CDL 2021: Major Tournament Predictions and Schedule
Following the most incredible Call of Duty League Super Week, we’re now moving into the first Major Tournament of the 2021 season, a huge event that surely won’t disappoint fans. There’s a $500,000 prize pool up for grabs, with the tournament victors walking away with a huge $200,000 portion of that pot. Also, the winner here will secure some incredible bragging rights, and the tone for the competition ahead will be well and truly set.
The Call of Duty League published the bracket for the first Major following the final match of Super Week, and it’s an impressive layout with some already promising matches being on the cards.
It all kicks off on Wednesday, March 3rd, with the opening match taking place between Toronto Ultra and London Royal Ravens, two teams that saw considerable failure throughout the Super Week, with both teams losing all four of their matches. However, the majority of the matches are yet to be confirmed, owing to the nature of the tournament, but we can make some educated guesses as to what will happen.
Unfortunately, the bracket that the Call of Duty League has posted is a little misleading, as it doesn’t fully highlight the structure we’re going to witness over the course of the upcoming week. Firstly, it looks as though it’s a simple two-path structure that leads up to the grand final – except, it isn’t. From Round 3 on the Elimination bracket, the match-ups will be played between the winner of Round 2, and the loser of Round 1 from the Winners bracket.
Then, Round 4 of the Elimination bracket will be played between the winner of Round 3 of the same bracket, and the loser of Round 2 from the Winners bracket. It’s a little confusing for sure, but it should mean we’re left with an incredible final chase to the $200,000 jackpot prize. With that in mind, I’m going to offer up my predictions for the already-established matches, and then break down the remainder of the Major, ultimately determining who I believe will see victory in the grand final.
Also, remember this – when a team loses a match in the Elimination bracket, they are quite simply expelled from the Major at that position in time. Unfortunately, that means that two teams from either Surge, Mutineers, Ultra, or the Royal Ravens are immediately going home with their tails between their legs and absolutely no financial prizes from this round. Furthermore, the 9th and 10th-placing teams will also receive nothing in the way of prizes at this stage.
So, let’s break down these CDL Major Predictions as they unravel, in chronological order!
Round One – Elimination Bracket
London Royal Ravens vs. Toronto Ultra
Wednesday, March 3rd – 15:00 EST
We don’t want to be harsh, but this fight is a battle between two losing sides. Neither team performed all that well throughout the Super Week, bar a few isolated events, such as Methodz pulling a 1 v 4 over Legion on SnD Moscow. However, the Major is a different mindset, and both teams will be trying their utmost best to push through to the next round and take on Minnesota Rokkr. Ultimately, we’d say that, out of the two, Toronto Ultra is the superior team, and that’ll shine through in the match-up.
Pick: Toronto Ultra
Odds: 1.31
Betting Site: GG.bet Review
Winner: Toronto Ultra
Florida Mutineers vs. Seattle Surge
Wednesday, March 3rd – 16:30 EST
Once again, neither of these two teams had an exceptional week, with the Mutineers falling to the Guerrillas, Paris Legion, FaZe, and OpTic, while Surge gave up points to the Rokkr, Thieves, and the Subliners. It will undoubtedly be a neck-and-neck match against the two, but the might of Gunless and Loony shone through in the latter stages of the Super Week. Florida, on the other hand, has been relying more or less on Owakening, ‘Big Wake’, to pull any real surprises out of the bag. It’ll be close, but we have our prediction locked in.
Pick: Seattle Surge
Odds: 3.80
Betting Site: Unikrn Review
Winner: Florida Mutineers
Round One – Winners Bracket
Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. LA Thieves
Thursday, March 4th – 15:00 EST
It looks like we’ve got a derby on our hands, with both Los Angeles sides stepping up to the plate. It can be argued that the Thieves were the better side this week, beating both Seattle Surge and the London Royal Ravens, but neither team really put up that much of a fight. They ultimately fell to the Dallas Empire, suffering a crushing 0 – 3 defeat. The Guerrillas, on the other hand, lost out to Florida and OpTic but beat Toronto Ultra, who put up a hell of a fight. Unfortunately, we just cannot see the Guerrillas – Papa Apathy included – taking over the dominant forces of the Thieves. It’s no secret that TJHaly was on fire during the Super Week, with Temp and Kenny also throwing down some incredible scenes.
