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The 2021 Call of Duty League (CDL) season will culminate with the CDL Championship. The tournament will kick off on Thursday, August 19, featuring eight teams and a $2,500,000 prize pool.
Atlanta FaZe and Toronto Ultra Expected To Dominate
The CDL Championship will feature a field of eight Call of Duty esports teams. However, it’s easy to spot which two are the favorites to go all the way and hoise the coveted trophy.
Atlanta FaZe enter the season-culminating event as the regular season champions and the main favorite to win the title. FaZe ended the season with a phenomenal 34-7 record and three CDL Major titles.
FaZe emerged as the undisputed best team in the league and accumulated 525 CDL points. That is 110 more than the second-placed Toronto Ultra and 125 more than the third-placed Dallas Empire.
Even though FaZe were the most efficient team throughout the season, their recent showings weren’t that inspiring. At the CDL Stage 5 Major, FaZe failed to deliver and crashed out in seventh-eighth place.
They lost against Minnesota RØKKR (1-3) and Seattle Surge (2-3), locking in their worst CDL Major placement of the year. Regardless of their slip-up, FaZe are still expected to show up at the CDL Championship and contest the title.
Toronto Ultra join FaZe as one of the leading candidates to win the trophy. Although they weren’t as efficient throughout the season, Toronto Ultra proved to be more consistent than FaZe.
Unlike FaZe, who underperformed during the CDL Stage 5 Majo, Toronto Ultra never placed worse than third in any of the five majors on the season.
OpTic Chicago with A Lot to Prove
OpTic Chicago have done relatively well throughout the 2021 CDL season; however, they weren’t as impressive as FaZe and Ultra. OpTic ended the season in fourth, with a 26-17 record and 360 CDL points.
Although not particularly impressive figures, OpTic have started to show some life in the latter stages of the split. They won CDL Stage 5 Group A with a 4-1 record and finished third in the CDL Stage 5 Major.
Despite their mediocre showings over the season, OpTic Chicago seem to be rounding into form just in time. Their star player, Seth “Scump” Abner is reaching his peak form, and his teammates aren’t that far behind.
As one of the most experienced rosters in the league, OpTic are expected to show up in big tournaments. Although it’s unlikely OpTic will ever reach the same status they held in 2015, you can never write them off when a LAN tournament is in question.
Outsiders Not Entirely Out of The Race
Although all the eyes will be on Atlanta FaZe, Toronto Ultra, and Chicago OpTic, the rest of the field should not be taken lightly.
Dallas Empire enters the 2021 CDL Championship as defending champions, while Minnesota RØKKR are fresh off their first Major title.
Joining the two are New York Subliners, who will welcome back James “Clayster” Eubanks, who took a break from competing last month.
The Los Angeles Thieves and Minnesota Mutineers grabbed the last two slots and were seeded into the lower bracket. Although they will need to avoid multiple elimination games, both have earned their right to compete for the title.
While some teams are in a better position to compete for the trophy, all eight have a legitimate chance to go all the way and grab the largest slice of the $2,500,000 prize pool.
Odds to Win CDL Championship 2021
Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:
- Atlanta FaZe +100
- Toronto Ultra + 300
- Minnesota RØKKR + 500
- Dallas Empire + 600
- Chicago OpTic +700
- New York Subliners + 2000
- Los Angeles Thieves +6600
- Minnesota Mutineers + 10000
The esports bookmakers have priced Atlanta FaZe as the main favorites to win the title, ahead of Toronto Ultra. As the underdogs, we have the CDL Stage 5 Major champions, RØKKR, the reigning CDL champions, Dallas Empire, and the surging Chicago Optic.
Los Angeles Thieves and Minnesota Mutineers are given little to no chance to succeed. Although both are solid teams, neither consistently delivered against the top-six teams throughout the season.
The CDL Championship kicks off on Thursday, August 19, with the opening four matches. The action will begin with a clash between OpTic Chicago and New York Subliners at 12:00 EDT.