Author: Nik Ranger

Splyce Suffer Shock Defeat in CWL Championship Opener Team Sween have upset Splyce in their first match of the 2018 CWL Championship. Yet another CWL Pro League team has fallen in their first match of the event, as Splyce suffered a 1-3 defeat at the hands of fellow UK squad Team Sween. Splyce has had a season of mixed results, appearing in two major grand finals but otherwise failing to breach the top-eight. Featuring some of the biggest names in European Call of Duty, the squad is undoubtedly hoping to end on a high note at the most prestigious event of the season. Unfortunately, they already face an up-hill battle, after losing their opening match to Team Sween. Sween is something of a line-up of left-overs, a collection of experienced UK players that have otherwise been left out of top domestic squads. Team Sween entered the series with a point to prove, and did so rather emphatically with a convincing win over a lackluster Splyce. The victory puts the team primed to steal a playoff spot, having taken down one of the higher-seeded squads early on. Splyce will now have to be flawless if they hope to escape the group, which will mean taking down an eUnited that looked on top form in their own opening series. Splyce aren’t the only Pro League team to have had a rough start to the CWL Championship. In the first round of games only one Pro League squad won their opening match, with Team Kaliber, Epsilon, and Tainted Minds all being defeated at the hands of LCQ teams.

Splyce star Temp announces surprise roster change ahead of CoD franchising MLGCall of Duty scene braces for the new franchised league. With at least nine franchise teams joining the new-look Call of Duty League, and all rosters expected to be required to have between 7-10 players under contract, rumors and transfers have been flying thick and fast. Now, it appears OverMedia’s new Toronto franchise may be looking elsewhere for another flex star, with Temp confirming his future may lie away from the northern organization despite expectations Splyce would be retaining their current roster. The 2019 season wasn’t all smooth sailing for Splyce as they looked to cement their foothold in the North American CoD scene, a step forward that began by recruiting Temp and fellow Echo Fox teammate Ulysses ‘AquA’ Silva. Read more: Dev suggests esports made CoD less fun – The former Fox duo joined Splyce veteran Jordan ‘Jurd’ Crowley, but the outfit just couldn’t find major success. Two mid-table finishes awaited the roster at Anaheim and London, and the team was punted early in the lower bracket of the Pro League Playoffs at CWL Finals. Temp’s announcement doesn’t necessarily mean his tale with OverMedia and their new Toronto franchise is at an end though. Due to the restricted nature of his free agency, his current org has the chance to match any offer within seven days, as per league guidelines. Considering the rest of the Splyce roster that finished top 16 at CoD Champs have yet to announce they would be looking to move away from the newly founded Toronto team, there’s a good chance Temp is just testing the waters ahead of the franchise league. I am a restricted free agent for 2020. If any CDL Franchise would like to discuss opportunities, please contact me via email below! dtempbusiness@gmail.com— The Marksman (@Temp) August 27, 2019 Other free agents are already jumping at the opportunity to team-up with the Splyce star. Former Midnight Esports player Christopher ‘Parasite’ Duarte was the first to issue an invite to Temp after the free agency announcement: “Let’s build.” Read more: Hastr0 teases ‘hot’ Dallas roster moves – Parasite announced his free agency nearly a fortnight ago, but may still be in negotiations to find a home for the 2020 season. The former world champion won’t be the only player eyeing Temp as a potential teammate, with a host of players looking for new homes ahead of 2020. OverMedia’s Toronto team is one of eight confirmed host cities to play in the inaugural CDL, which will begin with a home-and-away format from 2020. Atlanta, Dallas, Florida, New York, Paris, and Minnesota have all been confirmed as host sites, while Los Angeles will boast two rival teams in the opening season.

Splyce Set Bar High for Black Ops 4 Following Difficult Ending to WWII Season After a difficult end to the WWII season, Splyce have set the bar high for themselves going into the Black Ops 4 season. CEO and co-founder Marty ‘Lazerchicken’ Strenczewilk tweeted out on August 29 that the org is looking to “build the best team in the world.” For Call of Duty pros worldwide, wanted to make it clear we are going to build the best team IN THE WORLD If you’re a top player, you’re on the radar of Splyce, regardless of region. DM’s are open Our infrastructure next year will be second to none. Splyce appears ready to make improvements at all costs after what was a disastrous end to the WWII season. After coming in second at the CWL Birmingham Open, the team failed to place higher than top-12 in any of the final five major tournaments, including a lowly 17-24 finish at Champs. That has left ‘Bance’ and ‘Jurd’ as the lone two remaining active players, although it is unclear whether they will still be featured in the team come the start of next season, especially if Splyce look to take a different route with their roster.

