5 Players to watch at Launch Weekend

The inaugural Call of Duty League (CDL) season is set to start on January 24th. All 12 franchise teams will be in action to mark a new era for Call of Duty esports which will feature new franchise teams, all-new rosters and a brand-new tournament format that will start in London on February 8th.

With new rosters forming since the end of the Black Ops 4 season, there are plenty of players that are either looking to cement themselves as Call of Duty greats or as new talent consolidating their position at the top of the Call of Duty mountain.

Here, we have chosen five players that are worth keeping an eye on during the first weekend of competition at the Minneapolis Armory.

1) Rhys “Rated” Price

London Royal Ravens main Assault Rifle (AR) player Rated cemented his position as one of the best AR players in the world after stellar performances during the World War 2 season. Despite a turbulent Black Ops 4 season, Rated ended the year on the front foot with a top six finish at the 2019 world championship.

With positioning more important than previous titles, expect Rated to be holding some of the many power positions, securing control of the map for his more aggressive teammates to push. When Rated is performing well, the Royal Ravens could be flying high at launch weekend.

2) Chris “Simp” Lehr

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Black Ops 4 was a standout year for young superstar Simp. The 18-year-old burst onto the Call of Duty scene and is one of six players to win the world championship during their debut season. The goal for the Modern Warfare season for Simp is simple, cement his legacy as a Call of Duty superstar.

Now on the Atlanta FaZe franchise alongside some of the hottest young talents in the league, there is a real chance for Simp to assert his authority on Call of Duty esports with another successful year.

3) Daniel “Loony” Loza

Under the Splyce banner, Loony and his teammates started the Black Ops 4 season on the front foot, finishing third and second at the first two events of the season. The hopes of a strong season were high for the team but cracks began to show in the second half of the season.

As newly-crowned captain of the Toronto Ultra, Loony will be looking to put his excellent in-game leadership skills to the test once again at launch weekend.

4) Indervir “iLLey” Dhaliwal

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As one of the freshest faces competing in the CDL, iLLeY is perhaps one of the most talked about players in the league despite having never played a professional game in an offline environment. iLLeY was one of the four eUnited cadets and as a player with a similar track record to Simp, it is going to be interesting to see how the two compare over the course of the season.

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With the guidance of Ian “Crimsix” Porter and James “Clayster” Eubanks, the skill ceiling that this player possesses could well be limitless. Keep a close eye on him during launch weekend and the rest of the season.

5) Donovan “Temp” Laroda

Last and by no means least is Temp. Spending the vast majority of the Black Ops 4 season at the top of the statistic leaderboards, Temp impressed with his aggressive gameplay, a trait that could well make the difference on Modern Warfare.

Now a sub-machine gun player, Temp has a chance to replicate and even improve on his performance from last season. With two very capable AR players on his team, Temp can certainly make an impact at launch weekend.