CDL Champs: Can the Subliners Win their Second Trophy?
This July 18 – 21 the Call of Duty League Championship will unfold in Texas. It’s the biggest event in the Call of Duty esports calendar, with eight of the best teams in the world taking to a grand stage to compete for the lion’s share of a whopping $2.3 million prize pool. There are mixed expectations for the teams that made it this far, but one organization that’s on everyone’s mind is the New York Subliners, fresh off a Major win and looking to score big with back-to-back COD Champs wins.
Last year, the New York Subliners put on a stellar show. The team scooped two Majors and then dominated the Call of Duty League Championship in a record fashion. With a 5 – 0 sweep over Toronto Ultra, the New York squad decimated their opponents faster than ever. Just weeks ago, the Subliners pulled off the same trick to win CDL Major IV. Can the Subliners make history and win back-to-back CDL Championship trophies?
It All Comes Down to This
It has been a mixed bag this year for the Call of Duty League.
Recently, it was revealed that viewership for the CDL 2024 season had taken a hit, and that was mostly attributed to Activision Blizzard signing a contract of exclusivity with YouTube. This rubbed fans the wrong way, but despite that, it has been a solid year, gameplay-wise. It all comes down to this, though – the Call of Duty League Championship. The power rankings are set, and the top four teams expecting to pull away with the trophy are almost the same as ever:
- New York Subliners (3.25 / +225)
- Atlanta FaZe (2.50 / +150)
- Toronto Ultra (5.00 / +400)
- OpTic Texas (5.50 / +450)
The Call of Duty odds suggest that Atlanta FaZe is in pole position, and that’s a fair assessment, but the New York Subliners have been nothing short of electric for the past two years. In HyDra, the squad has one of the best Call of Duty players of all time, and on his flanks sit Sib, Skyz, and KiSMET, all superstar competitors in their own right. It could be said that Matt ‘KiSMET’ Tinsley is the thorn in the side of Toronto Ultra, and if the Canadian squad meets him at COD Champs, it could all be over.
By the time the regular season had come to a close, Atlanta FaZe had secured a monumental lead. With 560 COD Points in the bank, the team sat miles ahead of second-place Toronto Ultra, sitting on 495 CDL Points. The New York Subliners had amassed ‘just’ 395 CDL Points, but that’s not entirely representative of the team’s grit this season. If NYSL can dig deep and pull out another win, it’ll be the first organization in Call of Duty esports history to get back-to-back Champs wins.
Atlanta FaZe may be the rockstar organization this season with a record of 37 – 8, but there’s something special about the Subliners of late. It might not yet be in the annals as one of the best Call of Duty teams ever, but it’s damn close.
