Cloud9 Hints At CDL Ventures As The Rostermania Pot Stirs
As the Call of Duty League season's roaring flamed begin to fizzle out and fade into embers, many of the fans and players have begun eyeing the next season and the rostermania excitement that comes with the off-season.
In a rather cynical turnaround, the franchised teams have no rest following the conclusion of the season, with the player contract extension deadline fast approaching. Whilst many would expect to be jetting off to the Bahamas after a gruelling year faced with mountainous hurdles, the reality is that the business side of the CDL is gnarling its ferociously menacing teeth.
Just as we saw last season with James "Clayster" Eubanks departing Dallas Empire a mere day after winning the world championships, Seattle Surge has already axed their entire roster.
With September 5 as the cut-off point for teams to activate their one-year extension clauses on players' contracts (only for players who have been at the org for a single season) and a range of players who have been at teams for two years coming to the end of their tenures, rostermania is landing in rapid succession to the season's climax.
As teams fumble around in the negotiation stages, the CDL could also be set to unveil a heavily rumoured expansion to 16 teams.
Now, one historically colossal organisation has hinted at joining the CDL...
Cloud9 Hint At Joining CDL
Cloud9 have a rich history in Call of Duty esports, having competed within the scene between 2015 and 2017.
Now, they could be making a return to the league, should the CDL expand. Following the conclusion of the Championships, Cloud9 posted a picture with Florida Mutineers SMG player Colt "Havok" McLendon rigged out in one of their jumpers.
Havok is one of the players who are coming to the end of his two-year contract with Florida Mutineers, having been in and out of the starting line-ups for two years.
Mutineers originally had Havok on the substitutes bench for the start of the Black ops Cold War season, before trading positions with Josiah "Slacked" Berry and ending the season with a 7-8th finish. The young gun could now be on his way out of the org as a free agent.
Cloud9 also commented, saying "expect the unexpected", before Mutineers' social media team joked back by saying "What perkz do you have to offer?"
The American org is responsible for one of the biggest upsets in Call of Duty history. Their Game 5 Round 11 clutch against a dynasty-defying OpTic Gaming roster in the 2016 World Championships is often discussed as the biggest shock in the esports' illustrious bygones. Adam "Assault" Garcia's 1v1 denial against Matthew "FormaL" Piper is etched into the games' folklore, thwarting what was destined to be OpTic's first-ever ring.
Further organisations have also expressed their desire to enter an expanded CDL, such as Heretics and Renegades, although the developers have yet to confirm whether they will be opening up the league, and to which organisations should it happen. Even Dr Disrespect has been eyeing a spot...
