs. The final of the tournament saw Toronto Ultra beat Atlanta FaZe 3-2 in a five-game thriller, earning themselves a Winner’s Bracket seed for Champs and proving that they’re a serious contender when the big one rolls around. But right now, they’ve still got some work to do to prove they’re the best team in the game — here are our Call of Duty League Power Rankings after CDL Toronto. 12. Seattle Surge There’s not a lot that can be said about Seattle Surge that hasn’t been already. Hero performances from Octane are to be expected, but the team as a whole just hasn’t managed to string results together and they find themselves joint-last in the standings. They managed to nab a map win in their 3-1 loss to Chicago Huntsmen at CDL Toronto, but a 3-0 sweep at the hands of OpTic Gaming knocked them swiftly out of the tournament. In the last four tournaments they played, Seattle avoided last place just once. 11. Los Angeles Guerrillas The Guerrillas have been in close competition with Seattle Surge for last place in the CDL standings for some time now, and take the bottom spot thanks to their worse map win percentage. There was a slight uptick in Guerrillas performances towards the latter end of the season — including a big 3-4th placement at CDL Minnesota, in which they beat Chicago Huntsmen and took Atlanta to a game five — but it wasn’t really enough to push them up our power rankings or the CDL standings. 10. Minnesota RØKKR Minnesota have slowly fallen down the rankings during the CDL season. Having started as championship contenders, they’ve failed to pull off anything significant in several months, placing dead last at their last three Home Series events. The talent is clearly there on this team, but they’ve slowly fallen behind their opposition, and now they find themselves facing an uphill battle to catch up. 9. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles Sometimes OpTic look great, sometimes they just don’t, and at CDL Toronto we saw a bit of both. A convincing 3-1 win to knock Chicago Huntsmen out of the tournament showed what the team is capable of, but they really haven’t had the consistency to move up any more than one spot in the final power rankings of the regular season. 8. Paris Legion There are very few teams that can truly say they’ve experienced the highs and lows of the Call of Duty League like Paris Legion. They started strong with a flawless performance at launch weekend but slowly fell off, especially with the switch to online play. More recently, though, they ended their losing streak and even made it to the grand final of CDL London, where viewers really got to see how good this team can be. If they had done that once or twice more, their Champs seed and power rankings spot would be looking much nicer right now. 7. London Royal Ravens London have been a consistent middle of the pack team throughout the inaugural season of the CDL, never abysmal but never a top side, either. They came 3-4th at CDL London, beaten out by Paris, but overall they’ve looked stronger than their European rivals of late — even their loss wasn’t exactly a convincing one. 6. New York Subliners New York Subliners’ win at their own CDL Home Series was somewhat of a shock, but they had shown marked improvements in the prior weeks and was well deserved. They’re perhaps not a top-tier team in the same vein as Dallas Empire or Atlanta FaZe but they’re good for an upset. They finish the regular season at 6th in our power rankings, having let themselves down slightly at CDL London with straight 3-0 losses to Dallas Empire and Paris Legion. They didn’t play at CDL Toronto and saw themselves slip slightly as a result. 5. Toronto Ultra Arguably one of the bigger surprises of the CDL season is Toronto Ultra managing to snag a win against a resurgent Atlanta FaZe side at the final Home Series. Similar to New York, they’ve shown much improvement in recent weeks, and the win was well-deserved after weeks of figuring out their shortcomings, but are they good enough to push above the top four in our power rankings? We weren’t convinced. 4. Chicago Huntsmen Chicago’s consistency issues are well-storied at this point, at times looking like a mid-table squad but with the potential to be absolutely dominant. They were beaten convincingly in the grand final of CDL New York by the hosts themselves, and followed that up with a poor performance at CDL Toronto, placing 5-6th following losses to Toronto Ultra and OGLA. They’ve lost their grip on the top spots, and had the season gone on any longer, we might have seen them slip even further down the rankings. 3. Florida Mutineers Florida Mutineers have arguably been the standout team of this CDL season. The acquisition of Owakening changed this team’s fortunes drastically, and prior to their 5-6th placement at CDL Toronto — with two losses to Dallas Empire — they had placed 1st, 1st and 3-4th at Minnesota, London and Paris respectively. They’re still one of the best teams in the game, but a couple of minor slip-ups see them outside of the top two. 2. Dallas Empire Dallas Empire were tantalizingly close to earning the top spot in our power rankings, having worked their way back to the top with a win at CDL London, but their 3-4th placement at CDL Toronto, following a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Atlanta FaZe, forced our hand and pushed them into second. Without a doubt, Dallas look like one of the best teams in the game, and the number one spot is really only between two teams for now, but we might have to wait until Champs to truly crown the number one team in the game. 1. Atlanta FaZe Atlanta FaZe are one of only two teams to have made the playoffs of every CDL Home Series so far, but have failed to win one since CDL Florida in May. Since then, they’ve placed 2nd three times — including at CDL Toronto — and 3-4th once, but a lot of their success has relied on clutch game 5 wins. For that reason, the battle for top spot between Atlanta and Dallas was excruciatingly close — but Atlanta’s frequent recent grand final appearances edged it for them. So, that’s it: the final power rankings of the CDL 2020 regular season. While teams like Dallas and Atlanta have managed to hold their high spots throughout the entire season, they’ve been shown up plenty of times throughout. In the end, though, none of these losses mattered, as they find themselves at 1st and 2nd once again. Now, all eyes look ahead to the biggest tournament on the Call of Duty calendar: CDL Playoffs and CDL Champs, which take place from August 19-23 and August 29-30 respectively. For all the information you could possibly ask for on CDL Champs, check out our full guide to the event, including the prize pool, seeding and how the final bracket looks.

Call of Duty League power rankings after CDL Seattle The Call of Duty League has left Seattle’s (online) stop, granting another trophy for Chicago Huntsmen’s cabinet as they beat London Royal Ravens 3-1 in an exciting grand final matchup. But how does this affect our power rankings? Chicago Huntsmen became the third team to win two Home Series tournaments this season, following in the footsteps of Atlanta FaZe and bitter rivals Dallas Empire, staking their claim for being named the best team in the game. It’s not quite as simple as that, though, and despite topping the overall CDL standings, we assess whether they really are the best team in the game right now. 12. Los Angeles Guerrillas (-) Despite their win over Surge at CDL Seattle, it’s tough to move them ahead of their rivals due simply to their underwhelming performances across the entire season. Seattle have consistently beaten them all year, and unfortunately this victory wasn’t quite enough to propel LAG upwards in our power rankings. 11. Seattle Surge (-) Seattle are struggling, to put it lightly. 11th in our rankings matches their 11th place in the overall standings, and aren’t showing much hope of improving any time soon. Their back-and-forth roster moves make it look even more difficult from the outside. Octane has revealed that he and Karma will be swapping roles going forward, and this could spark a resurgence from the Seattle side – but they need something to help them, and they need it fast. 10. Paris Legion (-) Paris have slowly fallen into mediocrity as the season progresses, despite kicking it off with a bang. They’re clearly still capable of getting wins against mid-table sides, but haven’t managed to leave much of an imprint on those at the top. Their last win came in early April, a 3-2 victory over Seattle Surge, and since then have strung together seven consecutive losses. 9. Toronto Ultra (-1) Toronto Ultra haven’t had the best of seasons, but they look to be on the way up, despite not being in attendance at CDL Seattle. A 3-4th placement at CDL Florida showed a lot more promise from the Canadian side, and wins against the likes of Minnesota RØKKR and New York Subliners show there’s a lot of potential going forward. They’ll be at the next event, though, and to have any hopes of moving up in our power rankings, they’ll need to record a solid placement and some convincing results. 8. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+1) OpTic Gaming are finally finding their form, proving with a top 4 performance at CDL Seattle that their runner-up medal was not just a fluke. They were ousted from Seattle by London Royal Ravens, who look much-improved with the addition of Zer0 to the roster, but are finally playing how everyone expected them to before the season started. Better late than never, and they’re inevitably going to be climbing these power rankings in the coming weeks. 7. Minnesota RØKKR (-2) Minnesota looked like a top 4 team for most of the year but, throughout recent events, aren’t showing the same level of play above the competition. While other teams have caught up, Minnesota have failed to capitalize on their opportunities and, while at one point looking like championship contenders, it’s hard to see them even getting to a grand final at this point. Expect them to try to prove their detractors wrong at their June Home Series. 6. London Royal Ravens (+1) London Royal Ravens have consistently been a mid-table side, but one that looks like they could really finish in any position. The ability to match the best was there, while they regularly exhibited consistency issues with losses to teams they arguably should have been beating. They came second at CDL Seattle, with one point in Domination potentially being the difference between a Huntsmen win or a London win, and the team looked a completely different one. Only time will tell whether they’re really a top side. 5. New York Subliners (+1) New York Subliners are showing marked improvements week-on-week, the addition of Mack clearly being a huge influence on the side’s overall abilities. With two consecutive solid placements, we at least know now that New York are serious competitors – but the question remains over how serious they really are. 4. Florida Mutineers (-) Florida are at great risk of dropping down these power rankings, with other sides making huge advances on them. Without their event win at CDL Dallas in April, they would be much further down our rankings, and they might see themselves drop if they don’t put in a solid performance during their next outing. 3. Chicago Huntsmen (-) In the last few events, the top teams have managed to avoid each other, and Chicago Huntsmen’s win at CDL Seattle was without the threat of Atlanta and Dallas in attendance. Obviously, while the new-look Chicago roster with Prestinni in place of Gunless looked much better than they have done in recent months, they weren’t facing their fellow two-time event winners. Only when they do can we truly judge how they weigh up against the other top teams. 2. Atlanta FaZe (-) Atlanta FaZe are, to most, the best team in the game, and it’s hard to argue with that. However, with Dallas beating them at CDL Chicago, they have been relegated to second place. That said, they hold second with Chicago not having outperformed them at a tournament, so we’ll have to wait and see in the coming weeks what happened. 1. Dallas Empire (-) With Dallas Empire overtaking Atlanta FaZe after their CDL Chicago performance, neither of the top two teams have had the opportunity to take down Dallas, leaving them unchallenged at the top. That said, the next event – CDL Minnesota – sees all three teams in attendance, and the answer to which team is the best of all can finally be answered. Minnesota’s Home Series event takes place from June 5-7, with Minnesota and Seattle joining Dallas and Atlanta in Group A, while Group B sees Chicago pitted against Florida, Toronto and LA Guerrillas. Don’t forget that you can now earn in-game rewards for watching Call of Duty League broadcasts, and you can find out how with our handy guide.

Call of Duty League power rankings after CDL Paris CDL Paris is now in the history books, with Florida Mutineers becoming the first team to win three Home Series tournaments, including the last two back-to-back. Their 3-0 domination of Atlanta FaZe was a real eye-opener for those who were unsure of Florida’s power over the top opponents, and made it clear that the tide really has changed out of the favor of the likes of Atlanta and Dallas Empire. Let’s take a look at our updated power rankings following CDL Paris. 12. Paris Legion (-1) Eight losses in a row. Even at their own Home Series, Paris Legion have consistently struggled to put up much of a fight against any opposition, and as a result, it’s become hard to put them anywhere above dead last. Though they came out of the gates swinging at the start of the season, Paris have slowly fallen down the pecking order, to the point that it’s actually slightly concerning trying to figure out when they’re going to find form again… if they ever do. 11. Seattle Surge (+1) Seattle haven’t done much to find themselves above Paris, really, except maybe just losing a little less consistently. That said, Paris’ poor performance this past weekend pushes them below Seattle, who will be hoping to finally find some good fortune as the season reaches its tail end and the Call of Duty Championship approaches. 10. Toronto Ultra (-) In the last couple of events, expectations for Toronto Ultra have started to increase, and at CDL Paris they started to prove why. They took Atlanta FaZe to a Game 5 in the opening match before decimating OpTic Gaming, including a 250-49 Hardpoint win, and showing that they’ve got some real potential going forward. It’s not quite enough to move up yet, but if we see more of the same, Ultra will definitely become a top-half team. 9. Los Angeles Guerrillas (-) There’s definitely an argument to be made that LA Guerrillas should move ahead of OGLA based simply on OpTic’s terrible performance at CDL Paris but we might need another tournament or two to fully assess the Guerrillas’ true abilities in comparison to their city rivals. One more good tournament and they’ll likely move above OpTic, and given how great they looked at CDL Minnesota, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them start moving upwards. 8. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (-) OpTic Gaming LA are at serious risk of flying down the rankings once again after an abysmal CDL Paris performance, but have been saved by impressive performances at events prior. Should they not make a valiant comeback at the next Home Series (their next event will be CDL London in mid-July), OpTic might find themselves scraping the bottom of our power rankings once again. 7. Minnesota RØKKR (-) Minnesota RØKKR haven’t been able to live up to the expectations they set at the start of the season, with multiple top 4 or top 2 performances, and have since started to find their abilities matched. The RØKKR will want to find a way to get ahead of the curve once again, or risk falling too far behind ahead of Champs. 6. London Royal Ravens (-) London Royal Ravens have proven that they’re no slouches, holding Dallas Empire to a close 3-2 loss at CDL Paris, but they’ve not quite reached the stage where we can see them regularly beating the top-tier teams. This is something that could change going forward, and the acquisition of Zer0 has clearly helped the team out, but they haven’t yet looked like they can truly, regularly compete for championships. 5. New York Subliners (-) New York Subliners have had a huge resurgence after adding Mack to the team, and it really has completely switched up the team’s fortunes. They came top 4 at CDL Paris, a reverse sweep at the hands of Atlanta FaZe the final nail in the coffin, but it could have been a completely different outcome had they managed to secure that victory. 4. Chicago Huntsmen (-) There’s no doubt that Chicago still has the potential to be a top side, but a serious lack of consistency is holding this squad back. Though they didn’t play at CDL Paris, losses to Florida Mutineers and Los Angeles Guerrillas at CDL Minnesota saw the Huntsmen drop out of the top 3 for the first time this season. They will be hoping to change that at CDL New York on July 10-12. 3. Dallas Empire (-2) Dallas Empire have had some incredibly hot streaks throughout the duration of the season, always looking like genuine championship contenders, but have fallen at the semi-finals of the last two events at the hands of Florida Mutineers and Atlanta FaZe. As such, Dallas find themselves moving down in our power rankings, making way for the two teams that have consistently shown that they’re able to play on another level in recent weeks. 2. Atlanta FaZe (-) Atlanta has had some of the highest highs a Call of Duty team can experience throughout the CDL season, with two Home Series championships to their name and peaks that many teams may never touch. That said, they’ve clearly fallen out of favor in recent tournaments, and have been pushed to an unprecedented number of game 5’s, with their Search and Destroy prowess helping keep them alive by the skin of their teeth. If some results hadn’t gone their way, their ranking could be completely different. 1. Florida Mutineers (+2) Who would have thought this six months ago? It’s impossible to deny, now, that Florida Mutineers are the best team in the game after their CDL Paris victory, making them the first squad to win consecutive Home Series tournaments and to win three of them in total. They did it in convincing fashion once again, with their final map against Atlanta FaZe a 235-70 stomping on Hackney Yard Domination. It’s a scoreline most couldn’t have ever envisioned, but it’s a testament to the incredible talent in the Florida camp that they are an undisputed number one right now. It will take a lot of doing for a team to overtake the Mutineers in the next power rankings update, which will come following CDL New York from July 10-12. Mutineers will get to enjoy the event from the sidelines while their opposition battles for top spot. In Group A, Atlanta FaZe will be vying for number one alongside Los Angeles Guerrillas, Paris Legion and Toronto Ultra, while Group B sees Chicago Huntsmen come up against London Royal Ravens, New York Subliners and Minnesota RØKKR.

Call of Duty League Power Rankings after CDL New York Dexerto[jwplayer ax5RSODz]CDL New York has now been and gone, with the home team taking their first Home Series victory of the season with a comfortable 3-0 win over Chicago Huntsmen, and we’ve updated our power rankings accordingly. New York’s win was somewhat of a shock to CoD fans watching at home. The team has seen vast improvement since the addition of Mack to the squad and it appears to have paid off as they continue their journey up the Call of Duty League standings. So, how do our power rankings look off the back of CDL New York? There have been a few changes among the top teams but, with two more events in the next two weekends, we expect to see a lot more movement as teams get in the final weeks of practice ahead of August’s CoD Champs event. 12. Seattle Surge (-1) Seattle Surge has failed to find form all season, regularly finding themselves at the bottom of the barrel and have managed to get only 5 wins this year – four of which were all to Los Angeles Guerrillas. Karma’s retirement and a merry-go-round roster has made for tough viewing for Seattle fans, but they’ll be hoping to pick up some more CDL points before Champs so as to earn themselves a better seed and, hopefully, a better chance at winning the big one. 11. Paris Legion (+1) On Saturday, Paris got their first competitive win in about three months. Needless to say, it’s been tough going for the team, but with any luck their fortune may be changing going into the most important time of the year. The victory over LA Guerrillas was enough to move them up slightly, but they’ll want to get a few more 10. Los Angeles Guerrillas (-1) Guerrillas look markedly better than they did at the start of the year, but they haven’t managed to pull off enough wins to justify being much higher than they are now. While the potential is clearly there, they’ll need to prove it on more than one occasion to work their way up our power rankings and the official CDL standings. 9. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (-1) OpTic Gaming have had their ups and downs this season, but are now sporting a new look with the acquisition of Drazah and Hollow to replace Dashy and Chino. How this helps the team going forward remains to be seen, but they will be desperate to see improvements before Champs rolls around. 8. Minnesota ROKKR (-1) Minnesota ROKKR started the year as a dark horse team with huge potential, even being considered championship contenders at one point. But, they have slowly simmered down throughout the season to the point that they have now won only one match since the start of May: a close 3-2 victory over OGLA. How they plan to turn things around and get back on the right track remains to be seen, but a poor performance at CDL NY didn’t look good for the ROKKR. 7. London Royal Ravens (-1) London have shown glimmers of high hopes, and at points have looked like a genuinely top team, but you can never really be sure how they’ll play between events. It doesn’t help the team a lot that they’ve consistently had to face the very top teams but, at the end of the day, you have to beat the best to be the best – and London just aren’t getting those wins yet. 6. Toronto Ultra (+4) Toronto have shown clear improvement at recent events but didn’t quite have the results to back it up; now they do. They made it to their second playoffs of the season at CDL New York, including a win over Atlanta FaZe, and are starting to show some real potential. This couldn’t be coming at a better time, with Champs just around the corner, and we may see them pushing further up the rankings before the end of the season. 5. Dallas Empire (-2) Dallas Empire’s move down isn’t so much of a reflection of their own performances, especially since they weren’t able to go to battle at CDL New York, but the fact that the teams around them in the standings were able to prove that they’re still worthy competitors. Dallas will be in action at CDL London next weekend, so based on how they perform, expect to see them move back up towards the top. 4. Atlanta FaZe (-2) It’s quickly becoming clear that Atlanta FaZe aren’t the force they were at the start of the season, but the fact that they’re the only team to make playoffs at every tournament they attend speaks for itself. Regardless of their weaker performances at recent events, Atlanta are still going to be championship contenders for the rest of the season, but they need to find form again before it’s too late. 3. Chicago Huntsmen (+1) Chicago looked clinical throughout CDL New York, with near-perfect Search and Destroy play throughout the weekend, and by the time the final rolled around it looked like a dead-set Chicago victory. They move up into second, with Atlanta’s lacklustre gameplay of late and Dallas’ absence from the tournament, but with two events in the next two weeks, expect this slot to be swapped around a lot. 2. New York Subliners (+3) New York might be the most improved team of the season so far, shifting from a team that could barely get a look in to finally winning a Home Series event. While many will say the switch to online over LAN play will raise question marks, there has been clear improvement in the New York camp that is impossible to deny, and if they keep up a similar pace they could be favorites heading into Champs in August. All they need is to keep performing. 1. Florida Mutineers (-) Florida maintain their spot at the top of the standings, having looked utterly dominant at recent events and usurping the likes of Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago to win three Home Series tournaments. They weren’t in action at CDL New York, but we didn’t see enough from the competition to justify moving them out of top spot, so they hold on for at least another week. So, that’s it for our power rankings.. Florida stay on top, and with New York Subliners and Chicago Huntsmen overtaking Atlanta and Dallas, we expect to see some more shuffling as the teams average out over the coming weeks. The next event is CDL London on July 17-19. In Group A, Florida Mutineers are joined by London Royal Ravens, OpTic Gaming Los Angeles and Seattle Surge, while Group B pits Dallas Empire against Paris Legion, New York Subliners and LA Guerrillas – so you won’t want to miss out.