Splyce Reveal The Newest Member of Their Call of Duty Pro Team North American based esports organization Splyce have revealed the newest member of their Call of Duty roster. The team announced on May 11th that they have acquired the services of Joshua-Lee ‘Joshh’ Sheppard, who will be joining Splyce for the second time in his career. The announcement came via the org’s official Twitter page, which also included highlights from Joshh’s previous stint with Splyce during the Black Ops 3 CWL season. COD roster update: @BsportJoshh is back.#OnTheHunt May 15. #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/w9qiNfLZce — Splyce (@Splyce) May 11, 2018 The former Red Reserve player joins a roster of established veterans that include Ben ‘Bance’ Bance, Jordan ‘Jurd’ Crowley, and Dylan ‘MadCat’ Daly. After the roster move was made official, Joshh took to his own Twitter account to relay a message to the rest of the competitive Call of Duty community. Back with my boys @Bance, @jurd and @MadCat under @Splyce where I should never have left in the first place, time to prove everyone wrong for the 50th time in my career, see you all soon. — Joshua-Lee Sheppard (@BsportJoshh) May 11, 2018 After a poor performance and a 17-20th placing at the recent CWL Seattle event, Splyce decided to make a change and dropped former player Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewren. They knew that the empty roster spot needed to be filled by experienced talent, and it was perfect timing that Joshh was made available after leaving Red Reserve. Joshh and Splyce will hope that him being back in the familiar gold and black colors will be just what the team needs to reach the next level.

Splyce reveal last two players for their CoD team, confirming roster for Black Ops 4 season North American esports organization Splyce have signed two more players for the Call of Duty pro team, confirming their five-man roster for the upcoming Black Ops 4 season. Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda and Ulysses ‘AquA’ Silva, formerly of Echo Fox, have been announced as the two newest players for Splyce, joining a roster that already features Jordan ‘Jurd’ Crowley, Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi, and Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza. The announcement came on October 4 during the latest episode of Splyce’s show, called ‘The Splyce Assembly.’ The news was also posted on the org’s official Twitter page. “Excited for this new season with the new squad,” tweeted out AquA. “Shout out to ‘RyanFoolz’ for taking care of us and making us feel welcomed.” Despite the announcement, news of of Temp and AquA’s recruitment to Splyce had actually already been well established within the CoD community, as newcomer Loony, who was announced on October 3, had accidentally leaked the full roster in a tweet that has since been deleted. After Temp’s arrival, the team managed to achieve some success, placing fourth at CWL Seattle and qualifying for the CWL Pro League Stage 2 Playoffs. “Couple of things I would like to say before I go back into twitter retirement,” tweeted Temp. “Thanks to Echo Fox and ‘RyanFoolz’ for everything and making this off-season process go smoothly. Best org I’ve played for so far. Splyce, whose CoD teams in the past were based in the EU region, have taken full advantage of the new lack of geographical restrictions in the CWL, putting together a multi-regional roster that is full of leadership, talent, and championship level experience. The org will hope that this new lineup will bring them back to the pinnacle of CoD esports, after what was a difficult end to the WWII season.

Splyce Have Announced a Retired Pro Player as the New Coach of Their Call of Duty Team North American esports organization Splyce have announced the new coach for their European based Call of Duty team. Splyce revealed on June 1st that retired pro CoD player Mark ‘MarkyB’ Bryceland will be manning the team’s coaching position effective immediately. The announcement came via a post on the organization’s official Twitter page, along with a video in which MarkyB spoke about what he can bring to the team as their new coach. “I feel like with me involved now in the team, it’s an extra pair of eyes that is able to be within these scrims and help take the team to the next level. […] The goal always within this team, within these players, is to win, so that is the goal now.” We are proud to announce our new Call of Duty Coach @MarkyB. Check out the video below to learn more! pic.twitter.com/2doHIluFHd — Splyce (@Splyce) June 1, 2018 Fans of European Call of Duty will be very familiar with MarkyB, as he spent over 8 years as a professional player for 18 different organizations and teams. He announced his retirement from competing on May 24th, 2018, however emphasized that it was not on a permanent basis, leaving the door open for a potential return in the next CWL season. Read More: Karma Responds to Speculation About Him Joining 100 Thieves After Nadeshot Confirmed a Team is Coming This Year – Splyce fans will hope that MarkyB’s extensive experience in competitive Call of Duty will re-energize and invigorate the team and help lead them back to success. After a promising 2nd place finish at CWL Birmingham, Splyce visibly regressed, which ultimately led to a near-deadline roster move that involved bringing in Joshua-Lee ‘Joshh’ Sheppard in place of Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewren. Splyce currently sit in 7th place with a 3-4 record in Division A of the CWL Pro League Stage 2, but are only one game out of a Playoff spot with seven matches still to be played.

