Call of Duty League
Los Angeles and Minnesota announced for franchised Call of Duty League
Activision has announced two new cities that will be joining the franchised Call of Duty League: Los Angeles and Minnesota.
The Los Angeles Spot will be owned by OpTic Gaming and their new parent company Immortals Gaming Club. Immortals Gaming Club (IGC) is the world’s first vertically integrated, truly global esports and gaming company. IGC owns and operates IGC esports, which houses the company’s competitive esports brands Immortals, Los Angeles Valiant (Overwatch League), OpTic Gaming and MIBR; and Gamers Club, the leading matchmaking platform and community hub for gamers in Brazil and Latin America.
Minnesota’s spot will be owned by WISE Ventures, a new group funded by Gary Vaynerchuk and Wilf family, owners of Minnesota Vikings. WISE Ventures, an investment fund based in Manhattan focused on early and growth stage investment opportunities that leverage our strategic value. Led by an ownership group with deep sports & entertainment and real estate experience, WISE is able to assess, champion, and add value to next-gen companies in those industries.
- Bobby Kotick, CEO at Activision Blizzard:“I’m excited to welcome the newest teams, Los Angeles and Minnesota, to our incredible lineup – Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Paris and Toronto – for Call of Duty esports. Together, these ownership groups represent some of the very best organizations in esports and traditional sports who will join us in paving the way for the future of professional, city-based competition for Call of Duty.”
- Pete Vlastelica, President and CEO at Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues: “We’re very excited to welcome WISE Ventures into the esports community and to partner with both WISE Ventures and OpTic Gaming for the future of Call of Duty esports. Activision Blizzard Esports is dedicated to partnering with organizations that have a passion for competitive entertainment and share our vision for the future of esports.”
- Ari Segal, CEO, Immortals Gaming Club (LOS ANGELES) –“By participating in the city-based model, we recognize the opportunity that the new Call of Duty esports league creates for us to tap into two existing sources of affinity: regional or city-based pride, and affinity for Call of Duty itself. Call of Duty League also allows us to scale the relationships we’ve been fortunate to build with both Activision Blizzard Esports leadership and senior management into a new and largely distinct market segment.”
- Jonathan Wilf, WISE Ventures (MINNESOTA) – “Esports and competitive gaming has clearly emerged as a major force in the sports and entertainment industry. We have explored various opportunities in esports over the past few years, and we believe the new Call of Duty esports league is well positioned for long term success.”
OpTic Gaming (Immortals) and WISE Ventures join the five previously announced teams — Atlanta, Toronto, New York, Paris, and Dallas — as Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues prepares to franchise the official Call of Duty League to match the Overwatch League format. There’s seven teams now secured for the new 2020 CDL.
The franchised Call of Duty League is expected to being in 2020 with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Activision says more details on how the new League will work will be discussed in the months ahead. There’s a lot of questions fans have about the league, so hopefully Activision delivers some of those answers.
Activision Blizzard CEO mentioned back in early May that the entry fee to secure a spot was “dramatically” higher than that of the Overwatch League, which was around $10-15 million in Season 1. ESPN reported earlier this year that Call of Duty League team spots are going for $25 million each.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
OpTic Scump & FormaL explain how to fix Black Ops Cold War League Play
Call of Duty League pro players Scump and FormaL have explained how Treyarch could improve its divisive League Play system.
Members of OpTic Gaming including Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper have explained how Black Ops Cold War’s League Play system could be improved.
Fans have been divided over Black Ops Cold War’s League Play system since its launch on February 8. On one hand, it offers a competitive 4v4 experience with a much more balanced weapon and equipment pool. On the other, many find the ranking system confusing and unrewarding.
During an OpTic Gaming round table discussion alongside OpTic Hitch and H3CZ, CDL pro players Scump and FormaL discussed how Treyarch could fix Black Ops Cold War’s League Play.
Offer League Play rewards as incentives to play
Hitch and FormaL discussed how there’s no incentive for a casual player to play League Play. Currently, League Play offers calling cards and emblems to players who consistently finish at the top of their ladders, but Hitch, FormaL, and Scump don’t feel this is enough.
- Read more: How to watch CDL Super Week stream
Scump said that Cold War’s League Play won’t “bring any outsiders in,” and FormaL and Hitch continued this train of thought. Hitch brought up that there should be gear and “cool ranks” to grind for, and FormaL feels that even offering Double XP weekends in League Play would bring in more players.
