Call Of Duty League 2021: The Winners And Losers Of Rostermania
The Call of Duty esports off-season is in full swing. As soon as the Dallas Empire were crowned victorious with a dominant performance in the finals against the Atlanta FaZe, franchises began to make changes to their respective rosters ahead of the second season of competition.
The main factor for such widespread change among the 12 franchise teams was the announcement that Call of Duty esports would be returning to a four-versus-four team structure after two years of five-versus-five competition. The change meant every team had to axe one player from their starting line-up, causing changes across the Call of Duty League.
As the release of Black Ops Cold War moves ever-closer, all but one franchise has confirmed their starting roster ahead of the new season. With so many changes, we break down some of the major moves, take a look at which teams have benefitted the most from the changes, and which players have sadly missed out on top-flight competition.
The Notable Changes
Clayster To New York Subliners
Click to enlargeJust 24 hours after picking up his third world championship ring with the Dallas Empire, it was announced that James “Clayster” Eubanks would be the player departing the team as the CDL moved to 4v4 competition once again.
Despite the widespread shock from both fans and fellow players, Clayster leaving the Empire as soon as possible was the right move in order to negotiate a deal with another franchise interested in acquiring the services of one of the best Call of Duty players ever seen.
On September 18, it was confirmed that Clay would be joining the New York Subliners for the Black Ops Cold War season. He reunites with former FaZe Clan teammate Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto and has the opportunity to guide breakout rookie Mackenzie “Mack” Kelley and French phenom Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez into superstardom.
Dashy Joins The Huntsmen
Click to enlargeAfter a turbulent year representing OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, Brandon “Dashy” Otell confirmed his exit from the Green Wall to join the Chicago Huntsmen alongside former teammates Seth “Scump” Abner and Matt “Formal” Piper.
At the beginning of season one, it was widely believed that Dashy wanted to join the Huntsmen but remained with the Green Wall. After a Black Ops 4 season that earned him a place in the upper echelons of Call of Duty esports, expectations were high for Dashy heading into Modern Warfare.
Role changes and other issues ultimately saw Dashy demoted to the bench but he still showed what he was capable of, coming off the bench in a game five decider in the opening game of CDL Champs to eliminate the LA Guerrillas from the tournament.
Back under the tutelage of Hector “Hecz” Rodriguez and the formidable T2P duo, Dashy has the chance to consolidate his position as one of North America’s elite.
The Winners
Seattle Surge
Click to enlargeAfter a season battling towards the bottom of the league table and full of controversial moments, the Seattle Surge is back with a brand-new roster in a bid to reverse the fortunes of the previous season. Superstar Assault Rifle player Sam “Octane” Larew remains on the roster for another season of competition while Peirce “Gunless” Hillman, Daniel “Loony” Loza, and Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson join him to round out the starting four.
On paper, this roster looks extremely interesting. It’s more than likely that Octane will remain as the main AR for the team while Loony and Prestinni will be the aggressive sub-machine gunners. Known for being one of the very best when firing on all cylinders, Gunless can be a phenomenal flex player and is likely to be the key to success for the Surge on Black Ops Cold War.
Los Angeles Guerrillas
Click to enlargeThroughout the duration of the Modern Warfare season, the Los Angeles Guerrillas never made it into the top half of the league table. Having finished the inaugural season of competition in last place, a significant change to the roster was inevitable.
In order to avoid a repeat performance in 2021, the Guerrillas have secured Reece “Vivid” Drost for another season. Joining him are three-quarters of the Evil Geniuses team that won the 2018 world championship – Bryan “Apathy” Zhelyazkov, Justin “SiLLY” Fargo-Palmer, and Adam “Assault” Garcia. This trio of players knows exactly what is required in order to achieve championship success in Call of Duty.
The team composition looks like a healthy balance of explosive slaying power and strong Assault Rifle presence on the map. Apathy and Vivid has the potential to be one of the more formidable SMG partnerships in the CDL while Assault is arguably one of the most underrated AR players despite winning a world championship ring. SiLLY is more than capable of filling in any necessary gaps, making this team look infinitely better than the team of last season.
The Losers
The transition back to a 4v4 team structure was going to mean that several players were going to miss out on a starting spot on a CDL team. The switch has left some of the most recognisable names out of a team, potentially demoting them to a Challengers team for the upcoming season.
The Marshall Twins
Click to enlargeOne of the major scalps from this particular off-season are the Marshall twins. Both Bradley “Wuskin” Marshall and Matthew “Skrapz” Marshall were the face of the London Royal Ravens, with Wuskin becoming a star with the sniper rifle and Skrapz being one of the stronger flex players in the league.
When Wuskin revealed that both had been dropped from the team, many were shocked and confused as to why such a decision was made. According to rumours, both players didn’t want to sign a contract with a decreased wage due to the league moving online.
As of writing, (November 3) there is only one franchise still on the lookout for players, and that is the Paris Legion. Nobody appears to know what exactly is happening with the Legion, so there is still a chance that the twins will make it onto the starting line-up. Armed with a huge European fanbase, this could well be a smart move for Paris.
Adam "GodRx" Brown
Click to enlargeDuring the early stages of the Modern Warfare season, GodRx was making a case for him to be considered one of the very best players on the game. His ruthless aggression with an Assault Rifle combined with his impressive sniping ability in Search & Destroy saw him shine and become a crucial piece of the Minnesota ROKKR roster.
As the season progressed and switched to an online format, GodRx’s performances did drop off slightly, ultimately resulting him being placed on the bench for the remainder of the season. Despite this, he was still one of the standout players from the Modern Warfare season.
Unfortunately, it appears that he will not be making it onto a franchise for season two. He will be competing in Challengers which is certainly a positive! There’s always a chance of a call-up from a CDL roster, so if GodRx can re-discover that form from last season, he could well be considered to replace a player that might be underperforming.
Images via MLG | Call of Duty League | BBC