Splyce Endures a Series of Unfortunate Events While Traveling to CoD Champs Boot Camp Splyce’s Call of Duty team has experienced one of the worst travel days in the history of esports! The team’s coach, Mark ‘MarkyB’ Bryceland, took to Twitter to provide an update on the “Splyce Chronicles”, beginning with a delayed flight for Ben ‘Bance’ Bance that has resulted in him having to stay in Philadelphia overnight. But this was just the beginning as Dylan ‘MadCat’ Daly somehow managed to break his Macbook when his drink popped open! As if that wasn’t enough, Jordan ‘Jurd’ Crowley “lost his week old iPhone 7 on the plane” and Joshua-Lee ‘Joshh’ Sheppard’s entire baggage has gone missing…. Even for the veteran players of Splyce, who have made the trip across the pond more times than they can count, a series of unfortunate events on this scale is virtually unheard of. The team was travelling to their boot camp in America ahead of the 2018 Call of Duty World Championship, which will run from August 15 – 19 in Columbus. Read More: KEEMSTAR Will Consider Running Weekly Black Ops 4 Tournaments If He Receives the Right Support – The European squad will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing run in Stage 2 of the CWL Pro League that saw them miss out on the playoffs with a seventh place finish in Division B. After the trials and tribulations that they have faced in their recent travels, the players are clearly due for some good luck and will be hoping that they it comes their way when the $1.5 million World Championship kicks off.

Splyce CoD announce signing of Loony, who accidentally leaks the entire roster North American esports organization have announced Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza as the newest member of their Call of Duty team , who has promptly revealed the rest of the roster ahead of schedule. Loony has officially joined Splyce on October 3, and is the third active player on their roster, which also features Jordan ‘Jurd’ Crowley and Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi. The move was announced via a post on Splyce’s official Twitter page, which also hinted at the remaining two players being revealed in a new episode of the org’s ‘Splyce Assembly’ show on October 4. However, the WWII season was his most successful to day, having placed first at the CWL events in Atlanta, Seattle, and Anaheim, and coming in second to Team Kaliber at the CWL Pro League Stage 2 Playoffs. Now, with Loony gone, that stellar Rise Nation roster has been all but decimated, with TJHaLy and SlasheR having also moved on to OpTic Gaming and 100 Thieves respectively. With their last remaining player Gunless also slated to leave, the future of the org in Call of Duty esports remains highly uncertain.

Splyce announce that their pro Halo team will also compete in CoD World League, but there’s an issue In a surprising announcement, Splyce have revealed that their pro Halo team has been approved to also compete in Call of Duty. According to the org, their Halo team, which currently competes in the Halo Championship Series, would simultaneously participate in the CoD World League. Splyce’s Halo roster, which features Jonathan ‘Renegade Willette, Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro, Braedon ‘StelluR’ Boettcher, and Kevin ‘Eco’ Smith, is arguably the strongest side in the world, as they have won the last three major tournaments they’ve played in, including the World Championship in April. Read More: Nadeshot accidentally leaks LG’s new fifth while roasting them for “mishandling” JKap situation – “Splyce’s Halo roster will compete in both HCS and CWL in 2019,” the org posted on Twitter. “Both leagues have approved this historic decision. We’ll have more to discuss soon.” They also posted an image that included all four players and a blank spot for a fifth, which they would have to fill in order to meet the new five-man CWL format. This announcement was met with great surprise and confusion among many, and for several reasons. For one, some pointed out that Shotzzy is currently 17 years old, which would fall short of the requirement that all competitors at CWL sanctioned events be at least 18 years of age. Even MLG executive Adam Apicella replied to the tweet, making it clear that Shotzzy’s age would indeed be an issue. However, they did not make it clear as to whether they would wait for his birthday, or they would find a temporary replacement that would play for him at CoD events. Another potential issue which could arise from this development has to do with the fact that Splyce already have a dedicated CoD team, which they recently revamped with four new players. It would be very interesting and curious to see what would happen should Splyce’s two teams come up against each other at an Open event during the upcoming season.

