In all sports, everyone is vying for a championship. Yeah, you want to make money, make a name for yourself, but there’s something about winning it all. You’re regarded as the best in the world, and it’s something few are able to claim. With the Call Of Duty League Champs games starting today, August 19th, and culminating on August 22nd where the victor shall be crowned, it’s only fair to look at a few storylines going in, and we’ll be dropping our takeaways each day until the final event concludes.
- Do Atlanta Faze finally win it all? Last season they were absolutely demolished by Dallas Empire online, and even with the allegations of Adderall use hanging over last years champs, you’d be hard pressed to think it doesn’t still sting for Faze. They’ve definitely shown championship form this year, they’ve won three out of five Major tournaments and posting a 34-7 record. No one even came close to them, but they showed real vulnerability the last time we saw them. Did everyone figure them out at the worst time? Or do they still have a few aces up their sleeves?
- Toronto Ultra similarly is fighting for their lives. They got the bye, but that only does so much for you when you still have the taste of being reverse swept in a best of nine series. Do they shake it off and step up? Or do they lose full the first time a map gets out of hand?
- Dallas Empire is the team most should be worried about. They probably feel like they blew the last Major, especially after looking back in championship form after they took Faze to nine at Major IV on LAN. They’ve got veteran leadership in CrimSix, but Shotzzy will have to play better than he did versus Chicago Optic if they want to win.
- Speaking of Chicago Optic, they are a very interesting case. They’re the fan favorites, but they certainly seem to come up short every tournament, and they haven’t actually won a tourney since the London Home series last year… before COVID-19 really started. They have a lot to prove, but will the specter of COVID hang over them with Envoy and Scump just now testing negative after fighting the virus between events?
- The New York Subliners on the other hand may come into the event swinging. Clayster is back baby, and the back to back champion knows how to get a ring. He’s got a SMG to be reckoned with in Hydra, a smart role player in Asim, and someone who can pop off at any time in Mack. While the team itself could go far, the real question is whether his impromptu break has killed team chemistry, and if any of his teammates harbor any resentment towards him for leaving them behind during the last weeks of the season.
- Minnesota Rokkr. Man, they have to think they can beat anyone at this point. But can they? This has been a really solid team, but they’ve not even made it to the finals until last event. Could they carry the momentum from Major V into Champs? Absolutely. But could they also have peaked an event too early and drop off around 4th-5th place? Without question.
- The Los Angeles Thieves seem like a gatekeeper team to me. I think they have potential to pop off and make it way further at Champs than we think, but I also think they could be one and done. Think about it, they’re going to face either Rokkr or Empire in their first match, and it’s win or go home. Not an enviable position for a squad that has legitimately one player that’s been in the starting lineup all season.
- Ah, the Florida Mutineers. Last year we thought they were kings, and this year they’ve been all kinds of inconsistent. It just doesn’t seem like they’re playing together, they definitely have the talent to succeed, but moving as a team, a unified entity rather than trying to make hero plays individually will decide this teams fate. I guess we’ll see as they have to face Optic or the Subliners in their next match. They better hope for Optic as the Subliners have had their number, reverse sweeping them at multiple Majors.
We’re almost there, so check out the bracket and schedule below, along with a video link for the first day of matches.
DAY ONE –
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You can follow the league both live and after hours on the official Call Of Duty League YouTube channel right here. If you want to jump into the game, check out CallOfDuty.com, and if you want to know more about it first, check out our review right here.
David Burdette is a gamer/writer/content creator from TN and Lead Editor for Gaming Trend. He loves Playstation, Star Wars, Marvel, and many other fandoms. He also plays way too much Call Of Duty. You can chat with him on Twitter @SplitEnd89.
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