Call of Duty League Stage 5 Major Kicks off On Thursday, July 29

The fifth and final Major of the 2021 Call of Duty League (CDL) season kicks off on Thursday, July 29. The tournament will feature 10 Call of Duty esports teams, who will duke it out for the coveted CDL Points and the largest slice of the $500,000 prize pool.

Who Can Stop Atlanta FaZe?

Atlanta FaZe enter CDL Stage 5 Major as the current frontrunners in the CDL standings. With 505 CDL Points to their name, FaZe are guaranteed to finish the season inside the top-two, but anything less than a regular-season title won’t be enough for this squad.

FaZe have already won three CDL Majors this season, which is the most out of any team in the league.

Not only have they won three, but FaZe also won both of the last two convincingly.

FaZe won CDL Stage 3 Major with a straightforward 5-3 win against the New York Subliners. To that, they added a close yet well-deserved 5-4 victory against Dallas Fuel at the fourth CDL major of the season.

The only CDL Major which escaped FaZe was the second, where they suffered an upset loss against Toronto Ultra (3-5).

Toronto Ultra were long regarded as the only serious threat for FaZe, but they have since cooled down. During the CDL Stage 4 Major, Ultra made a deep run but could not overcome Dallas Empire, who eliminated them from the semi-finals with 3-2.

Following their recent success against Toronto Ultra, the Empire emerged as the second-best team in the league. They solidified that status by overtaking Ultra in the standings with 360 points, just five clear of Ultra in third.

New York Subliners and OpTic Chicago With A Lot To Prove

New York Subliners and OpTic Chicago are beside the “big three”, the only two teams many consider as a threat for the CDL Championship title. Both have had some success on the season; however, neither managed to reach the same heights as the top three.

New York Subliners are ranked fourth in the standings, with 320, while OpTic sit in fifth with 310 CDL Points. Out of the two, it’s OpTic who seem better prepared to make some noise at this Major.

OpTic ended the qualifiers with a 4-1 record and a 74% map win rate (14-5). They even recorded a win against Atlanta FaZe, who they beat 3-2 just under two weeks back.

The Subliners haven’t been as impressive during the CDL Stage 5 qualifiers, managing a disastrous 1-4 record. However, the Subliners were playing with a substitute player Conor “Diamondcon” Johst, so they deserve some slack for their lack of success.

The Action Kicks Off on Thursday

Call of Duty League Stage 5 Major will kick off with the opening two rounds of the lower bracket this Thursday, July 29. First on the schedule is a clash between Seattle Surge and Paris Legion, followed by a meeting between the New York Subliners and Los Angeles Guerrillas.

Odds for Seattle Surge vs. Paris Legion Match

Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:

• Seattle Surge -169
• Paris Legion +127
• Seattle Surge -1.5 Maps +128
• Paris Legion +1.5 Maps -172
• Over 4.5 Maps +156
• Under 4.5 Maps -213

Seattle Surge and Paris Legion have both been struggling with their form this season. Neither is expected to make a deep run at the CDL Stage 5 Major; however, it’s hard to argue with the esports bookmakers, who have priced Seattle Surge as heavy betting favorites.
Surge last met with Paris Legion at the CDL Stage 4 Major, where they won with 3-0. Surge were eliminated from the major shortly after; however, they have proven to be a strong team on LAN.
Paris Legion have had some solid showings on the season, but they haven’t achieved much of late. They’re 3-7 in their last 10, which doesn’t inspire much confidence ahead of this bout.

Odds for New York Subliners vs. Los Angeles Guerrillas Match

Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:

• New York Subliners -526
• Los Angeles Guerrillas +331
• New York Subliners -1.5 Maps -233
• Los Angeles Guerrillas +1.5 Maps +169
• Over 4.5 Maps +243
• Under 4.5 Maps -357

Despite their iffy showings during the CDL Stage 5 qualifiers, New York Sublibers enter this match as heavy betting favorites. That, however, isn’t too shocking.

Even though the Subliners struggled to achieve much of late, they have yet to lose against Guerrillas this season. Subliners met with Guerrillas three times in 2021 and won each match with 3-1.

What’s more, Los Angeles Guerrillas have managed only one win from their last 13 outings and are on a six-game losing streak. The New York Subliners should take this one with ease.