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Call of Duty

LA Thieves and Atlanta FaZe steal the show at Opening Weekend 2021

The Call of Duty League’s Opening Weekend 2021 marked the beginning of the 2021 season. LA Thieves and Atlanta FaZe are now top of groups A and B after finishing the weekend unbeaten.

Image: Breaking Point

There were plenty of highlights, from upsets to impressive plays, that made it a weekend to remember. Current champions Dallas Empire suffered an unexpected defeat to Minnesota Rokkr whilst Atlanta FaZe took down a menacing OpTic Chicago.

The second weekend is right around the corner where we will get a better idea of what teams are ahead of the pack.

https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1361405167581675522

LA Thieves top Group A

Nadeshot’s LA Thieves faced Minnesota Rokkr in their first match of the weekend. They started the series off hot but Rokkr bounced back to level the series at 1-1.

https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1359971008325779456

Thieves then took over the series and closed it out 3-1, starting their CDL campaign on a high. They then met Clayster and the New York Subliners on Saturday in what was expected to be an exciting match-up.

The series really had it all with flashy plays being made left, right, and centre. In map one, Thieves’ Kenny found three Subliners players in his line of sight when the scores were tied. He cleaned up all three which turned the odds in LA’s favour as they won the map.

https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1360759061944360966
Kenny with the triple!

Search and Destroy often provides the best highlights and that was true of the second map. Kenny pulled off the first 1v3 of the season to win the round. Subliners rookie, Diamondcon, then completed a 1v2 of his own in a thrilling map that was won by Thieves.

Another one!
Not a bad way to start for a rookie

LA closed out the series 3-0 which placed them at the top of Group A.

Atlanta FaZe fight off OpTic

FaZe made light work of the Guerillas in their first match, but the one that had everyone talking was the match of the weekend versus OpTic Chicago.

Chicago were slight favourites heading into the series following Atlanta’s defeat to the Mutineers in the Kickoff Classic.

OpTic was in the driving seat after map one as they closed out the Hardpoint 250-225.

https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1361115744176644101
OpTic had the opening map in the battle of the titans

However, Atlanta bounced back with a vengeance and levelled the series with a 6-0 victory in the Search and Destroy. In what was a back and forth series, OpTic won a tightly-contested third map to go 2-1 up but FaZe forced the map five after aBeZy ran rampant in the second Hardpoint.

https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1361129793186578437
ooo baby a triple

Atlanta’s aBeZy took over the fifth map and guided his team to an enthralling series victory that topped off a great weekend of matches.

What was your favourite moment from the Opening Weekend 2021?

Let us know!

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Call of Duty

Atlanta FaZe vs OpTic Chicago: Game to watch at CDL Opening Weekend

The Call of Duty League is back with a bang as esports giants Atlanta FaZe and OpTic Chicago collide at the Opening Weekend.

The inaugural season of the Call of Duty League saw a shift to online gameplay and Dallas Empire crowned champions.

This year will continue in an online format for the foreseeable future meaning fans will have to wait that bit longer to attend live events.

All 12 teams took part in showcase matches at the Kickoff Classic last month where we saw a glimpse of how teams are performing ahead of the 2021 season.

Now we look forward to the Opening Weekend hosted by Atlanta FaZe which kicks off on February 11.

There are some exciting match-ups across the weekend but the one that has everyone talking is the final series of the weekend – Atlanta FaZe vs OpTic Chicago.

https://twitter.com/codleague/status/1358868452593827846?s=21

A new rivalry – Atlanta vs Chicago

OpTic and FaZe are among the organisations that come to mind when talking about competitive Call of Duty.

Both have deep roots in Call of Duty and a subtle rivalry between the two has formed through the years.

With Atlanta FaZe and OpTic Chicago looking like the teams to beat this season, this rivalry has the potential to intensify as the year progresses.

The young FaZe squad of Simp, aBeZy, Cellium and Arcitys is a dangerous team on paper.

However, they suffered an unexpected 3-2 defeat to the Mutineers at the Kickoff Classic.

