Call of Duty League
H3CZ explains why Nadeshot’s LA Thieves aren’t OpTic’s biggest CDL rivals
OpTic CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez explained in an interview, that the Los Angeles Thieves aren’t their biggest rivals.
There is massive hype for the matchup of OpTic and the Los Angeles Thieves in the 2021 season, but CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez disagrees with fans’ claims that the two are major rivals.
Now that it’s 2021, it’s time for a brand new CoD Season where we’ll see members of the Call of Duty League compete over the course of the year. Fans are excitedly waiting to see the Los Angeles Thieves face off against H3CZ’s OpTic in the CDL Kickoff Classic.
100 Thieves owner Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag is an ex-OpTic player and remains close friends with H3CZ, and they’re both extremely competitive, so it’s understandable why fans are so excited to see their first CDL showdown.
There is a lot of hype for the 2021 CDL regular season starting in February, and H3CZ gave an interview in which he disagreed with the claim that the Thieves are OpTic’s biggest rivals.
Why LA Thieves aren’t OpTic’s main CDL rival
Anthony ‘NAMELESS’ Wheeler interviewed H3CZ on January 19, and asked him “Do you think that’s going to be your team’s biggest rival this year?” This was met with a direct and blunt response: “No.”
“I get it. I get we’re trying to hype this thing up,” he admitted. H3CZ doesn’t feel like the Thieves should immediately be considered their top challenger due to their history outside of the game.
“I just don’t think Call of Duty needs the added extra,” H3CZ explained. “Storylines are going to develop from the beginning.” He made it clear that he would prefer to see rivalries develop “organically.”
He followed this by standing by a statement he made back in December: “Everyone that doesn’t say FaZe or Empire is their number one rivalry is just playing for the crowd.”
The discussion takes place at the 14:00 mark below.
OpTic is massively talented, and H3CZ wants the Chicago lineup to show how competitive they can be in 2021. “Everybody here is going after Empire, period. If you’re not gunning after the champions… I don’t know.”
H3CZ considers this supposed rivalry to be something the fans made up, and with no grounds in reality. He considers this kind of thinking to be “too WWE,” and then elaborates: “For people to be like ‘oh, it’s Nadeshot vs H3CZ,’ we’re not those dudes.”
The triumphant return of H3CZ’s OpTic to Call of Duty, along with their battle against Nadeshot’s LA Thieves, will take place on January 24. We’ll keep you informed about any new updates in the CDL Kickoff Classic 2021.
Image Credit: Activision Blizzard / LA Thieves

Call of Duty League
How to watch $500k CDL Stage 1 Major
The $500k Call of Duty League Season 1 Major is finally here, with all 12 teams in action. Check out the stream, results, schedule, and bracket.
After weeks of competition in Stage 1 of the 2021 season, the first Call of Duty League Major is underway, and we’ve got all the information you need to catch the $500,000 tournament.
- CDL Stage 1 Major runs from Wednesday, March 3 to Sunday, March 7.
- $500,000 prize pool, all 12 teams will feature. Seedings based on Stage 1 results.
- Seattle Surge and London Royal Ravens eliminated on day one.
Call of Duty League 2021’s Stage 1 is drawing to its epic conclusion, with all 12 teams competing in the $500,000 Major tournament. A new addition to the 2021 format, the double-elimination tournament is the first time we’ve seen knockout action this year, with Seattle Surge and London Royal Ravens already eliminated after the first day of competition.
Day Two sees the start of Winner’s Bracket play, with LA Thieves facing their local rivals LA Guerrillas, while Chicago OpTic square off with New York Subliners.
Stream
Just like CDL Home Series events, all the action from this week’s Major will be broadcast on the official Call of Duty League YouTube channel, which is embedded below.
This is also the last chance to earn special Stage 1 rewards by linking your Activision and YouTube accounts.
Schedule
Day 2: Thursday, March 4
Round | Teams | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Mar. 4) |
Winners R1 | LA Thieves vs LA Guerrillas | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
Winners R1 | OpTic Chicago vs New York Subliners | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
Losers R2 | Paris Legion vs TBD | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Losers R2 | Minnesota ROKKR vs TBD | 4:30 PM | 7:30 PM | 12:30 AM | 11:30 AM |
Day 3: Friday, March 5
Round | Teams | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Mar. 4) |
Winners R2 | Dallas Empire vs TBD | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
Winners R2 | Atlanta FaZe vs TBD | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
Losers R3 | TBD vs TBD | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Losers R3 | TBD vs TBD | 4:30 PM | 7:30 PM | 12:30 AM | 11:30 AM |
Day 4: Saturday, March 6
Round | Teams | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Mar. 4) |
Losers R4 | TBD vs TBD | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
Losers R4 | TBD vs TBD | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
Losers R5 | TBD vs TBD | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Day 5: Sunday, March 7
Round | Teams | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Mar. 4) |
Winners Final | TBD vs TBD | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
Losers Final | TBD vs TBD | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
Grand Final | TBD vs TBD | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Results
Day 1: Wednesday, March 3
Round | Teams | Hardpoint | S&D | Control | Hardpoint | S&D |
Losers R1 | London Royal Ravens 2-3 Toronto Ultra | TOR 250-142 (Garrison) | LRR 6-3 (Garrison) | TOR 3-0 (Raid) | LRR (250-202) (Moscow) | TOR 6-4 (Moscow) |
Losers R1 | Florida Mutineers 3-1 Seattle Surge | FLA 250-235 (Crossroads) | SEA 6-5 (Checkmate) | FLA 3-0 (Garrison) | FLA 250-157 (Raid) | N/A |
The Stage 1 Major ended at the first hurdle for the winless London Royal Ravens, who put up a valiant effort in a tightly-contested affair with Toronto Ultra. Dealt another major blow after the loss of Alexx, who returned to the UK to deal with a family emergency, the Ravens pushed the Ultra all the way to Game 5, but fell 6-4 to Ultra on Moscow.
