These sides last met way back in January during the CoD League 2021 Kickoff tournament, where the London Royal Ravens won 3-2. But since that was an exhibition event to celebrate CDL’s one-year anniversary, we shouldn’t put too much weight on the result.

The Royal Ravens enter the CDL Stage 3 Major after claiming fifth place in the group stage with a 2-3 record and 10-12 map differential. Although they failed to win more than half of their games, Sean “Seany” O’Connor and co. still forced Atlanta FaZe and the New York Subliners to five maps, which is nothing to sneeze at.

On the other side, we have the Paris Legion, who finished the group stage in sixth with a 1-4 record. Their poor run doesn’t surprise us one bit, since they have been struggling throughout the whole season, and it doesn’t look as though that will change anytime soon.

London are a much better team than what their seeding would suggest, and they are definitely stronger than the shaky Paris. Things just don’t seem to be working out for the Legion, which is why we have a hard time believing they can keep this one close.

The Seattle Surge ended the CDL Stage 3 group stage with a 0-5 record, but we wouldn’t overreact to that number. Since adding Jacob “Decemate” Cato to their roster, Seattle have gained the SMG presence they were lacking and now look a far more competitive side.

On the other hand, one could argue that the Los Angeles Guerrillas are a bit overrated heading into this match. They enjoyed some success after adding Martin “Cheen” Chino to the active lineup in April, but they have not been very consistent with their showings after that short-lived honeymoon phase.

Seattle might have struggled in Stage 3 so far, but they certainly have the tools to win on Thursday. Given the odds available at leading Call of Duty betting sites, we don’t need to think twice before siding with the outsiders.

The Dallas Empire are coming off a big 3-1 victory against the Minnesota R?KKR, which might suggest that they have found their long-lost form. What that score doesn’t show, however, is just how close that match was.

Dallas won the series with 250-232 on Moscow – Hardpoint, 6-4 on Miami – S&D, 2-3 on Raid – Control, and 250-177 on Apocalypse – Hardpoint. A closer look at those numbers reveals that the Empire weren’t really that much better than Minnesota.

Atlanta FaZe have had a few slip-ups during CDL Stage 3 group play, but they have found their form just in time to make a run for their second CDL Major title. Although we like exploring options on the underdogs, this is one of those matches where you have to bite the bullet and trust the favourites to do what they’re expected to.

Despite losing their final match of the group stage against the New York Subliners (1-3), Los Angeles Thieves secured an upper-bracket seed by the skin of their teeth. Regardless, Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag’s squad have been playing extremely well of late and seem poised for a deep run at the CDL Stage 3 Major.

The Florida Mutineers ended the group stage with a 3-2 record, which is quite impressive considering the quality of opponents they had to face. They have done a lot of their best work on the back of strong showings from Joseph “Owakening” Conley and Cesar “Skyz” Bueno, who not many teams have been able to stop.

However, LA boast similarly strong duo in Kenneth “Kenny” Williams and Zack “Drazah” Jordan. And let’s not forget about their newest addition, Cuyler “Huke” Garland, who is more than capable of matching any SMG player in the league.

We are leaning more towards LA Thieves for this one, but we don’t expect a one-sided affair.

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?The Dallas Empire looked decent during the second CDL Major of the season but fell flat against the eventual champions, losing 1-3 to the Toronto Ultra. Outside of that, there isn’t a lot to be said about Dallas.

The Paris Legion have been both good and bad this season. They are in the former category at the moment and have a clear weakness which they can work on – assigning roles to their players – but that’s nothing that can’t be fixed with time.

The Legion have not looked good, but they’ve been making role changes, so there is a learning process that needs to happen before they find traction. Have they had enough time to do so and push for a win on Thursday? Likely not, but we expect to see some improvement in a few weeks.

The Florida Mutineers will seek revenge against the Toronto Ultra on Thursday for their elimination from the Stage 2 Major. The Canadian squad won that fixture 3-1 and went on to claim the title with a 5-2 victory against Atlanta FaZe in the grand finals.

Regardless of that loss, Florida played well and came very close to sweeping Dallas in their Stage 2 Major opener before the reigning CDL champions pulled the rug out from under them. While the Mutineers are far from a top-three team, they are clearly capable of much more than what they have achieved thus far.