Pick: LA Thieves
Odds: 1.40
Betting Site: Winners.bet
New York Subliners vs. OpTic Chicago
Thursday, March 4th – 16:30 EST
This is a very hard one to call, as both teams have been playing considerably well in recent weeks. The New York Subliners stormed ahead in almost every single match-up they were put in, dominating the competition and showing fans that they’re a force to be reckoned with this year, but OpTic is tried, tested, and raring to go. During the Super Week, the Subliners put down both London and Minnesota with a devastating 3 – 0 win, then picked up a 3 – 1 win over Seattle Surge. OpTic, on the other hand, secured wins against Toronto Ultra, Los Angeles Guerrillas, and Florida, refusing to drop a single loss across the entire week.
It’s a veteran vs. veteran match-up that promises to be extremely exciting, and hard to call. It’s also the first time these two teams have ever played against one another – super interesting!
Pick: Optic Chicago
Odds: 1.70
Betting Site: GG.bet
Round Two – Elimination Bracket
Paris Legion vs. Florida Mutineers
Thursday, March 4th – 18:00 EST
Now, we’re going to see Paris Legion go up against Mutineers, and again, it’s a tough one to call. The Legion has been playing extremely well as a team recently, with the Super Week paying off in dividends for the French-founded side. They beat Florida 3 – 0 already, but can they repeat that performance when the two teams go head-to-head in the Major? It’s so hard to predict, but we’re in the Legion’s corner on this one, and it’ll ultimately come down to the team MVPs to lead the charge across the rotation.
Pick: Paris Legion
Odds: 2.48
Betting Site: GG.bet
Minnesota Rokkr vs. Toronto Ultra
Thursday, March 4th – 19:30 EST
The Rokkr started the season remarkably well, smashing down Dallas Empire to gain some early bragging rights, and that performance continued on into the Super Week. Although they lost to an overwhelmingly powerful NYSL side, Rokkr beat both Seattle Surge and London Royal Ravens 3 – 0, with Priestahh quite literally outplaying his entire team. Toronto Ultra lost every match in the last week, but they were playing well as a team and they’ve won the opening Major match-up. It’ll be interesting to see if they can overcome the Rokkr, but I just can’t see it happening ahead of time.
Pick: Minnesota Rokkr
Odds: 1.55
Betting Site: GG.bet
Round Two – Winners Bracket
Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. Atlanta FaZe
Friday, March 5th – 15:00 EST
Fear the Guerrillas! They’ve just beaten top-table favourites LA Thieves to push on in the Major, and now they face Atlanta FaZe, a remarkably formidable side. At this point, Atlanta FaZe is the only team in the league to have won every single match they’ve played. When these two teams last met, FaZe devastated the Guerrillas with a 3 – 0 win, but can Papa Apathy and Co now overcome the brand power of FaZe?
Pick: Atlanta FaZe
Winner: Atlanta FaZe
Dallas Empire vs. OpTic Chicago
Friday, March 5th – 16:30 EST
If there’s one match that’s going to be an exhilarating one, it’s this one right here. The reigning champions versus the oldest organisation in competitive Call of Duty history. OpTic has already shown impeccable form by beating the New York Subliners 3 – 0, but Dallas is yet to play a game in the Major as we speak. Can OpTic Chicago open the 2021 season with its first ever Major Tournament win?
Pick: Dallas Empire
Winner: Dallas Empire
Round Three – Elimination Bracket
Florida Mutineers vs. New York Subliners
Friday, March 5th – 18:00 EST
The Florida Mutineers are powering through the Elimination bracket, and the New York Subliners have dropped from the Winners bracket – there’s so much to play for here. If either team loses, they drop from the Major entirely, and they’re both so eager to prove themselves. Subliners did just lose 3 – 0 to OpTic, but they’ve been playing incredibly well recently, and Florida has started the Major by beating both Seattle Surge and Paris Legion. It’s a tough fight to call.