Seattle Surge joined the Ravens in the following match, with Owakening putting on a sublime showing for the Florida Mutineers to give them a series lead in the Control, before a dominant Raid Hardpoint sent them through to the Losers Round 2.
CDL Stage 1 Major brackets
The Call of Duty League used the Stage 1 standings to determine where teams would start in the Major, with Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe receiving a bye in the Winner’s Bracket after winning their respective groups.
The bottom six CDL Stage 1 start in the Loser’s Bracket, with Paris Legion and Minnesota ROKKR receiving a pass through to Loser’s Round 2.
Format & Info
- Location: Online
- Prize Pool: $500,000
- Format: Double-elimination bracket
- Seeding: Determined by Stage 1 standings
- Maps & Modes:
- Hardpoint: Checkmate, Crossroads, Garrison, Moscow, Raid
- Search & Destroy: Checkmate, Garrison, Miami, Moscow, Raid
- Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid
- Match format: Best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D)
Prize Pool and CDL Points Breakdown
Placement | Team | Prize ($USD) | CDL Points |
1 | $200,000 | 75 | |
2 | $120,000 | 60 | |
3 | $80,000 | 50 | |
4 | $40,000 | 40 | |
5-6 | $20,000 | 30 | |
5-6 | $20,000 | 30 | |
7-8 | $10,000 | 20 | |
7-8 | $10,000 | 20 | |
9-10 | $0 | 10 | |
9-10 | $0 | 10 | |
11-12 | Seattle Surge | $0 | 0 |
11-12 | London Royal Ravens | $0 | 0 |
CDL Stage 1 rosters
All 12 teams will be taking part in the CDL Stage 1 Major, as teams jockey for position in hopes of becoming the Stage 1 Winners, and taking the top prize of $200,000.
Team | Roster |
Dallas Empire | Crimsix, Shotzzy, Huke, iLLeY |
Atlanta FaZe | Simp, Cellium, aBeZy, Arcitys |
Florida Mutineers | Skyz, Owakening, Slacked, Neptune |
London Royal Ravens | Zed, Dylan. Seany, Zer0 |
LA Thieves | Kenny, SlasheR, TJHaly, Temp |
OpTic Chicago | Scump, FormaL, Envoy, Dashy |
Minesotta ROKKR | Accuracy, Attach, Priestahh, MajorManiak |
LA Guerrillas | SiLLY, Assault, Apathy, Vivid |
New York Subliners | Clayster, Asim, Diamondcon, Mack |
Paris Legion | AquA, Classic, Fire, Skrapz |
Seattle Surge | Octane, Gunless, Prestinni, Loony |
Toronto Ultra | Methodz, Bance, Cammy, CleanX |
Call of Duty
Every Call of Duty creator code: Streamers, pros, more
Call of Duty’s Support a Creator program allows players to support their favorite content creators and pros, so here’s every code you can use.
Activision is enabling fans to support their favorite Call of Duty pro players and content creators with the ‘Support a Creator’ program, so here’s everyone you can support through the Store.
With some of the biggest names in gaming playing and promoting Call of Duty, Activision has launched the ‘Support a Creator’ program. Here, CDL pro players, streamers, and YouTubers receive a cut of the profits made from purchases in the Call of Duty Store.
Across Modern Warfare, Warzone, and Black Ops Cold War, these creators and pros will receive $5 for every 10,000 CoD Points spent with their code inputted.
How to use CoD Support a Creator code
To support your favorite Call of Duty content creator or pro, you need to enter their code in the Store.
After purchasing CoD Points, make sure you have inputted one of the creator codes below before purchasing any bundles from the Store.
To select a creator to support:
- Launch Modern Warfare, Warzone, or Black Ops Cold War
- Navigate to the Store tab
- Select “Support a Creator”
- Input one of the creator codes below
- Purchase a Bundle or Battle Pass with your CoD Points
- Your selected creator or pro will now receive a portion of the profits from your purchase
These codes will expire after two weeks, so make sure to double-check you have a code inputted before making a purchase.
