Call of Duty League Toronto – Day 1 Preview
CDL Toronto
We’ve had two very successful weekends in a row now, and while Call of Duty League Toronto will be extremely contested as it’s the final of the year, we should still have a good run. Let’s take a look at the first four games, analyse them and give my prediction.
Minnesota Rokkr vs Atlanta FaZe
The Minnesota Rokkr are in a hard place as of now. Their highest placing in their last four events has been 5/6th with two 7/8th placings also. This has been an extremely tough run for them and this group doesn’t do them any favours. Taking on Atlanta FaZe in game one, I can’t see any change of Minnesota winning this match.
As for Atlanta Faze, they have kept up their excellent finishes since the start of the season. While they have taken shock defeats to teams such as Toronto Ultra, they have never failed to reach the semi-finals of a CDL Weekend. The re-addition of 10mm rounds could also help this team going into this weekend.
Prediction
This match should be an easy win for the Atlanta FaZe. Previous matchups have these teams at a 5-5 map record both winning one series each. However, they were all the way back in weeks 3 and 4 of the CDL. This is a matchup which I expect to end 3-1 or 3-0 in favour of Atlanta, so I’m taking an Atlanta FaZe -1.5 Handicap.
Pick: Atlanta FaZe -1.5, 1.64 @ Midnite
Dallas Empire vs Florida Mutineers
Dallas Empire go into the Call of Duty League Toronto Ultra Home Series as reigning champs after losing just one map last weekend. Taking on Florida Mutineers in game one, this should be a victory for them. Especially after their 3-0 stomping against them last week.
The Florida Mutineers had a poor run last weekend, even though they made the semi-finals. They were first taken to a game five by OpTic Gaming Los Angeles before being reverse swept by the London Royal Ravens. So this was nothing near their recent dominant results.
Prediction
Last weekend this matchup saw Dallas Empire take an easy 3-0 victory. However, Florida could very easily bounce back and take this game further. Because of this, for this matchup I’m sticking with the Dallas Empire ML.
Pick: Dallas Empire ML, 1.55 @ Midnite
Chicago Huntsmen vs Seattle Surge
The Chicago Huntsmen more than proved their championship potential in their last event. While they performed extremely well, we are still yet to see them compete with this new meta which includes the 10mm rounds. Realistically, this matchup can only go one way, and that’s with a Chicago Huntsmen victory.
The Seattle Surge however could make a very big upset here. With valuable CDL points to play for, they could turn into a completely different team and take down the Huntsmen. This is extremely unlikely though, and if they perform as usual, this is a simple victory for Chicago.
Prediction
These teams have never matched up before, however they are at polar opposites of the league. With Chicago playing very well on this meta with slightly stronger AR’s they should be able to easily take down Seattle. My pick is a Chicago Huntsmen -1.5 Handicap.
Pick: Chicago Huntsmen -1.5, 1.35 @ Midnite
Toronto Ultra vs OpTic Gaming Los Angeles
Toronto Ultra havent played on this new meta with 10mm rounds yet, but in an interview with myself CleanX and Classic revealed how they feel like the addition of 10mm has benefitted the team going into this weekend. Toronto will definitely be an interesting team to watch this weekend, especially with it being their own Home Series event.
OpTic Gaming LA however made a good impression last week taking the Florida Mutineers to a game five. While they weren’t able to make it out of groups, they put up a fight and played well. This will be a tough game for both teams, can Drazah and Hollow handle the pressure?
Prediction
The final match of the night sees hosts Toronto Ultra take on OGLA. Forget Dallas vs Florida, this should be the best game of the night. With both teams fighting for valuable CDL points, this is the CDL equivalent of a premier league relegation scrap. In this match, I’m taking over 3.5 maps played, this is almost a guaranteed win with both of these teams being extremely close together in the League. However, if I had to pick a winner, I’d go for Toronto.
Pick: Over 3.5 Maps Played, 1.27 @ Midnite
The Call of Duty League Toronto Home Series starts at 9PM BST.You can watch on YouTube or the official Call of Duty League Website and earn in-game drops!