Can The Los Angeles Guerrillas Contend For Titles In 2022?

For the past two seasons of the Call of Duty League (CDL), the Los Angeles Guerrillas franchise has struggled to escape the bottom half of the table even though they recruited a solid mix of new, exciting talent and experienced players that know what it takes to win at the highest level of competition.

Despite the best efforts of the franchise, its efforts to climb towards the top of the table have yet to materialize but as the focus begins to turn towards the 2022 season and Call of Duty: Vanguard’s anticipated release, the Guerrillas is one of many franchises that has opted for a complete overhaul of its starting lineup.

In a bid to prevent another disappointing season, the Guerrillas has acquired the services of four immensely talented North American players to reverse its fortunes of the Modern Warfare and Black Ops Cold War seasons. Although a single competitive match has yet to take place on Vanguard, the new-look roster has already got the community discussing its chances in 2022 and based on the championship rings and tournament victories already acquired by this group of players, there’s every chance that the franchise will be able to contend for championship glory.

Huke And Gunless: A Chance For Redemption

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It’s fair to say that the Black Ops Cold War season wasn’t the smoothest of sailing for former Dallas Empire submachine gunner Cuyler "Huke" Garland. After a turbulent run of form throughout the first two stages of the regular season, the Empire made the decision to bench Huke before leaving to join the Los Angeles Thieves. His tenure under the Thieves banner did improve the fortunes of the team, but Huke regularly found himself moving between the substitutes bench and the starting roster on a regular basis, preventing any form of stability from forming.

Joining the Guerrillas alongside former LA Thieves teammate and 2016 world champion Austin "SlasheR" Liddicoat, Huke has the perfect opportunity and platform to rebuild his reputation as an immensely talented slayer, as well as the chance to return to the peak of the competitive Call of Duty mountain.

For ex-Seattle Surge member Pierce "Gunless" Hillman, joining the Guerrillas is also a shot at redemption after a suboptimal season on a roster that had plenty of potential to break into the top half of the league table. Known for his ability to turn the tide of a match in the blink of an eye and the ability to fill any role that’s necessary of the team, Gunless brings a huge amount of talent to Los Angeles and with Huke as the first line of attack, Gunless is the perfect candidate to follow up with another wave of aggression that many teams will struggle to contend with.

Asim: Championship Calibre

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Having landed a spot on the New York Subliners, Obaid "Asim" Asim quickly proved the doubters wrong as an aggressive slayer that was capable of running an SMG or an assault rifle at any given moment. Asim came incredibly close to winning a championship at the Stage 3 Major, but fell short against the juggernaut of the Atlanta FaZe. As one of the standout players throughout Black Ops Cold War, the former Subliner cemented his place as a superstar.

Now with the Guerrillas and three players incredibly hungry for a return to the top step of the podium, Asim is likely to find himself competing towards the very top for a second consecutive season.

SlasheR: Back To The Top

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For several seasons, SlasheR was considered to be one of the very best assault rifle players in the world, armed with levels of gunskill that very few players could defeat during a match. The switch to online competition due to the pandemic almost drove SlasheR to retirement, but with LAN tournaments slowly beginning to make a return, the veteran and three other players with points to prove has the ideal foundations to launch an attack on the teams that regularly feature at the top of the table.

Despite the close calls with hanging up the controller, SlasheR still showed glimpses of brilliance during his tenures at OpTic Gaming Los Angeles and the LA Thieves and with a new opportunity in the city of angels waiting to begin, this North American powerhouse has the potential to steer the LA Guerrillas into a championship-winning squad.

Does The LA Guerrillas Have Championship Potential?

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In my opinion, this iteration of the Guerrillas has all the makings to contend with the more established rosters such as the FaZe. The roster is a perfect combination of impeccable positioning and gunskill from SlasheR and Gunless, while the duo of Huke and Asim lead the charge as the aggressive slayers. Only time will tell as to whether the Guerrillas’ glow-up will pay off, but from the outset, the early signs are hugely promising for a franchise that has rarely seen success.