Call of Duty League Power Rankings after CDL Minnesota Florida Mutineers took their second tournament win of the inaugural Call of Duty League season at CDL Minnesota, beating out Atlanta FaZe in the grand final. The tournament, which was defined by huge upsets and Game 5 galore, saw a number of matches go in entirely unexpected directions, from Chicago’s premature exit to Los Angeles Guerrillas looking like a genuine championship contender. As such, we’ve updated our power rankings once again, so let’s take a look. 12. Seattle Surge (-1) Seattle Surge have failed to capitalize on the player’s individual abilities and accolades at just about every step of this season. With three-time world champion Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow announcing his retirement just a week prior to CDL Minnesota, the team were thrown into a tough situation, and their sixth-place finish is the proof. They played Atlanta to a very tight 3-2 loss, and just scraped by Minnesota RØKKR in the following round, but the 3-0 loss to Dallas Empire was sadly expected. 11. Paris Legion (-1) Paris Legion kicked off the season as a hugely underrated team, but have slowly seen their prevalence over the competition fade away as the year has disappeared behind them. Legion aren’t a bad team by any stretch, but they simply aren’t up to the standards of most of the top half of the table, and haven’t really done enough at recent events to justify moving upwards. 10. Toronto Ultra (-1) Heading into CDL Minnesota, both opposition players and the Ultra themselves seemed to think Toronto had a good chance of making a deep run at the event. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be the case, as they finished dead last and failed once again to live up to expectations. They’ll want to turn their fortunes around soon to have any chance of winning the season-ending World Championship tournament. 9. Los Angeles Guerrillas (+3) We have just one question for the Los Angeles Guerrillas: Where has this team been all year? After a roster overhaul towards the beginning of the season, the team didn’t look to have really improved that much, if at all… but CDL Minnesota looked like a turning of the tides. The squad looked on the same page, and for the second consecutive tournament, Vivid looked like a future star… We’ll have to wait and see how they look in the coming weeks. 8. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (-) OGLA weren’t in attendance at CDL Minnesota, so didn’t have the opportunity to improve on recent placements, but they’re starting to look like a real team now. With the pressure heating up from local rivals Guerrillas, who will end up victorious in the battle of Los Angeles? It seems OGLA have the advantage for now, but they might not have it for long. 7. Minnesota RØKKR (-) Minnesota went 0-2 at their own event with consecutive losses to Dallas Empire and Seattle Surge. They were without star player Alexx, who had to pull out after day one with an injury, and unfortunately, replacement Exceed failed to fill the gap enough to earn a win. It was terrible luck from the Minnesota camp but, hopefully, the squad will be back to full strength for their next outing. 6. London Royal Ravens (-) London Royal Ravens came second at the previous online event, CDL Seattle, but weren’t playing the Minnesota tournament and therefore unable to improve their ranking. We’ve seen what they have the potential to do, but they’re going to need more top placements to make their way further up the top half of our power rankings. 5. New York Subliners (-) New York Subliners also didn’t play at CDL Minnesota, but with Mack recently arriving on the team, they’ve looked better and better at each outing. This is a squad that has proven champions and a fat lot of potential behind it – what they need to do in the remainder of the season is prove that they’re better than just being a good team, and become genuine championship contenders. 4. Chicago Huntsmen (-1) Chicago Huntsmen move out of the top three of our power rankings for the first time, finishing in fifth place after a 3-2 loss to Los Angeles Guerrillas. While still always looking to be in the championship picture, they’ve failed to find consistency like Dallas or Atlanta, and find themselves moving down after another disappointing weekend, despite their prior CDL Seattle win. 3. Florida Mutineers (+1) If you had said Florida Mutineers would beat Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe in consecutive series to win this tournament, many would have called you crazy. Though Florida have proven in the past that they’re a good side, not many anticipated another trophy for the cabinet, and after consistently getting the better of Chicago Huntsmen, it’s impossible to keep them from moving up anymore. Huge kudos to Owakening, too, who won his very first pro event – that’s not something many Call of Duty League players can say. 2. Atlanta FaZe (-) This was a hard decision to make, with Atlanta beating Dallas and making the grand final, but the truth is that they seemed to be struggling all weekend, so much so that it became difficult to justify putting them back in the number one spot. Their wins all came in tight 3-2 scorelines during CDL Minnesota and, with Dallas beating them in the grand final of CDL Chicago, we felt that we couldn’t move them up any further. 1. Dallas Empire (-) Of course, that leaves Dallas clinging on to their top spot once more, having looked really good all weekend at CDL Minnesota, and both their losses were so tight and really could have gone either way. Atlanta and Dallas will both be in attendance once again at the next event, CDL Paris, so maybe the power rankings picture will change after that – either way, it’s going to be an exciting watch. CDL Paris takes place June 19-21, just days after Mutineers celebrated their second CDL win, and it looks like it’s going to be a seriously interesting tournament. In Group A, Dallas Empire are joined by Florida Mutineers, London Royal Ravens and Paris Legion. Group B sees Atlanta FaZe take on Toronto Ultra, New York Subliners and OpTic Gaming Los Angeles. Make sure to sign up to earn CDL in-game rewards, including emblems and calling cards, ahead of the event – and tune in to find out who the best team in the game really is.

Call of Duty League Power Rankings after CDL Los Angeles The Call of Duty League has officially departed Los Angeles, giving Dallas Empire their first CDL win of the season in a hard-fought tournament. Dallas fell just short at CDL London, losing to Chicago Huntsmen in the grand final, but managed to make up for it in the City of Angels. They saw off competition from Minnesota RØKKR in an explosive grand final, bringing to an end one of the most diverse events we’ve seen so far. So how do our power rankings look after the Los Angeles teams’ Home Series event? 12. Toronto Ultra (-1) Toronto Ultra are perhaps the most underwhelming team in the league so far. With the depth of the roster – and the names on it – you would expect them to be perhaps a mid-table squad, but they just can’t seem to get anything going. Admittedly they’ve had some close matches with the top teams, but their failure to get wins against even the easier opponents makes it much harder to see them much further up than in 12th place. 11. Los Angeles Guerrillas (-1) For a while, it seemed Guerrillas – despite their many shortcomings – were at least better than their Los Angeles rivals, OpTic Gaming. After the LA Home Series, though, it’s basically impossible to say this, with OpTic’s strong showing proving they’re better than the Guerrillas. With just one win from three tournaments, a 3-2 victory over Florida Mutineers at Launch Weekend, LAG doesn’t have a lot to boast about so far. 10. New York Subliners (-2) New York Subliners currently sit rock-bottom of the Call of Duty League standings, with the worst map and series win percentage in the league. Their one win came against Paris Legion at CDL London, though they quickly returned to their standard form and since then have lost to Paris, London Royal Ravens, Florida Mutineers and Dallas Empire with relative dominance. Bringing in Happy to replace Zer0 didn’t help, and seemed only to throw the team into further turmoil. 9. Seattle Surge (-) Seattle Surge is a team full of bonafide winners. The initial starting roster that was announced at the start of the season had high expectations given the number of championships won between them – but failed to impress at each and every outing. They have just two wins under their belt and they’re both over none other than Los Angeles Guerrillas, which isn’t exactly that impressive, given their poor form. Switching out Enable for Pandur seemed to be an attempt at a quick fix but proved not to make anything better for Seattle, who will need to find out what’s wrong before it’s too late. 8. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+4) It looks like OpTic Gaming may have finally started to find their stride at their Home Series event, getting their first two series wins under their collective belt and getting a top 4 placement. After a tough start to the CDL, looking like one of the worst teams in the league, a role swap between Slasher and Dashy seems to have changed their fortunes. Admittedly, a lot of their losses had come to top teams – the likes of Florida Mutineers, Atlanta and Chicago – but wins over Guerrillas and Minnesota RØKKR showed what they’re really capable of, and that’s a top team. 7. London Royal Ravens (-) London weren’t present at CDL LA, and so were unable to improve upon – or drop down in – the current standings. So far, they’ve had some good showings, but don’t look to be a team that have hit their peak yet, so we might see them move upward as time goes on. They’re still some way off competing with the likes of Chicago and Atlanta, so it will be interesting to see how they work to shorten the gap. 6. Paris Legion (-) Paris were shockingly strong at the opening couple of events, breaking all expectations that they would be seriously underprepared heading into the league. They showed that they’re one of the better teams in the league, and came tantalizingly close to taking down Chicago Huntsmen at CDL London, but just fell short. Losses to RØKKR in Atlanta knocked them out of the tournament, and a week off during LA stops them from moving up or down in the rankings. 5. Florida Mutineers (-1) The Atlanta runners-up surprised everyone with their solid showing, but they were knocked out in the group stage at CDL Los Angeles, winning just one series against a struggling New York Subliners. Failing to win a map against Atlanta FaZe and Dallas Empire showed that their Atlanta performance may have been somewhat of a fluke, but against some of the best teams in the league, it’s not right to judge them too harshly based on that. 4. Minnesota RØKKR (+1) Minnesota once again showed why they’re a team to be scared of in LA, handing Atlanta FaZe their first-ever LAN loss on the way to the grand final of the event. They didn’t make it easy, only sealing the win in an intense map 5, but it’s a win nonetheless and put them in their first final of the season. There has been a lot of debate over which team deserves to be ranked higher out of Minnesota and Dallas, but the end result proved that Dallas are still ahead – if only slightly – with RØKKR losing 3-2 to Clayster and co. in what made up one of the most exciting tournament finals we’ve seen so far. Time will only tell if this team goes on to reach even greater heights this season. 3. Dallas Empire (-) Dallas finally, after months of hype, got a tournament win under their belt in Los Angeles, beating RØKKR, OpTic Gaming, Florida and New York on their successful run. A 3-0 loss to Atlanta in LA proved that they’ve not quite grasped the top spots yet, but the event win shows that progress has been made on all fronts, and they’ll be looking to knock the top two teams off their perch when the Dallas Home Series rolls around at the end of March. 2. Chicago Huntsmen (-) The fan-favorites have given spectators more than their fair share of enjoyment, including a convincing win in CDL London with a raucous crowd behind them. They’ve lost only once on LAN – a 2-3 result against Florida Mutineers in Atlanta – and have made short work of third-ranked team Dallas Empire, beating them three times with an aggregate score of 9-2 in map count. Despite this, one team has still shown to be far more dominant, despite a tough setback in the City of Angels. 1. Atlanta FaZe (-) Heading into the Call of Duty League, Atlanta was the top team. They were absolutely dominant online, and they carried that form into the league for a month and a half before their loss to Minnesota in the CDL LA semi-finals. The loss at CDL Los Angeles isn’t enough to knock them off the top spot, but they’ll have to make sure their next outing is as successful as the first couple if they want to retain the top spot. With CDL Los Angeles out of the way, teams now look forward to the next event, hosted by Dallas Empire. CDL Dallas takes place from April 10-12, with Dallas, LA Guerrillas, Florida and Toronto in Group A, while Group B is occupied by Seattle, Paris, Chicago and Minnesota.

Call of Duty League power rankings after CDL London (July 2020) The Call of Duty League has left its penultimate (online) spot in London, and we’ve updated our power rankings following Dallas Empire’s dominant 3-0 win over Paris Legion in the grand final. Paris’ qualification into the final was a shock to just about everyone, but the team looked to be back to their best after several winless months of competition. Let’s take a look at where Dallas, Paris and their CDL opponents are in our power rankings following a weekend full of surprises and excitement. 12. Seattle Surge Seattle Surge have really been somewhat of a sob story throughout the duration of the Call of Duty League. They’ve had very few redeeming performances and, despite Octane being one of the best players in the game, have struggled to work their way up the standings. With just five wins so far this season, a strong showing at the final Home Series of the year — CDL Toronto — and Champs would be nothing short of a miracle. 11. Los Angeles Guerrillas LA Guerrillas and Seattle Surge have been in a tight battle for bottom spot in the CDL standings since the league started, but the LA outfit currently take it thanks to their poor head-to-head record against the Surge. Having won just one map at CDL London, and now three consecutive events without winning a match, the LAG that nearly made a grand final at CDL Minnesota in June seems like a completely different team. 10. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles OpTic Gaming are another team that showed promise at one point in time, but the switch to online play has really put the nail in the coffin for this team. At CDL London they took Florida to a game 5, and did take down Seattle Surge, but it wasn’t enough to improve their placement or help move them up our power rankings. 9. Minnesota RØKKR The RØKKR’s fall from championship-contender to mid-table team has been a sad one to see, especially as they were initially a dark-horse team that everyone wanted to see take down the titans of the league. Now, that doesn’t seem likely as they’ve slowly slipped downwards in the standings, with just one win in over two months: a 3-2 victory over OGLA. 8. Paris Legion Paris Legion’s single win over the Guerrillas last weekend was nice to see, considering they hadn’t won a match since March, but their performance at CDL London was nothing short of extraordinary. On their path to the final, Paris took down CDL New York winners, the New York Subliners, as well as London Royal Ravens, to book their slot in the final against Dallas Empire. They were convincingly beaten by the Texan side, but this is a Paris team that has really struggled online — and it looks like they’re finding form at the right time. 7. Toronto Ultra Despite a tough go of it throughout the inaugural CDL season, Toronto Ultra appear to have found a starting squad that works and the results are starting to come their way. The Canadian side will be hoping for a strong performance at their own Home Series, the last of the season, to improve their seeding for August’s CDL Playoffs. 6. London Royal Ravens The London Royal Ravens looked on the verge of glory at their own Home Series, with a 3-2 win over Florida Mutineers being their first over a top-tier team this season. It all came crashing down shortly after, though, when they failed to capitalize on their strengths in a 3-2 loss to Paris Legion in a genuinely riveting matchup that seemed as though it could have gone either way; especially with both Search and Destroy maps going to a round 11. 5. New York Subliners New York Subliners’ win at their own Home Series was quickly cancelled out thanks to a downright miserable performance at CDL London. They drop from second place thanks to consecutive 3-0 sweeps at the hands of grand finalists Dallas Empire and Paris Legion, looking absolutely nothing like the side that made short work of Chicago Huntsmen just a week prior. 4. Atlanta FaZe Atlanta weren’t in attendance at CDL London, but recent performances have left a lot to be desired — at least as far as the team’s potential goes. They currently sit top of the overall standings thanks to their persistence on making top 4 at each event, but with the way things have been going lately, we wouldn’t be too surprised to see them knocked out of it. 3. Chicago Huntsmen Having not played at CDL London, Chicago maintain their spot in the top three having made the grand final in New York. At CDL Toronto, Chicago will be desperate to make a good run and earn themselves a top two seed for CoD Champs. 2. Florida Mutineers There’s no denying that Florida Mutineers had a shaky weekend at CDL London, with a 3-2 loss to the Ravens and a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Dallas Empire, but it’s not quite enough to see them move down any further than second. Though they’ve lost their grip on the top spot, the Mutineers will still be a serious contender by the time Champs rolls around in August. 1. Dallas Empire Dallas Empire’s win at CDL London proved they’re still a force to be reckoned with, dropping just one match all weekend. They’ve proved that they deserve to be seen as the best team in the game right now, but they’ll have to prove they’re better than the likes of Atlanta and Chicago when they face off at CDL Toronto this weekend. Right now, though, it’s hard to dispute their position at number one. With CDL London out of the way, only one Home Series stands in the way of a team becoming world champions at the Call of Duty Championship in August; and it’s a stacked one. In Group A at CDL Toronto, Chicago Huntsmen are joined by Seattle Surge, Toronto Ultra and OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, while Group B sees Dallas Empire pitted against Florida Mutineers, Atlanta FaZe and Minnesota RØKKR. With the all-important CDL points on the line, who will come out victorious before Champs?

Call of Duty League Power Rankings after CDL Florida Florida’s Call of Duty League Home Series has been and gone, with Atlanta FaZe beating OpTic Gaming Los Angeles in a hard-fought grand final of the online tournament.. Atlanta are holding a close fight with Dallas Empire atop the power rankings, with the two switching between the first and second spot in recent weeks, but could that change following Seattle’s Home Series event? Let’s take a look at our updated power rankings after CDL Florida. 12. Los Angeles Guerrillas (-1) The Guerrillas didn’t play at CDL Florida, but the teams that surrounded them in our previous power rankings all seemed to have found their form on the same weekend, which really works out horribly for this Los Angeles side. Guerrillas have been disappointing throughout the season and, despite undergoing a number of roster changes, have failed to find their footing. Now, though, other teams have, and the Guerrillas will have to put their foot on the gas soon if they want to stand any chance of catching up with the competition. 11. Seattle Surge (-1) Like the Guerrillas, Seattle Surge didn’t play the Florida Home Series, and as such have had to watch all the teams around them in the standings put on the performance of their lifetimes. It can’t have been easy viewing for Seattle, who have started to show signs of improvement but no actual results, and they’ll need to get several wins under their belt if they want to start moving upwards in our power rankings. 10. Paris Legion (-4) While Paris started the season all guns blazing, they’ve slowly petered out as events have gone on, with their only win in almost three months being a close 3-2 over Seattle Surge. Though they haven’t looked bad by any means, with their only losses this weekend coming at the hands of grand finalists OpTic Gaming and Atlanta FaZe, but the improvements made by other teams mean Paris are letting their occupation in the upper half of our power rankings slip. 9. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (+3) OpTic Gaming have been incredibly up and down in recent tournaments. Despite overwhelmingly poor results throughout the season, a 4th place finish at CDL Los Angeles and a grand final appearance at CDL Florida show that there’s a spark to this team that’s just waiting to be ignited. Many fans and players alike seem to believe that OpTic coming 2nd this past weekend was the start of something much bigger, and with the season quickly approaching its finale, they seem to be coming alive at the perfect time. 8. London Royal Ravens (-) It’s hard to quantify where exactly London are at right now. An event marred in controversy will cast more questions over London’s current standing, given how they lost their first map against Atlanta FaZe, but it has now been two events in a row where the team has run it close against Atlanta – commonly regarded as the best team in the game. Needless to say, “running it close” just doesn’t cut it, it’s the results that matter, and London will need to start notching up more wins if they want to be considered a serious championship contender. With Zer0 now on the team, they might start stringing some decent results together. 7. Toronto Ultra (+3) It might be a bit premature to move Toronto this high in the power rankings, but it looks like they’re finally discovering themselves as the season continues. At the past two events they’ve attended, they beat Florida Mutineers, New York Subliners and Minnesota RØKKR, with their only two losses coming to Florida and Dallas Empire. With a 10-man roster, Toronto have been trying to find the best starting lineup to move forward, and if their performance this past weekend is anything to go by, they might have found it. Now they have to keep the results coming in. 6. New York Subliners (+1) It feels at this point like there’s already been two eras of New York Subliners: with Mack and without Mack. Without him, they were arguably the worst team in the league, unable to string any kind of results together. That’s not to say Zer0 was the problem, but they clearly gel better with Mack on the battlefield. Now, the ‘with Mack’ era is underway, and the team looks completely different. Though they’ve gone 3-4 since his arrival, one of their wins came against Chicago Huntsmen, while their only losses have been against Atlanta, Chicago and Toronto, but not necessarily being completely dominated in any of them. 5. Minnesota RØKKR (-) Minnesota had a poor showing at Florida’s home series, beating only the ‘home’ team themselves while dropping the ball against Toronto Ultra and New York Subliners. The team has been contending for championships throughout the season, and they’ll be hoping this is just a minor blip in the long run. At their best, Minnesota could easily be one of the best teams in the league but, as proven at CDL Florida, they’re not perfect, and risk falling down our rankings with more of the same. 4. Florida Mutineers (-) At their own Home Series event, Florida Mutineers became the first team in the Call of Duty League to bow out of a tournament without winning a single map. This is a team that has a tournament win and a second place in their recent history. It’s hard to know why exactly they failed so drastically this weekend, but another performance like that and we’ll quickly see them losing ground on the competition, and they really can’t afford to fall behind now. 3. Chicago Huntsmen (-) Chicago Huntsmen have been somewhat of a strange one this season so far. At first, they looked near untouchable, but it has quickly become clear that their initial success may not have been a sign of things to come, as teams better learn the game and starting notching up wins over Chicago. Assault rifle player Arcitys recently said that Chicago simply don’t know how to play the game properly, and with the competition heating up, they’re going to want to rectify this quickly if they want to maintain their top-tier status. Could recently-signed Prestinni be the key to bringing Huntsmen back to the forefront? 2. Atlanta FaZe (-) Despite taking the win at CDL Florida, Atlanta were not joined by the other teams considered the ‘top 3’ – Chicago Huntsmen and Dallas Empire – in the tournament, so it’s hard to fully assess how they compare, and thus not really possible to shift them up to number 1. There’s no doubt Atlanta is still one of the best teams in the game, very possibly the best, but until they get the chance to prove it, they’re stuck in second place. 1. Dallas Empire (-) Dallas were absent this weekend, with a well-earned break after beating Atlanta FaZe in the grand final of CDL Chicago. In missing out, they were able to hold onto their top spot, with no team able to prove that they’re better than Dallas, which will be especially frustrating for Atlanta who are likely looking to take revenge on the Empire and leave no question in anybody’s mind that they are the best Call of Duty team in the world. These power rankings were incredibly hard to choose, especially around the mid-table section where we saw a lot of movement. You could argue that Toronto shouldn’t have moved up as much, or that Paris’ performances don’t justify a 10th-place spot, and you wouldn’t be completely wrong. That said, it only serves to show how intense the competition is in the CDL at all levels. When a team previously ranked 12th finally reaches original expectations and makes a grand final, it speaks volumes of the level of talent in the league. Now, we wait for CDL Seattle from May 22-24. London Royal Ravens, LA Guerrillas, Seattle Surge and New York Subliners are in Group A, while Group B is comprised of Chicago Huntsmen, Paris Legion, Minnesota RØKKR and OpTic Gaming Los Angeles.