Although this was only a showcase match, there were still thousands of fans watching the live broadcast and Atlanta’s performance was below par.

The T2P duo, Scump and Formal, are looking better than ever in pre-season scrims. The pair also stole the show at the Kickoff Classic where OpTic took down LA Thieves 3-0.

Formal suffered from internet issues last season as he was based in California. However, this year he moved to Texas with the rest of his team and looks like a whole new beast.

Heading into the Opening Weekend, it would seem OpTic have the slight upper hand over FaZe.

Who do you think will win the main event this weekend? Will T2P takeover? Or will Simp steal the show?

Let us know! Follow Dartfrog for all the latest Call of Duty news and analysis on our TwitterFacebookInstagram, and Twitch.

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Call of Duty

CDL 2021 season details revealed during Kickoff Classic

The Call of Duty League’s Kickoff Classic showcase event has concluded and more details about the 2021 season were revealed.

All 12 CDL teams took part in the Kickoff Classic where fans voted for the matches they wanted to see.

In addition to the six matches that took place, a more in-depth look at the 2021 season’s structure was detailed throughout the stream.

The season will be separated into five stages with each stage spanning over three weeks. All stages will culminate in a major where brackets are decided by each team’s performance in the stages.

The Playoffs will then take place after all five majors where teams will compete to win the Call of Duty League Championship, previously won by Dallas Empire.

A group draw was carried out to decide which six teams would be in Group A and which six teams would be in Group B.

Watch the draw show here:

https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1353542758313517057

Every team will host their own home series on 12 separate weekends throughout the season. The first home series will be hosted by Atlanta FaZe at the Opening Weekend on February 11-14.

Here is a look at the full schedule for the CDL 2021 season:

https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1353749724021415937

CDL 2021 Opening Weekend schedule

The first weekend of matches are quickly approaching and you will not want to miss all the action. Here is a look at the full schedule for the Opening Weekend hosted by Atlanta FaZe:

  • THU, FEB 11 8:00 PM MINNESOTA RØKKR VS LOS ANGELES THIEVES
  • THU, FEB 11 9:30 PM SEATTLE SURGE VS DALLAS EMPIRE
  • FRI, FEB 12 8:00 PM PARIS LEGION VS OPTIC CHICAGO
  • FRI, FEB 12 9:30 PM LOS ANGELES GUERRILLAS VS ATLANTA FAZE
  • SAT, FEB 13 8:00 PM PARIS LEGION VS LOS ANGELES GUERRILLAS
  • SAT, FEB 13 9:30 PM TORONTO ULTRA VS FLORIDA MUTINEERS
  • SAT, FEB 13 11:00 PM NEW YORK SUBLINERS VS LOS ANGELES THIEVES
  • SUN, FEB 14 8:00 PM SEATTLE SURGE VS LONDON ROYAL RAVENS
  • SUN, FEB 14 9:30 PM MINNESOTA RØKKR VS DALLAS EMPIRE
  • SUN, FEB 14 11:00 PM OPTIC CHICAGO VS ATLANTA FAZE

Who will you be rooting for this season?

Let us know!

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Featured Image: Call of Duty League

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Call of Duty

Atlanta FaZe win Fero Memorial tournament

Atlanta FaZe took first place at the Fero Memorial tournament and only dropped two maps across the entire weekend.

Tributes flooded in for twenty-one year old Maurice “Fero” Henriquez after his unexpected death was announced last month.

The memorial tournament in honour of Fero consisted of 162 teams with a $5,850 prize pool. It took place in a double-elimination format with a best-of-five series in winners bracket and a best-of-three series in losers bracket.

It was hosted by tournament organiser Cheetowunga and matches were casted by upcoming talent including IHOLDSHIFT, ProperCasts, VisionZzCasts and 4Trixal.

Professional players as well as amateurs took part in the event with notable teams such as OpTic Chicago, Dallas Empire and Florida Mutineers on the team list.

How Atlanta FaZe won the Fero Memorial

The Atlanta FaZe roster consists of aBezy, Simp, Cellium and Arcitys. They began the tournament against Team SHP which they made light work of, beating them 3-0.

