?Florida Mutineers caused a huge upset last week when they defeated Dallas Empire (3-1), to which they added another solid showing against Los Angeles Guerrillas (3-1). The Mutineers are now tied with Toronto Ultra atop of Group B and two wins short of a perfect run.

Toronto Ultra have been just as successful this stage, with three clean wins against Minnesota R?KKR (3-1), Los Angeles Guerrillas (3-0), and Seattle Surge (3-0). However, as impressive as those numbers might look, Ultra haven’t faced a tough opponent yet, and are 3-2 in their last five, with losses to Atlanta FaZe (1-3) and Dallas Empire (2-3).

It’s also important to mention that Mutineers already beat Ultra (3-2) during CDL Stage 4. Toronto Ultra might be a much better team on paper, but we wouldn’t underestimate the surging Mutineers and their ability to force a tight series. We like the Mutineers with a 1.5 handicap.

?Surge enter this match with a 0-3 record on the stage, which includes losses to Florida Mutineers (1-3), Minnesota R?KKR (0-3), and Toronto Ultra (0-3). Dallas Empire are 2-1 with wins against Los Angeles Guerrillas (3-0) and Minnesota R?KKR (3-1) and a loss against Florida Mutineers (1-3).

Even though Dallas Empire dropped one game, they’re still in great shape and shouldn’t struggle against the Surge, who have managed only seven wins on the season – two of which came during CDL Stage 4 Major.

There is a world where Seattle Surge steal one map against the Empire, but there’s an equal chance that they lose 0-3. Seattle haven’t managed a single notable win outside of LAN, and it doesn’t seem like that will change here.

?New York Subliners might be the fourth-highest rated team on the season (310 CDL points), yet you wouldn’t be able to figure that out had you only started watching CDL at the start of this stage. Throughout the opening two weeks of CDL Stage 5, New York Subliners faced Los Angeles Thieves, OpTic Chicago, and London Royal Ravens and lost all three bouts with 2-3, 0-3, and 2-3 respectively.

These two CDL esports teams last met 12 months ago, when Paris Legion won 3-0 and considering New York Subliners’ poor form, you have to have some faith in the French side to see some success on Thursday. Subliners are individually much better, but until they show some improvement, it’s tough to trust them – even against one of the least successful teams in the league.

In the recent roster update, Subliners announced that James “Clayster” Eubanks would be taking some time off from competition. He will get replaced by Conor “Diamondcon” Johst, who has played with the team early into the 2021 season and has done well in the CDL Challengers league; however, he is still a clear downgrade to the three-time world champion.

?OpTic Chicago have been one of the most underwhelming CDL teams on the season, but the Green Wall seem to have found their form just in time. As a roster that consistently underdelivered against CDL top dogs, OpTic showed an entirely different side of them last weekend when they defeated Atlanta FaZe (3-2).

Seth “Scump” Abner and co. are now the sole leaders of CDL Stage 5 Group A and are seemingly in the best form they have been this year. Similarly, London Royal Ravens showed some life last week when they beat New York Subliners (3-2); however, with the form the Subliners have been showing, that narrow victory isn’t something to write home about.

OpTic have been known for dropping unnecessary maps, which makes us a bit cautious about backing them to win 3-0. Instead, we will side with the Green Wall to win 3-1 on the correct score market.??

On paper, this should be an easy 3-0 win for New York Subliners; however, James “Clayster” Eubanks and co. looked very shaky last week when they lost to Los Angeles Thieves (2-3) and OpTic Chicago (0-3). Similarly, you can’t be too excited about London Royal Ravens, who went 0-2 with losses to Atlanta FaZe (0-3) and the Thieves (1-3).

Both teams faced opponents of similar quality, although you could say London Royals Ravens’ schedule was a bit tougher, mainly because they had to face FaZe. Regardless, we wouldn’t overreact to one iffy week from a top-four team in the league.

Many people will be down on Subliners, but we see this match as a perfect opportunity for them to bounce back. Subliners’ chance to secure a top-three seed for CDL Stage 5 Major hangs by a thread after losing both of their openers, which should inspire a better showing on Saturday.

Florida Mutineers enter this match as short-priced favourites with esports betting sites, which makes sense considering how poorly Los Angeles Guerrillas have been playing of late. What’s more, Mutineers are a good team in online matches, which should help them secure a much-needed win on Saturday. Can they do it with a 3-0, however, is another question.

Guerrillas took a map off Minnesota R?KKR in the opening week and won against Los Angeles Thieves (3-2) in the first round of CDL Stage 4 Major, so they clearly have some talent. They have also done relatively well against Mutineers before, winning three maps across their last two outings (2-3, 1-3). Mutineers should get it done, but it won’t be a clean sweep.

?Toronto Ultra are the much stronger team in this matchup, and while you could make a case for Los Angeles Guerrillas to steal at least one map on Thursday, even that seems unlikely. Toronto have not once underperformed against a weaker team since they found their form and are 3-1 in the head-to-head with the Guerrillas.

