The first Call of Duty League Major is here, and every team will compete for a part of the $500,00 prize pool. Each team has spent the last three weeks competing in their group for the best seeding in the Major. Some have dominated their opponents, while others have a lot of work ahead of them.
Each team will have a chance in the Stage One Major. (image via CDL)
The best of the best
Four teams will face off in the first round of the winner’s bracket. OpTic Chicago will face the New York Subliners, and the LA Thieves will play the Los Angeles Guerrillas.
The LA Thieves are 4-1 and recently suffered a devastating loss against Dallas. But the team has defeated every other team in its bracket, although Seattle came relatively close to an upset.
Their hometown rivals, the Los Angeles Guerrillas, are 2-3 going into the first Major. The Guerrillas fought hard to defeat Paris and Toronto and won both series in game five. Both Chicago and Atlanta beat the Guerrillas, but the team could potentially pull an upset against the LA Thieves.
Even if the Guerillas defeat the LA Thieves, they will still need to beat the Atlanta FaZe in the second round, which is currently the number one team in the league. But the Guerrillas have already secured their spot in the winners’ bracket and could continue moving up the ranks.
OpTic Chicago is currently 4-1 and won every match during the Call of Duty League Super Week. The New York Subliners is 3-2 but has yet to play Chicago as they were in different groups in the first round of group play.
OpTic currently has the second-best record in the league behind Atlanta, who also delivered their only defeat. But the team has defeated every other team in its group and never lost more than one map.
The LA Thieves and Dallas Empire defeated New York. New York has yet to beat a top-three team, but they have the talent to defeat Chicago in the first match of the winners’ bracket.
New York and Chicago will be one of the most exciting matches of the Major. Both teams are talented, and New York has inaugural Call of Duty League champion James “Clayster” Eubanks leading the charge.
Regardless of who wins, the winner will have to face the Dallas Empire in the second round. Dallas has only lost one match in the regular season so far and has swept two other teams. Its games against New York and London both went to game five, but the team still walked away victorious.
If New York defeats Chicago, it could potentially defeat Dallas and move onto the semi-finals. OpTic can also defeat Dallas, but either matchup will be a slugfest.
Fight for survival
Six teams are starting the Stage One Major in the losers’ bracket. The Seattle Surge will play the Florida Mutineers, and the Toronto Ultra will play the London Royal Ravens.
The Seattle Surge was ranked 12th in our preseason rankings despite having a roster full of raw talent. The team can become a competitive powerhouse, but it has yet to find its stride.
Seattle has only beaten the London Royal Ravens in the regular season, and the match went to game five. The team has been swept twice and needs to get its act together if it wants to make it out of the lower brackets first round.
The Florida Mutineers were expected to repeat their success from last season, but they have also only won one match so far. The Mutineers have not been able to win more than one map besides the Guerrillas. However, Florida has a proven track record of success and can potentially get back on track with a victory against Seattle.
Florida is the favorite going into this matchup, but Seattle has the potential to regroup and return strong.
The London Royal Ravens are currently the only team in the league without a regular-season win. But they went to map five against Dallas, which means they have the potential to defeat the best teams.
London recently picked up Christopher “Parasite” Duarte as a temporary substitute. He is a veteran player that might be the extra push needed to keep them in the Major.
Toronto has only won one match but did come close to beating the Los Angeles Guerrillas and Paris legion. Toronto was one of the few teams to maintain its roster during the offseason and has the chemistry needed for success.
This match could go either way, but Toronto can recreate its late-season success from last year, the team will move to the second round.
The winner between Seattle and Florida will face Paris in the second round. Paris is 2-3 but came close to defeating Atlanta in a five-game series. The team has not consistently performed yet but can hold their own against either team.
The Minnesota ROKKR will face the winner between Toronto and London. Minnesota has three regular-season wins, including a surprising win against Dallas. Minnesota is the favorite against either team but has not performed well enough to be a guaranteed winner.
The Call of Duty League Stage One Major includes every team in the league. This means any team could make it to the grand finals and win the first significant tournament of the year. The Stage One Major begins on March 3 at 2:00 pm CST.
