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The fifth and final stage of the 2021 Call of the Duty League season will kick off on Thursday, July 8. It will mark the final chance for the remaining seven CoD esports teams to step up, qualify for CDL Stage 5 Major and secure a ticket for the 2021 CDL Championship.
Five Teams In the Safe Zone
The CDL Stage 5 will feature the same 12 CoD esports teams that have been entertaining us throughout the year. As the final CDL Stage of the season, it will also give the teams one final chance to accumulate enough CDL Points to qualify for the season-culminating event.
However, that doesn’t hold true for the top-five teams in the CDL, who have already guaranteed their spot in the 2021 CDL Championship. The upper part of the league table consists of Atlanta FaZe, Dallas Empire, Toronto Ultra, New York Subliners, and OpTic Chicago.
These five teams have proven to be a class above the bottom seven and are thus already through to the final event of the season. FaZe lead the charge with 465 CDL points, with Dallas Empire in second with 320.
Toronto Ultra sit in third place on the season with 315 CDL points to their name, just five ahead of New York Subliners, who are ranked fourth with 310. OpTic Chicago squeezed their way inside the top-five with 270 CDL Points, 70 clear of Minnesota RØKKR in sixth.
2021 CDL Season Standings
- Atlanta FaZe – 465 CDL Points
- Dallas Empire – 320 CDL Points
- Toronto Ultra – 315 CDL Points
- New York Subliners – 310 CDL Points
- OpTic Chicago – 270 CDL Points
- Minnesota RØKKR – 200 CDL Points
- Los Angeles Thieves – 180 CDL Points
- Florida Mutineers – 170 CDL Points
- Los Angeles Guerrillas – 100 CDL Points
- Paris Legion – 90 CDL Points
- London Royal Ravens – 80 CDL Points
- Seattle Surge – 80 CDL Points
A Nearly-Impossible Task for The Bottom Four
Seattle Surge, London Royal Ravens, Paris Legion, and Los Angeles Guerrillas enter CDL Stage 5 as the bottom-four teams in the league. These have been struggling the most this season and are all but guaranteed to miss out on the Championship.
The CDL Championship will accept only the top-eight teams, meaning there are only three more spots left for grabs. As it stands now, these three slots are occupied by Minnesota RØKKR, Los Angeles Thieves, and Florida Mutineers.
RØKKR, Thieves, and Mutineers are currently at 200, 180, and 170 CDL points, respectively. Meanwhile, the ninth-placed Guerrillas are at only 100 CDL points.
Theoretically, the bottom-four teams can still climb their way into the top-eight. However, they’re in for an uphill struggle.
By winning the CDL Stage group, a team gets awarded 50 CDL points and an additional 75 points for winning the CDL Major. This effectively means that Surge, Royal Ravens, Legion, and Guerrillas will have to outperform all the expectations and hope that RØKKR, Thieves, and Mutineers fall flat and don’t make it out of the groups.
The Esports Bookmakers Don’t Expect Any Surprises
Although the bottom-four teams still have a theoretical chance of qualifying for the 2021 CDL Championship, the esports bookmakers don’t expect any major upsets. The current league frontrunners, Atlanta FaZe, will enter the final stage of the season as the odds-on favorites, followed by the usual suspects in Toronto Ultra, Dallas Empire, New York Subliners, and Chicago OpTic.
The CDL Stage 5 will kick off on Thursday, July 8, with the opening two fixtures featuring Atlanta FaZe, London Royal Ravens, OpTic Chicago and Paris Legion.
Odds for Atlanta FaZe vs. London Royal Ravens Match
Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:
- FaZe -3333
- Royal Ravens +879
- FaZe -2.5 Maps -109
- Royal Ravens +2.5 Maps -125
- Over 3.5 Maps -114
- Under 3.5 Maps -119
FaZe Clan are expected to dominate this match, and there is little to suggest otherwise. They have won three CDL Majors on the season and are a clear cut above all other CDL teams.
London Royal Ravens haven’t come even close to winning a single Major title and are 1-6 in their last seven outings. With the form they’ve been showing, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Royal Ravens lost 0-3.
Odds for OpTic Chicago vs. Paris Legion Match
Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:
- OpTic -455
- Legion +287
- OpTic -1.5 Maps -182
- Legion +1.5 Maps +133
- Over 4.5 Maps +202
- Under 4.5 Maps -294
OpTic Chicago should win this match with ease. They already won against Paris Legion three times in 2021, with 3-1, 3-1, and 3-0. Paris Legion haven’t been too successful on the season, but they have shown some fight of late.
Legion won at least one map in six out of their last seven matches and usually do well on Search&Destroy. They might steal one map off OpTic, but it’s unlikely that they will manage to upset the Green Wall.