The Call of Duty League (CDL) debuted during Modern Warfare and despite a tough first, met with many challenges such as COVID-19, it was a big success and showed what a bright future it has ahead.
With the year coming to a conclusion at COD Champs 2020, in a first-ever online format, Dallas Empire came out victorious.
The CDL 2021 league will continue with 12 franchise teams as it enters season 2 on Black Ops Cold War, but in a surprise twist, will move back to 4v4.
Players will also move away from the PS4 and upgrade to Sony's next-generation console the PS5.
Here's everything you need to know about the latest CDL 2021.
Make sure to bookmark this page and check back regularly for the latest information!
You can find out the latest by clicking the links below:
- Latest News
- Schedule And Key Dates
- Roster Changes
- League Structure
- Events
- Game Modes And Rulesets
- Teams
- Challenger Series
Latest News
Season 2 Announced With 4v4 Format - 1st August
The Call of Duty League, just days after the conclusion of the first season, has confirmed that Season 2 will take place on Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War with a 4v4 format.
𝚂𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝟸 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚕 pic.twitter.com/EhO1uK6wde
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague)
August 31, 2020
Schedule And Key Dates
Here are the key dates for the upcoming CDL season:
- Contract Extension Deadline - 6th September (11.59pm)
- Black Ops Cold War Multiplayer Reveal - 9th September
- Modern Warfare All-Star Weekend - 12th-13th September
- Free Agency Begins - 14th September (12.00am)
- Black Ops Cold War Beta Begins - 8th October
- Black Ops Cold War Releases - 13th November
Roster Changes
We'll be keeping track of the latest roster changes and rumours right here:
- Clayster: Dallas Empire → Restricted F/A
- Jurd: London Royal Ravens → Unrestricted F/A
CDL 2021 Structure
An official tournament structure is currently unknown for the new game and we may not hear too much until the new game launches. Last year, it wasn't until the start of 2020 that players had an idea of what to expect.
Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the CDL had to restructure to an online format for the foreseeable future.
The new online system continues the already established Home Series events, where they would take place over three days on Fridays at 4 p.m. ET, Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET and Sundays at 4 p.m. ET.
The structure and format remained majorly the same with the CDL being focused on tournament-based play with a CDL Point system.
Teams would earn 10 CDL points for every match won with 8 teams competing in tournament bracket play.
They will be separated into two groups of four. Teams will compete against each other until four teams have won two matches (GSL group format).
These teams advance to a single-elimination bracket to determine the event winner, with teams earning 10 points for each win. The event winners will receive an extra 10 bonus points.
Points are distributed as follows:
- 1st Place – 50 CDL Points
- 2nd Place – 30 CDL Points
- 3rd/4th Place – 20 CDL Points
- 5th/6th Place – 10 CDL Points
- 7th/8th Place – 0 CDL Points
Tiebreakers are determined by:
- Teams’ Head-to-Head Match Win Percentage
- Teams’ Head-to-Head Game Win Percentage
- Teams’ Overall Game Win Percentage
The top 8 teams (determined by CDL points) will qualify for playoffs.
Four wild card teams will also advance to playoffs - they will compete in a single-elimination bracket with two teams advancing.
These two teams will advance from the wild card matches and face off against third and fourth overall seeds to start off double-elimination bracket play.
The top two seeds will receive byes. The last two teams will compete for the Call of Duty League Championship.
Events
It's unknown whether Home Series events will return or not, considering the new season may remain online until the global pandemic is resolved and it's safe to hold offline events.
In the July 25th episode of The Eavesdrop Podcast, Hecz reveals that the CDL is going to continue online for the majority of the 2021 season, with the addition of “three homestand events” as opposed to all events taking place in an offline environment; this has yet to be confirmed.
Last year, each franchise held at least one event from January to July with COD Champs taking place during August.
Below is the schedule for last year's events:
- CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE LAUNCH WEEKEND | MINNESOTA RØKKR - WEEK 1 (24th-26th January)
- LONDON ROYAL RAVENS - WEEK 2 (8th-9th February)
- ATLANTA FAZE - WEEK 3 (22nd-23rd February)
- PARIS LEGION - WEEK 4 (29th February-1st March)
- LOS ANGELES GUERRILLAS & OPTIC GAMING LA - WEEK 5 (6th-8th March)
- DALLAS EMPIRE - ONLINE (10th-12th April)
- CHICAGO HUNTSMEN - ONLINE (24th-26th April)
- FLORIDA MUTINEERS - ONLINE (8th-10th May)
- SEATTLE SURGE - ONLINE (22nd-24th May)
- MINNESOTA ROKKR - ONLINE (5th-7th June)
- PARIS LEGION - ONLINE (19th-21st June)
- NEW YORK SUBLINERS - ONLINE (10th-12th July)
- LONDON ROYAL RAVENS - ONLINE (17th-19th July)
- TORONTO ULTRA - ONLINE (24th-26th July)
You can see the full list of events and where to buy tickets on the official CDL website.
Format, Game Modes And Ruleset
No official game-modes or rulesets have been established.
However, it has been confirmed that the competition will move away from 5v5 and return to the traditional 4v4 squad action.
5v5 was first introduced during Black Ops 4. Adding an extra player to a squad had been debated for many years, but the trigger was never pulled.
So why are they switching back after just two years? Is there something about the new game that doesn't suit 5v5 play or is this a decision to improve the quality of play?
It could be that the league is trying to reduce costs and get offline tournaments back on track - by reducing the number of players it could help ease the difficulties.
We're likely to see the return of Hardpoint and Search And Destroy in the established three game-modes.
The third game-mode is usually always the topic of hot debate, usually consisting of either Domination, Uplink or Capture The Flag.
Teams
The teams competing in the CDL are:
- Seattle Surge
- Chicago Huntsman
- Atlanta FaZe
- Minnesota Rokkr
- Dallas Empire
- Los Angeles Guerrillas
- Paris Legion
- London Royal Ravens
- Los Angeles OpTic
- Florida Mutineers
- New York Subliners
- Toronto Ultra
Read More: How Hecz Built The Green Wall And Their Impact On Esports
Challenger Series And Open Bracket Events
No official update has been given on the Challenger Series and Open Bracket Events.
Like the main league, Challenger Series events had to move to an online format and we are assuming they will continue this year.
Call of Duty Challengers will likely include online ladders, online tournaments, and open tournament event competitions throughout the year beginning in November 2020, with a dedicated prize pool of over $1 million.
Several Call of Duty League pro teams will also support amateur player pipeline development by hosting Call of Duty Challengers competitions in their markets.
Fans will also be able to compete on behalf of their cities, in the Call of Duty League City Circuit.
Online competition should include 24/7 Ladders and Weekly Prize tournaments. 24/7 Ladders provide players with a total of 5 Challengers Points per win. The first win of the day provides a bonus 5 points, totalling 10 points (5 for the win + 5 bonus points). Ladders have a weekly cap of 100 Challengers Points.
Challengers Points will be distributed to teams ranked 1st-64th in online tournaments.
Competitors are responsible for bringing their own controller and headset - a monitor, console and USB device is provided at offline events.
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