- The Atlanta FaZe are the +150 betting favorites to win the CDL Kickoff Classic.
- OpTic Texas has the second-shortest odds at +165.
- The Toronto Ultra are the next option at +750.
ARLINGTON, Texas – The 2022 CDL season is finally upon us as the CDL Kickoff Classic is set to take place on the weekend of January 21-23.
CDL Kickoff Classic Odds
- Atlanta FaZe +150
- OpTic Texas +165
- Toronto Ultra +750
- LA Thieves +1200
- New York Subliners +1200
- Boston Breach +1600
- LA Guerrillas +1600
- Seattle Surge +2200
- Minnesota RØKKR +2500
- Florida Mutineers +5000
- London Royal Ravens +6600
- Paris Legion +10000
The Format Of The Tournament
In order to make good, educated bets it’s important to know the format of the tournament as there are a few teams who benefit from a first-round BYE. Atlanta FaZe, OpTic Texas, Toronto Ultra and Minnesota ROKKR all have BYEs in the opening round as a reward for placing top four in last year’s Champs tournament.
Plus, the CDL Kickoff Classic bracket shows a single-elimination style tournament, meaning one loss and the team is eliminated. This gives the four teams with a BYE an even bigger advantage.
Betting the Favorites: FaZe Or OpTic?
To put it lightly, neither the players nor the fans are happy with the state of the game heading into the opening tournament of the season, but from what’s been seen in scrims there are two teams that are established as the best in the business. Online gambling sites have made them the favorites.
Atlanta FaZe (+150)
There’s not much to say about FaZe that hasn’t already been said. They’re coming off of one of the most dominant years in Call of Duty history and seem primed to carry that momentum into a new year. They’ve shown dominance by beating most teams easily in their practice and until proven otherwise, FaZe is the team to beat.
OpTic Texas (+165)
OpTic, the biggest brand in Call of Duty, merged with Envy to combine to Dallas Empire with optic Chicago to form OpTic Texas. The team consists of Scump, Dashy, Shotzzy and iLLeY which is arguably the most talented team in the league aside from Atlanta. As well as being fan favorites, they should be competitive against the top teams but maybe are not worth betting on given their price compared to FaZe’s.
Any Longshot Options?
As Call of Duty has grown, the game has become more top-heavy with less parity in the league. However, that may change this year. Given the speed and issues with Vanguard, it’s going to be tougher to be as dominant as before which leaves the door open to longshots.
Why are we playing Bocage? This is the only map in COD history where I can spawn in, get a 4 piece, and NOT get a single point on the hill. pic.twitter.com/AUMMuhSvFd
— Doug Censor Martin (@Censor) January 8, 2022
Boston Breach (+1600)
Although not having an officially announced roster, Methodz, TJHaLy, Nero and Capsidal have been holding their own and splitting maps against some of the top teams in the league despite having less time to practice. Their odds have shortened significantly over the last few weeks, showing just how impressive the team has been in their scrims.
Toronto Ultra (+750)
The Ultra aren't necessarily a longshot, but with two teams having such short odds it can count for the time being. This team is a complete wild card as nobody, sportsbooks included, has seen the team practice together.
They could be one of the best teams in the league again like last year or be the single worst team and nobody would know the difference at the moment. Cammy is one of the best players in the game while CleanX seems to thrive in fast-paced gameplay so it’s a fair risk to take on Toronto at +750.