The start of the second season of Call of Duty League is fast approaching, which means it’s time to take a look at the 12 franchises that are turning into professionals Black Ops Cold War action.
I sought out professional players and coaches over the weekend to get their power ratings for each team before the start of the 2021 season. However, votes for a player or team from the coach himself did not count towards those ratings.
Like Call of Duty League set to start playing on February 11th, here are some tips on how all the teams felt so far during the preseason.
1) Dallas Empire
- Average rating: 1.6
- List: iLLeY, Crimsix, Shotzzy and Huke
- Coaching team: Rambo
- Substitute: Felo
- Kickoff Classic departure: 3-0 win against the New York Subliners
Nobody had any doubts that this team could make the transition to Cold War and continue to dominate. Huke, Shotzzy and iLLeY each seem to be the best player on the team at one time or another. And with Crimsix leading the pack, this team shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
2) Atlanta FaZe
- Average rating: 1.9
- Initial list: Simp, Cellium, Arcitys and aBeZy
- Coaching team: Crowder, RJ and EasyMac
- Substitute: Sib
- Kickoff Classic departure: 3-2 defeat against Florida Mutineers
From top to bottom, this entire list features some of the most talented players in the league. Each player is able to cast large numbers on any map at any time and also has the coaching talent of Crowder, RJ and EasyMac behind them. There is no way for this team to be out of the top three this year.
3) OpTic Chicago
- Average rating: 2.5
- List: Scump, FormaL, Dashy and Envoy
- Coaching team: Sender
- Substitute: General
- Kickoff Classic departure: 3-0 win against Los Angeles Thieves
Most fans are probably not surprised by the top three teams so far. Although some may put OpTic a little higher, I think this is a fair decision for now. Dashy and Envoy look great in this game and, since moving to Texas, FormaL has been playing its best since the Infinite War season.
4) Florida Mutineers
- Average rating: 4.4
- List: Skyz, Owakening, Slacked and Neptune
- Coaching team: Atura
- Substitute: Havok
- Kickoff Classic departure: 3-2 win against Atlanta FaZe
The Mutineers started this pre-season with Havok as a starter. But after three months of practice, the organization decided to put it in the bank and add areola Neptune player for the starting lineup. Neptune has stood out so far and is appearing to be the pioneer of the rookie of the year.
5) Los Angeles thieves
- Average rating: 4.8
- List: SlasheR, TJHaLy, Kenny and Temp
- Coaching team: JKap and Novus
- Substitute: Drazah
- Kickoff Classic departure: 3-0 defeat against OpTic Chicago
SlasheR, Kenny and TJHaLy started the off-season without knowing what their future would hold, but Nadeshot ended up taking the call and acquired the CDL from OpTic Gaming Los Angeles. The team was then renamed Los Angeles Thieves and they secured Temp as their fourth. This lineup seemed unstable at times, but any team with SlasheR tends to start more slowly than it should. Expect improvements to this list as the year goes on.
6) Minnesota RTHEKKR
- Average rating: 5.6
- List: Attach, Precision, Priestahh and MajorManiak
- Coaching team: BrianSaintt and Reppin
- Substitute: BrianSaintt
- Starting tournament: 3-2 win against Toronto Ultra
RØKKR cleaned up its entire squad during the off-season and won four top players in Attach, Accuracy, Priestahh and MajorManiak. The team looked solid in scrims so far and proved it with a 3-2 win against Toronto Ultra at the Kickoff Classic last month.
7) Toronto Ultra
- Average rating: 6.5
- List: Methodz, Cammy, CleanX and Bance
- Coaching team: MarkyB and RBOFLX
- Substitute: Discernment
- Starting tournament: 3-2 loss against Minnesota RØKKR
Toronto Ultra finished seventh in the regular season ranking last year and placed in the top six in 2020 Call of Duty League Championship. Entering this season, the organization decided to keep four of its players, joining Dallas as the only other team in the league not to add a new face to its starting lineup. But if this team is struggling, Insight, who previously played for Team Singularity, is ready and waiting on the bench.
8) Sublinans from New York
- Average rating: 7.5
- List: Clayster, Asim, Mack and DiamondCon
- Coaching team: Revan and JP
- Substitutes: HyDra and ZooMaa
- Kickoff Classic departure: 3-0 defeat against the Dallas Empire
Four days before the Kickoff Classic, ZooMaa announced that it would be taking a step back from the competition Call of Duty due to a persistent hand injury. With HyDra stuck in France, subliners were left with few options for their list. In the end, the organization summoned DiamondCon from its academy team. DiamondCon played well, but New York lost 3-0 to the world champions during the Kickoff Classic. With more practice, this team can only improve. If that fails, HyDra could get to the country sooner than you think.
9) Legion of Paris
- Average rating: 8.2
- List: Skrapz, AquA, Classic and Fire
- Coaching team: Theory
- Substitute: Theory (unconfirmed)
- Kickoff Classic departure: 3-2 win against London Royal Ravens
Paris lost its entire squad during the off-season and almost selected enough players to form their own league. But in the end, the Legion fought on Skrapz, AquA, Classic and the rookie Fire player. The four players individually may not be the most talented in the league, but they all have something to prove this year. They are the underdogs coming in this season.
10) London Royal Ravens
- Average rating: 8.7
- List: Dylan, Seany, Alexx and Parasite
- Coaching team: Shane and Dominate
- Substitutes: Zer0 and Afro
- Kickoff Classic departure: Defeat 3-2 against Paris Legion
Unfortunately for Zer0, he was unable to secure his visa and will be held in the UK until further notice. Because of that, Parasite, who has not been in the professional league since Black Ops 4, had his first real opportunity in the newly formed Call of Duty Turns on. Still to be officially announced, Parasite will make its London debut this weekend against the Seattle Surge.
11) Los Angeles Guerrillas
- Average rating: 9.6
- List: Apathy, silly, assault and vivid
- Coaching team: Bevils and Ricky
- Substitutes: Cheen and Mental
- Kickoff Classic departure: 3-2 win against Seattle Surge
Apathy appeared during the Guerrillas’ Kickoff Classic game, losing a K / D of 1.22 – the eighth highest K / D of the weekend. The Guerrillas hope to repeat the success of Assault, Silly and Apathy in 2018, where they won the Call of Duty World League Championship in Second World War. But they have a long way to go before they become a serious candidate in this league.
12) Seattle Surge
- Average rating: 10.8
- List: Octane, Gunless, Loony and Prestinni
- Coaching team: Nubzy
- Substitute: Nubzy (unconfirmed)
- Kickoff Classic departure: Defeat 3-2 against Los Angeles Guerrillas
The talent is there, but again, Seattle Surge has been struggling to get into the 2021 season. They still have a lot of work to do before they can move up the ranks – and luckily, the season hasn’t started yet. But they need to find that out before it’s too late.
The 2021 season of Call of Duty The league officially starts on February 11 at 14:00 CT.