Pick: New York Subliners
Winner: New York Subliners
LA Thieves vs. Toronto Ultra
Friday, March 5th – 19:30 EST
Nobody, and I mean nobody, could have predicted that the Los Angeles Guerrillas would have beaten the LA Thieves, let alone have beaten them 3 – 0! However, it happened, and now the LA Thieves, favourites to win the League, are fighting against elimination with the Toronto Ultra. The latter team has been on shaky form recently, only just managing to overcome its first two teams to push up the board. Although, the Thieves failed miserably at the first post – could Ultra show them a repeat of that?
Pick: LA Thieves
Winner: LA Thieves
Round Four – Elimination Bracket
Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. New York Subliners
Saturday, 6th March – 15:00 EST
The Subliners have had a tough journey to get this far, and this is their last chance to push towards the final of the first Major. They’ll come up against an extremely capable Guerrillas side, which has already beaten the LA Thieves 3 – 0 (but then lost with the same scoreline to FaZe). This game will be intense, but who deserves the win? It can be argued that both of these teams are underdogs, and they have an equal claim to that first tournament prize.
Pick: New York Subliners
Odds: 1.44
Betting Site: GG.bet
OpTic Chicago vs. LA Thieves
Saturday, 6th March – 16:30 EST
It’s a big brand match-up, with the oldest organisation in Call of Duty history facing down one of the freshest names in the business. Like Thieves, OpTic has both won and lost a match through this Major, but Thieves has been the more dominant team in the competition so far this season. However, Dashyy (CHI) has been playing impeccably well in the last week, and he could be the clutching force that OpTic needs to seal the deal. Can they overcome the might of TJHaly, Kenny, SlasheR, and Temp?
Pick: LA Thieves
Odds: 3.46
Betting Site: GG.bet
Round Five – Elimination Bracket
(PREDICTED) New York Subliners vs. LA Thieves
Saturday, 6th March – 18:00 EST
We’re approaching the final matches now, and it’s really all or nothing for these two teams. If they’ve successfully faced down their opponents in the previous matches, they’ll now have a second-to-last opportunity to enter the $200,000 final stage. It’s no secret that the NYSL has been extremely surprising in recent weeks, but the Thieves have shown impeccable promise as the season has unravelled. They’re a favourite to win, and they’re our pick for this predicted face-off.
Pick: LA Thieves
Winners Bracket Final
Dallas Empire vs. Atlanta FaZe
Sunday, 7th March – 15:00 EST
We’re just two matches from the Grand Final of the first Major Tournament, and it’s extremely close quarters. The NYSL have stunned audiences worldwide, and they’ll be playing the loser of this match for a chance to break into the Final.
However, it all comes down to Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe, the first and second-place finishers (respectively) from the inaugural 2020 season of the Call of Duty League. FaZe has had the better form in recent weeks, but Dallas has that champion spirit behind them. Who will make it to the Final?
Pick: Dallas Empire
Odds: 2.31
Betting Site: GG.bet
Elimination Bracket Final
(PREDICTED) Atlanta FaZe vs. New York Subliners
The Subliners are eagerly sitting on the sidelines, awaiting a new challenger to fall down from the Winners bracket, and it’ll come in the form of FaZe or Dallas. NYSL has decimated the recent competition here, losing 3 – 0 to OpTic then coming back and beating Florida, the Guerrillas, and OpTic.
Can they hold it together in this match and push to the final? It’s the veteran Clayster backed by three relatively rookies, but the likes of Diamondcon have been impressive recently. I’d love to see the underdog push up, but I can’t shake the FaZe dominance.
Pick: Atlanta FaZe
Grand Final
(PREDICTED) Atlanta FaZe vs. Dallas Empire
This is it – this is what we’ve been waiting for all week. It’s the Grand Final for the first Major Tournament of the Call of Duty League 2021 season, and it’s going to be explosive. I’m predicting that Dallas will dash FaZe down the Elimination bracket, but they’ll beat NYSL to get back up to the Grand Final.
If that happens, it’ll be a clash of the titans, with $200,000 on the line, and two fantastic teams fighting for it. I can honestly see this going becoming a 5-map bonanza, complete with close Controls, tight Hardpoints, and an eleven-round SnD. Buckle up, this is going to be a game to remember.
Pick: Dallas Empire
