CDL 2021: Can The Royal Ravens Produce A Remarkable Comeback Streak?
Published: Mar 24, 2021
The opening week of Stage Two of the Call of Duty League proved to be a fantastic one for the London Royal Ravens, who picked up their first win of the season, smashing the Los Angeles Guerrillas in a 3 – 0 sweep. It was a remarkable move that showed how resilient the Ravens side truly is, even with two new players having entered the squad in the last week.
However, Atlanta FaZe is still sitting at the top of the table totally unchallenged, currently boasting a 10 – 0 ratio and having just set the record for the most back-to-back wins in Call of Duty League history. I mean, it’s only on the second season, but it’s still a considerable achievement in its own right. The FaZe side also won the CDL 2021’s first Major Tournament, picking up a $200,000 prize and huge bragging rights.
In Week Two of the Second Stage, we’ll see some remarkable competitors going head-to-head, and there are plenty of opportunities for some big upsets as the week unravels. Can the Ravens pull off the impossible and scrape themselves off the bottom of the table? Is this the ultimate Call of Duty League betting tip?
Here are our top picks and predictions for Week Two of the Call of Duty League Second Stage.
Paris Legion vs. Dallas Empire
Thursday, March 25th – 15:00 EST
Dallas Empire has been in remarkable form since the season kicked off, and the veteran side currently sits at second place in the Call of Duty League standings. Their opponents for this series, Paris Legion, are currently in eighth place and experienced both a loss and a win in the last week. At the moment, these two teams haven’t faced each other at all in the CDL, so we don’t truly know what to expect, but it’s a hard ask for Paris Legion to overtake the mighty Empire.
Pick: Dallas Empire
Minnesota Rokkr vs. OpTic Chicago
Thursday, March 25th – 16:30 EST
Minnesota Rokkr has switched up the roster ahead of this challenge, swapping out MajorManiak for the prodigious rookie, Standy. It’ll be interesting to see if this change pays off, as Rokkr lost both its matches last week, while OpTic gained a 3 – 0 sweep over Paris Legion. On paper, the third-place OpTic Chicago side is much more capable than the ninth-place Rokkr team but can Attach, Priestahh, Accuracy, and Standy pick up a much-needed win here?
Pick: OpTic Chicago
London Royal Ravens vs. LA Thieves
Friday, March 26th – 15:00 EST
While the London Royal Ravens are likely riding high on their first big win, the LA Thieves side has fresh talent in the form of Venom, a highly-anticipated rookie coming in hot from a spree in the Call of Duty Challengers. However, the Call of Duty League environment is a different kettle of fish, and Venom will need time to settle. Can the Royal Ravens, which also features newer players, overcome the LA Thieves to potentially move up from the bottom of the table?
Pick: London Royal Ravens
Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. New York Subliners
Friday, March 26th – 16:30 EST
The Los Angeles Guerrillas were dealt a huge 0 – 3 loss by the London Royal Ravens last week, and they’ve now fallen to sixth place in the overall Call of Duty League standings. The Apathy-driven side hasn’t seen a win since it devasted the LA Thieves 3 – 0 on the 4th March in the first Major Tournament of the season. The New York Subliners, however, has been exhibiting some incredible play recently, forcing its way up to the fourth spot in the standings. Can Clayster and Co. bring another win to the NYSL table?
Pick: New York Subliners
London Royal Ravens vs. New York Subliners
Saturday, March 27th – 15:00 EST
When these two last faced off against each other, the New York Subliners decimated the London side with a 3 – o sweep. Then, they moved on to do the same to Minnesota Rokkr, and OpTic Chicago; there’s no question that the New York Subliners is a remarkable side this season. However, if the London Royal Ravens can prove they’re deserving of a comeback streak, they could get the edge in this series. Let’s play the underdog card.
Pick: London Royal Ravens
LA Thieves vs. Atlanta FaZe
Saturday, March 27th – 16:30 EST
The entire Call of Duty League is waiting with bated breath to see who will be the first to defeat Atlanta FaZe. They’re overdue a thrashing, but can the LA Thieves side be the ones to do it? It’s a battle of the brands, and neither of these teams has fought the other in the Call of Duty League’s regular season or Major Tournament event thus far. Perhaps the LA Thieves’ fresh talent, Venom, can push the team to be the first to beat FaZe.
Pick: Atlanta FaZe
Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. Toronto Ultra
Saturday, March 27th – 18:00 EST
If there’s one thing Ultra needs, it’s a win. Although the Toronto side made a shocking roster change by dropping Methodz, the new pick-up in Insight didn’t produce anything remarkable in the last week, joining the team in suffering two crushing defeats. When these teams last met on the battlefield, it was the Guerrillas that walked away with a big win, but can they repeat that result?
Pick: Los Angeles Guerrillas
Seattle Surge vs. Paris Legion
Sunday, March 28th – 16:00 EST
Since the competition has opened, Seattle Surge has had a particularly hard time of it. The team currently rests second from bottom in the Call of Duty League standings, claiming a record of just two wins to six losses overall. They’ve only defeated the Royal Ravens and the Florida Mutineers so far, and Paris Legion could certainly hand them yet another defeat. If they lose and the Royal Ravens wins its matches, Surge will assume the lowest position in the Call of Duty League.
Pick: Paris Legion
Minnesota Rokkr vs. Dallas Empire
Sunday, March 28th – 17:30 EST
What a week for Minnesota Rokkr: OpTic Chicago followed by Dallas Empire. It’s a tough one, that’s for sure, but can Minnesota Rokkr pull something out from up its sleeve to secure a win over the reigning champions here? Dallas Empire, driven by the veteran might of C6, has been on top form recently, and we can’t see the somewhat fragmented Rokkr side securing a win over them.
Pick: Dallas Empire
Florida Mutineers vs. OpTic Chicago
Sunday, March 28th – 19:00 EST
This is the only fixture for Florida this week, and they’ve got to sit back and wait for the entire schedule to unravel before they get a chance to compete. However, you could argue that they’ll be the most rested side in the competition, and they’ll have had plenty of time to practice – which they’ll certainly need ahead of this bout. OpTic has been true to form recently, but you cannot count the Mutineers out until the closing minutes of the final round. They’re a surprising side, and they’ve also had some classy wins in recent weeks.
Pick: OpTic Chicago
