Call of Duty League 2021 Stage 1 Breakdown!

CDL 2021
Call of Duty League 2021 is about to get underway. (Credit: Call of Duty League)

The Call of Duty League Kickoff Weekend is over and the matchups for Stage 1 of the CDL are set. Find out everything about the teams, the format, and the upcoming matches here!

Last weekend, the Call of Duty League Kickoff took place, in which the CDL teams competed in friendly matches against opponents selected by the fans. In addition, the groups were drawn afterwards. Here, we summarize everything you need to know about the Call of Duty League 2021.

CDL 2021: The Teams

As usual, 12 teams will compete in the CDL. This year, however, there will be one and a half new teams. Why one and a half? Simple. The LA Thieves are actually 100 Thieves returning to the CDL. They took over the CDL spot from OpTic Gaming Los Angeles last year. Founder of OpTic Gaming LA and CEO of Chicago Huntsmen, Hector “H3CZ Rodriguez, kept the OpTic franchize though, resulting in Chicago Huntsmen competing as OpTic Chicago this season. One and a half new teams – 100 Thieves as a new team, and OpTic Chicago with a new name.

CDL 2021 Teams
All 12 teams in the CDL. (Credit: Call of Duty League)

The remaining teams are the old acquaintances:

  • Atlanta FaZe
  • Dallas Empire
  • Florida Mutineers
  • London Royal Ravens
  • Los Angeles Guerrillas
  • Minnesota ROKKR
  • New York Subliners
  • Paris Legion
  • Seattle Surge
  • Toronto Ultra

CDL 2021: The Format

The 2021 regular season consists of five stages, each of which is concluded by a Major. Three Home Series will take place each Season, within which each team will play five matches to determine their starting spot in the Major. Teams earn CDL points for each win, and placing in the Majors also earn extra points. The eight teams with the most points qualify for the playoffs at the end of the season.

CDL Format
Five Stages with three Home Series each, capped off by a Major. (Credit: Call of Duty League)

What Will Be Played?

Three modes will be played: Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Control. Hardpoint has a time limit of 5 minutes per round, and a point limit of 250 points. Search & Destroy has a time limit of 1:30 min and 6 rounds must be won to win. In Control, the time limit is also 1:30 and 3 rounds must be won to win – round limit is 5.

What is Forbidden?

As usual, this season has again been voted on, determining which weapons, attachments, gadgets, etc., will be banned.

Banned so far are:

  • All LMGs and tactical rifles
  • Shotguns, rocket and grenade launchers
  • SWAT 5mw Laser Sight and Ember Sighting Point, as well as Dual Wield
  • Stimshot and Decoy
  • C4 and Tomahawk
  • Proximity mine, field microphone and gas mine
  • Paranoia, forward data and tracker
  • Daredevil
  • Battle sheet, spy plane, counterintelligence plane, supplies, gun, and air patrol

As usual, this provides the usual assault rifle and submachine gun meta that we already know from CDL. You can find all the info about the format and the forbidden items on the official page of the CDL.

When Does It Start?

It starts already on February 11, with the Atlanta Home Series, which runs until February 14.

The remaining two Home Series will take place from February 19-21, and February 25-28. Stage 1 of CDL 2021 will conclude with the first Major in the first week of March. All matchups and times for the first three Home Series can be found in this tweet:

Are you excited for the start of Call of Duty League 2021? We can hardly wait! Who do you think will take the first Home Series, and who is your favorite for the entire season? Let us know on Facebook, or discuss with us on our Discord!

For more gaming and esports news, stick to EarlyGame. Get in touch with us on Discord, or engaged through our Twitter and Facebook. Remember to check out our YouTube channel!

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Evan Williams

Australian gamer, musician, and journalist at EarlyGame. Currently living in Germany so no, I don't ride a Kangaroo to work. I am currently hard at work making our CoD and Rocket League pages the best on the internet. Lofty ambitions,...