Atlanta then fought their way to the winners bracket where they met WestR, a team consisting of PaulEhx, Zaptius, Venom and GRVTY. The boys in red took the win and booked their place in the grand final.

It would then be a rematch in the grand final as Atlanta faced WestR once again. WestR failed for the second time to beat FaZe as they took the crown.

Arcitys reflected on his team’s win with a touching message as he called to make it an annual tournament.

Final Placements

1st Place: Atlanta FaZe ($4000) aBezy, Simp, Cellium, Arcitys

2nd Place: WestR ($1200) PaulEhx, Zaptius, Venom, GRVTY

3rd Place: Florida Mutineers ($600) Havok, Skyz, Owakening, Slacked

4th Place: Big Dawgs Prolutue, Optimum, Drazah, Davpadie

Dartfrog believes that the Fero Memorial tournament was a monumental effort from all involved and provided an outstanding display of talent across the weekend. The tournament was a perfect way to remember a player who shone brightly in the CoD community and will never be forgotten.

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Categories
Call of Duty

Atlanta FaZe win their own Black Ops 4 Throwback Invitational

Call of Duty League franchise, Atlanta FaZe, hosted a $25,000 Black Ops 4 tournament which culminated in FaZe taking the top prize.

The CDL off-season has given us some great throwback events already from Hitch’s MW2 tournament to the Ghosts charity event earlier in the month.

The latest throwback to grace our screens was of course the Atlanta FaZe Black Ops 4 Invitational. It took place from October 23-25.

A total of 20 teams participated with a group stage and double elimination bracket stage. The teams competed in a best of five series for the top prize of $15,000.

From current pros to academy players to amateurs, there was a range of talent involved. However, the gameplay did not disappoint and provided us with some Black Ops 4 nostalgia.

Teams from the Atlanta FaZe Invitational

With six CDL teams and a host of Challengers talent, it was always going to be an interesting weekend.

Here is a full list of the teams and players, provided by Dexerto:

Atlanta FaZeAbezy, Arcitys, Cellium, Simp
Dallas EmpireCrixical, Huke, Illey, Temp
OpTic LAAccuracy, Kenny, Slasher, TJHaly
LA GuerrillasApathy, Assault, Silly, Vivid
Chicago HuntsmenDashy, Envoy, Formal, Scump
Seattle SurgeGoonjar, Gunless, Loony, Prestinni
Mood SwingsBlazt, Decemate, F3rocitys, Slacked
WestrJintroid, Paulehx, Spart, Venom
West Coast Goons Gonplue, Otflick, Ryanbacardi, Savysita
The Boys Godrx, Kismet, Maux, Pandur
AF Academy Archivs, Hyper, Phantomz, Sibilants
Team LBX Exceed, Neropoiison, Noysii, Xotic
Four Horsemen General, Standy, Proto, Royalty
Arial Arise Crazie, Crimson, Horizinsfall, Kyuhm
HYXR Estreal, Fflames, Hazy, Lurid
DgenerationSangar, DeadlyResults, Strezy, Yspry
Lost Angels Aapex, Beehzy, Conbix, TheHolyToaster
Diamond Gaming Spekcy, Uncivil, XinfinitX, Yemon
Magic Huntsmann, Kips, Parzelion, Yeezy
Team Moch Mochilla, Tech, TeddyRecks, Ttinyy

How the tournament was won

Atlanta FaZe were clear favourites heading into the weekend and they started off very strong.

The boys on FaZe went 6-0 in their group, failing to drop a single map. Unreal plays from FaZe were on display all weekend, including this one from Cellium on day one.

FaZe then progressed to the bracket stage where they dropped their first map against HYXR but still secured the 3-1 victory.

They then beat Dallas Empire 3-1 in winner’s finals, only to meet them again in the grand final to play a best of seven series.

Despite going 2-0 down, Atlanta FaZe won four consecutive maps to take the crown and the $15,000 prize.

Did you enjoy the Atlanta FaZe Throwback Invitational?

Let us know!

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