The Call of Duty League was supposed to head to Dallas for its fifth weekend of play this season on March 28-29 but the CDL has shifted to an online format. The eight teams competing in the tournament will do battle across two days to earn CDL points and cement their position within the league.
It should not be a surprise to those paying attention to the CDL that the Dallas Empire are the betting favorite to walk away victorious. The Empire won the most recent home series in Los Angeles, winning a difficult 3-2 Finals over the Minnesota ROKKR.
Though some wanted to dub the Empire “overrated” after a difficult Sportsbook week of the season, it is clear that they belong in the higher tiers of the CDL. Yes, the Empire are an unspectacular 7-5 overall in the league but each of those losses came against the Atlanta FaZe or Chicago Huntsmen – the undisputed two best teams in the CDL. When you remove the FaZe and Huntsmen from their results, the Empire are 7-0 with a game record of 21-7.
The Empire also get the luxury of playing in a fairly weak group. The Florida Mutineers, Los Angeles Guerrillas and Toronto Ultra are a combined 7-15 and should all represent victories for the Empire. An undefeated group stage also means that the Empire will likely get to avoid their stiffest competition until a potential Finals matchup.
That team would be the Chicago Huntsmen.
The Huntsmen are currently second in the CDL with an 8-1 overall record and a game record of 26-10. They have already beaten the Empire on three occasions this season, including in the Grand Finals in London. The Huntsmen have a slightly tougher group than the Empire, with the ROKKR and Paris Legion both proving to be better than advertised. The Seattle Surge are also in that group.
Outside of the Empire and Huntsmen, keep an eye on the Mutineers. Though Florida is a middling 5-5 on the season, they have proven that they are one of the tougher teams to put away, going to the fifth map in four of their 10 outings. Their likelihood to pull off upsets will likely depend on the availability of Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson.
Prestinni did not play for the Mutineers in LA due to personal reasons. He has been vocal about recent mental health issues on Twitter. “I’m at the point in my life for the first time where (I) think a break is needed,” he posted to social media. His replacement in the Mutineers lineup, Maurice “Ferocitys” Henriquez, performed well in LA but does not bring the same level of consistency as Prestinni.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Dallas Empire | +175 |
| Chicago Huntsmen | +200 |
| Florida Mutineers | +500 |
| Minnesota ROKKR | +650 |
| Paris Legion | +800 |
| Seattle Surge | +2500 |
| Los Angeles Guerrillas | +4000 |
| Toronto Ultra | +4000 |
Odds as of March 26 at Sportsbook