Call of Duty League power rankings after CDL Dallas The Call of Duty League is back from its temporary hiatus, and with CDL Dallas out of the way, we’re back at work on our Power Rankings, with some interesting changes to boot. The CDL was forced into ceasing operations for a limited time thanks to the ongoing global crisis, but set up an altered schedule and moved the league online which, while not the ideal situation, means the show can go on. After Florida Mutineers beat Minnesota ROKKR in the grand final of Dallas Empire’s Home Series, we’ve updated our power rankings and, while there’s not been a lot of changes, there have been some interesting ones. 12. Los Angeles Guerrillas (-1) The Guerrillas didn’t have a great showing at CDL Dallas, but you can say that for basically every event they’ve attended so far. Admittedly, they didn’t have easy matchups at Dallas’ Home Series, taking 3-1 losses to Dallas Empire and winners Florida Mutineers, but they’ve failed to place higher than 7-8th (or, effectively, last) at any event yet. Their only series win so far was on opening weekend, a tight 3-2 victory over Florida. Even that seemed like it could have gone either way, and LAG have really failed to make an impression on the league thus far. 11. New York Subliners (-1) New York Subliners currently sit joint-bottom of the Call of Duty League standings, ahead only of Los Angeles Guerrillas thanks to their better series win percentage, although their map win percentage is still lower than that of LAG. Their one win of the season came against Paris Legion at CDL London, though they quickly returned to their standard form and since then have lost to Paris, London Royal Ravens, Florida Mutineers and Dallas Empire with relative dominance. Bringing in Happy to replace Zer0 didn’t help, and seemed only to throw the team into further turmoil. Now, though, Mack is on the team, and he’s going to need to bring his A-game to take down the likes of Chicago and Atlanta in Group A of CDL Chicago. 10. Seattle Surge (-1) Seattle Surge is a team that really should have a winning record, especially when you look at the number of championships and insane talent on that roster. But, it simply isn’t working out for them. They have just two wins under their belt and they’re both over none other than Los Angeles Guerrillas, which isn’t exactly that impressive, given their poor form. Switching out Enable for Pandur seemed to be an attempt at a quick fix but proved not to make anything better for Seattle. Apathy recently celebrated the arrival of his newborn daughter, so it’s possible he wasn’t at his peak for CDL Dallas, so we can maybe give them the benefit of the doubt for that one. 9. Toronto Ultra (+3) Toronto Ultra are very up and down – sometimes they show real signs of hope, and others they look utterly hopeless. They managed to pull off a win against Florida Mutineers in the group stage at CDL Dallas, which is genuinely impressive given that Florida went on to win, but it was their first series win since the opening match on Launch Weekend, which is a pretty depressing stat. 8. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (-) OpTic Gaming were a serial disappointment in the first few weeks of the league, but they seemed to turn a stone at their March Home Series, finally finding some form and winning two series’, against Guerrillas and Minnesota ROKKR. If they manage to keep improving, they’ll be the top team everyone expects them to, but there’s still work to be done and they’re still a far cry from where you would expect these players to be. Only time will tell whether they catch up with the top dogs. 7. London Royal Ravens (-) London Royal Ravens weren’t present at CDL LA or Dallas, and so were unable to improve upon – or drop down in – the current standings. They’ve been very hot and cold since the start of the season, but they’re definitely a mid-table team, they’ll just need to work to prove they deserve to be on the upper side of the middle. During the league’s hiatus, they brought in Byron ‘Nastie’ Plumridge to replace Rhys ‘Rated’ Price. Could this be what the team needs going forward? 6. Paris Legion (-) Paris were shockingly strong at the opening couple of events, breaking all expectations that they would be seriously underprepared heading into the league. They’re clearly closer to the top end of the league than the bottom end, but their great performances have started to slow down and they’re really straddling the line. They’ll need to start really challenging the top sides to move up the rankings, but it’s looking less and less likely that they’re able to compete for championships right now. 5. Minnesota ROKKR(-1) Minnesota seem destined to win a championship at some point: they’ve clearly got the talent and the chemistry to get them there, and CDL Dallas seemed like the perfect opportunity since they didn’t have to face off against the likes of Atlanta FaZe or Chicago Huntsmen. Obviously things didn’t go their way, but there’s no doubting this team has more to come, and are consistently one of the best teams in the league. It seems only a matter of time before they get the win. 4. Florida Mutineers (+1) At CDL Dallas, Florida became the fourth team from four events to win a Home Series, proving that their second-place position at CDL Atlanta wasn’t a complete fluke. They beat Minnesota in the final, helping them move up above their opponents, but it’s not quite enough to move higher. It’s got to be considered that CDL Dallas was played online, which can provide varying results to what would usually occur on LAN, and you have to consider performances throughout the year, which have been very up-and-down for Florida. A case could be made for putting the Mutineers as high as second due to their 2-0 record over Chicago Huntsmen, so there’s definitely scope for this team to move even higher up in the future. 3. Dallas Empire (-) Dallas have been commonly named a top-three side since the inception of the league, and they proved it when they took home the win at CDL Los Angeles. They placed top 4 at their home event after a 3-1 loss to Minnesota, but will need to make more grand finals appearances to hold on to their top 3 spot here, otherwise they risk falling below the likes of Florida Mutineers in the coming weeks. 2. Chicago Huntsmen (-) Chicago Huntsmen are without doubt one of the best teams in the game, but have had a few slip-ups since the start of the season, namely against Florida Mutineers who seem to be the only side that really has their number. They’re yet to face-off against Atlanta FaZe, and it’s one matchup that fans are excited for, and that match will likely be what really settles the top two in our power rankings. 1. Atlanta FaZe (-) It’s hard to dispute that Atlanta FaZe is the best team in the game right now. Initial concerns of a lack of veteran leadership on the team preseason were quickly squashed as the team proved that their age doesn’t define their talent, currently holding a near-flawless record. Their one loss of the season so far came at the hands of Minnesota ROKKR in the CDL Los Angeles semi-final, a narrow 3-2 loss that really could have gone either way. Nonetheless, Atlanta look like a constant threat no matter what, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon. With CDL Dallas out of the way, players are now looking ahead to CDL Chicago from April 24-26, and the Hunstmen, in particular, will want to give their fans something to cheer for – even if they have to watch from home rather than in a venue. The picture at either end of the power rankings is getting increasingly interesting, and we’re starting to reach the mid-point of the season where teams will be looking to reach their potential – and if things don’t change, many of them might be falling short.

Call of Duty League Power rankings after CDL Chicago The Call of Duty League has left its Chicago spot and Dallas Empire became the first team to win two CDL Home Series events, after beating Atlanta FaZe in a convincing 3-1 grand final win. Now, it’s headed to sunny Florida. Top teams such as Atlanta FaZe and Chicago Huntsmen proved with the second online week of the CDL that they’re not invincible, and Dallas found themselves taking the win once again. But, after an array of performances ranging from near-perfect to absolutely woeful, we’ve come up with our Power Rankings to best show where teams stand after CDL Chicago. 12. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles (-4) Just when it looks like improvements are being made, this OpTic side seem able to fall right back down, and it’s not even clear why. Despite a solid showing at CDL Los Angeles, in which they seemed to be finding form and we were expecting them to finally start reaching their potential, it’s straight back to the bottom of the pile for OpTic, who received a vicious thrashing at CDL Chicago and looked way out of their depth. 11. Los Angeles Guerrillas (+1) Guerrillas beat OpTic 3-0 during CDL Chicago, which is just about their only saving grace at this point in the season. This side features a bunch of young players that are still trying to find their way at the top of the CoD esports bubble, so it’s definitely a group to look out for in the future, but right now the results just aren’t there, and there’s not much to suggest they’ll come any time soon, especially as they sit out of CDL Florida. 10. Toronto Ultra (-1) Though Toronto weren’t in attendance at CDL Chicago, they see themselves move down a spot as Seattle picked up a top 4 finish to move ahead of them in the rankings. Ultra have been regularly making changes to their starting roster, which is a huge advantage of having the only 10-man team in the league, but so far nothing has managed to stick and work, with only two wins to their name – both tight 3-2 victories. 9. Seattle Surge (+1) Seattle’s biggest issue across this season has been Search and Destroy and, although it’s not really been fixed so to speak, they appear to be showing more life in the game mode. That doesn’t change the fact, though, that all of their wins this season have been against just one team: Los Angeles Guerrillas. There have been some close losses, against the likes of Minnesota RØKKR and Paris Legion, but unlike some of the teams lower than them in our rankings, Seattle are at least showing some promise – and an SnD turnaround might be all they need. 8. London Royal Ravens (-1) London’s opening match of CDL Chicago came against Atlanta FaZe who, up to this point, have unanimously been considered the best team in the game – and London gave them a run for their money. The team always seems capable of beating the other mid-table sides, but there have been questions over whether they can take on the top – and it appears the answer is yes. In the three maps they lost against Atlanta, the result could have gone either way, and at many points it looked like it was going to, but London just failed to close them out. 7. New York Subliners (+4) This New York side looks like it could finally be reaching where they were expected to be pre-season, despite a 5-6th placement at CDL Chicago. The introduction of Mack to the starting roster seems to have breathed life into the Subliners who, despite struggling for consistency, managed to take down Chicago Huntsmen at their home event, winning 3-2 in their opening series. Despite later losing to Atlanta – again, a 3-2 scoreline – and eventually being knocked out by Huntsmen, there were clearly a multitude of improvements made to New York’s game, so it will be interesting to see how they fare in the coming months. 6. Paris Legion (-) Paris didn’t play at CDL Chicago but, with the way the teams surrounding them in our power rankings were playing, they might be lucky to have not been involved. Marked improvements from London and New York raise some question marks over this team’s overall standing, but we’ve definitely seen enough from them so far to suggest they deserve to be in the upper half of our power rankings – but that could all change at the next event. 5. Minnesota RØKKR (-) Minnesota have come excruciatingly close to event wins since the start of the season, and quickly emerged as dark horses and potential championship winners when tournaments got underway. They’ve not yet found the trophy that continues to elude them, but it seems only a matter of time – but they’ll need to get a move on before the season is up. 4. Florida Mutineers (-) Expectations weren’t very high for Florida at the start of the season, but they quickly proved everyone wrong by becoming the first (and second) team to take a series against Chicago Huntsmen. Their win in the online CDL Dallas event over Minnesota RØKKR proved that they’re capable of being a top side, but they might need a few more tournaments to prove that they’re genuinely deserving of sitting alongside the elite sides above them that have looked unstoppable at times. 3. Chicago Huntsmen (-1) Chicago drop down in our power rankings and are outside of the top 2 for the first time this season, after a semi-final loss to Dallas Empire at CDL Chicago. There has been much chatter in the community over whether Chicago are as good as they were just a few months ago, and the loss to Dallas – who they had previously beaten three times – seems to suggest that they’re not. Arcitys recently explained that Chicago simply didn’t know how to play the game, and that seemed to show during the event, despite the fact that they managed to secure a decent placement in 3-4th. They’re falling away from their top competition, and will need to fix up to stop the gap widening. 2. Atlanta FaZe (-1) For the first time since launch weekend, we’ve no longer got Atlanta at number 1 after their grand final loss during CDL Chicago. They’ve no doubt looked to be the most dominant team at times throughout the season, including a championship win at their own Home Series event, but now Dallas have found their pre-season form and find themselves as reigning champions once again. 1. Dallas Empire (+2) This is Dallas’ first outing at the top of the power rankings, and it definitely seems a good fit following a convincing 3-1 win over Atlanta at CDL Chicago. In the opening weeks of Modern Warfare’s release, Dallas seemed to be the best team in the game bar none. Although some teams, such as Chicago and Atlanta, soon started picking up wins over them, Dallas have now become the first team to win two CDL events, and claimed the top spot for themselves. They’ve shown why they’re not to be ignored, with Atlanta coach Crowder even calling them the best team in the game following Chicago’s Home Series event. With Dallas now atop the power rankings, Chicago and Atlanta will be trying to move themselves up again, and the three-horse race seems set to continue as Dallas have a break until CDL Minnesota at the start of June, by which point we might see someone else on top once again. Read More: When is CDL Florida? Schedule, teams, more – The next event, however, is CDL Florida, which takes place May 8-10. Atlanta FaZe will be facing Paris Legion, OpTic Gaming and London Royal Ravens in Group B, while Group A sees Toronto Ultra, New York Subliners, Minnesota RØKKR and Florida Mutineers vying for the title.

Call of Duty League postpones CDL Minnesota Home Series CDLThe Call of Duty League has announced that the Minnesota Home Series has been postponed from its original start date to the weekend of June 12-14. To say that the Call of Duty League’s inaugural season has been tumultuous and full of unforeseen obstacles would probably be a strong understatement. After restructuring the 2020 campaign in March to make all of the remaining events online, the CDL decided to postpone the Minnesota Home Series in light of the protests that are going on in the United States and abroad. The news broke on June 3, as the league posted this message on Twitter: “In light of recent and current events, this weekend’s Call of Duty League Minnesota Røkkr Home Series will be postponed one week to June 12-14. We will share more details soon, including how the Call of Duty League family plans to pay tribute to George Floyd and dedicate this Home Series to supporting the fight for social justice and the rights of black and minority communities, as well as organizations assisting with rebuilding efforts both in Minneapolis and nationwide.” After initially being scheduled to take place from June 5-7, the tournament will be held the following weekend, starting on Friday, June 12 until Sunday, June 14. There’s been a lot of anticipation leading up to the Minnesota Home Series, as it will offer fans a rare chance to see the undisputed top three teams in the league – Atlanta FaZe, Dallas Empire, and Chicago Huntsmen – all competing at a single event. What’s more, the next two teams in the current standings – hosts ROKKR and Florida Mutineers – will also be participating, along with the much-improved squads of New York Subliners and Toronto Ultra. Fortunately, the tournament’s simply been postponed and not canceled, so viewers will still be able to watch these powerhouse franchises to battle in what will be one of the more stacked events so far this season. This news comes after Activision decided to also delay the launch of Modern Warfare Season 4 and Call of Duty: Mobile Season 7, both of which were scheduled to release during the week of June 1. While no new date has been announced for either, the speculation is that they’ve both been postponed by a week and will be releasing sometime between June 9-10.

Call of Duty League Playoffs move online with “new integrity measures” Activision[jwplayer mCpsAxNx]The Call of Duty League’s 2020 season playoffs and championship weekend will officially be held online, but with the introduction of additional competitive integrity enhancements. Many have hoped for CoD’s return to a LAN environment, as the online phase has brought connectivity issues as well as a lack of player and gear visibility for officials to oversee. In light of continued safety precautions, the CDL has confirmed Champs is going to be online and that they will have some security measures to enhance the experience. In light of continued COVID-19 health risks, the CDL postseason will be held online. The League and teams are collaborating on additional competitive integrity measures to be taken. More updates to follow in delivering the best experience for all. https://t.co/nyGMEZNAI4 — Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) July 5, 2020 As it stands, one measure enables more player and gear visibility, another creates better server options for teams to choose from, and a third simply enlists more support staff to help manage the events. All three of these should, in theory, help produce a more consistent online experience than the fanbase and players have become used to. Universal camera setup One major benefit of LAN is that league officials can monitor players and their setups, but this has been inconsistent online given the different (or sometimes nonexistent) camera options players have. To compensate for this, the CDL is providing every single player with a “universal camera setup” that should help provide more transparency. Biggest prizepool in COD HISTORY and not a single series on LAN. T4 on LAN? T6 on LAN? — Sam “Octane” Larew (@OctaneSam) July 5, 2020 Improved server control While players like the Seattle Surge’s Sam ‘Octane’ Larew aren’t thrilled with the announcement, this measure should help make life slightly easier for players. While teams can currently choose to veto three of the CDL’s nine available servers for matches, that number is being upped to five for the Playoffs and Championship Weekend. Read more: The 10 best Call of Duty killstreaks ever – This should hopefully improve connectivity for each match, as teams will have been able to whittle servers down to a few options that work best for them. More support staff The third measure is a simple one: more staff. The league is confirming that they will be reinforcing their “production, technical, and officiating staffing teams.” Although this doesn’t fix the roots of the issues with online play, it should at least provide some safety blankets in case any issues do arise. Unfortunate the biggest CoD event ever will be held on online, but necessary given the circumstances. The safety of the players and staff should never be put at risk, and I agree with their decision to have it online. https://t.co/SOb2xiygsj — Clayster (@Clayster) July 5, 2020 It’s the biggest Call of Duty prize pool ever, at $3 million, so players, casters, and fans will most certainly be disappointed that a bubble format solution (like the NBA is currently working towards) couldn’t be reached. But as noted by the Dallas Empire’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, this was likely a necessary decision. Given current conditions, the league is obviously reluctant to put and player or staff member at risk. Adding on, a team like the Toronto Ultra may not physically be able to reach the United States for Champs given the possibility that travel bans continue heightening. While this may be a disappointing announcement, at least it comes with some efforts to improve the online experience. The CDL has also expressed that it will be sharing more updates in the coming weeks.

Call of Duty League Playoffs & Championship Weekend dates announced ActivisionAs the first season of the Call of Duty League draws to a close, Activision have announced the dates for the CDL’s postseason Playoffs and Championship Weekend. Typically, the affectionately named ‘Champs’ has marked the end of a jam-packed season filled with circuit tournaments and, while the traditional tournament format has remained, teams have been competing in a franchised league for the first time in Call of Duty history. We’re at the business end of the Call of Duty League’s inaugural season, with just two Home Series events to go. And while teams are laser-focused on securing their league placements, fans are already looking ahead to the postseason. Now, Activision have announced the dates for the highly anticipated curtain caller to the league’s season… Mere days after they were partly leaked during the CDL New York livestream. CDL Playoffs & Championship Weekend dates To decide the top dogs of Call of Duty’s first franchised season, teams will first battle it out from August 19-23 in the CDL’s Playoffs — seeds for which will be determined by the team’s final placement in the CDL standings. The final four teams to make it through the Playoff’s double-elimination bracket will progress to the first-ever CDL Championship on August 29-30. A record $4.6 million prize pool is up for grabs, with the winning team taking home a whopping $1.5 million for their efforts. CDL Playoffs & Championship Weekend format As mentioned previously, seeds for the CDL’s Playoffs will be decided by how the teams stack-up after the league’s season concludes. Both the 1st and 2nd place teams will receive a two-round bye, while the 3rd and 4th place teams will only receive a one-round bye. Teams finishing 5th-8th will begin their quest for glory in the first round of the Upper Bracket, whereas 9th-12th place teams will start with all odds stacked against them in the Lower Bracket. The highest prize pool in the history of Call of Duty is up for grabs and will be decided by teams locking horns online, following the mid-season adjustment. Will a team make a historic run through the Lower Bracket? Or will the top-seeded teams take it all for themselves? One things for sure, the final weekend of August is set to be a heater!