The Ultra might be the Stage 2 Major champions, but they’re not that much stronger than the Mutineers. Toronto’s biggest weakness is their slow starts, which should work in Florida’s favour. At this price, the value is with the outsiders.

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?Last week, we got to see a huge shakeup in the Call of Duty League (CDL) with some of the strongest teams slipping against much weaker opponents. The list of upset results includes Dallas Empire’s pair of 2-3 losses against Minnesota R?KKR and OpTic Chicago.

Unlike the Empire, New York Subliners seem to be much more consistent with their performances. They bested Los Angeles Guerrillas (3-1), London Royal Ravens (3-1), and Toronto Ultra (3-1) to finish Group A in second place, right next to Atlanta FaZe.

These teams last met in February when the Empire reverse-swept the Subliners to win 3-2. While Dallas were the better team in the end that day, they were a bit lucky to not get swept 0-3. We would normally side with the Empire because they tend to perform better in high-pressure games, but at these odds you either take the Subliners or don’t bet at all.

?Toronto Ultra finished the group stage in third place thanks to big wins against LA Guerrillas (3-2) and London Royal Ravens (3-0). Although they still have a lot more to prove, the Canadian franchise is playing much better since it decided to bench Anthony “Methodz” Zinni.

The standout performer for the Ultra last week was Cameron “Cammy” McKilligan. As long as he can keep playing with the same fire, Toronto will be hard to beat. The only issue we have with the Ultra is their shaky showings on Control, but outside of that, this is a team to keep an eye on.

OpTic Chicago might be the better team on paper, but looking at the recent results in the Call of Duty League, it seems like the skill gap between the top and bottom teams is not big, which is largely due to the meta shift and teams figuring out how to counter one another. This might be a hot take, but with the Ultra’s improvement and the way OpTic have been losing their games, we believe the underdogs have a solid chance to upset the Green Wall.

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?Dallas Empire enter the LA Guerrillas Home Series off a 2-3 loss against Minnesota R?KKR, having previously beaten Paris Legion (3-1) and Seattle Surge (3-2). The latest CoD betting odds price the Empire as favourites, which seems fair even though they will face a team that is known for causing problems to the top dogs.

While backing the outsiders might seem like an appealing option given how many upsets there have been this CDL season, we don’t believe this is a spot where you would take the Mutineers over Dallas. Florida might have beaten OpTic Chicago, but we wouldn’t overreact to that result.

The Empire’s only loss so far in this stage came against the surging Minnesota, and even that was a close 2-3 series, so they’re still one of the top-performing teams in Group B. Expect a 3-1 win for Dallas.

The almighty Green Wall did not look all that mighty last week when they failed to win a single map in their losses to Minnesota R?KKR and Florida Mutineers. In OpTic Chicago’s defence, the R?KKR looked extremely good and went on to beat Dallas Empire 3-2 a few days later, whereas the Mutineers are known to do well against the top teams.

Seattle Surge enter this match off a crisp 3-0 sweep of Paris Legion on Sunday, marking their second win of the stage after a 3-1 victory over Florida on day one. We noted in our previous CDL betting preview that Seattle should improve sooner rather than later, and it seems like that’s exactly what has happened. The whole Surge squad stepped up over the weekend, but especially Peirce “Gunless” Hillman.

It’s hard to say how this match will go, and it all comes down to how much you value the recent results of these sides. Are OpTic really as bad as their last two series suggest? And does the 3-0 sweep of the Legion mean Seattle are no longer one of the weakest team in the league? Either way, the Surge have shown enough for us to believe they can take the series.

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?Dallas Empire enter Week 2 of CDL 2021 off a very interesting series against Seattle Surge where they held a 2-0 lead but ended up almost losing as $1.14 favourites. Although Seattle deserve a lot of praise for their performance that day, we weren’t too impressed with Dallas, who seemed very sloppy and uncoordinated.

Based on what we have seen from the Empire, it very hard to be overly optimistic about them going forward. They’re arguably still the second-best team in Group B, but there is a world where they finish behind either Seattle or Paris Legion, who enter this match off a 3-0 victory against Minnesota R?KKR and a solid showing in their 1-3 loss to OpTic.

