Call of Duty League Major V hosted by Toronto ULTRA kicks off this Weekend

(Gray News) - The starting brackets for the final Major of the 2023 CDL season are set, with teams in the winners bracket eagerly waiting to face off this afternoon. Toronto Ultra is hosting Major V, and the tournament is at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. For some teams, this Major poses the last opportunity to become a Major Champion, and for others, it’s an indispensable shot at making the CDL World Championship.

Following a turbulent start to the season due to what seemed like indecisive roster changes, OpTic Texas couldn’t be on more of a heater. OpTic has back-to-back second-place Major finishes and now has gone undefeated in back-to-back Major qualifiers. They sit second in season standings, are the first seed in Major V, and have locked down an invite to Vegas in June.

OpTic start Major V with a series against Florida Mutineers. Florida Mutineers are heading into the tournament with no chance of making it to the postseason. For them, success is a solid finish to the season and maybe throw a wrench in OpTic’s plan to get a Major trophy this season.

Vegas Legion and Atlanta FaZe are pitted against each other in the opening event of Major V, and their motivations for the same goal couldn’t be further apart. Going into a Major, the ultimate goal of any team competing is to win it all, just as one would expect from any competition. But FaZe tops the regular season CDL point standings, is guaranteed a high seed in the World Championship, and they have already won a Major this season. So their focus lies more in the realm of solidifying prestige and showcasing mastery.

Conversely, Vegas Legion just wants to stay alive. Sitting first in line on the cutting room floor, Legion must string together a legendary run this weekend to prolong their season past Sunday. Legion sits 20 points back from eighth place in the regular season standings, the last spot admitted to the World Championship in June. Vegas is also the host city of the 2023 CDL World Championship, so it would sting that much more if they couldn’t convert on their final opportunity to get there.

The lowest they can place in Major V is 4th, and that’s relying on Minnesota RØKKR, who currently resides in the eighth place spot, losing every one of their matches and receiving zero CDL points. Both teams went 3-2 in Qualifiers and are pretty even on season-long stats, with Legion slightly ahead in map-win percentage and RØKKR slightly ahead in game-win percentage.

Legion does have the more challenging round one opponent in FaZe, though, as RØKKR will have to take on Boston Breach to close out the first day of the Major. Boston Breach holds the 6th position in season standings and only leads RØKKR by ten points. With RØKKR facing a more evenly matched opposition, all the pressure resides in them winning at least one series; failing to do so means they potentially lose their invite to the World Championship.

Boston Breach and Seattle Surge hold 6th and 7th in season standings but are tied in total CDL points at 190. They are in a slightly better position than RØKKR regarding the cut line, but if Legion and RØKKR somehow pull off miracle runs, one of them could still face an end to their season after Sunday. Breach starts in the winners bracket, while Surge is in the losers bracket.

To watch all of the CDL Major V action in Toronto this weekend, tune into the Call of Duty official Twitch Stream or their YouTube Channel. If you’re a fan of color commentary from retired CDL pros, appearances from OpTic Gaming content creators, and current CDL pros, tune into the Scump Watch Party on Scump’s Twitch Stream. The tournament can be watched all weekend, with the first match kicking off today at 1:30 PM.

Gray Television is an investor in OpTic Gaming.

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