Call of Duty League details revealed: Open signing period, console play, contracts Infinity WardActivision have revealed new details for the Call of Duty franchised league by outlining crucial bits such as roster sizes of every team, as well as general structures for contracts and a lot more. Now that the Call of Duty World League 2019 has wrapped up, the franchised league organizers have unveiled a lot more info aspiring players will want to know as teams start to construct their rosters. The new league will require teams to field a minimum of seven players with a maximum of 10 members. With every player contract, there will be a league minimum “base salary of $50,000 USD per year, health care benefits, and retirement benefits.” Opening Signing Window Pro players and rising talents alike will be interested to know that the Opening Signing window for the new league will commence on September 3, 2019. This means that any pro “may negotiate and sign a new contract with any team in the league at this time.” While players attached to a contract “remain subject to the terms of that contract while they negotiate new league contracts.” But teams in the league will be able to match offers made by other franchise teams to their pros within seven days “from the date of the initial contract submission to the league.” This means that the scene might have expensive bidding wars for some players as teams look to bolster their rosters. Player Contracts Along with franchise teams being allowed to match each other’s offers for a pro player, teams currently in the Call of Duty World League (non-franchise) can negotiate a contract buyout fee “to be paid by the team in the new league.” This will give franchised teams a mutual avenue to acquire players from orgs not in the new Call of Duty league. While buyout fees do NOT have a set minimum, they will be “capped at 100 percent” of the player’s new salary in the new league plus any applicable guaranteed bonuses. The announcement added the stipulation that all of the matching rights and buyout fees are subject to “ any contractual limitations on such fees that the player has negotiated in the player contract with the Call of Duty World League team.” Finally, franchised teams will be able to engage in player trades throughout the “majority of the 2020 season. Roster sizes The new league will require teams to field a minimum of seven players with a maximum of 10 members. This pales in comparison to the Call of Duty World League’s five-man lineup with a single sub in the sidelines. Theoretically, this will introduce a ton of dynamic strats to the Call of Duty esports scene by giving teams various units to field that can perhaps concentrate on different gameplans should the starting approach fail to pan out. The expanded roster size could also tie into the league’s rule in which “teams may send up to two pro players from their roster to compete in the Path to Pro events.” A single franchise team can have up to four total pros on 2-way contracts at once. Furthermore, the Call of Duty franchised league will be played as a 5v5 Multiplayer “team versus team competition” only on console, with substitutions being allowed “midseries.” Player salaries With every player contract, there will be a league minimum “base salary of $50,000 USD per year, health care benefits, and retirement benefits.” It’s important to note that at least 50% of total event prize pool earnings goes straight to the players. If a team decides to drop a player without cause, then they’ll have to pay out the rest of the players’ salary per their guaranteed contract. For a full look at the upcoming structure for the new Call of Duty league, check out Activision’s full announcement below. Call of Duty Esports 2020 Season – Team Roster Construction Details News WITH A NEW VISION OF CALL OF DUTY ESPORTS ON THE HORIZON, WE DETAIL THE ROSTER CONSTRUCTION RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR THE 2020 SEASON This weekend, the Call of Duty World League season wrapped another stellar season with eUnited capturing the ultimate prize: The Call of Duty World League Championship. Congratulations to all competitors and thank you to the teams, players, and staff members from all over the world who helped make this past season so special. Looking ahead, Call of Duty professional esports will begin to transform into a city-based franchised league with teams around the world. Today, we outline below some of the roster construction parameters set forth for all teams in the new city-based league as they begin to develop their pro player rosters. This information was also shared in person with pro CWL players last month. PRO TEAM ROSTER CONSTRUCTION IN 2020 The process set forth below is designed to foster competitive balance within the league; to provide players with the opportunity to compete regularly during the season and to promote player development at all levels of competitive Call of Duty; to provide the best Call of Duty players in the world with the opportunity to compete in the new city-based league if they so choose; to provide players with the flexibility to sign with any team in the new league on fair terms; to incentivize investment by team owners in player development in competitive Call of Duty outside of the new city-based league system; and to incentivize team investment in the Call of Duty Path to Pro amateur program and player pipeline development generally; and to provide team owners with fair compensation for their investment in player development. Below is a summary of key roster construction points for aspiring Call of Duty esports players, as teams in the new league begin to build their rosters in the coming weeks and months: The next season of Call of Duty esports for Pro Players will begin in 2020. – Pro match play will be 5v5 Multiplayer team versus team competition, played on console. The rules may include midseries substitutions. – The minimum pro roster size per team is 7; the maximum pro roster size per team is 10. – An Open Signing Window for all pro players begins September 3, 2019. This means that any player may negotiate and sign a new contract with any team in the league at this time. For the avoidance of doubt, players who are currently under contract with an existing organization remain subject to the terms of that contract while they negotiate new league contracts. – Existing Call of Duty World League organizations who are transitioning into the new league as a city-based team will have the ability to sign players who are currently on their 2019 CWL rosters to new contracts 8 days earlier than any other organization beginning August 26. – All players will be required to sign a new form contract in order to be eligible to compete in the upcoming league. – Contract negotiation is between a player and teams. The League Office will not advise players or teams in contract negotiations. – All pro players in the league will receive a minimum base salary of $50,000 USD per year, health care benefits, and retirement benefits. Teams are required to distribute at least 50% of their prize pool earnings to players directly. – All pro player contracts will be guaranteed contracts; thus, any team that drops a player from their roster without cause is required to pay out that player’s remaining salary. – All teams may offer their players housing in the form of a suitable place to live or cash stipend but are not required to do so. If a team does not offer housing, it must submit a plan to the League Office detailing how it will assist its players in finding housing during the season. The League does not require that players live in the cities they represent. – Teams are responsible for coordinating and acquiring any visa paperwork required for players to compete around the world. The League Office will support teams and players in this process as needed. – Teams may send up to 2 pro players from their roster to compete in the Path to Pro events held throughout the season. Teams may contract up to 4 total pro players to have 2-way contracts at a given time. – For current Call of Duty esports players who are under existing contracts that extend through January 2020: Existing Call of Duty World League teams that are transitioning into the new league will have the right to match a competing offer made to a player on their current roster from another team in the new league. The matching period will be limited to a maximum of 7 days from the date of the initial contract submission to the league. – All Call of Duty World League teams will have the ability to negotiate a contract buyout fee to be paid by the team in the new league. Buyout fees carry no set minimum and are capped at 100 percent of the player’s salary in the new league plus any applicable guaranteed bonuses. – The right to match and buyout fees are subject to any contractual limitations on such fees that the player has negotiated in the player contract with the Call of Duty World League team. – Player trades among teams in the pro league may take place through majority of the 2020 season. – PATH TO PRO: ONLINE & OPEN BRACKET TOURNAMENT COMPETITION RETURNS IN 2020 We recognize the importance of a thriving Path to Pro competitive scene in Call of Duty esports, which has continued to garner strong participation and prizing each year. Going forward, we will support and administer extensive amateur competitions, both online and via open bracket tournaments in cities around the world, with dedicated prize pools. More details about the path to pro system and upcoming open bracket tournament events will be shared in the coming months. The future of Call of Duty Esports is bright and builds on a strong legacy of competitive excellence. We are committed to supporting our incredible player community, teams, fans, and partners in its next chapter.

Call of Duty League officially partner with Esports Engine for 2022 broadcasts Esports Engine / Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League has officially named Esports Engine as their broadcasting partner for 2022. Starting with the CDL Kickoff Classic, fans are ecstatic to hear that former MLG executive Adam Apicella is returning to work with CoD. After two seasons of CDL play, Activision Blizzard are now turning to one of CoD’s most highly esteemed event organizers. Having split with the company and MLG back in 2019, Adam Apicella is returning to CoD as his Esports Engine production company was named 2022 broadcast partner on January 21. This news was met with a chorus of “Ws” by fans hopeful for the franchise’s esport renaissance. A 2021 Esports Awards Lifetime Achievement inductee, Apicella left MLG to co-found Esports Engine and his absence has been a running complaint by the CoD community. The broadcast partnership announcement comes on the heels of the CDL scene envying the Esports Engine-produced Halo Infinite esports launch. CDL announce Esports Engine as 2022 broadcast partner Good news for OG CoD fans:@MrAdamAp and @EsportsEng are now partnered with the @CODLeague for 2022, starting with today’s Kickoff Classic 🤝 pic.twitter.com/2yQRJv0HtG — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 21, 2022 Revealed in a January 21 press release, the CDL explained that Esports Engine will be this season’s official broadcasting partner and will be “bringing a slate of exciting features for fans to enjoy.” This announcement has turned a corner for many pessimistic fans. In recent months, Activision Blizzard’s handling of CoD esports has been criticized by the media, by professional players, and even by team owners like Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag. Now, though, this broadcast partnership seems to be shifting the winds. CDL community thrilled by Esports Engine 2022 partnership Signed the people that should have been doing it the whole time. W https://t.co/Y86RcjBDO7 — TeeP (@TylerTeeP) January 21, 2022 From FaZe Clan slayer and 2021 CDL MVP Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr to OpTic Gaming’s Tyler ‘TeeP’ Polchow, the professional scene is celebrating the new partnership. Fans, too, seem grateful for the deal – as many replied with “W” and comments claiming that the esport has “been saved.” This is perhaps unsurprising, as fans called it a “huge mistake by Activision to let talent like [Apicella] walk away” back in 2019. With pre-game show, player POV, and HUD features listed among Esports Engine’s commitments for 2022, people are expecting a true broadcast revamp. As for Apicella’s expectations, he simply stated that Esports Engine is “grateful to get the chance to play a small role with the CDL team.” That small role starts on January 21 with the CDL Kickoff Classic and, if the reception is anything to go off of, people are expecting big things.

LIVE: CDL 2021 Rostermania hub: all roster changes ActivisionWith the 2021 Call of Duty League season well underway, we take a look at all the roster moves that are occurring across the league. It’s no secret that there was a pretty big disparity between the best and worst teams in the CDL’s opening season. Teams like Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe were constantly seeing success, while others, such as Seattle Surge and Los Angeles Guerrillas, have made some big changes to catch up. With the switch to 4v4 instead of 5v5, and a number of teams making changes after a poor start to CDL 2021, here is all the Rostermania news for you to keep up to date with. Contents CDL 2021 team rosters After a few roster changes at the start of Stage 2, this is how each team’s starting roster currently looks. Confirmed roster changes Barely 48 hours after the conclusion of the CDL 2020 season, players started sharing their new status as free agents. Here’s everything that’s been officially announced so far. F/A = Free Agent. F/A (r) = Restricted Free Agent In-season roster changes June 24 John: F/A → LA Thieves – June 23 TJHaLy: LA Thieves (bench) → F/A – June 21 Cheen: LA Guerrillas → F/A – MentaL: LA Guerrillas (bench) → LA Guerrillas (starter) – June 17 Drazah: LA Thieves (bench) → LA Thieves (starter) – Huke: LA Thieves (starter) → LA Thieves (bench) – June 15 Decemate: F/A → New York Subliners – June 10 Felo: Dallas Empire → F/A – Venom: LA Thieves → F/A – June 9 Drazah: LA Thieves (starter) → LA Thieves (bench) – Venom: LA Thieves (starter) → LA Thieves (bench) – SlasheR: LA Thieves (bench) → LA Thieves (starter) – Huke: LA Thieves (bench) → LA Thieves (starter) – May 28 Afro: London Royal Ravens (bench) → London Royal Ravens (starter) – Zed: London Royal Ravens → London Royal Ravens (bench) – May 25 Zaptius: F/A → Paris Legion – May 24 Classic: Paris Legion → Seattle Surge – Huke: LA Thieves → LA Thieves (bench) – TJHaLy: LA Thieves (bench) → LA Thieves – May 21 Vivid: Los Angeles Guerrillas (bench) → Dallas Empire – FeLo: Dallas Empire → Dallas Empire (bench) – May 18 Alexx: London Royal Ravens (bench) → London Royal Ravens (starter) – Zaptius: London Royal Ravens → F/A – Decemate: Seattle Surge → F/A – May 17 Accuracy: Minnesota ROKKR → Minnesota ROKKR (bench) – MajorManiak: Minnesota ROKKR (bench) → Minnesota ROKKR – May 4 Huke: Dallas Empire → LA Thieves – TJHaLy: LA Thieves → LA Thieves (bench) – May 3 Decemate: F/A → Seattle Surge – Loony: Seattle Surge → Seattle Surge (bench) – April 25 HyDra: New York Subliners (bench) → New York Subliners – Diamondcon: New York Subliners → New York Subliners (bench) – April 23 Huke: Dallas Empire → Dallas Empire (bench) – FeLo: Dallas Empire (bench) → Dallas Empire – Sib: Atlanta FaZe (bench) → F/A – April 21 Cheen: LA Guerrillas (bench) → LA Guerrillas – Vivid: LA Guerrillas → LA Guerrillas (bench) – April 19 Zaptius: WestR → London Royal Ravens – Dylan: London Royal Ravens → London Royal Ravens (sub) – April 15 Havok: Florida Mutineers (bench) → Florida Mutineers – April 13 Temp: LA Thieves (bench) → Paris Legion – Fire: Paris Legion → F/A – April 11 Slacked: Florida Mutineers → Florida Mutineers (bench) – April 5 SlasheR: LA Thieves → LA Thieves (bench) – Drazah: LA Thieves (bench) → LA Thieves – March 22 Temp: LA Thieves → LA Thieves (bench) – Venom: WestR → LA Thieves – MajorManiak: Minnesota RØKKR → Minnesota RØKKR (sub) – Standy: F/A → Minnesota RØKKR – March 19 Insight: Toronto Ultra (sub) → Toronto Ultra – March 16 PaulEhx: F/A → London Royal Ravens – March 15 Parasite: London Royal Ravens → F/A – March 10 Methodz: Toronto Ultra → Toronto Ultra (substitute) – March 3 Zed: F/A → London Royal Ravens (Temporary substitute) – Alexx: London Royal Ravens → London Royal Ravens (substitute) – Off-season roster changes February 9 Parasite: F/A → London Royal Ravens – Zer0: London Royal Ravens → London Royal Ravens (sub) – GloFrosty: F/A → New York Subliners Academy – February 8 Saints: F/A → New York Subliners Academy – January 26 Spart: F/A → New York Subliners Academy – January 22 Asim: F/A → New York Subliners – Afro: F/A → London Royal Ravens (sub) – January 21 Diamondcon: Subliners Academy → New York Subliners – January 19 ZooMaa: New York Subliners → Retired – FeLo: F/A → Dallas Empire (substitute) – January 10 Neptune: F/A → Florida Mutineers (sub) – December 31 Skrapz: F/A → Paris Legion – Classic: F/A → Paris Legion – Fire: F/A → Paris Legion – Aqua: F/A → Paris Legion – December 11 Temp: F/A → LA Thieves – December 7 Slacked: F/A → Florida Mutineers – November 11 Chicago Huntsmen rebranded as OpTic Chicago Scump: Chicago Huntsmen → OpTic Chicago – FormaL: Chicago Huntsmen → OpTic Chicago – Envoy: Chicago Huntsmen → OpTic Chicago – Dashy: Chicago Huntsmen → OpTic Chicago – – November 6 OpTic Gaming LA rebranded as LA Thieves Kuavo: OpTic Gaming LA → LA Thieves – SlasheR: OpTic Gaming LA → LA Thieves – TJHaLy: OpTic Gaming LA → LA Thieves – Drazah: OpTic Gaming LA → LA Thieves (sub) – Muddawg: OpTic Gaming LA → LA Thieves (general manager) – – Sibilants: Atlanta FaZe Academy → Atlanta FaZe (sub) – October 29 Alexx: F/A → London Royal Ravens – Zer0: F/A → London Royal Ravens (Re-signed) – Dylan: F/A → London Royal Ravens (Re-signed) – October 22 JurNii: Atlanta FaZe (sub) → F/A – October 17 Insight: Singularity → Toronto Ultra (sub) – October 16 Tisch: Dallas Empire (sub) → F/A – October 13 Assault: F/A → LA Guerrillas – Vivid: F/A → LA Guerrillas – SiLLY: F/A → LA Guerrillas – Apathy: F/A → LA Guerrillas – MentaL: Gears of War → LA Guerrillas (sub) – Chino: F/A → LA Guerrillas (sub) – Exceed: F/A → LA Guerrillas (academy) – Nero: F/A → LA Guerrillas (academy) – October 9 Hydra: F/A → New York Subliners – October 7 GRVTY: Atlanta FaZe (sub) → F/A – October 2 Frosty: F/A → Returned to Halo – September 23 Gunless: F/A → Seattle Surge – Prestinni: F/A → Seattle Surge – Loony: F/A → Seattle Surge – September 18 Clayster: F/A → New York Subliners – September 15 Arcitys: F/A → Atlanta FaZe – Priestahh: Atlanta FaZe → Minnesota ROKKR – MajorManiak: Atlanta FaZe → Minnesota ROKKR – Attach: New York Subliners → Minnesota ROKKR – Accuracy: F/A → Minnesota ROKKR – September 14 Dashy: F/A → Chicago Huntsmen – September 9 Frosty: Florida Mutineers → F/A – Maux: Florida Mutineers → F/A – September 8 Accuracy: New York Subliners → F/A – Censor: New York Subliners → F/A – Happy: New York Subliners → F/A – Tommey Dallas Empire → F/A – Dashy: LA OpTic → F/A – Goonjar: LA OpTic → F/A – Chino: LA OpTic → F/A – Hollow: LA OpTic → F/A – Arcitys: Chicago Huntsmen → F/A – Prestinni: Chicago Huntsmen → F/A – Skrapz: London Royal Ravens → F/A – Zer0: London Royal Ravens → F/A – Dylan: London Royal Ravens → F/A – Rated: London Royal Ravens → F/A – wuskin: London Royal Ravens → F/A – Nastie: London Royal Ravens → F/A – MadCat: London Royal Ravens → F/A – Denz: Paris Legion → F/A – Louqa: Paris Legion → F/A – Shockz: Paris Legion → F/A – Zed: Paris Legion → F/A – Breszy: Paris Legion → F/A – Phantoms: Paris Legion → F/A – 2Pac_ThuGLorD: Chicago Huntsmen (Analyst) → F/A – September 7 Alexx: Minnesota ROKKR → F/A – Asim: Minnesota ROKKR → F/A – Exceed: Minnesota ROKKR → F/A – Assault: Minnesota ROKKR → F/A – SiLLY: Minnesota ROKKR → F/A – GodRx: Minnesota ROKKR → F/A – TTinyy: Minnesota ROKKR → F/A – KiSMET: Paris Legion → F/A – September 6 Blazt: Los Angeles Guerrillas → F/A – Decemate: Los Angeles Guerrillas → F/A – Spart: Los Angeles Guerrillas → F/A – Aqua: Los Angeles Guerrillas → F/A – Saints: Los Angeles Guerrillas → F/A – Gunless: Chicago Huntsmen → F/A – September 4 Brack: Toronto Ultra → F/A – Classic: Toronto Ultra → F/A – Loony: Toronto Ultra → F/A (r) – Lucky: Toronto Ultra → F/A (r) – Mayhem: Toronto Ultra → F/A (r) – MettalZ: Toronto Ultra → F/A – Wuskin: London Royal Ravens → F/A (r) – Temp: New York Subliners → F/A (r) – Apathy: Seattle Surge → F/A – Pandur: Seattle Surge → F/A (r) – Proto: Seattle Surge → F/A (r) – Enable: Seattle Surge → F/A – Slacked: Seattle Surge → F/A – TeddyRecKs: Seattle Surge → F/A (r) – Joshh (coach): Paris Legion → F/A – September 2 JKap: OpTic Gaming Los Angeles → Retirement – September 1 Clayster: Dallas Empire → F/A (r) – Jurd: London Royal Ravens → F/A – Be sure to keep up to date with all things Call of Duty esports by following us at @DexertoIntel on Twitter!

Call of Duty League makes major change to pro points following backlash The Call of Duty League has revamped the points system for the Challengers division following a lot of public outrage from amateur players. The inaugural 2020 season of the newly-formed Call of Duty League will feature a Challengers division for amateur players to compete in their own circuit of online tournaments and LAN events. When announcing the points system that will be used to rank amateur players, the CDL revealed that anyone signed to a contract with any of the 12 member franchises would receive a 15,000 point bonus, regardless of whether they were a starter or substitute. Predictably, this caused a lot out of outrage in the competitive community and resulted in a heavy backlash towards the league, since it essentially made it impossible for players not signed with pro teams to get to the top of the points leaderboard. As a result, on November 21, the league announced some major changes to how these path-to-pro points will work, such as how they’ll be awarded, who is eligible to receive them, and more. How point bonuses will now be awarded Players signed to contracts with any of the 12 franchises in the CDL will no longer automatically receive 15,000 Challengers points, which had been the case when the points system was first announced. The 15,000 points will now be removed from all pro players’ accounts, and instead players signed to pro contracts will now receive 1,000 Challengers points for each week there is a 2000 Series Tournament held prior to the start of the CDL regular season in January. Furthermore, these bonus points will only be used for seeding purposes and will not count towards the top-16 rankings that the CDL will use to determine which teams will receive travel coverage to certain events, such as the Launch Weekend, Midseason Weekend, and Championship weekend. Only points earned from the 2000 and 1000 Series Tournaments will count toward this top-16 travel coverage determination. Who is eligible to receive these point bonuses? Only pro players who are specifically signed to a two-way contract are eligible to receive these Challengers point bonuses, regardless of whether they are a starter or substitute. Two-way players can compete in Challengers events but only as part of their CDL team’s Affiliate or Academy team, and each CDL franchise can have a maximum of two two-way players on their Academy or Affiliate team, with the remaining three spots going to non-pro players. However, if a two-player competes in more than two CDL regular-season matches prior to the end of the split, then they can no longer play in Challengers tournaments for the remainder of that split.

