CDL Major III hosted by Toronto Ultra continues Friday with the First Round of the Elimination Bracket (2024)

Published: May. 17, 2024 at 11:41 AM CDT

(Gray News) - The Call of Duty Leagues (CDL) Major III kicked off yesterday at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. Toronto Ultra, the event’s hosts, had a great start to their tournament, winning 3-1 in their opening series over Seattle Surge.

The New York Subliners also started on the right foot with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Thieves. OpTic Texas beat the Carolina Royal Ravens, and Atlanta FaZe defeated the Miami Heretics to fill out the final two spots in winner’s round two. FaZe will take on the Subliners, and Ultra will take on OpTic on Saturday afternoon.

Today, the spotlight is on the high-stakes first round of matches in the elimination bracket, a critical phase that could make or break a team’s tournament.

Schedule for Friday, May 17th:

• Miami Heretics vs. Las Vegas Legion - 1:30 PM EST / 12:30 PM CST / 10:30 AM PST
• Los Angeles Thieves vs. Boston Breach - 3 PM EST / 2 PM CST / 12 PM PST
• Seattle Surge vs. Minnesota RØKKR - 4:30 PM EST / 3:30 PM CST / 1:30 PM PST
• Carolina Royal Ravens vs. Los Angeles Guerrillas - 6 PM EST / 5 PM CST / 3 PM PST
• Winner of (Heretics v. Legion) vs. Winner of (Thieves v. Breach) - 7:30 PM EST / 6:30 PM CST / 4:30 PM PST

To open today’s matches, the Heretics take on the Legion in what should be a lively showdown. In their previous encounters, the Legion have come out on top twice, with their only loss to the Heretics being in Major I qualifiers. One of the Legions’ wins over the Heretics was a sweep in round one of the elimination bracket at Major I. But at this Major, the Heretics made the winners bracket with an 8th seed, while the Legion just missed out with a 9th seed. Any way you cut it, these teams are equally matched, and while the edge may go in favor of the Legion, this series will be a true battle.

Next up is the Thieves versus the Breach. Plain and simple, this will be the first time one of these teams will make it out of the first round of a Major this season. Both teams started Major I in the elimination bracket and Major II in the winners’ bracket. They crashed out in round one of the elimination bracket in both instances. This time, the Thieves got the winners’ bracket start while the Breach had to wait patiently yesterday for their first opponent to be decided. The Thieves and Breach have played each other twice this season; both series ended in favor of the Thieves. It also doesn’t hurt that the Thieves are in the best form they have been in all season. Also, the Breach didn’t win a match in Major III qualifiers. The Thieves are favored in this matchup and should find themselves in the second round of a Major for the first time this season.

Seattle Surge takes on Minnesota RØKKR next, and it should be a close fight. They both had a solid performance at Major I, making it to the final stages of the elimination bracket. RØKKR has beat the Surge in their two previous series, and they made it further into Major II. Both teams have finished within one or two spots of each other in Major qualifying all season. But the Surge have found solid momentum with recent roster changes, making them a more significant threat than earlier in the season. The Surge has a slight advantage in this one, but it can go either way, meaning fans can expect a great match.

Finally, the already-scheduled matchups finish with the Royal Ravens facing the Guerrillas—another pair of teams on equal footing. The Guerillas sit 8th in the regular season standings, while the Royal Ravens sit 9th. The Guerrillas have made it to the third round of the elimination bracket in every Major so far. The Royal Ravens also made it to Major II’s third round of the elimination bracket but exited Major I in the second round. The Guerrillas didn’t have the best qualifiers but have found ways to make a run in the elimination bracket before. It’s tempting to take the Royal Ravens in this series, but looking at how the Guerrillas have stuck around in the past, there is no guarantee.

The winners of the first two matches of the day will compete in the day’s final match to start the second round of the elimination bracket. Most matches today should be hard-fought and likely to result in map five finishes, so whichever two teams make it to this match should follow suit.

CDL Major III promises jam-packed action today. To tune in, go to the official Call of Duty League YouTube Channel, where coverage should start 30 minutes before the day’s first match.

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