5 players to watch during CDL 2021\u2019s Stage 1 Major Dexerto \/ Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League enters its first tournament of the 2021 season and six standout x-factors need to be watched as their teams battle for a cut of the $500K CDL Stage 1 Major\u2019s prize pool. For the first time in what feels like an eternity, every single professional Call of Duty team is on the board for a week of bracketed matches. With $500,000 on the line, the first CDL Major has some serious monied incentives available. But that prize pool is just a portion of the 2021 season\u2019s $5 million, making standings and team trajectories a pivotal component as well. Of the 12 teams competing, six noteworthy players are particularly crucial to their teams\u2019 season-long trajectories and Major I outlooks. From the continually contending, suddenly drama-stricken Atlanta FaZe, to the upsurging, revamped Paris Legion \u2014 here are six players you need to keep an eye on during Stage 1\u2019s Major. McArthur \u2018Cellium\u2019 Jovel (Atlanta FaZe) You can do it, too Considered an MVP candidate during the 2020 season and one of CoD\u2019s most dangerous players who is too young to buy a beer in America, Cellium is always must-watch entertainment. But that has taken yet another step after Super Week, as Cell was at the center of more snaking drama. Known for a brain massive enough to discover the weirdest mechanics in the game, Cell was accused of flouting GAs (Gentleman\u2019s Agreements) by snaking during a 3-2 win against the Legion in Super Week. Absolutely pivotal to Atlanta\u2019s success, the only maps FaZe lost to the Toronto Ultra and Florida Mutineers were the ones in which MC didn\u2019t notch a positive K\/D. In the Stage 1 Major, Cell\u2019s impact will determine the team\u2019s fate during their first match against either the Los Angeles Thieves or Guerrillas in Winners Bracket: Round 2. But the biggest reason to watch him may just be to find out if peer criticism will impact the mechanics he uses. Donovan \u2018Temp\u2019 Laroda (Los Angeles Thieves) Regaining for revenge The Thieves kick off Major I with a \u201cBattle for LA\u201d match against the Guerrillas in Winners: Round 1, but Temp\u2019s eyes are set forward. After the Dallas Empire humbled his team with a quick 3-0 to finish Super Week, spurring CEO and coach drama, Temp told us how badly he wants revenge. \u201cIt was a really bad series for me. And I hate losing to them, every single person on that team. I hate losing to the organization, so I just really want to play them again. And if we win our games we\u2019ll probably play them this event.\u201d To get that revenge, Temp will need to pick up his form. In five of the Thieves\u2019 six Super Week map wins, Temp posted a positive K\/D. They lost five of the six maps in which he didn\u2019t, including against the Empire \u2014 where he didn\u2019t go positive once. Makenzie \u2018Mack\u2019 Kelley (New York Subliners) New teammates, new role Mack immediately became an MVP candidate in 2020 after debuting for NYSL, but the team, and his role, have changed since then. With three new teammates, the former flex AR has shifted to SMG and the results have been inconsistent. While James \u2018Clayster\u2019 Eubanks commended his new teammate for \u201cadapting well to that role,\u201d the sub has been difficult. During Super Week, New York lost three of the four maps in which Mack didn\u2019t post a positive K\/D. If the Subliners want to make a run, Mack has to maintain progress in a new role, starting against OpTic Chicago in Winners: Round 1. Matthew \u2018FormaL\u2019 Piper (OpTic Chicago) From Texas Formal to Tourney Formy? Speaking of OpTic, \u201cTexas FormaL\u201d has been an omnipresent topic in the early days of CDL 2021. What hasn\u2019t been omnipresent is the internet-boosted dominance many expected from the veteran AR. When asked about role shifts after bringing in Brandon \u2018Dashy\u2019 Otell, Chicago\u2019s Dylan \u2018Envoy\u2019 Hannon was clear that this means a continuing transition for FormaL: \u201cBrandon brings a lot of firepower and I think Matt has realized that he needs to step back more into that IGL [in-game leader] role.\u201d During Super Week, FormaL notched a positive K\/D in seven of 12 maps. OpTic still won each match, but more stable consistency from their main AR will impact their push through the Winners Bracket. Matthew \u2018Skrapz\u2019 Marshall (Paris Legion) Contenders or pretenders? No one really knew what to expect from the Legion after they went silent during the offseason and shook up their roster. But, during Super Week, the team went 2-1 and took Atlanta to a Map 5. The biggest momentum shifter? Skrapz. A formal London Royal Raven, Skrapz has been a flamethrower for Paris and recognizes that his heat check is pivotal to his team\u2019s chances: \u201cI\u2019ve been playing hot. I\u2019ve always shown what I\u2019m capable of, it\u2019s just a matter of doing it consistently.\u201d Against FaZe, Paris lost three of the four maps in which Skrapz posted a negative K\/D, proving how instrumental his form is. Still, he was crucial to their elevated placement in Round 2 of the Losers Bracket, so all eyes are on him as Paris continue to defy power rankings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
5 players to watch during CDL 2021\u2019s Stage 1 Major Dexerto \/ Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League enters its first tournament of the 2021 season and six standout x-factors need to be watched as their teams battle for a cut of the $500K CDL Stage 1 Major\u2019s prize pool. For the first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22174\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}