Splyce announce first signing ahead of Black Ops 4 CWL season North American based esports organization Splyce have signed a new player to their Call of Duty team ahead of the Black Ops 4 season. Former Team Kaliber player Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi has officially joined Splyce on October 2, and is currently only the second active player on the roster, along with Jordan ‘Jurd’ Crowley. The move was announced via a post on Splyce’s official Twitter page, along with further confirmation from Accuracy on his own social media. “Happy to have joined Splyce,” Accuracy tweeted. “I can’t wait for this season to get started.” Splyce will hope that Accuracy’s experience and leadership will help boost their org back to the heights of CoD esports after what was a difficult second half of the previous season. After finishing a promising second at CWL Birmingham, Splyce went on to place no higher than 9-12 in the remaining four major events, including a lowly 17-24 at Champs. As a result, the team decimated its roster, cutting ties with MadCat, Joshh, and Bance, with only Jurd remaining from last season’s squad. With the upcoming season looming on the horizon, Splyce still has three open roster spots to fill in order to meet the requirements of the new 5v5 competitive format. Keep updated on roster moves and team changes by visiting our dedicated Rostermania hub here.

Splyce and Bance provide another update on his position in the CoD team Splyce have announced that they have officially parted ways with Call of Duty pro player Ben ‘Bance’ Bance. The organization took to Twitter on Thursday, September 13 to announce that Bance was no longer a part of the team, and thanked him for the time he spent competing under the Splyce banner. Today we part ways with Bance. We thank him deeply for his devotion to Splyce Call of Duty and wish him the best of luck in all his future work. The Englishman announced that he was a restricted free agent in August, so the news that he has left the Splyce organization suggests that a team has bought out his contract and acquired his services. Bance has taken to Twitter to thank his former organization, stating that it was a pleasure to represent “an organisation that backed you no matter what happens.”, and wished them “the best of luck in the new route they’re taking”, which could be a nod to the reports that Splyce intend to pick up players based outside of Europe to team with Jurd. With the first Black Ops 4 competitive event set for December 7, it will be interesting to see who Bance lines up with when the action begins in just a few months time.

Specialist perk set to return in Warzone with Rebirth Island comeback ActivisionWarzone developers Raven Software have hinted at the return of the Specialist perk bonus in the Call of Duty battle royale, and it could be coming back with Rebirth Island. 2024 looks set to be an exciting year for Warzone, with Fortune’s Keep and Rebirth Island returning to the game and leaks suggesting the original map Verdansk is coming back, too. These changes will no doubt be welcomed by the community, who have wanted these old maps to all return for some months now, especially Verdansk, which was removed in December 2021, and Rebirth Island, which left the game in November 2022. Those classic beloved maps aren’t the only thing returning to Warzone, though, as teased by Raven in this Twitter/X post. Sat on a pathway in Rebirth Island, a perk package is sat available to pick up, with the fist symbol that many original players will recognize as the Specialist perk. For those unaware, the Specialist perk basically gave players every single perk when it was in the game, meaning no more headaches over which perk to utilize in which slot. It’s unclear when exactly these will come to the game, whether it will be alongside Rebirth Island, which still doesn’t have a confirmed date, or at a different time. You should also expect them to be very rare to find, so don’t hedge your bets on finding one when they do arrive. Raven teased some big changes and updates coming in future seasons, including this hint at the Specialist return, but they’re still keeping their cards close to their chest on what else may be included and is being worked on currently.

