Simp vs Shotzzy - Future Call Of Duty GOAT?

Both of these young stars are without a doubt going to be around for a number of years and will likely both lead their teams to many tournament wins over the course of their careers, however, can either of them earn enough personal and team accolades to become the undisputed GOAT in Call Of Duty?

Can Shotzzy defy the odds?

Since making his name for himself as a prodigal talent in Halo, Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro was always destined for FPS greatness. After taking down the dynasty Tox gaming, formerly the OpTic Gaming roster, Shotzzy decided to take his talents to Call Of Duty, and after spending some time learning the mechanics and playing Search and Destroy tournaments, it was announced that Dallas Empire would be buying out Shotzzy for the inaugural season of the franchised CDL league. Many questioned the decision of bringing in a new player to Call Of Duty straight into their starting line up, and after the first couple of events, it seemed like it may have been a step too far. 

Although, after sticking with the young rookie star, Shotzzy repaid the Empire tenfold for having faith in him by stepping up massively and leading his team to multiple championships and eventually winning the big tournament in the world championships, cementing them as the best team in the game. Defying the odds, Shotzzy was also named the season one MVP for the CDL, something that very few people in the community would’ve expected for a rookie talent. For someone wanting to rewrite the history books and become the out and out GOAT, starting off by being the MVP in your rookie season and beginning the second season being arguably one of the best players in the game isn’t a bad way to start.

Click to enlarge

Legacy of the tiny terror

After making arguably the best debut for any player in the history of Call Of Duty, Chris “Simp” Lehr joined eUnited halfway through the Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 season as soon as he was eligible to play and led the roster to winning two tournaments at the end of the year including the world championships. Fans even argued that Simp was the best player of the entire year even after only playing half of it and was definitely the best player towards the end of the season. In just bracket play alone which is supposed to be just the best of the best teams left in tournaments, Simp made light work of the competition, averaging a 1.28 K/D over 78 maps in bracket play, the highest by any player that made bracket play over the year.

Click to enlarge

Following this major rookie success, expectations were sky-high for Simp heading into the franchised CDL and after joining Atlanta FaZe, Simp definitely did not disappoint the fans. Simp was at least a top-three player throughout the Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare season, with many arguing that he should’ve been crowned the MVP after leading FaZe to multiple finals appearances and a couple of home series wins. With stats like a 1.15 K/D over the entire year and being arguably the best player in every game mode, he did have a very good case for the award.

What it would take for them to become the GOAT

So far, both have achieved the most important team accolade necessary to even be mentioned in the discussion by winning world championships very early on in their careers. Head to head, Shotzzy has gotten the better of the matchup so far, leading his Dallas team to the world championship in the first season they played against each other, beating Simp’s FaZe roster in the grand finals. 

• Related - Leading the Pack – CDL’s MVP Frontrunner

For either of them to achieve GOAT status, not only would they need the longevity of career of current players in the conversation, such as Ian “Crimsix” Porter and James “Clayster” Eubanks, but they would need the consistent success over multiple titles that the current crop of GOAT candidates have achieved. Unfortunately, though, given the new format of the CDL with there not being open tournaments held as often as when the other players were in their primes, it may be hard for them to ever reach the number of event wins as the older generation of players. This will have to be taken into consideration when assessing their claim to the throne, and given the lack of events, individual accolades will need to be relied upon to show the legacy of players in the CDL era of Call Of Duty esports. 

Click to enlarge

Whether either of these two young stars will reach GOAT status won’t be known for years to come, but undoubtedly they are the two current talents that have the best chance at taking the title, and with multiple MVP titles each already, fans will be excited to see what is yet to come from the duo.

 

Images via Activision | Clayster