Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Atlanta FaZe won the 2021 Call of Duty League (CDL) Championship on Sunday, August 22, with a commanding 5-3 victory against Toronto Ultra. With that victory, FaZe emerged as the best Call of Duty esports team in the world and pocketed $1,200,000 in tournament winnings.
Second Time’s a Charm
One year after losing the grand finals against Dallas Empire, the Atlanta FaZe managed to overcome their demons and clinched the CDL Championship title, with a 5-3 victory against the Toronto Ultra. FaZe were the dominant team from start to finish, showing up in clutch moments to edge out the »Kings of the North, «who couldn’t keep up.
Seeing FaZe win the title of world champions, however, isn’t that surprising. Chris “Simp” Lehr and co. entered the event as the top favorites to claim the throne, and they didn’t disappoint.
FaZe ended the 2021 CDL regular season as by far the best team in the field. They managed an impressive 34-7 record and an 83% map win rate.
Their performances over the season earned FaZe 525 CDL points, 110 more than the second-placed Ultra. What’s more, FaZe have won three out of five CDL Stages and three CDL Major titles.
However, many people still doubted FaZe since they were just as dominant in 2020, yet they still fell short. Last year, FaZe claimed the regular-season title with a 26-7 record but fell at the final hurdle.
There, they suffered a humiliating loss against Dallas Empire, who won 5-1. This time out, however, FaZe were determined to get the job done.
A Near-Perfect Run
Atlanta FaZe started their quest for the CDL Championship title in the second round of the upper bracket. There, they met with New York Sublibers, who won against Chicago OpTic in the first round of play.
Despite Subliners’ strong performance against the Green Wall, they proved to be no match for FaZe. Simp and his crew won the fixture 3-0 with 250-149 on Raid – Hardpoint, 6-3 on Miami – S&D, and 3-0 on Garrison – Control.
After beating the Subliners, FaZe advanced into the upper bracket finals, where they met with an old foe, Dallas Empire. This time out, however, it was Dallas who came up short.
FaZe avenged their loss from 2020 and crushed the Empire 3-0, with 250-118 on Garrison – Hardpoint, 6-5 on Raid – S&D, and 3-1 on Raid – Control. With that win, FaZe secured a spot in the finals.
There they met with Toronto Ultra, who fought their way to the big stage via the lower bracket. After losing against Dallas Empire in the second round of CDL Champs, Toronto Ultra beat OpTic (3-1), Minnesota RØKKR (3-2), and claimes a revenge win against the Empire (3-2) in the lower bracket finals.
As two of the best regular-season teams, Toronto Ultra and Atlanta FaZe were destined to meet in the finals. However, like it was the case in the regular season, it was FaZe who ended finishing ahead.
Toronto Ultra started the series strong and won the first map (Moscow – Hardpoint) with 250-175. However, they couldn’t build on the momentum and lost the following three maps with 5-6 on Express – S&D, 0-3 on Raid – Control, and 78-250 on Raid – Hardpoint.
Toronto Ultra found their footing in map five, winning Miami – S&D with 6-2 before they dropped the ball on Garrison – Control with 2-3. In their final attempt to save their shot at the title, Toronto Ultra edged out FaZe on Raid – S&D (5-6), but it was too late, too little.
FaZe closed out the deal on Apocalypse – Hardpoint (250-147) despite falling behind Ultra, who held a 90-35 lead. Still, FaZe prevailed thanks to strong individual performances, which helped them outscore Ultra 215-57.
One Of The Best Seasons In CoD Esports history
By winning the 2021 CDL Championship, Atlanta Faze concluded one of the greatest campaigns in CoD esports history. With three CDL Major titles and a 37-7 series record, Atlanta FaZe truly deserved to be crowned as the champions.
With the season FaZe have had, it’s time to start talking about FaZe as the next CoD dynasty. However, they might need to prove their worth again in 2022 for people to start comparing them to compLexity and OpTic Gaming as the only two officially recognized CoD dynasties.
The official dates for the 2022 CDL have yet to be revealed. However, it is fair to assume the next season will kick off in late January.