FormaL elaborated on offering ranks, making reference to Valorant and how players are grinding to reach the top tier of its ranked system, but there’s nothing to grind for in Cold War. If the game launched with a “dope-a**” ranking system for players to grind, “that’s how you bring in new people,” explained FormaL.
A standardized League Play Elo system
Although admitting they don’t know the inner workings of Activision and its companies, the OpTic boys also felt that Call of Duty’s League Play would benefit from a standardized Elo system across all titles. Scump and FormaL brought up Halo and CoD: WWII as examples of a strong Elo system and Black Ops 4 and Cold War felt like a step back.
FormaL admits that developing a brand new system in a pandemic may be tough, but he doesn’t see why they can’t ask Sledgehammer Games for the code to their popular system so it can be added to Cold War. H3CZ chimed in, saying he doesn’t know why “whoever has the best League Play doesn’t say: ‘yo, use this algorithm or use this structure’.”
Treyarch’s David Vonderhaar has responded to players’ frustration with League Play, so it’s possible that the system will be revamped in the future.
Image Credit: Treyarch / Zippo
Call of Duty League
CDL Stage 1 Super Week: Stream, schedule, format
The Call of Duty League’s Stage 1 continues with a Super Week of matches, and we have the stream, schedule, rosters, and format.
The Call of Duty League 2021 season continues with a Super Week of Stage 1 matches, with the action kicking off again on February 22. Here’s everything you need to catch all of the Black Ops Cold War action.
- Super Week of CDL Stage 1 action takes place February 22-28.
- All 12 teams in action again, OpTic vs Ultra & Empire vs LA Thieves as stand-out matches.
- CDL points earned during Stage 1 used to seed teams for first Major.
Due to adverse weather conditions in Texas causing power outages for players, CDL Stage 1 Week 2 was postponed. Not to worry though, Week 2 and Week 3 have been combined into a Super Week beginning on Monday, February 22.
The Opening Weekend saw LA Thieves and Atlanta FaZe leave with perfect 2-0 records, while teams like OpTic Chicago and Dallas Empire will be hoping to avenge their Week 1 defeats when the matches begin again for the Super Week.
Every match is vital, with the 10 CDL points awarded to the winners used to determine seeding for the first Call of Duty League Major, which boats a huge $500,000 prize pool.
CDL Stage 1 Super Week stream
As always, the Call of Duty League streams all it’s matches exclusively on YouTube, where you can also find replays of any match that has been completed.
You can also earn in-game rewards by linking your Activision and YouTube accounts and watching the games live.
CDL Stage 1 Super Week Schedule
For the Super Week, CDL matches will be played every day of the week. Monday will feature two games, while Tuesday to Sunday have three. You can view the full schedule below.
Day One – Monday, February 22
| Match | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Feb 23) |
| LA Guerrillas vs Florida Mutineers | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
| Toronto Ultra vs Atlanta FaZe | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
Day Two – Tuesday, February 23
| Match | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Feb 24 ) |
| Florida Mutineers vs Paris Legion | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
| New York Subliners vs London Royal Ravens | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 PM |
| Seattle Surge vs Minnesota ROKKR | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Day Three – Wednesday, February 24
| Match | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Feb 25) |
| London Royal Ravens vs Dallas Empire | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
| LA Thieves vs Seattle Surge | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
| Toronto Ultra vs OpTic Chicago | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Day Four – Thursday, February 25
| Match | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Feb 26) |
| New York Subliners vs Minnesota ROKKR | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
| Seattle Surge vs LA Thieves | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
| OpTic Chicago vs Toronto Ultra | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Day Five – Friday, February 26
| Match | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Feb 27) |
| LA Thieves vs London Royale Ravens | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
| Toronto Ultra vs Paris Legion | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
| Dallas vs New York Subliners | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Day Six – Saturday, February 27
