by The 2023 Call of Duty League (CDL) season kicks off on Friday, December 2, with the first round of Major 1 Qualifiers, and ESB is here to bring you full coverage for the day. Here are our CoD betting predictions for Boston Breach vs Atlanta Faze, OpTic Texas vs Minnesota R?KKR, Las Vegas Legion vs Los Angeles Thieves, and Los Angeles Guerrillas vs Seattle Surge.
BOSTON BREACH vs ATLANTA FAZE CoD BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | Breach +200 at BetOnline | FaZe -277.78 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 2, 2022 | 15:00 EST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch, YouTube |
Atlanta FaZe are priced as the clear favourites to win the 2023 CDL Championship, which is hardly shocking. This is one of the most dominant and consistent teams Call of Duty esports has ever seen, with finals appearances three years in a row and a commanding title run in 2021.
They did make a shocking roster change ahead of the 2023 season, moving Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson off the team last year, but they picked up Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat, who is one of the best AR players of all time. Most of the CoD community isn’t high on SlasheR, but he has been stuck with struggling teams – now that’s going to change.
Boston Breach have made some roster changes ahead of this season, adding Joseph “Owakening” Conley and Reece “Vivid” Drost to form a standard roster with slow AR, aggressive sub players, and an ideal flex in Owakening. This team has potential, but it will be interesting to see how the Breach do in a more slow-paced game and how the two subs play together.
This looks like a fairly easy win for Atlanta FaZe. Even though it’s tough to call how the opening matches of the new season will go, FaZe to win by at least two maps is the smart play.
Atlanta FaZe -1.5 maps
OPTIC TEXAS vs MINNESOTA R?KKR CoD BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | OpTic -188.68 at BetOnline | R?KKR +137 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 2, 2022 | 16:30 EST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch, YouTube |
Modern Warfare II feels more like an older Call of Duty game, which should complement Seth “Scump” Abner (who’s entering his final pro season), but the rest of OpTic Texas might struggle to adapt to a more slow-paced gameplay. This team also had a weird situation in the offseason, dropping Brandon “Dashy” Otell and Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal only to pick them up again shortly after.
On a more positive note, OpTic Texas have looked good in scrims, but they seemed more like a middle-of-the-pack team than true title contenders.
Minnesota R?KKR went through a complete roster overhaul, keeping only Dillon “Attach” Price and pairing him with Marcus “Afro” Reid, Ben “Bance” Bance, and Cameron “Cammy” McKilligan. This game will be great for Attach and Bence, who prefer to play a bit slower, but we must also acknowledge how adaptable Cammy is, leaving Afro as the wild card.
Minnesota R?KKR scream consistency and stability, while OpTic Texas are a bit more in the air as a team that might gel together well and perform, or else fall apart. So while you can’t write off OpTic Texas, the R?KKR are a far more appealing pick here.
Minnesota R?KKR to win
LAS VEGAS LEGION vs LOS ANGELES THIEVES CoD BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | Legion +162 at BetOnline | Thieves -227.27 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 2, 2022 | 18:00 EST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch, YouTube |
The perpetual Call of Duty League underdogs, Las Vegas Legion (formerly Paris Legion), enter the 2023 season looking much better. Still, the esports betting sites have the Legion priced as +4000 to win the CDL Championship, which is fair given there are many question marks above this roster.
With the three-time world champion James “Clayster” Eubanks joining the team, you have to feel a bit more optimistic about the Legion’s chances to succeed, but the 30-year-old CoD veteran hasn’t had the greatest year – much like Thomas “TJHaLy” Haly. On a more positive note, the Legion have been doing well in scrims and have been grinding the game more than any other team in the league, which could be a big difference in the first qualifiers, especially considering how much earlier this season will kick off.
The reigning CDL champions, Los Angeles Thieves, look extremely good heading into the 2023 CDL season, and with the players on this roster, it’s only a matter of time before they become a dominant force. It might take some time for the Thieves to figure out the game, but once they do, they’ll be tough to stop.
Not only is this a well-rounded LA roster, but it also features clutch players who can adapt, and that’s a very important trait to have heading into the first week of a new season. But the Thieves are known for starting slow, so it’s not too crazy to believe that the Legion – who might be underrated – can force a five-map series.
Over 4.5 total maps
LOS ANGELES GUERRILLAS vs SEATTLE SURGE CoD BETTING & MATCH DETAILS |
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| Best Odds: | Guerrillas +162 at BetOnline | Surge -227.27 at BetOnline |
| When: | December 2, 2022 | 19:30 EST |
| Watch Live: | Twitch, YouTube |
Seattle Surge have not made any roster changes, which isn’t a bad call. Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi and Amer “Pred” Zulbeari should do well in MWII, while Amer “Pred” Zulbeari is talented enough to adapt to the new, slower gameplay.
Makenzie “Mack” Kelley is a bit of an X-factor who could make or break this team. He has made his name in Modern Warfare, which isn’t the best indication of how he’ll do, but the 20-year-old has the right team around him to grow. If things fall into place for Seattle Surge, they might compete for the title, but it’s way too early to say.
Priced as +162 underdogs for this match, the Los Angeles Guerrillas are one of the teams we’re least excited about. They clearly have the money to throw around, but that doesn’t necessarily bring success. We would also argue that the Guerrillas look much better on paper than they actually are.
Signing Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson is a big deal, but there must be a reason why he was dropped from Atlanta FaZe. Moreover, the roster looks like it’s been randomly put together, and it’s impossible to say how the players will do in the new CoD game.
‘Mediocre’ is the right word to describe Los Angeles Guerrillas, and until proven otherwise, they’re one of the weakest teams in the league. On the other hand, Seattle Surge look stronger out of the gates and are a solid bet on the map handicap market.
