CDL pros unhappy with controversial format for $2.5m CDL Champs event

The Call of Duty League announced that the 2021 CDL Championship event will be played on LAN with a crowd for the first time in well over a year from August 19-22, but players and fans alike aren’t impressed with the format for the event.

The $2.5m tournament will take place in Los Angeles’ Galen Center with the top eight teams in the CDL at the end of Stage 5.

While some teams, such as Atlanta FaZe, Toronto Ultra and New York Subliners have locked in their spots, a number of teams are still fighting for seeding for the event.

At the tournament, the two bottom-seeded teams will start in Loser’s Bracket, while the top two will receive a first-round bye — and people aren’t happy with it.

There has been a lot of discussion throughout the year about the Champs format, even before it was confirmed. Players like Crimsix and Octane have been outspoken in believing that the event should feature all teams and be a true gauntlet for those playing.

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Now, after seeing the exact format, several players have expressed their disappointment.

Octane tweeted simply asking “oh man what happened,” which inspired replies from some fellow pros. Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda responded simply calling it an “L format.”

Meanwhile, Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat, who has only just arrived back on the LA Thieves starting line-up and will be hoping to secure a stronger seed for Champs, reminiscing on the “old tournament style.”

Octane’s final point was that “if you’re going to have an 8-team format, no team should start in losers,” adding that this should be “obvious.”

So, some players clearly aren’t delighted with the format, although most haven’t yet spoken out on it.

It will definitely be interesting to see how this compares to previous World Championship events, especially since the clamoring for “old tournament styles” has been so prominent this year.

Whether the format is good or not, there’s $2.5m on the line, and every player on the top eight teams will be firmly locked onto that regardless of how the bracket looks.