The 2022 Call of Duty League season is finally in full swing as the Kickoff Classic started the Vanguard cycle in a big way. While Toronto Ultra came away with the win, the entire LAN event was filled with intense matchups and surprise upsets. Here’s a full breakdown of how the event unfolded.
- Toronto Ultra takes down Seattle Surge 3-1 in Grand Finals.
- Thieves and Subliners knocked out among Top 4.
- Fan-favorites OpTic & ATL FaZe fail to win a series.
This Kickoff Classic marked the preseason of the 2022 CDL Vanguard cycle and gave fans a glimpse at what the year has on offer. Even though the CDL season doesn’t officially start until February 4, we finally got our first look at some competitive action three months after Vanguard’s release.
Teams like Atlanta FaZe, OpTic Texas, and Toronto Ultra all entered as favorites, but only one winner could be crowned. Below is a complete recap of how the first Vanguard tournament played out.
CDL Kickoff Classic placements
| Placement | Team |
| 1st | Toronto Ultra |
| 2nd | Seattle Surge |
| Top 4 | New York Subliners |
| LA Thieves | |
| Top 8 | Atlanta FaZe |
| Minnesota ROKKR | |
| OpTic Texas | |
| Florida Mutineers | |
| Top 12 | London Royal Ravens |
| Boston Breach | |
| Paris Legion | |
| LA Guerrillas |
CDL Kickoff Classic results & recap
While the CDL Kickoff Classic isn’t quite the most important event of the year for some, there’s no denying it sets the tone for what’s to come. 2022’s tournament was no different as we got an early look at how certain teams stack up against one another.
Being a single-elim event, brand new lineups had just one chance to gel on stage and find their rhythm. That didn’t bode well for the likes of Boston Breach, Los Angeles Guerrillas, and even OpTic Texas who all dropped out among the Top 8.
100-point club to close out the tournament!
The @TorontoUltra are the #CDL2022 Kickoff Classic Champions! #SooUltra
These 4 are taking home the preseason title and $30,000:
🔸 @CammyMVP
🔸 @InsightGawd
🔸 @TCleanX
🔸 @Bance— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 24, 2022
Instead, it was the new-look Subliners, LA Thieves, and Surge who joined the returning Ultra lineup in the Top 4.
Ultimately, the young guns in Seattle couldn’t quite keep up in the last matchup as Toronto Ultra took out the Grand Finals with a 3-1 win.
CDL Kickoff Classic stream
The Call of Duty League 2022 Kickoff Classic began on January 21, with the first match kicking things off at 1 PM PST / 4 PM EST. You can rewatch all the action from the official CDL YouTube stream, which we have embedded above.
You can rewatch all the action from the official CDL YouTube stream, which we have embedded above.
CDL Kickoff Classic schedule & format
The CDL preseason event featured all 12 teams in a predetermined bracket. The seeding was based on each team’s placement in the 2021 season.
Below is a full look at the CDL Kickoff Classic schedule which ran from January 21 to January 23. You can also view the bracket here.
Friday, January 21
| Match | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT |
| Florida Mutineers 3-1 Los Angeles Guerrillas | 1PM | 4PM | 9PM | 8AM (Jan. 22) |
| Seattle Surge 3-0 London Royal Ravens | 2:30PM | 5:30PM | 10:30PM | 9:30AM (Jan. 22) |
| New York Subliners 3-2 Boston Breach | 4PM | 7 PM | 12AM (Jan. 22) | 11AM (Jan. 22) |
| Los Angeles Thieves 3-1 Paris Legion | 5:30PM | 8:30PM | 1:30AM (Jan. 22) | 12:30PM (Jan. 22) |
Saturday, January 22
| Match | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT |
| Atlanta FaZe 1-3 Seattle Surge | 1PM | 4PM | 9PM | 8AM (Jan. 23) |
| Toronto Ultra 3-1 Florida Mutineers | 2:30PM | 5:30PM | 10:30PM | 9:30AM (Jan. 23) |
| Minnesota ROKKR 0-3 New York Subliners | 4PM | 7 PM | 12AM (Jan. 23) | 11AM (Jan. 23) |
| OpTic Texas 1-3 Los Angeles Thieves | 5:30PM | 8:30PM | 1:30AM (Jan. 23) | 12:30PM (Jan. 23) |
Sunday, January 23
| Match | PST | EST | GMT | AEDT |
| Seattle Surge 3-1 New York Subliners | 1PM | 4PM | 9PM | 8AM (Jan. 24) |
| Toronto Ultra 3-2 LA Thieves | 2:30PM | 5:30PM | 10:30PM | 9:30AM (Jan. 24) |
| Seattle Surge 1-3 Toronto Ultra | 4PM | 7 PM | 12AM (Jan. 24) | 11AM (Jan. 24) |
CDL Kickoff Classic teams
The newest franchise, Boston Breach revealed their roster on January 13. Therefore, the Kickoff Classic was the first time we got to see this squad in action.
Below is the full list of teams and players that competed in the first Vanguard event of 2022.
| Team | Roster | |||
| Atlanta FaZe | Simp, aBeZy, Cellium, Arcitys | |||
| OpTic Texas | Shotzzy, iLLeY, Dashy, Scump | |||
| Florida Mutineers | Skyz, Davpadie, Owakening, Vivid | |||
| New York Subliners | HyDra, Clayster, Neptune, Crimsix | |||
| London Royal Ravens | Afro, Gismo, Nastie, Zer0 | |||
| Toronto Ultra | Bance, Insight, Cammy, CleanX | |||
| Minnesota RØKKR | Priestahh, Attach, MajorManiak, Standy | |||
| Los Angeles Thieves | Drazah, Kenny, Octane, Envoy | |||
| Paris Legion | Temp, Decemate, FeLo, John | |||
| Seattle Surge | Accuracy, Mack, Sib, Pred | |||
| Los Angeles Guerrillas | SlasheR, Asim, Huke, Gunless | |||
| Boston Breach | TJHaly, Methodz, Nero, Capsidal | |||