Special Dr Disrespect-themed calling card discovered in Modern Warfare Eagle-eyed Call of Duty fans playing the latest installment in the legendary franchise may have noticed a special calling card in Modern Warfare, which appears to reference Dr Disrespect. Modern Warfare officially released on October 25 and since then a number of the world’s most popular streamers have been playing the game regularly, including Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek, Jack ‘CouRageJD’ Dunlop, and of course, Dr Disrespect. While so many content creators have been playing the game during their broadcasts, there’s yet to be any official announcements about partnerships between Infinity Ward and the stars in terms of cosmetic items. For fans of the Doc, though, it appears that the game’s developers decided to include a tribute to him in the game anyway, in the form of a calling card filled with references to the leader of the Champions Club. Posted on Dr Disrespect’s subreddit by user hardestyxx, one of the rewards for completing a daily challenge was a calling card named “Two Time,” a reference to his nickname and the back-to-back 1993 and 1994 Blockbuster Video Game Championships he won. Even the image is reminiscent of The Doc, with a man featured with what looks to be the “bulletproof mullet,” versions of the “Google prototype scopes” which always sit on the bridge of his nose, and even the legendary mustache known as the “Ethiopian poisonous caterpillar.” Unfortunately, getting your hands on the “Two Time” calling card won’t be easy, as it seems to only appear as a reward for completing daily challenges, meaning that you’ll need to be lucky enough to see it appear in your challenges menu, and the complete the task set out for you by Infinity Ward. This isn’t the first time he has been referenced in a video game, with Borderlands 3 also honoring the streamer after adding a sniper rifle with the same name, Two Time, to their title. Whether it will appear in the game’s Battle Pass when it releases remains to be seen, but fans of The Doc should keep watching for more Dr Disrespect-themed cosmetic items in Modern Warfare.

Spanish Game Retailer Appears to Leak New Scheduling Info About Upcoming ‘Blackout’ Private Beta GAME SpainA video game retailed in Spain called ‘GAME’ has apparently leaked new scheduling information about the upcoming Private Beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s ‘Blackout’ battle royale mode. According to a tweet posted by the Spanish retailer, the beta will be live until September 17 for all platforms, despite the fact that the start dates will be different. Here is the tweet, with a rough English translate provided above it. We are now testing # CODBlackOps4 in # GAMEscom2018 and take the opportunity to remind you that the BETA dates of # BlackOut are already known : September 10: PS4. -14 September: Xbox One. -14 September: PC. They will last until September 17. Although the start dates for the various platforms had been previously announced, the end date was never officially revealed or confirmed by Activision. The Blackout Beta will go live on September 10 for Playstation 4 and on September 14 for Xbox One and PC. If the information above proves to indeed be true, PS4 players will get a whole seven days to play the Beta, while players on the other platforms will only get four. As mentioned above, the Beta will be private, meaning that players will need a special code that can be obtained by pre-ordering any version of the game. However, the PC version will only be private on the 14th and will turn into an open beta starting the 15th. Those who were able to play the Black Ops 4 Private Beta earlier in August will not need to get or do anything additional, as the file will automatically turn into the Blackout Beta on the day of launch.

Spanish CoD team Giants have signed TojoR to an unusually long contract Spanish Call of Duty team Vodafone Giants have renewed the contract of their captain Toni ‘TojoR’ Jordà – and it’s safe to say he won’t be leaving any time soon. The Spaniard has signed a new deal with the Giants that will see him remain with the organization for the next five years, up until December 2023. TojoR is currently in his second spell with the organization, having represented them during the 2012 season, and returned to Giants back in 2015. By the end of his contract, Jordà will have been a part of the team for nine years, an impressively long stint in the esports world. In a statement posted on the Vodafone Giants website, Tojor stated; “Vodafone Giants is my home and has been part of my life for years, and I do not see myself anywhere else competing in Call of Duty, so it was a natural step to renew my contract.” The player thanked the organization for their support saying he was grateful “for the demonstration of confidence”, and stated he would continue to give his best to the team. Vodafone Giants owner José Ramón Díaz shared his joy at the renewal, stating that TojoR was “not just any player. He is the captain and a core member of Giants”, and expressed his delight that they would be able to continue their relationship with TojoR. While TojoR is now confirmed to continue representing Giants heading into Black Ops 4, the identities of his teammates are yet to be revealed.