| Match | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (Feb 28) |
| Atlanta FaZe vs Paris Legion | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
| Minnesota ROKKR vs London Royale Ravens | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
| Toronto Ultra vs LA Guerrillas | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
Day Seven – Sunday, February 28
| Match | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT (March 1) |
| New York Subliners vs Seattle Surge | 12:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
| OpTic Chicago vs Florida Mutineers | 1:30 PM | 4:30 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 AM |
| Dallas Empire vs LA Thieves | 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
CDL Stage 1 Super Week: Format & CDL Points
- Location: Online
- Prize Pool: N/A
- CDL Points: 10 per win
- Maps & Modes:
- Hardpoint: Checkmate, Crossroads, Garrison, Moscow, Raid
- Search & Destroy: Checkmate, Garrison, Miami, Moscow, Raid
- Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid
- Matches are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D)
Call of Duty League Stage 1 standings
Group A
| Rank | Team | W-L | Map Record | CDL Points |
| 1 | LA Thieves | 2-0 | 6-1 | 20 |
| 2 | Dallas Empire | 1-1 | 5-3 | 10 |
| 3 | Minnesota ROKKR | 1-1 | 4-5 | 10 |
| 4 | Seattle Surge | 1-1 | 3-5 | 10 |
| 5 | London Royal Ravens | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0 |
| 6 | New York Subliners | 0-1 | 0-3 | 0 |
Group B
| Rank | Team | W-L | Map Record | CDL Points |
| 1 | Atlanta FaZe | 2-0 | 6-2 | 20 |
| 2 | Toronto Ultra | 1-0 | 3-1 | 10 |
| 3 | OpTic Chicago | 1-1 | 5-3 | 10 |
| 4 | LA Guerrillas | 1-1 | 3-5 | 10 |
| 5 | Florida Mutineers | 0-1 | 1-3 | 0 |
| 6 | Paris Legion | 0-2 | 2-6 | 0 |
CDL Super Week Team Rosters
All 12 teams will be taking part in the CDL Stage 1’s Super Week, with Parasite making his second appearance for the London Royal Ravens after an impressive showing in their defeat to Paris Legion at Opening Weekend.
| Team | Roster |
| Dallas Empire | Crimsix, Shotzzy, Huke, iLLeY |
| Atlanta FaZe | Simp, Cellium, aBeZy, Arcitys |
| Florida Mutineers | Skyz, Owakening, Slacked, Neptune |
| London Royal Ravens | Alexx, 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 |
Image Credit: Activision
Call of Duty League
David Vonderhaar potentially leaks CDL Champs 2021 dates
After receiving a note from Atlanta FaZe, David Vonderhaar has potentially leaked the date for the Call of Duty League Champs 2021.
The Call of Duty League officially kicks off on February 8, but an image posted by David Vonderhaar appears to reveal the date for CDL Champs 2021.
At the end of a long season of Call of Duty League, the top-performing teams will advance to the Championship Event to crown a winner. Last year, Dallas Empire took home the win after beating Atlanta FaZe in the finals, so they will be looking to make it two in a row.
The 2021 Season Schedule has already been revealed, but it doesn’t include the most important event: CDL Champs.
Ahead of their Home Series Opening Weekend, Atlanta FaZe sent David Vonderhaar, Treyarch’s Studio Design Director, an “exclusive military crate.”
After Vonderhaar showed off his special package, some eagle-eyed Twitter users spotted a note on the bottom of one of the sheets of paper which could prove to be a major clue about the CDL Champs 2021 dates.
Written on the note is the phrase “August 9-15 – CDL,” which immediately sent CoD esports fans into a frenzy, with many guessing that this is the date for the season-ending event, and Vonderhaar had accidentally leaked it.
While this could certainly be a plausible story, it is worth noting that the page also shows dates for some of the other Home Series events which are different from the official 2021 schedule.
January’s news revealed that Seattle Surge was set to host their Home Series at the beginning of July, but FaZe’s note has it on the slate for the end of June. Therefore, it’s possible that Atlanta FaZe’s information is old and no longer correct.
For now, it’s highly possible that CDL Champs 2021 will take place in the week beginning August 9.
The Call of Duty League officially kicks off on February 8, so keep an eye on Charlie Intel for all the latest CDL news.
Image Credit: Activision / David Vonderhaar
Warzone Feb 24 Season 2 patch notes: new POIs, weapon updates, more
Get the intel on what's new and updated in Call of Duty: Warzone Season 2.
Cold War Outbreak Zombies mode: Easter Eggs, Evolution, Future
The new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Outbreak Zombies mode has arrived on all platforms with the Season...
Black Ops Cold War Season 2 Feb 23 patch notes: New Content, Map Updates, League Play changes
The latest update for Black Ops Cold War arrives with Season 2.