Call of Duty League faces make or break season in 2022 ActivisionThe Call of Duty League is preparing to enter its third season in 2022. Despite a storied history and millions of dollars being plowed into the league, the esport is in as precarious a position as ever — and this year could be a make or break one for the CDL. When franchising was first announced to Call of Duty for the 2020 season on Modern Warfare, it was presented as a huge step forward for the game and the esport as a whole. It imitates the infrastructure of America’s favorite sports leagues such as the NFL and NBA, and of course, following in the footsteps of Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch League, launched in 2017. Despite optimism from the league itself and the organizations that committed to paying upwards of $25 million for a franchise spot, however, fans were skeptical. Two years later, little has been done to rid fans’ skepticism, and the CoD: Vanguard season in 2022 could prove to be make or break for the esport. CDL franchise struggles In the aftermath of the 2021 season on Black Ops Cold War, the layout of the league was thrown into disarray, with Envy and OpTic’s merger of their franchises, OpTic Chicago and Dallas Empire. Forming OpTic Texas, Envy also agreed to purchase NRG’s Chicago slot as part of the deal, with NRG pulling out from the CDL completely. With Envy unable to field two teams, however, they’re stuck looking for someone to pay for the slot — or risk playing out a season with just 11 teams. At a time where fans and players alike are calling for the league to expand to a higher number of teams, in a scene overflowing with elite-level talent, the CDL is struggling to even fill the 12 spots it started with. Amid assurances from Envy founder Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufail that they’re in the process of shifting the slot, fans have questioned why organizations haven’t instantly jumped to purchase it. This is further exacerbated by the Overwatch League’s Washington Justice owners’ deal reportedly collapsing at the last minute. FYI, the league has been extremely helpful and hard working during this process. They want what’s best for the entire community. Hope to give you guys good news as soon as we can. — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) December 3, 2021 Challengers in the mud This issue isn’t limited to just the CDL teams themselves, however. Call of Duty Challengers has kicked off the Vanguard season on a low note. Organizations that have been funding amateur teams for years are pulling out, and, at the time of writing, no CDL franchise is fielding a Challengers team. So with the Challengers season delayed and no third gamemode confirmed, amateur players are forced to struggle through another year and hope to earn a spot in the CDL or, in some cases, look for greener grass elsewhere… Competition from Halo Infinite & Warzone Players switching to Warzone might not be the worst thing in the world for Activision. Keeping some of the best players in the world within the Call of Duty sphere is always an advantage, as evidenced by Scump’s $100k World Series of Warzone Solo YOLO win. That said, it’s an awful look for the League itself. While Warzone is looked at as a fun and challenging game, it isn’t desperate to prove itself as a truly competitive esport like Call of Duty’s regular multiplayer is, and most competitors in the CDL and Challengers would naturally prefer to compete in the CDL than Warzone given the option. Looking at the success of former pros such as Tommey or Rated, however, could you blame those players for wanting to make the switch? Even more threatening, of course, is the allure of Halo Infinite. We’ve discussed in the past how great of an opportunity switching to Halo could present for struggling amateur CoD players, but current pros have made no secret of how much they love Infinite — and how much they hate Vanguard. In fact, in the UK, Vanguard had the worst Call of Duty launch sales since CoD 4 back in 2007. If some of the CoD Challengers who have switched start seeing success in Halo, don’t be surprised to see more transitioning over, leaving the grassroots foundations of CoD esports in even more of a dire state. CDL viewership woes continue Viewership has been a constant source of frustration for the CoD community, with live event viewership struggling to ever show any progress, as shown by the stats below, courtesy of Esports Charts. Where other esports such as CS:GO, League of Legends and Valorant are consistently breaking their own live viewership records, the fluctuation month-on-month for the CDL is damning. Live viewership isn’t everything, of course. With YouTube, the CDL sees a lot of views come from the VODs posted after matches or events have ended — but how do they convert these views to fans wanting to attend live events, or making sure the stream is a must-watch when it’s live? In essence, how do these casual fans become genuine CDL followers? With Vanguard being so unpopular among the competitive community, similar to Modern Warfare in 2020, this could prove an arduous task — and may be the final straw for many fans as well as players. The Call of Duty League is clearly facing daunting issues on multiple fronts right now, from waning player and viewer interest and a league that literally doesn’t have enough teams. While fan sentiment has always been volatile towards how Call of Duty esports is run, the CDL itself opened a big new can of worms when it launched in 2020 — and the can is only growing larger year on year. The question nobody seems able to answer, though, is how they turn things around. With that question seemingly impossible to answer, the 2022 season could really be a make or break one for the Call of Duty League.

Call of Duty League Major 1 Qualifiers Week 3 recap: Results & bracket Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League 2022 regular season has officially started with the Major 1 Qualifiers. Here’s all the info you need on where you can watch it, the schedule, and the fixtures on each day of action in Week 3. OpTic, London, FaZe all find wins on final day. – Breach win one map in series loss to secure Winner’s Bracket. – Major 1 Bracket has been set. – The first two weeks of Major 1 qualifier action were wild, with New York Subliners seriously struggling, OpTic Texas fighting to get a win on the board and London Royal Ravens coming out to look like a top tier team. The final week of Major 1 qualifier matches are on, with Week 3 the last before the Major backet hosted by OpTic Texas. You can check out the stream below, and find out all of the upcoming fixtures. Contents CDL Major 1 Qualifier: Week 3 stream – CDL Major 1 Qualifier: Week 3 schedule – CDL Major 1 Qualifier: Results & recap – CDL Major 1 Qualifier stream & dates The matches can be caught on the CDL’s official YouTube channel, as the league remains exclusively on YouTube for the 2022 season. The livestream has been embedded above for easy access. Here are the dates for each weekend of Major 1 Qualifier action: The Major 1 bracket is due to take place from March 3-6. CDL Major 1 Qualifier schedule & fixtures Here’s the schedule and fixtures for the upcoming weekends of Major 1 Qualifier action. You can scroll down to find results and match recaps for Week 1: Week 3— February 18-20 Week 3 Recap Day 1 – Friday, February 18 The match of the day was between OpTic Texas and Toronto Ultra, and it delivered in an unusual way. Shotzzy, broke a Gentlemen’s Agreement which sparked the entire community into a debate. Even though Ultra used the forbidden attachment, OpTic still picked up a 3-0 sweep. In earlier matches, the LA Thieves embarrassed the Paris Legion, who fell to 0-5 on the stage and will start in the Loser’s Bracket. FaZe continued their dominance with a sweep over ROKKR, who have now lost three straight since their opening win. Day 2 – Saturday, February 19 Florida Mutineers pulled off one of the biggest upsets so far this season as the squad swept Surge to hand them their first loss of the year. The LA Thieves showed up strong with a 3-1 win to hand Ultra their second loss of the week. Also, the New York Subliners finally got on the board with a win over Boston Breach in Game 5. And the Minnesota ROKKR showed their ice once again with a 90 point comeback on the fourth map and a convincing win on the final search. Day 3 – Sunday, February 20 In the final day of the qualifiers, a lot was on the line in terms of seeding. OpTic Texas took down Breach 3-1, but that map win was enough to lock Boston into the upper bracket. London also picked up a huge win over surge to finish second in groups. FaZe also remained perfect with a dominating win over the Subliners. The Major 1 bracket will take place two weeks after the conclusion of Week 3 of Major 1 qualifiers. You can view the bracket below Here’s a look at the Major 1 Bracket Some spicy match ups in Winner’s Round 1 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AIad17BJns — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) February 21, 2022 CDL Major 1 qualifiers: Past results & recaps Week 1 — February 4-6 Week 1 Recap Week 1 of the CDL Major 1 Qualifiers was full of way more surprises than we could have predicted. London’s 2-0 start, both New York Subliners and OpTic Texas failing to win a match and Paris Legion even taking Atlanta FaZe to a Game 5. In one of the bigger matches of the weekend, Seattle Surge managed to take down Toronto Ultra in a 5-match extravaganza, with the match being touted as a real insight into what could happen at the Major. Our CDL power rankings definitely look different to how many would have imagined them to, and with New York Subliners already making a roster change, Week 2 could be huge in terms of seeding — and teams finding their footing in the league. Week 2 — February 11-13 Week 2 Recap Week 2 saw teams like Seattle, Atlanta, and Toronto extend their leads at the top, while Paris Legion, Florida Mutineers, and New York Subliners failed to get the ball rolling. LA Guerrillas pulled off a big win over a surprisingly strong London Royal Ravens, and are hoping this spurs a resurgence for them ahead of the Major 1 bracket. OpTic Texas finally notched up a win against Paris Legion, looking good while doing it, but they’ll need to have a perfect week 3 to secure a good seed. The standings after the Major 1 Qualifiers will dictate seeding for the Major itself, so expect teams to be going all out to win these matches, with no opponent being taken lightly. Be sure to check back on our CDL 2022 hub throughout the qualifiers to see the full CDL standings, as well as see the schedule for the rest of the season.

Dallas Empire win CDL Los Angeles: highlights, final placements, results CoD League – TwitterThe Dallas Empire are champions of CDL Los Angeles, taking down Minnesota ROKKR 3-2 in the Grand Final to claim their first Home Series victory of the 2020 Call of Duty League season. It seems like all of the negative talk surrounding Dallas Empire’s slow start to the season is all very much in the rear-view mirror, as they’ve now proven that they’re a bonafide top team with a Home Series championship under their belt. The victory earned them the maximum 50 CDL points, which propels them to the top half of the standings. Coming in second were the ROKKR, who earned 30 points, and the top-four was rounded off by Atlanta FaZe and OpTic Gaming LA, both earning 20 points. CDL Los Angeles final placements CDL Los Angeles Group A recap Group A, the lesser of the two pools in terms of how successful the teams have been so far this season, was actually a pretty entertaining affair. Things started off with the Minnesota ROKKR taking down the struggling Seattle Surge 3-1, followed by OpTic Gaming winning their first-ever meeting with crosstown rivals LA Guerrillas 3-2. The Guerrillas’ new-look roster showed some spark and promise, taking a 2-0 lead in the series, but OG’s experience and talent proved to be too much in the reverse sweep. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1236439234887761920 😱 @Blazt with a NASTY three-piece vs #OGLA @LAGuerrillas’ new starters are already making an impact at #CDL2020 LA! pic.twitter.com/NNcMufyp0r — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 7, 2020 The Green Wall, fresh off its first win of the season, continued their newfound momentum with a 3-0 demolishing of the ROKKR in the next round, sealing a trip to the playoff bracket. In the lower bracket, Seattle finally found some form, demolishing Guerrillas 3-0, with Octane playing a huge role in that. His 43-16 performance in the Hardpoint was monstrous, topped off by one of the plays of the tournament. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1236502797954277377 However, the Surge got a taste of their own medicine in the following match, falling 3-0 to the Minnesota ROKKR, who secured the fourth and final spot in the playoff portion of the event. CDL Los Angeles Group B recap Coming into the tournament, Group B was easily the most-stacked half of the bracket, considering that three of the teams – Atlanta, Dallas, and Florida – all had made it to the grand final of at least one prior event. Unsurprisingly, FaZe came out guns a blazing, dominating Mutineers 3-0 for the second match in a row (they also beat them 3-0 in the CDL Atlanta finals). The Empire also put on a strong showing, taking down the lowly New York Subliners 3-1, who were also featuring a new lineup after Zer0 had been benched. Atlanta continued their dominant ways with a 3-0 win over Dallas in the next round, their second sweep of the Empire out of two meetings this season. The series featured a couple of top plays from superstars Simp and Priestahh, and another from the Empire’s Huke, who put on his own show during the first map. 😱 @Huke the Nuke popped off against @ATLFaZe at #CDL2020 Los Angeles! pic.twitter.com/Md4cbL33Ik — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 8, 2020 https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1236456947458727936 In the lower bracket, Florida sent New York home with a 3-1 win, which means that the Subliners will be tied for last in the league with only 10 points out of their first seven matches. The final match of Group A saw the Empire stamp their ticket to the playoff stage with a 3-0 demolishing of Mutineers, who failed to get out of the group stage after making it all the way to the grand final of the previous event. CDL Los Angeles semifinals recap OPTIC GAMING VS DALLAS EMPIRE The first semifinal of CDL Los Angeles saw hosts OpTic Gaming take on Dallas Empire. The series started with a convincing win from the Green Wall, taking the Gun Runner Hardpoint 250-172. In response, Dallas clutched up on Gun Runner SnD, winning the map 6-2 to tie up the series. That clutch, however, paled in comparison to the ending of the Domination on Hackney Yard, which saw the Empire pull out a miraculous victory in the final moments. What a clutch from @DallasEmpire to STEAL the Domination vs @OpTicGaming 😱#CDL2020 Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/0yi2btIe6C — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 8, 2020 With momentum fully on their side, the boys in gold and black sealed the deal on Rammaza Hardpoint, which they won 250-204 to clinch a spot in the Grand Final. ATLANTA FAZE VS MINNESOTA ROKKR The second semifinal featured Atlanta FaZe taking on Minnesota ROKKR, a rematch of their highly entertaining meeting at CDL Atlanta, which was also in the semis. Just as with that previous match, ROKKR won the first Hardpoint 250-221 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. However, FaZe clutched up on Gun Runner SnD 6-4 to tie up the series at 1-1, unlike their first matchup, which saw Minnesota take a 2-0 lead before getting reverse swept. The third map, Domination on Hackney Yard, ended up being a one-way affair in favor of ATL, who won 180-130. But it was the following Hardpoint on Rammaza that ended up being an instant classic, as ROKKR came up huge in the final seconds to steal the game 250-247. [#CDL2020 LA | Semis] 🚨 GAME 5 ALERT!@ROKKR with the HUGE 250-247clutch vs @ATLFaZe to force a fifth map. Watch live – https://t.co/b0uAeOdpLu pic.twitter.com/o4l1qk8BaJ — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 9, 2020 With everything on the line in the do-or-die game five SnD on Picadilly, the boys from up north did what they couldn’t do at the last event – they sealed things with a 6-2 win and handed FaZe their first loss of the entire season. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1236808741959405568 CDL Los Angeles Grand Final recap The entire weekend led up to one final battle between Dallas Empire and Minnesota ROKKR, neither of whom had won an event coming in, although the Empire did make it to the Grand Finals of CDL London. They used that experience to take the first map, Hardpoint on Rammaza, 250-181, followed by a difficult 6-4 victory on St. Petrograd SnD. All signs pointed to a sweep, but ROKKR shut that down with a nice comeback on Gun Runner Domination, taking the map 158-149. The match of the series was the game four Hardpoint on Hackney Yard, which Empire looked like they were going to win but an improbable and borderline impossible play proved to be the ultimate clutch for the ROKKR. 🤯 WHAT JUST HAPPENED???@ROKKR with the UNBELIEVABLE clutch to win Gun Runner Hardpoint 250-247 and force a game 5 vs @DallasEmpire Watch live – https://t.co/b0uAeOdpLu pic.twitter.com/tyABHyXcJP — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 9, 2020 For the first time this season, a Home Series Grand Final went to a game five, which was on Gun Runner for this event. Knowing that they were on the brink of being reverse swept, the Empire didn’t let things get too close, winning the map 6-2 and clinching the championship. AN EMPIRE HAS RISEN!@DallasEmpire are your #CDL2020 Los Angeles Home Series Champions 🏆 Congrats to @Clayster, @Crimsix, @Huke, @Shotzzy, and @iLLeYYY! #BuildAnEmpire pic.twitter.com/f2fHANy8kS — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 9, 2020 Top plays from CDL Los Angeles Here are some highlight reels of the top plays and best moments of the CDL Los Angeles weekend. Day 1 (March 7) Here are the best plays and top highlights from Day 1 of #CDL2020 Los Angeles! Ft. @Priestahh, @OctaneSam, @ZooMaa, @Huke, and more. pic.twitter.com/JkNw9drnzS — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 8, 2020 Day 2 (March 8) Here are the top plays and highlights from Day 2 of #CDL2020 Los Angeles! Ft. @Cellium, @Crimsix, @DashySZN, @OctaneSam, and more pic.twitter.com/UEyykYFkyd — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 9, 2020 CDL Los Angeles results Day 1 (March 7) Day 2 (March 8) Catch up with all of the action via our CDL Los Angeles hub, which includes the VODs for both days’ streams, player interviews, and more. For more information about the current season, including the full event schedule and current overall standings, make sure to check out our CDL Call of Duty League 2020 season hub.

Call of Duty League London February 2020: Results and Final Placements London Royal Ravens’ first homestand brought a more traditional tournament-based format to Activision’s Call of Duty League. After a jam-packed weekend, here’s the story of how CDL London panned out. Eight teams battled it out across the pond at London Royal Ravens’ homestand event during February 8-9. The iconic Copper Box Arena played host to a rowdy British crowd, who most definitely made themselves heard. While the Chicago Huntsmen walked away with 50 CDL Points and the first Call of Duty League title of this inaugural season, how did the other teams fare? Group A Group A was as straight forward as it gets for the Chicago Huntsmen. After walking through ACHES’ Guerrillas, the Huntsmen were greeted by their eClásico rivals, Dallas Empire. After a dominant 3-0 showing against Seattle Surge, Empire were out for revenge against NRG’s Huntsmen. However, Scump and co. proved too dominant once more, taking the series 3-1 and progressing to bracket play as the first high seed. Surge swept aside LA Guerrillas, where they found themselves up against Crimsix and co. once more. However, Empire proved too strong once again and took the series 3-1 to lock-in the low seed in the knockout stages. Group B On the other side of the fence, London Royal Ravens kickstarted their home event by easing past Toronto Ultra 3-1. The Subliners rolled through Paris Legion to find themselves against the hosts, where they were desperate to avenge their Week 1 loss. After being 0-2 down, the crowd proved to be the 6th Raven and the home team reverse swept the Subliners to progress as the high seed to bracket play. Paris and Toronto found themselves in a French-Canadian face-off, where the Legion ultimately prevailed 3-1. With momentum behind them, the Legion absolutely dominated the Subliners, dominating the New York side 3-0 to secure a semifinals spot while also exacting revenge. Semifinals Unfortunately for the home crowd, and for the Royal Ravens, they found themselves on the wrong side a reverse sweep in their semifinals match against Dallas Empire. The final map was a back and forth S&D match on Piccadilly, which Dallas Empire claimed to the dismay of the 6th Raven. The Huntsmen-Legion went to a game five as well, with Paris taking both Hardpoint maps to force the pivotal fifth map. The final S&D match wasn’t as close as the rest of the series, as a huge game from Scump propelled the Huntsmen into the final, and into another series against Dallas Empire. Grand Final Huntsmen took a close game one, in Hardpoint on Azhir Cave. Another close S&D game also went to Chicago to give them a 2-0 lead leading into the third map… St. Petrograd. A back and forth Domination battle ultimately went the way of the Huntsmen, as they closed out the series in swift fashion. CDL London: Results (February 8) CDL London: Results (February 9) CDL London: Final Placements Missed some of the action? Get up-to-speed with the weekend’s action on the Call of Duty League’s official YouTube channel, where full VODs of each match are available. For more information about the CDL season, including the full event schedule and current overall standings, make sure to check out our Call of Duty League 2020 season hub.

