CDL Opening Weekend - Which Stars Will Shine The Brightest?
The Call of Duty League (CDL) 2021 begins its opening weekend with the Atlanta FaZe Home Series on February 11, and with 12 top-tier teams to choose from, which will stand out from the crowd?
Who will dominate?
OpTic Chicago
After a dominating 3-0 performance in the show match against LA Thieves, OpTic will be looking to carry on their momentum into the opening weekend and if their online performances so far are anything to go by they should be considered heavy favourites to be able to have a 2-0 weekend. In their first series they find themselves up against Paris Legion and whilst the Legion impressed against the Royal Ravens in the preseason, they were forced to rely on winning two hardpoints against a team playing with someone in a different continent.
However, with the slaying power on OpTic and the fact they are all based in Texas, it seems very unlikely they’ll be able to rely on the hardpoints and given Dylan “Envoy” Hannon’s prowess in Search and Destroy, on paper, it would appear that Paris Legion may, unfortunately, be outclassed in the matchup against OpTic Chicago.
However, the real challenge for Chicago should realistically be against Atlanta FaZe. The star-studded roster led by duo Chris “Simp” Lehr and Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris are a tough matchup for any team no matter what the occasion. Although, after a disappointing 3-2 loss to the Florida Mutineers it seems that FaZe aren’t quite currently at the level of OpTic in respawn and whilst their talent alone could carry them to a couple of map wins the general consensus seems to be that OpTic are the favourites in this match.
Click to enlargeDallas Empire
Another team expected to win both of their series in the opening weekend is the Dallas Empire. The reigning world champions look like they’re showing no signs of slowing down heading into Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War season. In their first series of the weekend, they find themselves up against a dysfunctional Seattle Surge team that so far in this game don’t appear to have found themselves a winning combination, losing 3-2 in their show match against the Los Angeles Guerrillas. Given the obvious disparity between the two teams so far into the game, it seems that anyone predicting this game would be crazy to bet against the Empire.
In their final series of the weekend is where the possible hurdle could be for the Dallas Empire. On paper, Minnesota ROKKR could potentially be a top three/four team if all of their players can play up to their potential. With Preston “Priestahh” Greiner and Dillon “Attach” Price on the roster they definitely have championship winning experience and skill on the roster. Although, the main problem for the ROKKR so early on in the game is that they won’t have the chemistry of a team like Dallas Empire, having already played a full year together culminating in winning the world championships. Therefore, at this point in the game it appears that the community will be favouring Dallas Empire in this matchup.
Click to enlargeDark Horses
Minnesota ROKKR
Whilst they have one of the toughest matchups possible in Dallas Empire which they are expected to lose by most people, undoubtedly they will definitely have a chance to shock many people given their undeniable skill on their roster. If they could somehow defy the odds and beat the Empire in their series, they would definitely raise plenty of eyebrows in the scene as a team that could potentially contend for major tournaments.
In the first series of the weekend for the ROKKR, they find themselves up against LA Thieves, a struggling team that seem to be playing below their potential so far this year. What makes this a big series for the ROKKR is the name brand associated with the Thieves. Being able to beat one of the most popular franchises in the league would definitely cement the roster in the upper echelon of teams in the CDL in the eyes of many fans.
Click to enlargeFlorida Mutineers
Whilst the Mutineers will only be competing in one series in the opening weekend against the Toronto Ultra, the thing that could surprise the fans is the fashion in which the Mutineers could win the series. After a somewhat surprising 3-2 win against Atlanta FaZe in the preseason, the Mutineers already seem to be playing as a cohesive unit, with young, former Halo star Travis “Neptune” McCloud seemingly going to explode onto the scene this year if his early performances are anything to by.
Playing against the Ultra should be a perfect way for the Mutineers to show they mean business this year, with the Ultra being a middle of the pack team so far this season. If they can get a convincing win this weekend they will definitely be more of a favourite than a dark horse going forward.
Doomed to fail
Seattle Surge
Heading into the season it seemed that the Surge had finally got some help for superstar AR player Samuel “Octane” Larew with the offseason acquisition of Peirce “Gunless” Hillman, former multi-time MVP. However, so far into the season it looks like the Surge have made no big improvements from the previous season. In their first series of the weekend they find themselves up against Dallas Empire and if early performances are used as an indication of this weekend, the Empire should find this series relatively easy this early on in the season.
In their second series of the weekend, the Surge find themselves up against the London Royal Ravens. With the unfortunate circumstances surrounding their preseason, the Royal Ravens found themselves up against the Paris Legion playing with Trei “Zer0” Morris still playing from Europe. However, whilst currently not announced officially yet, it appears that the Royal Ravens will be picking up former world champion Christopher “Parasite” Duarte for the roster. With all players playing from North America for the opening weekend and Parasite playing for his future in the team, if the Royal Ravens manage to beat the Surge, it could already be time for roster discussions for the team.
Images via Activision