OpTic Hitch announces $10K CDL vs. Warzone tournament

UPDATE: OpTic Hitch has changed the date to August 31st, and reports that not a lot of CDL pros are contacting him.

The rivalry between Call of Duty League (CDL) professional players and Call of Duty: Warzone players has gained steam over the last few weeks. It all began with a Twitter exchange, where CDL and Warzone competitors said being a pro player in each of their respective landscapes is more challenging. Since then, the friendly yet somewhat contentious rivalry escalated to new heights.

After a round of 1v1s between CDL and Warzone pros, OpTic Gaming’s creative director, Davis "Hitch" Edwards, announced a $10K tournament to settle the score. The tentative format pits players from each Call of Duty realm against one another. Teams will square off in a best-of-five format, mixing traditional Call of Duty game modes with Warzone kill races.

While nothing concrete has come to fruition, this tournament promises to generate interest across the Call of Duty environment.

This conflict seems as old as time itself at this point in history. Since Warzone arrived in 2020, many have wondered whether Call of Duty’s top Battle Royale players could stand toe-to-toe with those in the CDL. However, this discussion recently went viral and is not going anywhere.

Over a week ago, a tweet from Seattle Surge player Daunte “Sib” Gray heavily contributed to the rivalry. “Comp players can go to warzone & be good warzone players CANNOT come to comp & be good,” he wrote on Twitter. 

This tweet became a copypasta across the Call of Duty landscape, with many chiming in with their opinions. Many quickly pointed out Seth “Scump” Abner’s historic $100K win in the World Series of Warzone Solo Yolo tournament. In that event, Scump outlasted 144 others, including several professional Warzone players, to claim first place.

More recently, CDL and Warzone pros have been squaring off in 1v1 showdowns. Last night, retired CDL player Tommy “ZooMaa” Paparatto defeated Aydan “Aydan” Conrad in a match. Elsewhere, top Warzone competitor DiazBiffle took down Boston Breach’s Anthony “Methodz” Zinni 2-1. Finally, Aydan went up against Sib and defeated him in two consecutive 1v1 matches.

Unfortunately, the 1v1 showdowns did not necessarily answer any of the lingering questions. Instead, the matches boosted the conflict and ultimately led to OpTic Hitch stepping in to announce a $10K CDL vs. Warzone tournament. The competition, which features a best-of-five format, will include eight currently unknown teams of four. These teams will compete in a mix of standard CDL Modern Warfare and Warzone Caldera game types to see which group is superior.

Hitch’s initial tweet indicated the tournament would go down on Thursday, September 1. But this was later amended to Wednesday, August 31st. However, we may not know the whole field of teams until Tuesday or Wednesday. Regardless, assuming we’ll see Aydan, Sib, and DiazBiffle involved is safe. Boston Breach member Doug "Censor" Martin confirmed he is looking for an additional teammate to join himself, Bryan "Apathy" Zhelyazkov, and Josiah "Slacked" Berry. It’s unclear who else from the CDL and Warzone side will enter the competition. 

We’ll keep you updated with more information leading up to the event. Here is the current CDL versus Warzone format as explained in a follow-up tweet:

Stay tuned to esports.gg for more Call of Duty news and updates!