Call of Duty League Launch Weekend: Stream, results, VODs, interviews ActivisionThe Modern Warfare season officially kicks off on January 24 with the Call of Duty League Launch Weekend. Competitive Call of Duty is entering a new era, with the premier competition no longer being an open circuit of events, but instead a franchised league. The first stage of the CDL will be a launch event on January 24-26, taking place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. All twelve teams will compete, meaning fans will be treated to the debut of every new roster. Here’s everything you need to know about the CDL Launch Weekend. Jump to section: VODs On January 24, it was announced that YouTube Gaming had obtained the exclusive streaming rights for all Call of Duty League matches and events. We have included the videos-on-demand for all three days of action at the Launch Weekend. Schedule & Results Friday, January 24 Day one recap: The highly-anticipated matchup between Huntsmen and Empire turned out to be a rather one-sided affair, as Chicago took care of business on all three respawn games and won with a convincing 3-1 scoreline. – Surge came in as heavy favorites against Mutineers but their Search & Destroy struggles really showed, which meant that Florida had to take just one respawn map to clinch the series victory. – Controversy struck the Guerrillas – ROKKR match after Los Angeles were forced to forfeit the second map after one of their players apparently used a restricted perk. Instead of falling behind 0-2, Minnesota instead tied the series and went on to not lose another map. – Saturday, January 25 Day two recap: Day two started off with a dominant showing from the London Royal Ravens as they destroyed New York Subliners 3-0 in the CDL debut match for both teams. – Making their league debut, Ultra took the Surge to a game five, round 11, which ultimately went the way of Toronto. Seattle dropped to 0-2 with the loss after they had gotten 2-1 leads in both of their matches. – Coming off of their controversial first match in day one, LA Guerrillas got their first win of the season in a 3-2 thriller over Florida Mutineers. Both teams finished CDL Launch Weekend 1-1. – OpTic Gaming LA and Paris Legion both made their CDL debut in day two but their match turned out to be the biggest upset of the weekend. The Legion came ranked lowest in the preseason rankings and were heavy underdogs against OpTic, but managed to pull off a stunning 3-2 victory for their first win. – One of the highly-anticipated matchups of the weekend saw the top-ranked Atlanta FaZe make their debut against Dallas Empire, the team right under them in the power rankings. The match ended up extremely one-sided, as Atlanta came out guns blazing and demolished Dallas in 3-0 fashion, dropping them to 0-2 to start the season. – Sunday, January 26 Day three recap: The first-ever meeting between Legion and Royal Ravens marked the birth of what will likely become an intense European rivalry. However, the match turned out to be anything but intense, as Paris dominated London 3-0, including winning six straight rounds in the S&D after going down 0-4. The Legion became the first team to improve to 2-0 in the CDL following their day-two upset of OpTic Gaming. – It’s no secret that Huntsmen features three of the biggest names in OpTic Gaming history – Scump, FormaL, and H3CZ – so their first-ever matchup was a highly-anticipated affair. Just as the first match of the day, however, this one proved to be very one-sided, as Chicago executed their gameplan perfectly to dominate OGLA 3-0. Huntsmen joined Paris Legion as the second CDL team to start 2-0. – Fresh off of their dominance of the Empire, Atlanta FaZe took care of business against Subliners 3-1 to improve to 2-0 on the young season. New York will be looking for answers after looking overwhelmed in both of their losses. – The final match of the weekend saw the first chapter of the ‘Battle of the North’ rivalry between ROKKR and Ultra. Minnesota looked the more convincing side as they took home the 3-1 victory to join Legion, Huntsmen, and FaZe in the 2-0 column. – CDL Launch Weekend Content and Highlights Day three content & highlights INTERVIEWS: 👀 @ATLFaZe star @aBeZy on sending Dallas Empire home 0-2 at #CDL2020 “”It felt really good because a lot of people were saying they’re the best.”” w/@GFuelEnergy | #GFUELCOFFEE pic.twitter.com/HsexNCdWtw — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 26, 2020 🗣️ @Huntsmen CEO @H3CZ explains why it’s important to have @garyvee in the #CDL2020 “”We need people like Gary, a literal internet superstar, we need a fresh pair of eyes.”” w/@GFuelEnergy | #GFUELCOFFEE pic.twitter.com/kHT3g5SW37 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 26, 2020 🎥 Here are some of the top plays and highlights from Day 3 of #CDL2020 Launch Weekend. Ft. @SimpXO, @skrapzg, @DylanCOD_, and @GstaAsim w/@GFuelEnergy | #GFUELCOFFEE pic.twitter.com/wmH2LTjlZX — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 27, 2020 Priestahh thinks blaming the recent Modern Warfare patch for losses is “dumb.” – KiSMET names his top three teams in the Call of Duty League right now. – Scump discusses Crimsix’s complaints about the new Modern Warfare patch – “It’s better to sit down and play instead of complaining.” – FormaL claims Dallas Empire were scared of the Huntsmen heading into CDL – Arcitys didn’t like when Empire disrespected the Huntsmen – ZooMaa reacts to the passing of Kobe Bryant. – Attach explains why NYSL were dominated by Atlanta FaZe – Censor reveals how tough it is to be a substitute in the CDL – Twitch steamer Shiki reveals how she and boyfriend Priestahh first met – ROKKR coach Saintt reveals how Atlanta FaZe helped them prepare for Launch Weekend – ROKKR COO Brett Diamond discusses the importance of fans – Day two content & highlights INTERVIEWS: Minnesota @ROKKR co-owner @garyvee has the utmost respect for @H3CZ 🤝 “”I’m so genuinely happy that we get to be in this league together.”” w/@GFuelEnergy | #GFUELCOFFEE pic.twitter.com/gPHrUoDmxq — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 26, 2020 🤔 @Crimsix on the recent #ModernWarfare patch affecting @DallasEmpire at #CDL2020 Launch Weekend. “”The patch hit us hard.”” w/@GFuelEnergy | #GFUELCOFFEE pic.twitter.com/OeUGNkp3Aa — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 26, 2020 Here are some top plays and highlights from Day 2 of #CDL2020 Launch Weekend. Ft. @wuskinz, @CesarSkyz, @ShockzCR, and more! w/@GFuelEnergy | #GFUELCOFFEE pic.twitter.com/II0mPQB0RX — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 26, 2020 Shockz explains how Paris Legion took down OpTic Gaming L.A. – KiSMET not used to crowd not being on OpTic’s side – Aquaaa reacts to ACHES’ “ROKKR got a free W” sign – Methodz explains why Toronto Ultra’s substitutes are “critical” to their success – Wuskin reveals which teams the London Royal Ravens are worried about – Jurd hits back at pre-season Call of Duty League power rankings – First look at the Minnesota ROKKR training facility – Day one content & highlights Scump roasts Crimsix after Huntsmen dominate Empire – ACHES criticizes “$300M” CDL after map forfeit vs ROKKR – INTERVIEWS: Fresh off @Huntsmen‘s dominant win, @scump explains his reaction to Crimsix’s OpTic poster ? “We won Champs together. For him to come out and trash it and mock it kinda sucks.” w/@GFuelEnergy | #GFUELCOFFEE pic.twitter.com/wv9V1fEPi7 — DEXERTO Call of Duty (@DexertoIntel) January 25, 2020 #Huntsmen CEO @H3CZ is excited about his team’s start at #CDL2020 Launch Weekend ? “It feels good to be back. I’m proud of the fact that we came out with a win.” w/@GFuelEnergy | #GFUELCOFFEE pic.twitter.com/oIDs9pa6Dy — DEXERTO Call of Duty (@DexertoIntel) January 25, 2020 FormaL reveals how it felt to be back competing with his T2P duo Scump. – Prestinni wants to prove he’s one of the best players in the world after being “overlooked.” – Havok explains how the Flordia Mutineers will improve going forward – SiLLY explains why L.A. Guerrillas were forced to forfeit map two. – Assault reveals how angry L.A. Guerrillas were after forfeiting map two – Pre-event content Modern Warfare CDL ruleset stops working days before launch event – 7 Players to watch during the Call of Duty League Launch Weekend – Why Dallas Empire vs Chicago Huntsmen is Call of Duty’s new eClásico – Clayster “can’t believe” location choice for CDL Launch Weekend – CDL Power Rankings ahead of Launch Weekend – CDL Challengers venue location sparks major debate – CDL events and matches to stream exclusively on YouTube Gaming – CDL Format & Rules The first weekend of the CDL will see all twelve teams competing in predetermined match-ups, with each team playing two series. After the original plans for a league-based format received criticism from Call of Duty fans and players, the CDL has moved to a structure in which each weekend of competition will consist of a tournament featuring eight of the league’s teams. This change will only come into effect from the second weekend onwards, however. While the Launch Weekend doesn’t follow the same format as subsequent weekends, however, it will still count towards the overall standings, with teams earning 10 CDL Points for each win. For the first time, teams will also be able to make substitutions mid-series, a system that Overwatch League fans will be familiar with. With this never before having been a possibility in Call of Duty, it will be interesting to see which squads, if any, make use of the new rules. The launch weekend will be played on Competitive Settings Version 1.5, and a full breakdown of the game rules, maps, and modes can be found in our comprehensive guide. CDL Team Rosters Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota ROKKR – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Seattle Surge – Toronto Ultra – Atlanta FaZe Tyler ‘aBeZy‘ Pharris – Chris ‘Simp‘ Lehr – McArthur ‘Cellium‘ Jovel – Michael ‘MajorManiak‘ Syzzmaniak – Preston ‘Priestahh‘ Greiner – Juan ‘JurNii‘ Antonio González (Sub) – Thomas ‘GRVTY‘ Malin (Sub) – Chicago Huntsmen Seth ‘Scump‘ Abner – Matthew ‘FormaL‘ Piper – Alec ‘Arcitys‘ Sanderson – Dylan ‘Envoy‘ Hannon – Peirce ‘Gunless‘ Hillman – Jordon ‘General‘ General (Sub) – Marcus ‘MBoZe‘ Blanks (Sub) – Dallas Empire James ‘Clayster‘ Eubanks – Ian ‘Crimsix‘ Porter – Anthony ‘Shotzzy‘ Cuevas-Castro – Cuyler ‘Huke‘ Garland – Indervir ‘iLLeY‘ Dhaliwal – Thomas ‘Tommey‘ Trewen (Sub) – Paul ‘Tisch‘ Tischler (Sub) – Florida Mutineers Preston ‘Prestinni‘ Sanderson – Colt ‘Havok‘ McLendon – Chance ‘Maux‘ Moncivaez – Cesar ‘Skyz‘ Bueno – Bradley ‘Frosty‘ Bergstrom – Nick ‘MaNiaC‘ Kershner (Sub) – London Royal Ravens Bradley ‘wuskin‘ Marshall – Matthew ‘Skrapz‘ Marshall – Jordan ‘Jurd‘ Crowley – Rhys ‘Rated‘ Price – Sean ‘Seany‘ O’Connor (Sub) – Dylan ‘MadCat‘ Daly (Sub) – LA Guerrillas Patrick ‘ACHES‘ Price – Ulysses ‘AquA‘ Silva – Jacob ‘Decemate‘ Cato – Renato ‘Saints‘ Forz – Andres ‘Lacefield‘ Lacefield – Rasim ‘Blazt‘ Ogresevic (Sub) – Minnesota ROKKR Justin ‘SiLLY‘ Fargo-Palmer – Adam ‘Assault‘ Garcia – Adam ‘GodRx‘ Brown – Alex ‘Alexx‘ Carpenter – Obaid ‘Asim‘ Asim – Kaden ‘Exceed‘ Stockdale (Sub) – Devin ‘TTinyy‘ Robinson (Sub) – New York Subliners Thomas ‘ZooMaa‘ Paparatto – Donovan ‘Temp‘ Laroda – Lamar ‘Accuracy‘ Abedi – Trei ‘Zer0‘ Morris – Dillon ‘Attach‘ Prive – Doug ‘Censor‘ Martin (Sub) – Nick ‘Happy‘ Suda (Sub) – OpTic Gaming LA Thomas ‘TJHaly‘ Haly – Brandon ‘Dashy‘ Otell – Kenny ‘Kenny‘ Williams – Austin ‘SlasheR‘ Liddicoat – Jordan ‘JKap‘ Kaplan – Martin ‘Chino‘ Chino (Sub) – Jevon ‘Goonjar‘ Gooljar-lim (Sub) – Paris Legion Luke ‘Louqa‘ Rigas – Conrad ‘Shockz‘ Rymarek – Denholm ‘Denz‘ Taylor – Matthew ‘KISMET‘ Tinsley – Timothy ‘Phantomz‘ Landis – Zach ‘Zed‘ Denyer – Paul ‘Breszy‘ Breszynski – Seattle Surge Damon ‘Karma‘ Barlow – Ian ‘Enable‘ Wyatt – Sam ‘Octane‘ Larew – Josiah ‘Slacked‘ Berry – Bryan ‘Apathy‘ Zhelyazkov – Casey ‘Pandur‘ Romano (Sub) – Nicholas ‘Proto‘ Maldonado (Sub) – Toronto Ultra Daniel ‘Loony‘ Loza – Anthony ‘Methodz‘ Zinni – Carson ‘Brack‘ Newberry – Alejandro ‘Lucky‘ López – Adrian ‘MeTTalZ‘ Serrano – Tobias ‘CleanZ‘ Juul Jønsson (Sub) – Nicholas ‘Classic‘ DiCostanzo (Sub) – Cameron ‘Cammy‘ McKilligan (Sub) – Ben ‘Bance‘ Bance (Sub) – Mehran ‘Mayhem‘ Anjomshoa (Sub) –

Call of Duty League increases minimum player salary for Modern Warfare 2 2023 season Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League minimum player salary has been increased for the 2023 season, with players set to be entitled to around 10% more with the launch of Modern Warfare 2. When the Call of Duty pro circuit was franchised in 2019, and organizations started to buy in to own a spot in the league, a number of specific stipulations were made by the league in order to harvest a good ecosystem for franchises and players alike. One of these stipulations was a minimum salary for players, both starters and substitutes. In 2021, the minimum salary was set at $50,900, though many top starters’ salaries reportedly stretched far beyond that, well into the six figures. Any changes headed into 2022 were not apparent, so this appears to be the first time the minimum CDL salary has increased, and it’ll be good news, especially, for young players looking to get their foot in the door and prove their value to franchises. As standard, health care and retirement benefits are required. According to the 2023 Call of Duty League roster construction rules, players will be entitled to a minimum of $55,225, almost 10% more than what it was in previous years. As always, teams will also have to distribute at least 50% of their prize winnings from tournaments directly to their players, though it is not uncommon for some teams to distribute more than that. At 11.59 PM PT on August 21, 2022, the 2022 CDL year officially ends, meaning that at 12 AM PT on August 22, players who have not signed new contracts, or allowed theirs to expire, will officially be free agents. Teams may begin submitting 2023 Season Player Contracts for League Office review and may also begin submitting Player trades for League Office review. Teams who wish to exercise extension options for a Player must do so by August 14, 2022, at 11.59 PM. Players will be able to renegotiate contract terms based on these revised salary changes.

Call of Duty League GM Daniel Tsay speaks out on CDL expansion Call of Duty LeagueWith CDL rosters shifting and the Paris Legion officially moving to Las Vegas, there is guaranteed change for the Call of Duty League’s 2023 season. Less guaranteed, though, is the timeline fans should expect for expansion. Expansion has remained a regular talking point within the CoD esports community since the dawn of the CDL (and, simultaneously, its franchised, city-based league model) in 2020. In 2019, 32 different teams competed in the CoD world championship. In the three years since, the all-defining tournament has been restricted to between 8-12 organizations. Missing the previous era’s storylines and expanded talent pool, fans have clamored for more franchise spots to be doled out. According to CoD esports general manager Daniel Tsay, fans are not the only ones thinking about expansion. While assuring that the league is primarily “focused on the 12 awesome teams that we have,” he explained that there remains interest in bringing more organizations into the fold—if the fit is right. Call of Duty League “entertaining expansion” In a way, the CDL has expanded into new territories with the Legion’s move to Las Vegas, Nevada. But that came at the cost of losing a Paris team, much like the Chicago team that disappeared upon OpTic’s merger with the Dallas Empire. While intrigued by relocations, fans have been more interested in outright expansion—which the CDL’s Activision-Blizzard sister league, the Overwatch League, underwent with a shift from 12 teams to 20 back in 2019. When asked if the CDL was actively pursuing expansion to fill said openings, Tsay was noncommittal but confirmed there is interest: “Right now, we’re welcome to entertaining expansion and we do receive interest from outside organizations.” The vetting process for CDL expansion While unable to discuss the specifics of interested “outside organizations,” Tsay did shed light on the CDL’s thought process regarding new partners. “That is the most important thing: making sure we have strategic partners that will help grow the Call of Duty League.” And, with regards to those orgs that have shown interest, he clarified that “obviously there’s an evaluation process with that to make sure they’re the right fit.” As far as that “fit,” a number of factors likely come into play. Being willing to meet the league’s multimillion-dollar franchise fees is one thing, but another aspect may be geographical presence. When discussing the Vegas move, Tsay emphasized that “Vegas is obviously one of the fastest-growing sports markets.” Further, he elaborated that having a team there is “awesome” for the org, but also for the CDL as a whole: “We want to be in really attractive regions … we just wanted to make sure that we place franchises in the best possible cities” Patience is a virtue Considering the past few years of CoD esports, it seems clear that the game’s talent pool is deep enough to add more pro-level teams. On the amateur side, former journeymen like Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan have made names for themselves while young rookies like Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari have surged out of Challengers and into the limelight. Conversely, on the veteran end, legends like Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, and Sam ‘Octane’ Larew have turned the clocks back and won CDL championships. Although more Challengers upstarts are making their debuts in 2023 (like the Toronto Ultra’s Thomas ‘Scrappy’ Ernst and Boston Breach’s Ben ‘Beans’ McMellon), others have yet to get their chance and vets like Crimsix have consequently retired. From a talent level, there are likely enough players ready to play at the top level without decimating league parity. From a location level, community wishlists paint a similarly promising picture. As the Legion moved to Las Vegas and OpTic to Texas, the cities of Paris and Chicago are now left open — not to mention other touted locales like Washington D.C., and Madrid, Spain. Ultimately, though, the CDL launched during a tumultuous period—both economically and socially—so it’s easy to see why expansion hasn’t taken hold as quickly as it did with the OWL. Nevertheless, as Tsay explained, the league is focused on putting its best product forward right now, while performing its due diligence and vetting interested franchise candidates.

Call of Duty League fans slam Modern Warfare 3 game mode snub ActivisionThe Modern Warfare 3 devs confirmed every game mode coming at launch, and no Capture the Flag (CTF) shocked Call of Duty League fans. Control received pushback from Call of Duty League community members when it was first added as the third game mode during Black Ops 4. But frustrations truly reached a boiling point during Modern Warfare 2. Pro players voted to remove Al Bagra Fortress from the league’s map rotation after community members blasted the map’s “rigged” spawns. Al Braga featured a garden area with only three easy-to-guard exits. Teams on offense during Control matches only spawned in the garden area, making it easy for opposing teams to trap them. In the end, the CDL ultimately decided to add the controversial map back, but it left a sour taste in the mouths of fans who got fed up with watching “wack” one-sided Control matches. Viewers held out hope that Modern Warfare 3 would finally remove the game mode entirely from competitive action, but the devs squashed any hopes. Modern Warfare 3 won’t launch with Capture the Flag On October 31, CharlieIntel confirmed every Modern Warfare 3 game mode at launch. Most notably, the game includes Control but does not feature Capture the Flag. Classic COD titles used Search and Destroy, Hardpoint, and Capture the Flag as the three game modes in professional matches. CTF hasn’t been used in the Call of Duty League for years, but community members were still disappointed that this most likely implies another year of Control as the third game mode. A fan responded: “Da** no capture the flag. Back to being forced to play control as a 3rd game mode for the CDL.” Fearing the worst, a second user added: “That means control is the 3rd mode for CDL…” And a third player hammered home the point: “Brought back War but not CTF? Why do these devs refuse to bring back iconic game modes.” It remains to be seen if CTF will eventually be added, but no inclusion at launch most likely rules it out from being a Call of Duty League game mode. For more, make sure to check out the rest of our Modern Warfare 3 esports coverage.