The only two head-to-head fixtures where Guerrillas have looked any good happened during CDL Super Week (3-2) and early into the second stage (2-3). However, they have since lost two games against Ultra with 0-3.

Toronto enter this match following a 3-1 victory against Minnesota R?KKR on Sunday, when R?KKR won on Raid – Hardpoint with 250-225. Guerrillas are 0-2 on the stage with a 1-6 map difference and are on a 1-7 run since the start of CDL Stage 4. This should be a straightforward victory for Toronto Ultra.

?Seattle Surge looked good during the CDL Stage 4 Major, where they beat London Royal Ravens (3-1), Paris Legion (3-0), and came close to derailing OpTic Chicago (2-3). It seems like the Surge prefer playing on LAN, which makes sense considering which players are on the roster. Unfortunately, CDL Stage 5 Major qualifiers are played online.

Minnesota R?KKR are a very talented team, but they are evidently not good enough to compete with the CDL top dogs. They’re 2-2 in their last four with wins against Los Angeles Guerrillas (3-1) and the slumping New York Subliners (3-0) and losses to OpTic (1-3) and Atlanta FaZe (0-3).

R?KKR are far from one of the main candidates to win the CDL Championship title, but they usually do well against the Surge. They’re 3-0 up in the head-to-head, with wins coming at 3-0, 3-2, and 3-1.

If this was a LAN event, we would have some faith in Seattle to cause an upset, but it’s tough to make a case for a team that is 7-21 on the season. R?KKR should get it done with at least two maps to spare.

?Los Angeles Guerrillas have been long regarded as a CDL playoffs gatekeeper, and they lived up to that name. They are at 100 CDL points heading into the fifth stage of the season with a 8-20 series record, which sits them 100 points behind Minnesota R?KKR and 70 short of reaching the final spot leading to the 2021 CDL Championship.

Although the Guerrillas have had some flashes of greatness this season, they are not as good as the top-eight teams, so we can’t be overly optimistic about their chances to impress on Friday. What’s more, R?KKR usually do well against the bottom teams.

It’s hard to make a strong case for Guerrillas here, and it’s difficult to say whether their recent roster changes will work out the way they hope. If everything falls into place for Guerrillas, we might see them keep the clash close and steal two maps, but realistically, there’s an equal chance that they get swept.

?Talent-wise, there is not a lot to separate these two CDL teams, but it’s not difficult to spot which of the two rosters have had more success on the season. New York Subliners enter this bout with 310 CDL points, which is good for a fourth-place in the 2021 CDL regular-season standings; meanwhile, the Thieves are at only 180 CDL points.

The CDL community has been down on New York of late, largely due to their losses to R?KKR (0-3) and Dallas Empire (1-3) in the recent Major. However, we have to take into account that the Subliners were swapping out their players at the time and were trying out something new.

Subliners might have had a few iffy showings, but when this team has all their ducks in a row, Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez and co. can be extremely good. This might sound like a hot take, but Subliners are a top-three team in the league, and it’s only a matter of time before they show it.

You can’t go wrong with a bet on New York Subliners to win 3-1, but considering how poorly the Los Angeles Thieves have been playing of late, a 3-0 seems just as likely.

?Atlanta FaZe won their third CDL Major of the season last month. They’re now at 465 CDL points, 145 clear of the second-placed Dallas Empire, meaning FaZe are guaranteed to win the 2021 CDL regular season.

No other team in the league was as dominant as FaZe, who are averaging an incredible 88% series win rate and equally as impressive as the 71% map win rate. London Royal Ravens were not nearly as remarkable, managing only 80 CDL points and a 7-19 series record.

Across their last seven outings, the Royal Ravens won only one series against Los Angeles Guerrillas (3-1) but lost the remaining six quite convincingly. Their only relatively solid showing happened against Dallas Empire (2-3) way back during CDL Stage 3 Major.

London Royal Ravens last met with Atlanta FaZe at the start of May, when they forced a five-map series (2-3). However, they have since looked progressively worse and are not a team that you would trust to upset the undisputed best team in the league.

?OpTic Gaming have been performing well this term but consistently underperformed at CDL Majors. On a more positive note, OpTic Chicago are at 270 CDL points, which guarantees them a ticket for the 2021 CDL Championship.

Paris Legion are highly unlikely to achieve the same feat. They are at only 90 CDL points, meaning they need to win both the CDL Stage 5 group and reach deep into the CDL Stage 5 Major to have a shot at finishing inside the top-eight.

OpTic and Legion last met at the start of June, when OpTic won 3-1, replicating the result from March. Dropping at least one map has become synonymous with OpTic, who usually struggle to deliver on Search & Destroy (21-21).

That should work in favour of Paris Legion, who are 5-1 on S&D in their last six outings, including a win against Atlanta FaZe (1-3). OpTic to win 3-1 is a good bet at decent odds. Alternatively, you could look for an in-play bet on Paris Legion to win on S&D.