SpaceLy to miss CWL Fort Worth as Pro League team negotiations break down MLGCall of Duty pro player Michael ‘SpaceLy’ Schmale has revealed that he will no longer be in action at CWL Fort Worth on March 15, following his surprising benching on Gen.G. Update, March 9: SpaceLy has confirmed he will no longer be apart of CWL Fort Worth after the decision to not pursue a roster spot. “Things changed and I actually won’t be attending Fort Worth,” said SpaceLy. This will not be the end of the season for him however, the former Gen.G player will reassess his options during the next transfer window. ‘Going to wait for the next roster change period next month and hope better opportunities open up. Better then rushing into a forced/ugly situation,” explained SpaceLy. After some time, things changed and I actually won’t be attending Fort Worth. Gonna wait for the next roster change period next month and hope better opportunities open up. Better then rushing into a forced/ugly situation. All good and part of the process. — Spacely – Mike (@SpaceLy) March 9, 2019 Original story as follows. Despite Gen.G establishing themselves as one of the biggest surprises of the CWL Pro League, significant changes to the roster have been made ahead of the second major LAN event of the season. It was revealed on March 6 that SpaceLy, a key component in the team securing organizational help for CWL Las Vegas and Pro League after playing under the ‘Team Space’ banner, was out and he would be replaced by Midnight Esports player Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon. However, SpaceLy could be back in action at the Texas-based event with a new squad. The former Luminosity Gaming pro revealed that he had a new roster lined up and would not be competing in the open bracket, instead working his way back onto a current Pro League team. He tweeted: “Looks like I may be at Fort Worth in pools and still in the league after all. If this all goes down like its being proposed. Couldn’t have happened smoother,” with the two hands up emoji attached to signify his delight with what is in the works. Looks like I may be at Fort Worth in pools and still in the league after all. If this all goes down like its being proposed… couldn’t have happened smoother :raised_hands::skin-tone-3: — Spacely – Mike (@SpaceLy) March 8, 2019 SpaceLy has yet to reveal which team he is in talks with to join. As with all roster moves during the Rostermania transfer period, nothing is official until there is confirmation from the teams and players involved in the moves. To keep up with all the latest moves, of which there have already been a few, use our dedicated transfer hub for continuous updates about each confirmed roster change ahead of the Fort Worth event. The roster transfer window slams shut on March 8, a few days before the event gets underway on Friday, March 15.

SpaceLy leaks new G2 Call of Duty roster as rumors of Pittsburgh Knights changes continue Pittsburgh Knights / G2 EsportsIt appears that the G2 Esports and Pittsburgh Knights Call of Duty rosters are on the brink of announcing major changes, and that the new G2 squad is already practicing together. A Twitter post from Michael ‘SpaceLy’ Schmale in the early hours of December 20 seemed to confirm that G2 has removed Brice ‘Faccento’ Faccento and Richard ‘Ricky’ Stacy; picking up Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni and Andres ‘Lacefield’ Lacefield in their place. Although nothing has been officially announced, it is generally accepted as fact that Methodz has been dropped from FaZe Clan, so his addition to G2 makes sense. However, the Lacefield move would mean that the Knights are also making changes. GG’s to FaZe, Scrimming G2 now (Blazt, Dece, Lace, Methodz, Chino) https://t.co/k8Kk9jVf3r — SpaceLy – Mike (@SpaceLy) December 20, 2018 G2 and the Knights came into the first Black Ops 4 LAN event of the season, CWL Las Vegas, with high hopes after some promising performances online. 13th-16th place finishes for both squads showed that they had a lot of potential and earned them a spot in the CWL Pro League Play-In qualification tournament. With only 12 spots up for grabs at that event, though, a number of teams are making moves in an attempt to improve their chances. If the new G2 roster is confirmed, Ricky and Faccento will be looking for a new home and it would make sense for one of them to join Christopher ‘Parasite’ Duarte and company under the Pittsburgh Knights banner in a direct swap for Lacefield. There are also rumors of Dylan ‘Theory’ McGee losing his spot on the Pittsburgh Knights roster after he said “If any PLQ teams need 1 to run let me know” on Twitter. If SpaceLy’s Twitter post proves to be correct, the G2 roster will consist of: Rasim ‘Blazt’ Ogresevic – Martin ‘Chino’ Chino – Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato – Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni – Andres ‘Lacefield’ Lacefield – You can keep up-to-date with all the Call of Duty roster moves and rumors by following @DexertoINTEL on Twitter.