All 2020 Call of Duty League events canceled due to coronavirus outbreak ActivisionActivision Blizzard announced on March 12 that all Call of Duty League Home Series for 2020 are officially canceled going forward, citing concerns over the global coronavirus outbreak. The official announcement comes after it was announced that Activision Blizzard’s other main esports venture, the Overwatch League, was canceling all of its events for March and April. In a followup to the original statement regarding OWL, the league’s commissioner made the point of clarifying that matches will still be played and broadcast during those months, but not in front of crowds at homestands. In their announcement, the Call of Duty league made a similar clarification. In the league’s statement, they said that all matches for the remainder of the season will take place online, and that those will still be broadcast to fans. CDL says “dates will be announced shortly” regarding the online broadcasts, indicating that the matches that would have taken place during the upcoming Dallas home series may be postponed. The Dallas Empire are already trying to make the best of the bad situation, as owner Mike ‘hastr0’ Rufail called for the community to come together during this tough time, and the team’s Twitter posted a hilarious joke about their online Modern Warfare success. I’ve been competing in Call of Duty esports for 14 years. Our roots were spread online. We’ve grown so much since those days. Let’s make the best of this as a community and embrace where we began to get to the next level after we conquer this virus. We will get through this! https://t.co/LdHrU0IU28 — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) March 12, 2020 Several fans recognized the potential for Home Series to be canceled prior to the announcement from Activision Blizzard, as cities like San Francisco, Paris, and Chicago started banning or canceling large public gatherings. This is just the latest entry in a growing of list of gaming and esports events that have had to change plans due to coronavirus scares. Overwatch League homestands in both Korea and China had already been canceled before the latest decision from Activision Blizzard. E3 2020, TwitchCon Amsterdam, the Rocket League World Championships, and several FIFA events will also not be taking place. Leagues and organizers who chose not to cancel have made several alterations to their events to promote safety and wellbeing. ESL Pro League, FLASHPOINT, LCS, and LEC, just to name a few, have either moved locations or restricted fan access in some regards. Some of these events will take place without any crowd presence, such as the IEM Katowice CS:GO World Championship major.

Call of Duty League denies claims Warzone was nearly 2022’s third game mode ActivisionCall of Duty League representatives have shut down claims from competitive veteran Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter that suggest Warzone was almost locked in as 2022’s third game mode. While the CDL has promoted a small handful of Warzone tournaments since its 2020 release, the CoD battle royale was allegedly nearing a much more substantial crossover ahead of the 2022 season. With Vanguard in focus and the third competitive game mode still undetermined, CoD’s most successful player Crimsix claimed a vote was held behind the scenes. This vote was supposedly held to lock in a final game mode to complement Hardpoint and S&D. Although Control is now featured in that slot throughout Challengers, the CDL previously considered Warzone, according to Crim. “We [were] one vote away from playing Warzone as map three,” he said in a recent Twitch stream. Initially brushing the comment off, he soon doubled down. “I’m actually not even f***ing kidding,” he added. “We’ve got motherf***ers deciding our map three that haven’t even picked up a controller. “You guys think I’m kidding, I’m actually being deada** serious.” It’s not the first time Crim has been vocal about this situation. He even teased Warzone as the third mode just a few days prior. “We’re not supposed to talk about it, but this sh** is so embarrassingly bad,” he said during an earlier broadcast. “It wasn’t Control. Let’s just say it’s as extreme as Prop Hunt, and it was almost voted in. “Here, I’ll give you guys a hint,” he said before swapping screens to some Warzone gameplay. “Were the players consulted?” a viewer asked in chat. “Absolutely f***ing not,” Crim answered without hesitation. Despite doubling down on these claims and mentioning Warzone as the CDL’s third pick multiple times now, the rumors have since been debunked. “Unfortunately, this is not a true statement,” CDL Player Relations Manager Spencer Peterson replied in light of Crim’s latest comments. For the time being, a third mode at the CDL level is yet to be announced. Although Control arrived in Season 1, the playlist has quickly been deemed unviable due to a plethora of bugs in custom games. We’ll have to wait and see if bug fixes arrive in time before a different third mode is locked in. However, if the CDL sticks to its word, Warzone won’t be featured in the 2022 season.

Call of Duty League confirms Warzone was “never” an option for 3rd mode Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League has officially shot down the idea of Warzone being considered as a potential 3rd game mode for the upcoming 2022 competitive season. After a rumor about Call of Duty’s battle royale mode being considered as a serious option for the CDL went viral amongst the community, the league’s General Manager Daniel Tsay has stepped in to clear the air around the situation. When addressing the topic he wasted no time in explaining that any claim about this situation is completely false and that the fate of the third mode has been known for quite a while, but was being held back due to in-game issues. CDL debunks ‘Warzone as 3rd game mode’ rumors The rumors were first sparked by a clip from Ian “Crimsix” Porter’s stream in which he claimed that the battle royale was just “one vote” away from becoming the league’s official third game mode. In his first Community Update blog on the CDL YouTube channel, Tsay confirmed that Crimsix’s video was just a well-played ruse from the 3x World Champion: “What that is, is an A+ job in trolling. Good job, Crim. But it’s not true, there was never any vote for the third game mode to be Warzone.” To further support that statement, the GM added that the CDL has known that Control would be the third game mode for some time and that they were saving the announcement until Sledgehammer could push out a patch that better aligned the gameplay with players’ needs: “The third game mode has always been Control but we wanted to ensure its playability for Challengers and the Call of Duty League before announcing that.” The patch in question is arriving the week of January 10 and comes with updates to Control and Search and Destroy, while re-enabling players to turn off destructible environments in private matches. These were all highly requested features from the community and could smoothen out the road to an otherwise-tumultuous CDL Kickoff event.

Call of Duty League confirms host Velly’s departure ahead of CDL Champs Call of Duty LeagueFormer Call of Duty League host Loviel ‘Velly’ Cardwell has broken his silence after the CDL confirmed they had accepted his resignation ahead of CoD Champs 2022. The Call of Duty esports season, as ever, will round off with the Call of Duty World Championships. This year’s tournament takes place at USC’s Galen Center in Los Angeles, kicking off on August 4 and concluding a few days later on August 7. While the eight-team format means a number of prominent players will be missing, there will also be a big absence from the broadcasting team as Loviel ‘Velly’ Cardwell has confirmed his resignation ahead of the tournament. The initial announcement came from the League themselves who, late on July 22, confirmed they had accepted his resignation, despite Velly cementing himself as the League’s most prominent host throughout the Vanguard season. CDL host Velly resigns ahead of CoD Champs 2022 The CDL tweeted: “This week we officially accepted Loviel “Velly” Cardwell’s resignation from the Call of Duty League. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.” Fans and community figures were shocked, with former CWL caster CouRage among those tweeting his confusion. Velly confirmed it was his decision and asked esports fans to not criticize the CDL itself. “There’s no issue with me and the CDL,” he confirmed. “I won’t be attending Champs and with that said, my year with the Call of Duty League is done. It’s been a year where I was able to really find myself and I’m really thankful for that. “Do me a solid as well and don’t say anything negative about the CDL. They’ve done nothing wrong to me and they treated me like a king during my time there.” A concrete reason has not yet emerged for the decision, but Velly’s Twitter bio suggests he will be moving on to host more Valorant and Rainbow Six competitions. It certainly wouldn’t surprise anyone in the esports scene, with the host proving immensely popular thanks to his charisma and humility. There has also been no word on a replacement, but both Allycxt and ex-pro NAMELESS are still chalked to take their places on the desk at Champs.

Call of Duty League confirmed to be streaming exclusively on Twitch Call of Duty LeagueWith the Call of Duty League opening weekend set to begin tomorrow, it has been revealed that viewers will no longer be able to watch on YouTube and will instead have to stream the matches solely on Twitch. The 2023 Call of Duty League season is almost here, with the 12 best teams in Call of Duty set to battle it out in the Major 1 qualifiers ahead of the LAN launch event in Raleigh, North Carolina. And while many believed the event would be streaming on YouTube – as it had done the year prior – it has just been announced that the CDL 2023 season will be available to watch on Twitch and the Call of Duty website. The lack of mention of YouTube indicates that the platform will no longer be a streaming location for the CDL season. Call of Duty League 2023 season streaming on Twitch and not YouTube This news has seemingly come out of nowhere. However, many were speculating about the potential change given that the CDL’s contract with YouTube was ending in January 2023. The CDL confirmed the change via Twitter. They have also uploaded a blog post with all the additional details of when and where to watch. However, the CDL or Twitch are yet to comment further on the move and what type of deal has been made between the two organizations moving forward. With this opening weekend kicking off the Modern Warfare II CDL season, much excitement has been made about the build up. This event serves as the first competitive setting for teams. As well as giving players an opportunity to kickstart their campaign for the CoD World Championship next year. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest information in regards to Twitch’s Call of Duty League exclusivity for the Major 1 qualifiers and future CDL streams. Dexerto will be covering the CDL Major 1 qualifiers as they happen. Our full news and updated coverage able to be accessed here.

Warzone adds giant trophy at Stadium to honor CDL champions Dallas Empire Activision / ULT EsportsDallas Empire, the first-ever champions of the Call of Duty League, are receiving a giant monument in Warzone to honor their 2020 championship season, complete with a massive CDL trophy right in front of Verdansk Stadium. When Dallas Empire beat Atlanta FaZe to be crowned champions of the Call of Duty League’s inaugural season, Activision celebrated with a massive display of fireworks above Verdansk Stadium in Warzone. Now, following the release of Verdansk ’84 – a throwback version of the map that’s gone back in time – Empire are getting a more permanent monument to honor their achievements in 2020. In front of the new, smaller version of Stadium, a massive CDL trophy is being added, with plaques along its base that read ‘Dallas Empire 2020 champions” along with the team’s official logo. All of this will officially go live in Warzone on May 10. Behind the trophy, along the outside wall of what would normally be the arena’s entrance, five banners are also being added that each feature a player from the championship roster, along with their gamertags. Dallas Empire 2020 championship roster Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal – Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter – James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks – Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro – Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland – Those of you who keep up with the CDL will know that only three of those players are currently playing for Empire. Clayster was dropped after being the odd man out when the league announced a return to the classic 4v4 format, while Huke was surprisingly benched and transferred to LA Thieves midway through the 2021 campaign. At this point, it’s not clear what Activision and the CoD League are planning for this year’s Championship celebrations in Warzone, if there are any plans at all. As mentioned above, last year’s Champs featured fireworks above Stadium, while the entire Grand Final was also broadcast inside the arena. We could see something similar for this season’s finale, and with the Empire being permanently commemorated in-game, it seems logical that the 2021 champions will also get something similar. Either the current monument will be replaced with the next team’s name and players, or another giant trophy and four more banners will be added after this season concludes.

Call of Duty League Challengers Schedule and $1m event prizing announced Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League has laid out its roadmap for the first season of Call of Duty Challengers, the amateur series of events, with a $1 million prize pool across the year. With multiple tournaments spread throughout the season – including at both Call of Duty League and Challengers-only events – Call of Duty is aiming to give its amateur players more incentive to compete, and a better chance at making a living from the esport. The roadmap features three major Challengers events, as well as details on the smaller $2k tournaments at weekends and when each CDL/Challengers-only event will be, including a huge tournament to see off the season. Although certain information was already available to us – the 2k tournaments, CDL event weekends and Launch Weekend prize pool – the announcements of a big mid-season event and the tournament on Championship Weekend were news to the community. During an unannounced league weekend in Summer 2020, Challengers will be provided a $250,000 prize pool and 25,000 points to fight for, the same as were available at the CDL Launch Weekend in Minnesota. Not only that, but there will be a $500,000 Challengers tournament in the summer over Championship weekend, where pro teams will also be battling it out for the lion share of their $6 million prize pool. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1224814891082698754 The $1 million total prize pool is an impressive figure and shows increasing support for the amateur scene, with the Call of Duty League’s Jack Felling saying that he’s “really proud of the program” and says that they’re “one of the few (only?) [franchised leagues] to support massive open bracket amateur events.” I’m really proud of this program. Stoked that as part of a franchised league we are one of the few (only?) to support massive open bracket amateur events. ? Over $1M in prize pools ✈️ Top 16 travel coverage ?️ League events and every team franchise is hosting at least one ?— JackFelling (@JackFellingX) February 4, 2020 As well as the above, the team-hosted opens, such as the upcoming one in London on February 8-9, will feature $10k prize pools and 10k pro points on the line. The dates for Challengers-only events are confirmed to be Feb 29-March 1 (Paris), March 21-22 (Toronto) and May 21-24 (Atlanta), and people are expecting the mid-season event to fall around mid-June, between the New York and London homestands.

Call of Duty League caster roasts fan who said she was hired for “pretty face” Twitter, @allycxt, @CODLeague / PixabayCall of Duty League caster Alyssa ‘Allycxt’ Parker doesn’t take kindly to those who minimize women in esports. After hearing that female talent only get their jobs due to ‘prettiness,’ she instantly clapped back. Former Call of Duty League host and current Halo Championship Series host Lottie Van-Praag took to Twitter on March 11 to try and explain something. In particular, she wanted people to know that “being a female isn’t a job title.” Instead, Van-Praag elaborated that “we have separate jobs.. host, analyst, caster.. there isn’t just the staple female on the desk and that’s the role.” Despite this reasonable explanation, some members of the internet weren’t convinced. One decided to drop a “fact,” saying that “women have jobs in esports for the pretty face to attract viewers.” So, Allycxt responded. CDL caster Allycxt claps back at fan’s “fact” about women If you’re watching cod just to look at my face you are down horrific brotha https://t.co/K6Rv8t8Lnu — Allycxt (@Allycxt) March 11, 2022 Taking the fan to task, Allycxt explained that the tweet says more about the fan than it does about women in esports. As she concisely put it, “if you’re watching CoD just to look at my face, you are down horrific brotha.” This wasn’t enough for the fan, known only as ‘codislyf,’ who proceeded to double down and reveal that they were on a burner account. Codislyf continued to say that retired pros should be on the desk, but the CDL “bring a beautiful face to attract new viewers.” You’re the only one commenting this so I’ll ask again, who is “us” ??? I break down analyze and play the game everyday, maybe if you cleared the misogyny out of your ears you’d be able to listen. #womeningaming 🤍 — Allycxt (@Allycxt) March 11, 2022 The back-and-forth continued, with Allycxt making it clear that codislyf’s behavior equated to “misogyny.” While the fan explained that they were on this fake account to avoid being canceled, others chimed in supporting the 2022 analyst. One user called her “one of the better on desk talent in years.” Another said “she knows CoD through and through and brings a different perspective.” Last, but not least, one decided to add a little Elden Ring twist, telling codislyf that he (or she) is “just a troll who can’t get no maidens.” On Allycxt’s end, she has since suggested that the league should host an “analyst exhibition match” so she can prove her in-game skills for real. For those who want to judge her desk talent, though, simply tune into the CDL’s Major 2 Qualifiers.

Call of Duty League caster Momo fired after investigation of misconduct Call of Duty LeagueProminent Call of Duty caster Philip ‘Momo’ Whitfield has confirmed that he has been released from employment with Activision Blizzard, following an investigation into messages he sent to female members of the gaming community. On July 4, Whitfield stated that his contract as a caster and host for the Call of Duty League had been terminated, effective on June 30. Various social media posts in the days prior had alleged that the cause of his termination was due to complaints made confidentially to Activision about Whitfield’s conduct. “This decision follows what was described to me as an internal investigation after old messages that I’d sent to female members of the gaming community had been passed to my employer,” Whitfield said. “For confidentiality reasons, the detail of these messages and the recipients were not disclosed, which I fully respect. I cannot therefore respond to the specific allegations and their context.” According to Momo, the content of the messages “made the recipients feel uncomfortable.” He explained that he was ‘trying his luck’ “with women who hadn’t invited my attention, and I was being forward when I shouldn’t have been.” “I did not believe at the time that I was making the recipients uncomfortable. Had I known this I would not have continued conversing in this way.” https://twitter.com/Momo/status/1279439185062047746 Concluding his statement, Momo said “the person I was back then is not the person I am now. I take full ownership for my misjudgments and would stress how sorry I am for my conduct.” [jwplayer qYU9URvL] “I’m sorry for my immaturity, I’m sorry for any explicit content or graphic language I used, I’m sorry for any tasteless humour, and I’m sorry to anybody who I’ve caused offense to or who has suffered in any way as a result of my actions. I hope they read this message and believe these words.” Momo was formerly a professional Call of Duty player before he moved into casting, and was one of the main voices on CWL broadcasts, and later CDL, when the inaugural season of the franchised league began in late 2019.

Call of Duty League bans tactical rifles & adjusts 2021 map pool Activision / Call of Duty LeagueIn anticipation of the upcoming Call of Duty League season, the CDL have adjusted their gun bans and map pools by banning tactical rifles and adding Raid to numerous modes. Competitive Call of Duty fans have been anxiously awaiting news about the CDL’s upcoming season following months of offseason uncertainty. With rosters approaching finality and the league expected to start sometime in early 2021, it appears that the competitive ruleset is getting ironed out. In a January 7 update to the Competitive Settings V1.1 page, the league has replaced three maps across Hardpoint, Search & Destroy and Control. Separately, they have decided to ban all four of BOCW’s tactical rifles from competitive play (the Type 63, M16, AUG and DMR 14). These changes should bring the game closer to the level of competition that fans and pros alike have been hoping for. Deactivating what many consider to be overpowered tactical rifles (like the M16 in particular) while replacing maps with the newly added Raid are two strong adjustments. As explained on the Competitive Settings section of the CDL website, Raid is finally being officially added to Hardpoint, SND and Control. This is delightful news to competitors and their followers, as the iconic map introduced in Black Ops II has become an instant favorite following its Cold War debut on December 16, 2020. CDL Competitive Settings Changes Maps & Modes Hardpoint: Removed Cartel, added Raid – Search & Destroy: Removed Crossroads, added Raid – Control: Removed Moscow, added Raid – Weapon Restrictions Added all tactical rifles (Type 63, M16, AUG, DMR 14) to the banned list – While subject to change as the season approaches, these adjustments leave us with five Hardpoint maps, five SND maps and three Control maps. Read more: 7 best Call of Duty pro players for 2021 – As for weapons, pros are now restricted to assault rifles, submachine guns and sniper rifles for their primary weapons — following in the footsteps of the inaugural season’s Modern Warfare ruleset. When BOCW officially released on November 13, fans and players in the competitive scene were immediately concerned with the power of the M16 and with the size of maps. For weeks now, scrims haven’t featured any tactical rifles and have limited playtime on the two largest maps: Miami and Moscow. Read more: Octane reveals CDL “sleeper” XM4 loadout – With these changes, Miami continues to be limited solely to SND and Moscow is now only present on two modes: Hardpoint and SND. Instead, the presence of Raid on all three modes confirms that there will be a balanced, medium-sized map that pros are already very familiar with. As we approach the season, we’ll continue to monitor ruleset changes while updating fans here and on DexertoIntel.

FaZe win CDL Atlanta 2020: final placements, highlights, results The Call of Duty League turned to Atlanta, Georgia on February 22-23 for the third event of its first-ever season. Eight teams battled it out for a share of the $100,000 prize pool and, more importantly, the 140 CDL points that were on the line. After the early matches on Sunday, the Playoff Bracket was set, which meant that only four of the squads managed to make it out of their groups: Atlanta FaZe, Chicago Huntsmen, Minnesota ROKKR and Florida Mutineers. CDL Atlanta Group A recap Group A started with London Royal Ravens taking down Florida Mutineers 3-1 and Atlanta FaZe dominating their marquee matchup against OpTic Gaming LA, 3-0. The hosts continued to look sharp in their subsequent win against London, 3-1, winning the group and sealing their place in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Florida added to the Green Wall’s troubles with a 3-1 victory to eliminate them, meaning that OGLA are still winless on the season and have zero CDL points. The final match of the group saw Royal Ravens face off against Mutineers, and in a result that probably not many expected, Florida won 3-2 to nab the final spot in the semifinals. CDL Atlanta Group B recap Minnesota ROKKR kicked off Group B with a strong 3-1 win against Paris Legion, followed by a hard-fought 3-2 victory by Chicago Huntsmen over Toronto ULTRA – a series that went all the way to a game five, round 11. Huntsmen regained some of their form in the qualifier match, beating ROKKR 3-1 to advance to the semis and, perhaps more importantly, avoid an early meeting with Atlanta FaZe. Read More: CDL 2020 season standings, schedule, more – In the lower bracket, Paris took care of Toronto 3-1, knocking them out of the tournament and adding to their woes. They then faced Minnesota looking for revenge but were unable to find it, as the ROKKR won 3-2 and eliminated them from the competition. CDL Atlanta semifinals recap The CDL Atlanta Playoff Bracket featured two teams that almost everyone expected to make it that far – Huntsmen and FaZe – and two teams that were underdogs in their respective groups – ROKKR and Mutineers. However, both matches turned out to be exhilarating affairs. Atlanta, heavily favored against ROKKR, stunningly went down 0-2 before regaining their form and pulling off an incredible reverse sweep. A similar yet opposite scenario played out on the other side of the bracket – Chicago, big favorites against Florida, went up 2-0 before falling victim to a reverse sweep as Mutineers completed one of the biggest upsets of the season. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1231710812848431104 CDL Atlanta Grand Final recap Unlike all of the other matches from earlier in day two, the Atlanta FaZe – Florida Mutineers Grand Final proved to be an extremely one-sided affair. FaZe struck first on St. Petrograd Hardpoint, winning 250-138, thanks to elite plays like this three-piece from Priestahh. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1231726622455353346 Atlanta had a bit of coming back to do on the second map, Search & Destroy on Gun Runner, but after falling behind early, they were able to catch up and ultimately win the game 6-4. The third and final map of the series was Domination on St. Petrograd, and it was clear the Tiny Terrors were not going to let the Grand Final go to a fourth game as they took control late and won 146-136. Cellium, who performed incredibly all weekend and again in the final series of the tournament, was named MVP. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1231736793726365696 CDL Atlanta Results – Day 1 (February 22) CDL Atlanta Results – Day 2 (February 23) CDL Atlanta Final Placements Missed some of the action? Get up-to-speed with the weekend’s action via our CDL Atlanta hub, which has both days’ streams, interviews, and more. For more information about the CDL season, including the full event schedule and current overall standings, make sure to check out our Call of Duty League 2020 season hub.

