Atlanta FaZe win CDL Champs 2021: Final placements, highlights

The Call of Duty League’s 2021 season grand finale, CDL Champs, ended much the way it started — with Atlanta FaZe asserting their dominance. With a $2.5 million prize pool and legacies at stake, FaZe overcame a formidable Toronto Ultra to win the org’s first-ever CoD Champs.

• FaZe take down Ultra 5-3 to win Grand Finals.
• Atlanta leave with $1.2 million and the org’s first CoD Champs trophy.
• Ultra finish 2021 in second place, earning $650,000.

After four days of CoD Champs, Atlanta FaZe have finished atop the mountain. The CDL’s scariest lineup, Simp, aBeZy, Cellium, and Arcitys proved why they’ve long been the league’s most worrisome foes by going undefeated through the bracket and taking down the Toronto Ultra in the Grand Finals.

CDL Champs 2021 prizing & final placements

CDL Champs 2021: results, recaps, and highlights

DAY 4 — SUNDAY, AUGUST 22

Grand Finals: FaZe fend off Ultra

The most highly anticipated match of the season, the CDL’s two best teams met for a 2021 grand finale and did not disappoint. After Toronto took the first map off FaZe through the entire Champs event, Atlanta returned the favor by rattling off three straight wins.

But Ultra weren’t going to sit back and lose 5-1, as Cammy and Co. went off to bring the series closer.

In the end, though, FaZe proved to be too formidable a group — as Cellium and Champs MVP aBeZy showed out and secured FaZe the org’s first-ever Championship.

https://twitter.com/DexertoIntel/status/1429561416994983938

DAY 3 — SATURDAY, AUGUST 21

Match 3: Empire denied as Ultra clutch up

One of the greatest matches of the year, Empire and Ultra shocked the entire CoD community with a legendary Hardpoint before Toronto clutched up in Game 5 and set themselves up for the Grand Finals.

https://twitter.com/DexertoIntel/status/1429234426966429700

Match 2: Ultra get revenge on ROKKR

The Battle of the North rematch started similarly, with an Ultra 100-point club, but then ended in favor of Toronto — as the Ultra denied ROKKR and earned a trip to Loser’s Finals.

Match 1: FaZe demolish Empire

Like their first match, FaZe ended this one in the blink of an eye. With Cellium and Simp combining for a 1.5-plus K/D through the series, Atlanta demolished Dallas to secure their spot on Championship Sunday.

DAY 2 — FRIDAY, AUGUST 20

Match 4: ROKKR knock out Subliners

The rookie SMG duel did not disappoint, as both Standy and HyDra proved to be menaces on the map. But ROKKR won Major V for a reason and that teamwork prevailed in the end.

Match 3: OpTic fall to their Toronto kryptonite

When does OpTic play? Not until 2022. Chicago historically struggles against Toronto and Day 2 was no exception, as Ultra ruined an incredible Scump performance and sent OpTic packing.

Match 2: Angry FaZe embarrass Subliners

Someone joked that this was the first VoD that could be made into a YouTube Short. And they weren’t lying. Simp came out shooting bodies, Arcitys was talking smack, and FaZe demolished NY.

Match 1: Empire edge out Ultra in R11

Dallas continued to impress, narrowly defeating a formidable Ultra squad. But one thing stood out above all else: Shotzzy just might be the best player in Call of Duty.

DAY 1 – THURSDAY, AUGUST 19

Match 1: Empire sweep ROKKR in rematch

The first match of CDL Champs 2021 ended almost as quickly as it started, as reigning MVP Shotzzy laid waste to a formerly upsurging ROKKR roster — kicking Minnesota down to the Loser’s Bracket.

Match 2: Playoff Paco leads NYSL past OpTic

Champs Clayster, Playoff Paco — whoever you want to credit, the Subliners came out and shocked fans by starting their forced honeymoon phase off with a big 3-2 over OpTic. Scump and Co. made it close, but the rookie HyDra was in demon form.

Match 3: ROKKR outlast streaky Thieves

The Thieves made it a wildly competitive series, but a lack of cohesion ultimately proved their downfall as ROKKR survived the Hardpoint slaying to keep their CDL Champs hopes alive.

Match 4: FormaL wakes up and OpTic put Mutineers to bed

Boy oh boy, fans at the arena got treated to an entirely different OpTic team in the team’s elimination match. The team came out hot and everyone, including the notoriously inconsistent FormaL, absolutely popped off to secure a W.

CDL Champs 2021 bracket

Call of Duty League

The final bracket for CDL Champs 2021.

Watch now: Arcitys: FaZe “Do It Different” From OpTic

CDL Champs 2021 format & details

• Location: Los Angeles
• Prize pool: $2.5 million
• Format: Double-elimination bracket
• Seeding determined by 2021 regular season standings:
  • Top two seeds start in Winners Round 2
  • Third-Sixth seeds start in Winners Round 1
  • 7th and 8th seeds start in Losers R1
• Series are best-of-five (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D)
• Grand finals is best-of-nine (HP, S&D, Control, HP, S&D, Control, S&D, Hardpoint, S&D)
• Maps & Modes:
  • Hardpoint: Apocalypse, Checkmate, Garrison, Moscow, Raid
  • Search & Destroy: Standoff, Express, Miami, Moscow, Raid
  • Control: Checkmate, Garrison, Raid

Watch now: Simp: “Atlanta FaZe NOT A Dynasty… Yet!”

CDL Champs 2021 teams & lineups

Check out our CDL 2021 Season hub for everything you need to know about this season, including a full event schedule, the latest standings, and more.