4 biggest storylines ahead of CDL Major 3 qualifiers: Week 1

The CDL Major 3 qualifiers are right around the corner, as Call of Duty’s finest players head towards the business end of the season and start looking towards the Call of Duty world championship event.

Major 3 could prove to be a monumental one for the 2022 Call of Duty League season, as the top-ranked teams look to ensure their spot at Champs, while those towards the bottom of the table know they have to put some serious work in to earn one of the eight spots available at the event.

While the CDL power rankings give a good insight into the best and most in-form teams, you never truly know what is going to happen in Call of Duty.

There are some key things to look out for, though, as Major 3 qualifiers kick off. Here are the most important storylines to keep track of.

OpTic without iLLeY

It’s unlikely at this point that OpTic Texas fail to qualify for Champs, and they will be a threat all season no matter who’s on the roster.

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iLLeY has been an instrumental player for the side, though, with a CoD IQ far beyond his years and the raw talent to match.

With Prolute now in the fold, OpTic might not be as dominant as before — but he’ll want to make sure the team doesn’t lose momentum approaching the tail end of the year.

Crimsix’s crowning championship moment

It’s almost impossible to deny that Crimsix is the Call of Duty GOAT — but he’s after even more accolades, a perennial winner with nothing but trophies on his mind.

For several years now, Crim’s goal of becoming the most celebrated player in console esports history has been discussed among fans and peers alike. With his 38 major championships, he is two behind Halo legend Tom ‘Ogre2’ Ryan — now the general manager of Florida Mutineers.

The New York Subliners’ CDL Pro-Am victory may have been the start of Crim’s final push to the top. Though unlikely, wins at Major 3 and 4 LANs would tie him with Ogre2 and, should they qualify for Champs, Crimsix could make history with 41 console esport championships as well as an incredible four world championships.

Minnesota RØKKR redemption

While New York are only slightly ahead of RØKKR in the chase for Champs qualification, they’ve shown a lot more promise than the Minnesota side.

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It’s impossible to fully count out any team right now, but Minnesota RØKKR are looking very unlikely to make the tournament, a far cry from where they were at towards the end of the 2021 season.

Major 3 needs to mark the start of a huge comeback from RØKKR, and the key to that will have to be new recruit Colt ‘Havok’ McLendon, as he makes his official CDL debut for Minnesota.

Toronto Ultra — One season wonder?

Toronto Ultra were a unanimous number two team in the 2021 CDL season, one of very few teams able to get the better of Atlanta FaZe — and most expected that to continue into 2022.

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They’re not running out of opportunities to prove they’re still a top CDL side, and if they don’t turn things around during the Major 3 qualifiers, they can say goodbye to any hope of their season ending strongly.

They currently sit in 9th place in the CDL standings, meaning things are starting to get desperate. Their main saving grace, though, is that the three teams above them — Seattle Surge, Florida Mutineers, and LA Thieves — have only 10 more CDL points. It’s still all to play for.