Scump pitches ‘perfect’ Call of Duty League format for 2021 and beyond
Call of Duty League[jwplayer N1RFqG2Z]Nearing the end of the inaugural Call of Duty League (CDL) season, Seth ‘Scump’ Abner has expressed his disappointment in the current format and outlined exactly what he’d change for 2021 and beyond.
CDL Home Series events bring eight of 12 franchise teams together across three days of competition. Players battle it out for bragging rights and prize money, along with all-important CDL points.
With just one regular-season tournament remaining before the playoff bracket begins, players have grown tired with the state of the League. While the shift to online certainly hasn’t helped, and controversial rulings leave a lot to be desired, Scump believes the current format itself is in desperate need of change.
The Chicago Huntsmen star argued that the current structure “sucks” during a July 20 Twitch stream. “I want to play more CoD,” he said. “If you win every match at a Home Series you play four matches in three days.”
When asked how he would improve the structure to ensure more game-time for every team, Scump pitched a format that will be familiar to long-time fans. One that aligns perfectly with how the Call of Duty World League used to play out.
“For next year…this is hopeful but I want it to expand to 16 teams and every team be at every tournament,” he outlined. “There would be pool play at every tournament,” meaning that rosters would have to earn their spot in bracket play.
With hopes for 16 franchise teams in 2021, it would lend to a perfectly even playing field for “four pools of four teams.” No different from the former competitive CoD structure before the League began, the top two teams would then “come out into a double-elimination, eight-team bracket.”
Throughout the course of an event of this scope, there would be far more potential for exciting storylines to emerge. Having every team at every event would truly establish who the best is. Not just that, it would allow pros to “play more matches,” which is something Scump desperately wants to see for the next season.
Katy Eyre/ESPAT MediaCDL teams are just weeks away from their most important matchups of the year. The 2020 playoffs begin on August 19 with a $4.6 million prize pool on the line. The top two seeds from the regular season advance straight through to the winner’s semi-finals.
Currently fourth in the standings, Scump and the Huntsmen are gunning for a top two finish. The Toronto Home Series rounds out the regular season on July 24.