CDL Champs Day One Preview

Two titans match up on the opening day of Call Of Duty’s biggest event of the year, whilst the team that haven’t been able to get over the finish line at almost every event this year face a tough start.

Vancouver Surge V Miami Heretics (8pm BST)

The first match of the final event of the season features two teams who have looked the part at times this season but haven’t quite been able to establish themselves as real winners.

Miami have placed really well this season finishing three events in the top 4, whereas Surge have had an extremely up & down season making grand finals in two majors but crashing out of the first round twice aswell.

Both teams come into this match with a point to prove Surge were dismantled at the last major winning only 2 maps and falling to Vegas at the first hurdle, Miami however were playing some really good CoD peaking in their map 5 victory over Thieves in winners round two until battling through to eventually lose to the Major winners 100 Thieves.

Whilst this series could go either way, especially with the season having a full month break between the last event and now, I still see Miami taking this it’ll be a tough fought match-up and for Surge to not get blown away Neptune will have to come out firing.

Crook Predicts: Heretics 3-1 Surge

LA Thieves V Boston Breach (9:30pm BST)

Probably the easiest of the four matches to call as it pits the back-to-back Major champions versus possibly the most underperforming roster in the league this season.

Thieves have very little reason to worry going in to this match-up although the two teams are even at two series wins each this season.

Breach have had a generally poor season by the standards they’ve set over the last few years two top six placings being the highlights of their season so far and a second seed placing for Major three (which they ended up bowing out of in losers round three).

Thieves are almost the complete opposite making grand finals in three Majors this season (W2 & L1) and placing top four in the other, They have been almost perfect on LAN and will be fired up against a weakened Breach team.

Crook Predicts: Thieves 3-0 Breach

Toronto Ultra V Carolina Ravens (11pm BST)

We go from the easiest match to call to probably the hardest, Ultra slumped to a second round exit at Major four after an incredible top three run at Major three where the team really looked like they had found their feet.

On the flip side Ravens found their feet early in the season placing top 4 in Major one whilst also finishing both qualifiers for Major one & two as the four seed.

A fall to a top eight finish at Major Two meant it was time for a change and DillonWrecks joined the team in place of Vivid.

The results didn’t improve and in fact just got worse a top 12 finish at the final two events of the year meant that Ravens had peaked and never really got back there,

Ultra have never lost a series against Carolina and will not be looking to break their streak of six wins now, it’ll be hard fought and Joedeceives and Beans will have to have a big series to get them over the line

Crook Predicts: Ultra 3-2 Ravens

Optic Texas V Atlanta Faze (12:30am BST)

The big one.

Two of CoD’s greatest teams go head to head on day one, Faze have been relentless in victory this season winning the first two Majors of the season in dominant fashion.

They fell to Miami in losers round two and went home top six at Major three before making their return to the grand finals at Major four falling to Thieves.

The reigning champions Optic Texas however have had a season to forget whether it be a championship hangover or just regression this team hasn’t made it work all season.

Three top eight finishes defined their season up to Major three, until some light at the end of the tunnel shone on Major four where they lost a close series against Thieves to go home top four.

Both teams carry momentum into this event, Optic despite their placings come off their best this season and with a crowd behind them I wouldn’t write them off.

The obvious cannot be ignored however, Faze have won nine of the last 10 matchups between the two teams & will be absolutely desperate to get back to winning ways at the biggest event of the year, for this team the lights never seem too bright.

Crook Predicts: Faze 3-1 Optic