Call of Duty League announces server changes ahead of CDL Chicago Minnesota ROKKRThe Call of Duty League has implemented new measures that they hope will improve server connectivity for the upcoming Chicago Home Series on April 21. The CoD League’s decision to restructure their inaugural season to an online format has forced the teams and production crew to make some major adjustments for the remaining slate of events. Playing CoD online vs LAN is a huge difference, and despite the addition of dedicated servers, this past Dallas Home Series had its fair share of connectivity issues that caused major lag spikes during matches. On April 23, the CDL announced that they’d added four additional regional servers for the Chicago tournament, bringing the overall total of dedicated servers to nine. “Through a number of server upgrades and rigorous testing, we are working toward improved match play connectivity and better protections against server lag spikes that led to connection issues during our last event,” they said in their announcement. While they did not reveal where these four new ones are located, they come in addition to the ones already in San Francisco, Texas, Chicago, Ohio, and Virginia, according to Dallas Empire’s Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter. In addition, the CDL are also introducing a new server veto process for all matches, starting with the Chicago Home Series: “Both teams will be provided three servers to test prior to the start of their match.” The way this veto process will work is each team will submit a “blind veto” of one server, and if both teams end up choosing to veto the same server, the league will decide which of the other two will be used. Once a server is chosen, the entire match (up to five maps) will be played on it. Over the past week, teams have gotten a chance to test out these changes during scheduled scrims so they can have a good idea of which servers they want to play on come tournament time. This announcement came a day after Crimsix’s rant on Twitter in which he openly complained about the online servers being “unplayable” during the Dallas Home Series. He also claimed that his team and Chicago Huntsmen were being “punished” because the CDL was apparently not allowing them to play on nearby servers because they were too close, essentially forcing them to connect to ones that were much farther away. If I get fined for this then so be it. But I WILL NOT have my “onliner” reputation tarnished. Dropped a worse k/d online than at CDL LA!!! That’s how you know something ain’t right here. — FaZe Crimsix (@Crimsix) April 22, 2020 The Chicago Home Series will take place April 24-26 featuring both Huntsmen and Empire in attendance. For more information about the event, make sure to check out our dedicated hub that includes the streams, schedule, brackets, and more.

Call of Duty League announces online format & schedule for 2020 season Call of Duty LeagueFollowing the postponement of the Call of Duty League in March, Activision have revealed how they’re restructuring things for the rest of the 2020 season. There had been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Call of Duty League following their March 12 announcement that all events were to be cancelled due to the ongoing global health crisis. Finally, on April 6, the CDL unveiled their restructured 2020 campaign, featuring a new schedule and online format for both the professional circuit and the amateur Challengers division. Despite everything being moved online, they’re sticking with ‘Home Series’ as the official name of weekly events. Furthermore, the tournaments will proceed in the order with which they were originally planned, starting off with the Dallas Empire Home Series on April 10. The format will largely remain the same as well, with eight pre-determined teams competing at each tournament, which allows the CDL to stick to their original plan for the regular season and playoffs. The one major difference, aside from the new dates, of course, is that the Home Series will be extended an extra day and are to be played Friday-Sunday rather than having all the matches compacted into two days. CDL 2020 season new schedule DALLAS EMPIRE HOME SERIES Dates: April 10-12 Teams: Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – Paris Legion – Seattle Surge – Toronto ULTRA – CHICAGO HUNTSMEN HOME SERIES Dates: April 24-26 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Seattle Surge – FLORIDA MUTINEERS HOME SERIES Dates: May 8-10 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Florida Mutineers – London Royal Ravens – Minnesota RØKKR – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Toronto ULTRA – SEATTLE SURGE HOME SERIES Dates: May 22-24 Teams: Chicago Huntsmen – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Seattle Surge – MINNESOTA RØKKR HOME SERIES Dates: June 5-7 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – Seattle Surge – Toronto ULTRA – PARIS LEGION HOME SERIES Dates: June 19-21 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – London Royal Ravens – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Toronto ULTRA – NEW YORK SUBLINERS HOME SERIES Dates: July 10-12 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – New York Subliners – Paris Legion – Toronto ULTRA – LONDON ROYAL RAVENS HOME SERIES Dates: July 17-19 Teams: Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – New York Subliners – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles – Paris Legion – Seattle Surge – TORONTO ULTRA HOME SERIES Dates: July 24-26 Teams: Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – Dallas Empire – Florida Mutineers – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Minnesota RØKKR – Seattle Surge – Toronto ULTRA – Challengers The plan for the Challengers division hasn’t changed much either; the CDL is still intent on holding a $15,000 tournament for the amateur circuit at each Home Series, kicking off with the Dallas Empire event. In addition, they’ve split up the League Weekend events into five $50,000 dedicated tournaments called Challengers Cups that will happen outside of the regular schedule, each with a dedicated broadcast on Sundays. ⬆️ ? Let’s goooo, we’re back! ? ⚡️Fri/Sat/Sun #CallofDutyLeague Pro Broadcasts ? 5 New $50,000 Challengers Cups (Deeper prizing, DEDICATED broadcast on Sundays) ? $15,000 Challengers Team Opens online tourneys on same corresponding pro team wknds ✈️ City Circuit (2v2) too— JackFelling (@JackFellingX) April 6, 2020 Online play Needless to say, playing Call of Duty online vs on LAN is a huge difference, especially since the players’ locations could play a role in how good their internet connection is. However, over the past few weeks, the CDL has done a lot of testing in preparation for this transition, and they’re confident that everything is in place to make the competition as balanced and stable as possible, considering the circumstances. Read More: CoD pro Slacked roasted by NFL stars – The CDL said in their post about online play that they’ve worked with Infinity Ward to establish “new dedicated servers around the country that will allow us to create the fairest environment possible for matches.” Officiating will work the same as it did for offline events, and most broadcast tools and personnel will be available, including casters, player cams, and more. For more information, including the current standings, tournament formats, and more, make sure to visit our 2020 CDL season hub.

Call of Duty League announces new competitive ruleset for 2020 season ActivisionThe inaugural Call of Duty League season is set to kick off on January 24 in Minnesota, and Activision has released an updated ruleset that changes the playing field just one week out from the first slate of matches. Professional players have been hard at work practicing in Modern Warfare ahead of the first CDL matchups in Minnesota, yet just a few days out from taking to the stage, a new competitive ruleset has been revealed. From the removal of certain maps across a number of competitive game modes to the restriction of various weapons and perks, a wide array of changes have been introduced on short notice. The first iteration of the Call of Duty League ruleset was revealed on October 29, 2019 and outlined exactly which maps, modes, weapons, and equipment were to be included in competitive play. A number of updates have been released since then, with version 1.5 of the competitive settings being outlined in a January 14 post. Most notably, a number of maps have been pulled from certain game types. Rammaza has been taken out of Hardpoint, Azhir Cave and Hackney Yard have been pulled from Search & Destroy, while St. Petrograd has been removed from Domination. Additionally, a number of loadouts have been impacted by the update as certain weapons, attachments, perks, and equipment have been restricted by the latest ruleset update. For instance, the FAL and MK2 Carbine have been outright removed from competitive play, while the Hardline perk has also been restricted. The full list of changes are as follows: Map Pool Hardpoint REMOVING: Arklov Peak – Map Pool: Rammaza, Azhir Cave, Gun Runner, Hackney Yard, St. Petrograd – – Search & Destroy REMOVING: Azhir Cave, Hackney Yard – Map Pool: Arklov Peak, Gun Runner, Piccadilly, Rammaza, St. Petrograd – – Domination REMOVING: Rammaza – Map Pool: Gun Runner, Hackney Yard, St. Petrograd – – New Restricted Items Primary Weapons Assault Rifles FAL – – Marksman Rifles (All) EBR-14 – MK2 Carbine – Kar98k – – – Assault Rifles – Attachments Laser (All) 1mW Laser – 5mW Laser – Tac Laser – – Perks Frangible – Disabling – – – Laser (All) – Perks Perk 1 Quick Fix – – Perk 2 Hardline – – – Perk 1 – Equipment Tactical Decoy Grenades – – – Tactical – All Modes Player Settings Weapon Mounting set to DISABLED – – Gameplay Settings Battle Chatter set to DISABLED – Announcer Dialogue set to ENABLED – – Hardpoint Team Setting “Weapon Ping on Compass” set to ENABLED – Are these updates locked in place? While the latest ruleset comes directly from the CDL website, Optic Gaming Los Angeles coach Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker has disputed the most recent changes. In a thread featuring a number of veteran players, Seattle Surge’s Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow expressed concern, and stated the updated ruleset “has to be wrong.” “It is,” Pacman responded, indicating that the latest set of changes might not be set in stone and that further updates could be on the way ahead of the Call of Duty League’s historic first matchups on January 24. Update: The original January 14 Call of Duty League blog post featured incorrect changes to the map pool. It is unclear whether all mistakes have no been remedied or if another change is set to be released in the near future. The latest version of the ruleset has been outlined above to reflect the most recent adjustments. Just days ago, a major development altered the format of competition and shifted to a new points-based system for the 2020 season, so it certainly seems as though much of the league will remain a work in progress.

Call of Duty League announces match schedule for Launch Weekend & season The Call of Duty League has unveiled the full schedule of matches that will be played during the Launch Weekend and the first 11 weeks of the 2020 season. Teams will be heading up north for the Launch Weekend that will kick off the 2020 season of the newly-formed Call of Duty League. The event will take place January 24-26 in Minnesota, home of the RØKKR, and will feature all 12 teams that will be competing in the league during the inaugural season. On November 15, the CDL announced the full match schedule for that weekend of action, along with the other 10 weeks that will make up the first split of the regular season. There will be 11 matches played in total, three on Friday, January 24 and four each on Saturday, January 25 and Sunday, January 26. There will be some very good matchups that fans will have to look forward to throughout the entirety of this Launch Weekend, but the final day is when most of the storylines will get written. Sunday will kick off with the start of a new chapter in the storied OpTic-FaZe rivalry, which will be followed later in the day with what many are already calling a grudge match between Chicago Huntsmen and OGLA. The match will, of course, feature four players who played for OpTic at some point over the past couple of years – Scump and FormaL on the Huntsmen side and Dashy and TJHaLy with the Green Wall. On top of that, it will be the first time that Chicago’s new CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez will be going up against the organization that he led for over a decade until leaving earlier this year. Match schedules for entire first split of 2020 CDL season The Launch Weekend will be the first of 11 weeks that make up the first half of the 2020 CDL season, and the match schedules for each of the other 10 weeks have also been announced by the league. Week 2 – Hosted by London Royal Ravens Week 3 – Hosted by Atlanta FaZe Week 4 – Hosted by Paris Legion Week 5 – Hosted by OpTic Gaming Los Angeles and LA Guerrillas Week 6 – Hosted by New York Subliners Week 7 – Hosted by Toronto ULTRA Week 8 – Hosted by Dallas Empire Week 9 – Hosted by Chicago Huntsmen Week 10 – Hosted by Florida Mutineers Week 11 – Hosted by Seattle Surge What comes after week 11 of the 2020 CDL season? Following week 11 will be what the CDL is calling the Midseason Weekend, although not much information has been revealed about that as of yet. The event will most likely be played starting May 2, 2020, according to information accidentally leaked by OpTic Gaming when they announced their schedule. Following that will be the second split of the regular season, which will culminate with the Championship Weekend on August 9, 2020, the date of which was also leaked. The match schedules for weeks 12-22 have not yet been announced, but you can check where each weekend will be hosted via the schedule for each location that the CDL released earlier this month

Call of Duty League announce revamped format for 2020 season ActivisionThe Call of Duty League has announced a major revamp to the 2020 schedule, moving to a tournament-based format beginning in the competition’s second week in London, England. The innaugral season of the franchised league kicks off on January 24, when all 12 teams head to to Minneapolis Armory in Minnesota to kick off a massive new era for the popular console esport. While teams were originally competing in league matches with just half of the competing field in action, it’s believed that Activision listened to fan feedback who felt they would miss the old, tournament-style events from the CoD World League, and confirmed that they will be bringing back aspects of tournament play when the league’s second week heads to England’s capital on February 8. Our holiday gift to you ?: ▪️ More matches ▪️ More drama ▪️ More reasons to get excited for 2020Announcing a new tournament-based structure for the inaugural season. https://t.co/Cf81HvN5mF #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/rRQh1NxKYS — Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) December 24, 2019 In their announcement, the Call of Duty League confirmed that they were “incredibly excited” to announce the addition of tournament-based play to the 2020 season, stating that the new format will be “both familiar to the legacy of Call of Duty esports and fresh amidst the backdrop of our city-based franchise structure.” Accompanying the change of weekend format is a brand-new points system that takes effect from the league’s launch weekend, with Activision hoping that it will deliver a “competitive experience where every match of the season matters,” with the results being “fans will get to see more matches, more drama, and more teams competing each home series weekend.” It’s believed that the driving force behind these significant changes has been feedback from Call of Duty fans, with Acitivision explaining that they love listening to their community, and “finding unique ways to deliver on our vision of igniting a shift in sports entertainment.” The changes address concerns from pro players, like Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper, who were unhappy at the prospect of flying across the world to play one series, while fans who pay to attend the events will not only get to see more matches, but see the teams in attendance compete in tournament-style play, bringing even more excitement to the weekend. The Minnesota Launch Weekend sees every team compete twice in head-to-head play, with each Home Series weekend after that featuring eight teams competing in tournament-style competition “providing an opportunity to reign over the weekend bracket, and add to their individual season point total.” How the points system will work in the revamped Call of Duty League remains to be seen, but it’s likely that we receive more details before the competition officially kicks off on January 24.

Call of Duty League announce $500,000 Challengers postseason Call of Duty League[jwplayer mCpsAxNx]The CDL has delighted NA, EU, and APAC players by announcing a $500,000 Challengers open sign-up qualifiers and finals that will be held entirely online. Aspiring professional Call of Duty players who couldn’t crack a CDL roster have been able to participate in Challengers events all year, but now the league has announced a light, on top of a fat prize pool, at the end of the tunnel with the Last Chance Qualifiers and subsequent Finals. While some Challengers players, like the Florida Mutineers’ Maurice “Fero” Henriquez and Joseph “Owakening,” have already used performances to move up and snag league salaries—this postseason should provide others with a chance to bolster their reputation while potentially earning some ducats. As the CDL announced officially on Twitter, the postseason will be played out online in three of the game’s most popular regions: North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Although this leaves out a highly active South American region, it should, at the very least, bode well for amateur players who have hoped for better support in the scene’s lower tier. The Last Chance Qualifier is fittingly named and presents an opportunity for players who haven’t been on top of the standings all year to get into the finals. It will feature open sign-ups and be played out online on August 1 and 2. While three-quarters of the top teams, based on year long accrued Challengers Points, will be eligible for the Finals in each region—one quarter will qualify directly through the Last Chance Qualifiers. That means eight teams will make it in via these qualifiers in NA and EU, while four will in APAC. And that’s where the money is. In the Finals, teams will compete in double-elimination brackets within each region for a cut of the prize pool. In North America, 32 teams will compete for $250,000. In Europe, 32 will compete for $200,000. And in Asia-Pacific, where the competition is restricted to just 16 teams, players will be competing for $50,000. While it may be disappointing that active regions like South America will not be represented in these playoffs, this lends aforementioned credence to Activision’s support for their path-to-pro system. Teams like the Mutineers have already benefited from investing in Challengers talent, so a high-stakes opportunity like this should only continue bolstering Call of Duty’s amateur player pool.

Call of Duty League announce 2022 format: Schedule, LAN locations, more Activision / Twitter, @CODLeagueThe Call of Duty League has officially revealed news for the 2022 season. Heading into the Vanguard circuit, the CDL has released a preliminary schedule, LAN locations, and further details. Call of Duty’s 2022 professional season is nearly upon us. The CDL released details for the new tour on December 16, walking fans through the kick-off date, LAN plans, and further details like game modes and tournaments. Played on Call of Duty: Vanguard, the league finally addressed the question of third game mode and expectations for in-person play. Additionally, some novel tournaments are being introduced – including Pro-Am and Warzone events. Here are all of the newly released details that fans should keep in mind as the CoD gears get churning. CDL 2022: Schedule, LAN, and Champs CDL 2022 details have been announced! 🔹 Kickoff Classic: 1/21-1/23 🔹 Opening Weekend: 2/4-2/6 🔹 Game Modes: HP, S&D, Control 🔹 Each of the 4 stage Majors will be played on LANhttps://t.co/wD92DgS06O— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) December 16, 2021 First things first, the new season will begin with the preseason Kick-Off Classic from January 21-23. Then, the year will officially begin with the 2022 Opening Weekend from February 4-6. The regular season will be split into four stages, each lasting three weeks of online play and a one-week Major on LAN. The top eight squads will qualify for the Major, with the first one being hosted by OpTic Texas. Read more: Boston Call of Duty League team officially announced by Patriots’ Kraft Group & Oxygen Esports – (In a since-deleted tweet, three other Major hosts were mentioned: Minnesota, Toronto, and New York.) Similarly, only eight teams will qualify for Champs. But the playoff bracket will start with every qualified team in the winner’s bracket, so there will be no one-and-dones this season. CDL 2022: Modes and new tournaments We’re BACK ❗ ✅ New Format ✅ New Events ✅ More LANMore intel on #CDL2022 here 🔗 https://t.co/y8pTdGlEda pic.twitter.com/znVyD5QBfh — Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) December 16, 2021 The CDL has confirmed the three game modes that will be played this season: Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, and Control. If you want further details on competitive restrictions and bans within these modes, check out the CDL 2022 ruleset. Interestingly, two new mid-season tournaments are also being introduced alongside the typical All-Star action. This year, there will be a Pro-Am tournament and a Warzone event that features “pros, streamers, and other influencers” (per the CDL’s blog).

Call of Duty League announce 2021 season format: tournaments & majors Activision / Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League has officially announced its structure for the upcoming 2021 season, months after the 2020 CDL Champs concluded. This season includes the return of majors, with all 12 teams having a chance to compete for league points, prize pools, and glory. Fans have been dying to know about the future of the Call of Duty League ever since the inaugural CDL Champs concluded with a Dallas Empire victory in August 2020. In the months since, the league has reshaped greatly, with player movement and organizational shifting, but details about actual structure remained under wraps. Now, just in time for the holiday season, those wraps have been lifted as the CDL gifts its fans a return to classic CoD tournament structure with 2021’s format. While the league didn’t get to expand past 12 teams for its second season (like sister league, the Overwatch League, was able to in theirs), fans have still gotten to enjoy a ton of change in the offseason. With the shift to 4 vs 4 already cemented, teams have pivoted rosters and shifted gears. And, with the announcement of upcoming format, fans get to find out how their teams will be competing in the upcoming season. The oncoming CDL season will include five majors throughout the year, each featuring all 12 teams. To determine seeding for these high-stakes events, the league will also enjoy separate Home Series events that act as group play for the bigger brackets. While these Home Series tournaments haven’t yet been detailed, the return of majors indicates a full trip down the nostalgia lane for CoD fans who miss the days of full-league competitions. Further, placement in the Home Series group play tournaments and majors helps teams earn CDL Points, which will ultimately impact placement in the 2021 CDL Champs playoffs. So a lot is on the line when it comes to performance at the next level. The new season comes with a new game, Black Ops Cold War, as well as a return to 4 vs 4 and some iconic CoD franchises finally fitting back into the scene. OpTic Gaming shifted back to Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez’s ownership, so the Chicago Huntsmen and OpTic Gaming Los Angeles franchises are no more. Instead, they’ve been replaced by OpTic Chicago and the Los Angeles Thieves, for Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag’s 100 Thieves return to CoD in 2021. In the coming weeks, more news is expected to be announced for scheduling dates and the status of online play in the upcoming year.