And as a reminder, enter these creator codes in all caps.
Twitch and YouTuber creator codes
The Support a Creator program was released in August 2020, and as it continues to develop, more and more creators are receiving codes.
Here are the creator codes for some of the biggest and most recognizable names in Call of Duty:
- FaZe Swagg: “SWAGG”
- TimTheTatman: “TIMTHETATMAN”
- TeeP: “TEEP”
- Spratt: “SPRATT”
- Symfuhny: “SYM”
- NuFo: “NUFO”
- NoisyButters: “BUTTERS”
- ShawnJGaming: “SHAWNJ”
- Vikkstar123: “VIKK”
- Michi: “MICHI”
- GoldGloveTV: “GOLDGLOVE”
- NICKMERCS: “MFAM”
- Drfit0r: “DRIFT0R”
- JackFrags: “JACKFRAGS”
- MarleyThirteen: “MARLEY”
- CouRage: “COURAGE”
- Chaos: “CHAOS”
- HusKerrs: “HUSKERRS”
- PrestigeIsKey: “PRESTIGE”
- KRNG Espresso: “ESPRESSO”
- Tejbz: “TEJBZ”
Call of Duty League players creator codes
A selection of “all-star” CDL pros have received creator codes. With the program continuing to develop, expect more players to be added as the 2021 Season develops.
Here is a list of the 2020 and 2021 Season’s CDL pro players creator codes:
- aBeZy: “ABEZY”
- Apathy: “APATHY”
- Arcitys: “ARCITYS”
- Attach: “ATTACH”
- Blazt: “BLAZT”
- Crimsix: “CRIM”
- Cammy: “CAMMY”
- Cellium: “CELLIUM”
- Clayser: “CLAY”
- CleanX: “CLEANX”
- Dashy: “DASHY”
- Denz: “DENZ”
- Enable: “ENABLE”
- Envoy: “ENVOY”
- FormaL: “FORMAL”
- GodRX: “GODRX”
- Huke: “HUKE”
- iLLeY: “ILLEY”
- KiSMET: “KISMET”
- Kuavo: “KUAVO”
- Mack: “MACK”
- Methodz: “METHODZ”
- Octane: “OCTANE”
- Scump: “SCUMP”
- Seany: “SEANY”
- Shotzzy: “SHOTZZY”
- SiLLY: “SILLY”
- Simp: “SIMP”
- Skrapz: “SKRAPZ”
- Skyz: “SKYZ”
- SlasheR: “SLASHER”
- Vivid: “VIVID”
- Owakening: “WAKE”
- Wuskin: “WUSKIN”
- ZooMaa: “ZOOMAA”
If you have a creator code and aren’t included here, please Tweet us @CharlieINTEL, and we’ll be delighted to add you to this list.
Image Credit: Activision / Zippo / Vikkstar / NICKMERCS
Call of Duty League
How to get Call of Duty League Stage 1 rewards
You can get in-game rewards such as calling cards and double XP.
Call of Duty League 2021’s Stage 1 Major event takes place March 3-7 and offers viewers a ton of free in-game items to earn, so here’s how to unlock the CDL Stage 1 viewership rewards.
Following the CDL Kickoff Classic, the Call of Duty League will officially kick off on February 11 with the Opening Weekend hosted by Atlanta FaZe.
With Dallas Empire looking to defend their title, the return of H3CZ’s OpTic, and newcomers LA Thieves looking to prove themselves, it’s shaping up to be a great year for competitive Call of Duty fans.
While watching the narratives of the year unfold, you can also earn free in-game rewards such as calling cards and double XP just for watching. Here’s how to get the CDL Stage 1 rewards.
How to earn CDL Stage 1 rewards
To earn the free in-game rewards for the CDL launch weekend, you must have an Activision account. If you don’t have one already, you can create one on Activision.com by heading to ‘register’ in the right-hand corner.
Link CoD account to YouTube
Rewards are earned by watching CDL Stage 1 through a YouTube account linked to Call of Duty.
To link your account on PC and mobile:
- Open YouTube.com or the YouTube app
- Select your profile photo and hit ‘settings’
- Click on ‘Connected Apps’
- Locate ‘Activision’ and hit ‘connect’
- Sign in to your Activision account
While signed in with your linked YouTube account, watch CDL matches on YouTube, CallofDutyLeague.com, or the COD companion app to earn the rewards.
CDL Stage 1 Major in-game rewards
And as you watch matches throughout Stage 1, you’ll earn Double XP and Double Weapon XP tokens to redeem for Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.
- Read more: Warzone to join Call of Duty League
For watching at least three hours of the Stage 1 Major in the first week of March, you can earn three competitive CoD themed calling cards and an emblem. With these, you can channel your inner Cellium by rocking the ‘Snaked’ calling card and taunt your opponents with the ‘salty’ emblem.
Image Credit: Activision