The second event of the Call of Duty League is just around the corner! After an exciting opening weekend of action, eight of the twelve franchise teams have descended on the Copper Box Arena in London for their first taste of tournament play on Modern Warfare.
In this article, find out everything you need to know surrounding the first London homestand of the season!
Teams Attending
As mentioned earlier, there will be eight franchises attending the event. Below is the full list of teams that will be competing:
- London Royal Ravens
- Seattle Surge
- Toronto Ultra
- New York Subliners
- Paris Legion
- Los Angeles Guerrillas
- Chicago Huntsmen
- Dallas Empire
Event Format
The London homestand will be the first chance that we see the new tournament format in action. The teams have been split into two groups of four, which can be found below:
Group A
- Dallas Empire
- Seattle Surge
- Chicago Huntsmen
- Los Angeles Guerrillas
Group B
- Paris Legion
- New York Subliners
- London Royal Ravens
- Toronto Ultra
The two teams that manage to secure two wins will advance into a single-elimination bracket where the champion of the London homestand will be crowned.
Points Breakdown
At every homestand event, teams will earn CDL Points depending on where they finish. For every game that a team wins, a total of 10 points are earned.
- 1st place - 50 Points
- 2nd place - 30 Points
- 3rd/4th place - 20 Points
- 5th/6th place - 10 Points
- 7th/8th place - 0 Points
First-Round Predictions
Dallas Empire v Seattle Surge
With both teams losing both of their opening two matches, Dallas has the chance to bounce back against an out of sorts Seattle team or the Surge will redeem themselves after a dismal Search & Destroy performance at Launch Weekend.
This match could go either way. Dallas have what it takes to sweep Seattle aside with ease but if Seattle have improved their S&D, this series has the potential to go the distance. I see the empire getting its first win of the season.
Chicago Huntsmen v Los Angeles Guerrillas
Despite how straightforward this match looks on paper, it is far from it. The LA Guerrillas should have ended launch weekend with two victories if it wasn't for a controversial ruling during their game against Minnesota. They will certainly be bringing the heat against a very strong Chicago team.
Chicago has the opportunity to secure the outright lead at the top of the league table if they are able to acquire plenty of points in London. If the Huntsmen are firing on all cylinders, it is going to be a very quick series but with Patrick "Aches" Price being the kryptonite to the former OpTic Gaming members on Chicago, who knows what could happen. I can see this series going the distance with Chicago edging the guerrillas in the final game.
Paris Legion v New York Subliners
Before the league began, the Paris Legion was at the bottom of nearly everyone's rankings but two convincing wins against London and OpTic Gaming LA puts the Legion among the top teams. New York disappointed at launch weekend after being dominated by London and losing to Atlanta FaZe. With such a talented team on the Subliners, they have the chance to answer back with a win against the Legion.
The real question is whether Paris can continue its hot run of form by taking down New York, a team that will be intent on scoring their first win of the season. It could well go all the way to a game five but I see Paris taking the series 3-1.
London Royal Ravens v Toronto Ultra
Hometown heroes London begin their first home event of the season against a Toronto Ultra team that has already undergone chance since the opening weekend. Ben "Bance" Bance has been promoted to the starting line-up in a bid to take down the ravens in front of their home crowd.
If London can play like they did against New York then the team can easily sweep aside Toronto but if they struggle like they did against Paris, the Ultra could well silence the capacity crowd by scoring a surprise win in their first game of the tournament. I think London will take the victory but Toronto will give them a run for their money.
