Stage 1
Feb. 11 – Atlanta FaZe Home Series
Feb. 18 – Call of Duty League Home Series
Feb. 25 – Call of Duty League Home Series
March 1 – Stage 1 Major
Stage 2
March 18 – Toronto Ultra Home Series
March 25 – Call of Duty League Home Series
Apr. 1 – Los Angeles Guerrilas Home Series
Apr. 5 – Stage 2 Major
Stage 3
Apr. 22 – London Royal Ravens Home Series
Apr. 29 – Paris Legion Home Series
May 6 – Dallas Empire Home Series
May 10 – Stage 3 Major
Stage 4
May 27 – OpTic Chicago Home Series
June 3 – Florida Mutineers Home Series
June 10 – Los Angeles Thieves Home Series
June 14 – Stage 4 Major
Stage 5
July 1 – Seattle Surge Home Series
July 8 – New York SublinersHome Series
July 15 – Minnesota Rokkr Home Series
July 19 – Stage 5 Major
Meanwhile, Evil Geniuses has announced its entry into the VALORANT Champions Tur starting with the Open Qualifier tournament on January 27. This is the first time Evil Geniuses has entered a new esport since acquiring the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster from NRG Esports in September 2019. EG’s VALORANT roster is as follows:
Christine “Potter” Chi – Captain
Claudia "Clawdia” Che
Aleksandar “Aleksandar” Hinojosa
Ronan “Osias” Jeremiah Javelona
Nolan “Temperature” Pepper
Elsewhere in the world of competitive gaming:
Combo Breaker 2021 Cancelled
Combo Breaker, one of the largest fighting game tournaments in the United States, has been cancelled in 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The official Combo Breaker website revealed the news in a lengthy statement, saying “due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and following government guidance regarding mass indoor gatherings in 2021, we are confirming today that COMBO BREAKER is unable to host its annual convention this Memorial Day Weekend.” The statement did confirm a “multi-day digital festival” will run in its place, but no dates or further details were revealed.
Former Call of Duty Champ Joins London Royal Ravens
Christopher ‘Parasite’ Duarte, a former champion in Call of Duty competition, will join the London Royal Ravens for the 2021 season. Duarte, who won a Call of Duty championship in 2013, will be joining the team after visa issues prevented previous London signings Marcus ‘Afro’ Reid and Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris from traveling to the US to play with the team. Duarte will be eligible to play with the Royal Ravens as soon as the season-opening Atlanta FaZe Home Series February 11, with Reid and Morris serving as substitutes from their home countries.
Valve Adds Community Regulation Tools to DOTA 2
A new update for Valve’s DOTA 2 has brought with it a brand new tool allowing communities to self-regulate. Dubbed the “Overwatch System,” the new tools will provide “a system that allows good-standing members of the community to verify the validity of reports flagging disruptive actions within games” according to the official blog post. The tool gives players an opportunity to watch gameplay of a flagged player and render a verdict in real time on whether the flag was appropriate. As players review more footage they will be attributed an accuracy score, and according to the blog “those who falsely convict will receive a lower score, eventually losing the ability to participate in Overwatch at all.”
Twitch Rivals Announces 32-Player Killer Instinct Tournament
Following the success of its Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 tournament in November, Twitch Rivals has announced a 32-player Killer Instinct tournament for February 1 at 4PM Pacific time. The tournament will once again be hosted by Maximilian “Maximilian_DOOD” Christensen’s Twitch channel and will include many top Killer Instinct players, including David “UltraDavid” Graham and EVO 2015 runner-up Neilimen "Gutter Magic" Alicea.
Photo courtesy of Activision