Dallas should win games like this solely because they field better individual talent, but we are not sold on their consistency. Unless they improve and show a bit more in this match, Paris could upset the reigning CDL champions. A modest bet on the Legion to win is worth considering, but we are satisfied with the odds on the +1.5 handicap.

?Minnesota R?KKR are 0-2 with two 0-3 losses against Paris Legion and Florida Mutineers, which is not too convincing when they haven’t faced any of the top teams yet. With all due respect, Minnesota are playing like the worst team in the league, and we don’t see them improving without making roster changes.

One thing going for the R?KKR is that they looked good during Stage 1 when they beat Dallas Empire, Seattle Surge and London Royal Ravens, but even those results get quickly overshadowed by how poorly they’ve performed of late.

OpTic Chicago look set to win Group B, although they still need to overcome Dallas and the giant-killing Florida Mutineers. However, with the way they have been playing, OpTic shouldn’t be too concerned with either of the two matchups. And they definitely shouldn’t be scared of facing Minnesota.

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?Just a few weeks back it seemed like OpTic Chicago would win the Stage 1 Major, but things didn’t go as planned for the veteran lineup. After demolishing New York Subliners (3-0) and suffering a narrow 2-3 loss against Dallas Empire, OpTic came back swinging and took down Los Angeles Thieves (3-1), only to get schooled by Subliners, who won the rematch and eliminated OpTic from the tournament in fourth place.

Paris Legion’s run through the CDL Major was short-lived, as they did not make it further than their opening bout against Florida Mutineers (1-3), which makes it hard to be overly optimistic about the French team heading into CDL Stage 2. The Legion even struggled in their last meeting with OpTic (0-3), although they deserve some praise for forcing OpTic to 10 rounds on S&D (4-6) and to five rounds on Control (2-3).

OpTic perform well enough on respawn, but they need to improve their S&D, which is one game mode where Paris can potentially steal a point. This feels like an easy win for OpTic, but we don’t believe they will come out unharmed.

?Both sides field very competitive rosters, but out of the two, it’s Florida Mutineers who seem to have a higher ceiling. They’re already a very good team that needs just a little bit more polishing, namely on the respawns.

At the same time, we would not count out Minnesota R?KKR either, as they are another one of the teams that have the potential to rise out of mid-table. At the moment, however, the R?KKR seem a bit slow and the new QBZ meta doesn’t seem to suit them.

It’s only a matter of time before things start to come together for the R?KKR, and with the way Preston “Priestahh” Greiner has been playing, they are bound to improve. Whether or not the Minnesota squad can defeat the Mutineers, however, is another question.

?You don’t need to overcomplicate things for this match, since the CoD esports betting odds paint a clear enough picture of how things should play out. Although we believe Group B has the potential to see a few more upsets than usual, we have to come to terms with the fact that Seattle Surge are playing poor CoD of late, whereas Dallas Empire are expected to end the group at the top, next to OpTic Chicago.

Seattle are, in a way, similar to the Minnesota squad, as they have the talent and potential to improve but are not looking too sharp at the moment. We might see the Surge rise up later in the season when they figure some things out, but as it stands now, we hold them in low regard.

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?Our perception of London Royal Ravens might change depending on how well they perform on Tuesday against New York Subliners, but as it stands now, they seem to be a class below Dallas Empire. That said, Minnesota R?KKR have proved the Empire can bleed, so perhaps the British squad won’t be as scared of facing the reigning Call of Duty League (CDL) champions.

The Royal Ravens are outclassed by the Empire’s stacked lineup, but we wouldn’t sleep on Christopher “Parasite” Duarte, who is experienced and talented enough to cause some serious damage on his own. London winning at least one map is a realistic possibility and should be snapped up at these odds.

?Los Angeles Thieves boast an incredible 6-1 game record and 86% win rate in the CDL. The league newcomers have already beaten the likes of New York Subliners (3-0) and Minnesota R?KKR (3-1), which is quite remarkable no matter how stacked their squad is.

Seattle Surge lost against Dallas Empire (0-3) two weeks ago but bounced back with a narrow and somewhat underwhelming 3-2 victory against London Royal Ravens a couple of days later. Even though we believe the Surge will look much better when they form a strong synergy, they’re not at the level of LA Thieves at the moment.

