The 2023 Call of Duty League is in full swing and this weekend will see the fourth Major of the year played out from Columbus, Ohio! We have a dedicated preview and esports betting tips for the event, running from Friday-Monday Australian time.
Call of Duty League: Major IV Betting Tips
Friday 21st - Monday 24th April
The Format
All 12 professional CDL teams will participate in Major IV from Columbus, with eight starting in the ‘winners bracket’ and the remaining four starting in the losers bracket. The eight top teams will get a 2nd chance if they lose a match, while the four bottom teams will be out if they lose a match.
The Contenders
Optic Texas ($2.50)
The in-form team in the CDL at the moment has to be Optic Texas. Just a few months removed from making a shock roster move by bringing up unproven rookie Ghosty from the challenger series, the boys from Texas are finally starting to find some chemistry and went through the Major IV qualifiers undefeated with a 5-0 record.
They had a combined 15-3 map count in those five wins and went undefeated in the hardpoint mode, which makes up for two of the five games in each series. They are without doubt the worthy favourites for the event, with arguably the best sub-machine gun duo in the game in Shotzzy and Huke firing on all cylinders.
LA Thieves ($4.00)
The LA Thieves are the reigning Call of Duty World Champions but haven’t had a great deal of success this season, finishing 5th, 2nd and 7th in the three majors that have been played. They were particularly disappointing in the last major, bowing out in straight sets with losses to Atlanta Faze and the Las Vegas Legion.
They did manage to bounce back throughout the Major IV qualifiers though, racking up a 4-1 record to qualify in 2nd place leading into the tournament. That gave them a solid first round matchup against the Rokkr, in which they should be heavily favoured.
Atlanta Faze ($4.50)
Major II winners and arguably the best team in the Call of Duty since the inception of the CDL, Atlanta Faze can never be ruled out, regardless of a disappointing (by their standards) 3-2 record in the Major IV qualifiers.
They are still a dominant search and destroy team, but struggled in the respawn game modes on the back of really poor form from veteran Slasher. If he doesn’t perform in Columbus and Faze have a poor result, it could mark the end of Slasher’s distinguished career which included a World Championship in Black Ops II.
Seattle Surge ($6.00)
The last of the real contenders has to be the Seattle Surge. Led by star Australian star ‘Pred’, the Surge rounded out the Major IV qualifiers with a super impressive 3-0 domination job over the Atlanta Faze. They are without doubt one of the most talented rosters in the league, but have failed to put it all together this season at times.
They played out the qualifiers with a 4-1 record, finishing in 3rd place. Due to the poor performance in the qualifiers by Faze, who finished 6th, it has set up a mouthwatering rematch between Atlanta and Seattle in the first round.
Betting Tips
Outright
Absolutely love the value of the Seattle Surge in the outright betting market. Outside of Optic, who don’t have a lot of meat left on the bone at just $2.50, I think the Surge are the next most in-form team in the league and are so streaky that they are capable of making a big run, even out of the losers bracket. The only big issue for them is the difficult Round 1 matchup against Faze. If they can get through that, I think they will be a great chance to go all the way.
Also tough to look past Optic Texas. They were far and away the dominant team of the Major IV qualifiers and look destined to breakthrough with a maiden victory for this line-up after making it to the final in Major III. Back both Optic and Seattle for ecffective odds of $1.77.
Optic Texas OR Seattle Surge
$1.77
Tournament MVP
Sticking with the Seattle/Optic thought process for tournament MVP and going for wagers on Pred and Huke. Pred is the obvious pick for Seattle and if you think they are going to win, you might be better off just taking the $7 on offer for him to win the MVP.
As for Huke, he certainly does not have the star recognition that teammates Shotzzy and Dashy have, but I think he is the form player on the team at the moment, and has clearly been one of the biggest improvers in the league over the qualifiers. Could be his breakout event here.
Pred to win MVP ($7.00 at Bet365)
Huke to win MVP ($4.50 at Bet365)
