And the award goes to … MVP, best team and more from the 2021 Call of Duty League season

The Minnesota ROKKR pulling off the best-of-nine reverse sweep of the Toronto Ultra to win the fifth and final Call of Duty League Major was a fitting conclusion to a wild 2021 regular season.

Between some of the surprise benchings and departures, the upsets and memorable finishes, the dominant performances by teams and individuals, and the drama behind the scenes, it almost felt like we had seen it all. Then the most improbable comeback in COD history goes down, and it just happens to occur at the first tournament held in front of fans in over a year. Unbelievable.

With Call of Duty League Championship (aka Champs) set to kick off Aug. 19, Nerd Street is looking back on the season that was -- dishing out awards and highlighting the most surreal moments of 2021.

Lead photo credit: Juan Valero / @valerovzla

Photo credit: Josh Alfaro via ESPAT

Most Valuable Player: Simp, Atlanta FaZe

It’s so hard to choose one player to honor from FaZe when really their squad consists of three legitimate MVP candidates and a fourth All-Star talent. Atlanta were by far the best and most consistent team in the CDL all season, with an outrageous 34-7 record and 122-53 map record, and should be decorated as such.

Learn more about Nerd Street's Summer Championships!

And, going by the numbers, Chris “Simp” Lehr has been the top all-around player in the league. His 1.17 overall kill-death ratio is the highest in the league, as is his 1.25 Control K/D, while he also ranks among the top 10 in Hardpoint K/D (fourth) and Search & Destroy K/D (t-seventh).

Does Simp benefit from being around some of the best COD players in the world? Sure. Did other individual competitors have to work harder to make their teammates better? Absolutely. That being said, FaZe have been so far ahead of the rest of the league, in part because they dominate all three game modes -- which is possible in part because Simp can fry in all three.

Photo credit: Juan Valero / @valerovzla

Rookie of the Year: Insight, Toronto Ultra

With rostermania seemingly ongoing all season long, a lot of first-year pros got called up to the big league. Still, none made quite the level of impact that Insight did, whether individually or for their team.

Read more: Toronto Ultra's Bance goes from near retirement to regaining confidence

Not only did Jamie “Insight” Craven finish 2021 tied for third in the CDL with a 1.14 overall K/D -- only behind veteran greats Simp and Brandon “Dashy” Otell -- but his arrival helped spark Toronto’s revival. Since going 3-5 in Stage 1, the Ultra are 26-12 with a 98-59 map record, propelling the club to second place in the standings. Honestly, it’s been a campaign worthy of MVP consideration when you break down the results.

All-Star team: Insight, Toronto Ultra; Clayster, New York Subliners; Simp, Atlanta FaZe; aBeZy, Atlanta FaZe

Put Insight on main AR, the role in which he became an overnight sensation, posting a 1.13 K/D in Hardpoint (sixth) and Control (fourth) and leading the league in hill time. Then slot James “Clayster” Eubanks -- one of the all-time greats and a candidate for MVP before stepping away from NYSL for mental health reasons -- into a slayer AR spot, as he ranked second in Hardpoint damage and eighth in Control damage per 10 minutes.

And on subs, you’ve gotta go with the Tiny Terrors. As we’ve already established, Simp might be the top all-around player in COD right now, while teammate Tyler "aBeZy" Pharris is no slouch -- among the leaders in every S&D statistic, including No. 1 with a ridiculous 20.6% of first bloods, and tied for sixth with an overall 1.1 K/D. Good luck coming up with a better combination than that.

Biggest surprise: Dallas Empire

Even knowing now how it all worked out in the end -- the Empire finding a quality replacement in Reece “Vivid” Drost and Cuyler “Huke” Garland landing back on the bench with the Los Angeles Thieves -- it’s still shocking to think about the defending champions blowing up their team midseason, midstage. That’s exactly what they did, though, benching a player many viewed as a star in the middle of Stage 3, and while sitting in second place in the standings no less.

Read more: With Champs approaching, Dallas Empire focused on another championship run

What’s more surprising still is that the Empire didn’t crater like some observers expected. The team struggled initially before landing Vivid, but since Stage 4, Dallas are 12-7 with a runner-up finish at Major 4 and wound up with a third-place finish in the standings, just 15 points back of the Ultra.

When Champs start, the Empire will be viewed as a legitimate title contender, whereas Huke will simply be viewing the seventh-seeded Thieves who will likely be considered a longshot to win a match in the elimination bracket.

Best moment: Minnesota ROKKR

In a season that delivered many twists and turns: competitors denouncing Adderall and shedding light on issues of mental health, teams publicly standing with Activision employees amid harassment allegations, the return to LAN and playing in front of fans after a year away, and FaZe methodically march to victories in three of five majors, the ROKKR managed to create a memory that will outlast almost all of those stories.

Read more: Priestahh discusses why ROKKR have turned their season around

A reverse sweep in a BO9 is about the unlikeliest thing that could’ve happened without two completely different groups of players taking over midway through the series. Somehow, the ROKKR pulled it off, and in doing so authored without a doubt the greatest comeback in COD esports history. You don’t have to be a fan of the team or even the game to appreciate that.

Editor’s note: All stats via breakingpoint.gg