?OpTic Chicago will take on Toronto Ultra in the final match of the day, which promises to be a straightforward win for the Green Wall. OpTic enter this match with a 5-3 game record compared to the Ultra’s 3-1, but we should value Chicago’s record much higher.

OpTic’s sole loss of the season came against Atlanta FaZe (2-3), who edged them by only five points in a round of Hardpoint. On the other side, Toronto’s only game of the season ended in a 3-1 upset win against Florida Mutineers that perhaps doesn’t give a true indication of the team’s strength.

This is a must-win match for Seth “Scump” Abner and company, who shouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than a 3-0 result. Betting on clean sweeps is risky business so early in the season, but the long odds make it worth it. Alternatively, you can take the shorter -1.5 line on the favourites.

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?Minnesota R?KKR enter this match off a 3-2 pre-season win against Toronto Ultra and will now look to keep the momentum going as they take on the league newcomers in the first official match of the 2021 CoD League season. Los Angeles Thieves were far less convincing during the CDL Kickoff Classic last month when they lost 0-3 against an old rival, OpTic Chicago.

It’s hard to take a lot from LA’s game, largely because OpTic looked extremely good, so it wouldn’t be fair to criticise Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag’s squad too much for that loss. Thieves still field one of the most stacked rosters in the league, and its raw quality alone makes it very difficult for us to agree with the latest Call of Duty betting odds, which show Thieves priced as high as $2.57.

This match has the potential to extend to five games, and we have to take the underdogs at this price.

This seems like a match that can only go one way. Even though we aren’t ready to say Dallas Empire are the strongest team in the league, it surely seems like it. The reigning CDL champions field a mighty team consisting of four former world champions, including a three-time CoD world champion and 2020 CoD World Championship MVP Ian “C6” Porter.

Seattle Surge received the wooden spoon last year and, despite the signing of Peirce “Gunless” Hillman, look set for another underwhelming season. The Surge might do well against other mid-table teams, but based on their showings during the pre-season, we are not ready to believe they can upset Dallas or come even close to it.

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The match was billed as a clash between the Empire’s seasoned CoD veterans and FaZe’s promising young talent. While Atlanta topped the standings in the regular season with an immaculate 77% win rate, the Dallas roster headlined by Ian “C6” Porter (aka Crimsix) and James “Clayster” Eubanks proved there is no substitute for experience in high-pressure situations such as world championship finals.

Dallas Empire entered the match as the top seed having defeated Atlanta FaZe 3-2 in the upper bracket finals, meaning the latter had to prove their worth with a 3-1 win against Chicago Huntsmen to earn their spot on the big stage. While many expected to see another close series in the title fight, it was anything but.

Dallas were awarded a default map win due to their superior seeding, but they soon showed they did not need any help. They quickly racked up three more maps with a 250-173 Hardpoint win on Ahzir Cave, 6-3 Search & Destroy win on Gun Runner, and a 158-152 Domination win on St Petrograd. With that, the Empire found themselves on match point at 4-0, leaving Atlanta in need of a miracle to save them from humiliation.

Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris and co. struck back in game five with an impressive 250-211 Hardpoint win on Gun Runner to prevent the sweep, but they were unable to keep their momentum going. Despite showing some flashes of brilliance on the sixth and final map, FaZe’s efforts came to nothing as the Empire sealed the deal with a 6-4 S&D win on Rammaza to secure the title of Call of Duty world champions and the US $1.5 million grand prize.

With Dallas Empire winning the 2020 CDL Championship, Crimsix and Clayster joined the retired Damon “Karma” Barlow as the only players in Call of Duty esports history to win three rings. Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, Cuyler “Huke” Garland and Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal all claimed their maiden world championship titles, which is especially impressive when Shotzzy and iLLeY had not competed at the highest level before last year.

Crimsix also took out the 2020 CDL Championship MVP, while Shotzzy wrote history by becoming the first-ever multi-FPS world champion, having won Halo World Championship in 2018 with Splyce before he transitioned to Call of Duty.

While Dallas Empire earned the lion’s share of the $4.6 million prize pool, Atlanta FaZe took home $900,000 for their runner-up finish, which marked the second-highest payout in the history of CoD esports.

With the first CDL season in the books, the fans and players can now take a short break before the league’s free agency period starts on Monday, September 14. The 2021 CDL season will feature the new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War title, which is slated for a November release.

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