SpaceLy explains why Rostermania has come to a halt and the CoDBurner responds Despite high expectations, this Call of Duty off-season’s Rostermania has come to a grinding halt, and pro player Michael ‘SpaceLy’ Schmale has given his explanation for the delay. Many within the CoD community expected Rostermania to pick up after the CWL revealed the competitive format to be 5v5 for the upcoming season. However, that has not been the case, as Red Reserve and Team EnVy have been the only top organizations to have made any major roster announcements after the format reveal. According to SpaceLy, the delay is being caused by a single person, whose decision making process is holding things up for everyone else. “All this waiting is literally based off 1 person holding everyone else off on making moves,” SpaceLy tweeted. “As soon as that person commits to something, it domino effects the rest of the roster changes. According to the unidentified insider, the person SpaceLy was referring to is Luminosity Gaming player Johnathon ‘John’ Perez. Apparently, John hasn’t decided on his future yet because former OpTic Gaming pro Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow wants to play with him. If Karma were to rejoin OpTic’s roster, John would allegedly not be willing to follow him there because he has much more lucrative offers on the table. If this report is true however, fans can expect organizations to start announcing their roster moves once John does decide on where and with whom he will play during the upcoming Black Ops 4 season.

SpaceLy explains why his CoD team has left Str8 Ripping after strong performance at CWL Vegas One of the better Call of Duty rosters that North America has to offer has announced that it’s parted ways with the Str8 Rippin organization. The announcement has seemingly caught many in the CoD competitive community by surprise, especially since the team put together a strong performance at the recent $250,000 CWL Vegas event. Representing Str8 Rippin, the team beat powerhouses FaZe Clan and Team Envy to surprisingly win Pool C, after which they finished 7th-8th and secured a crucial spot in the upcoming Play-In tournament for this season’s Pro League. In a tweet he put out on December 15, SpaceLy explained that the reason he and his teammates – Nagafen, Havok, MajorManiak, and Maux – decided to leave the org was because that had been their plan all along. Read More: Hilarious fan made parody video shows OpTic’s Crimsix interviewing with MMA fighter Conor McGregor – “For those confused, we are not with Str8 Ripping. As I made clear pre-Vegas, we planned from back then it was to be a 1 event deal,” he tweeted. “Great organization and legendary brand, hope to see them find a CoD team.” For those confused, we are not w/ @Str8Rippin. As I made clear pre Vegas we planned from back then it was a 1 event deal. Great organization & legendary brand, hope to see them find a CoD team. Huge thanks to @Tsquared & @NIWOThalo for making Vegas go smooth all weekend for us. — SpaceLy – Mike (@SpaceLy) December 16, 2018 Looking back at SpaceLy’s tweets from before CWL Vegas, he was indeed transparent about the fact that their agreement with Str8 Rippin was to be for the first major event only. In fact, the squad was not even looking to sign with any orgs until they had secured a spot in the CWL Pro League qualifiers, but Str8 Ripping reportedly gave them the opportunity to get to Las Vegas early and practice on LAN, which they likely otherwise would have not been able to do. In addition to the explanation, SpaceLy also announced that their roster was in the market to recruit a team coach for the rest of the 2019 season. “Our team is now looking for a coach to analyze for us and come along with us for the 2019 season as a key part of the team,” he tweeted. “Will end up signing with us to whichever organization we end up signing to.” Speaking of which, there is no indication as to when SpaceLy and co. will sign with an org, and which org it will be once that time comes. However, the secret is out about the sky being the limit for this team’s potential, which should attract interest from prominent orgs who have yet to field a Call of Duty team this season.

SpaceLy blames Nagafen for Gen.G drama – “He was always out to get me” Professional Call of Duty player Michael ‘SpaceLy’ Schmale has finally opened up about his up-and-down experience with Gen.G, blaming teammate Jared ‘Nagafen’ Harrell for being the reason why he was demoted from the team. To call SpaceLy’s season with Gen.G disappointing would probably be an understatement, considering that he was dropped from the team twice over the past six months. The first came before CWL Fort Worth, following their 6-1 run in the CWL Pro League, when he was demoted to the substitute’s role in favor of Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon. He was then briefly promoted back to the main squad for the final week of the Pro League, but was then inexplicably dropped again ahead of the Playoffs at CWL Finals. As a result, the longtime competitor will finish the season having appeared at only one of six major tournaments with Gen.G, and will compete at the upcoming CWL Championship as a member of Mazer Gaming. Appearing on the August 3 episode of Crowder Hours, a CoD podcast hosted by 100 Thieves coach James Crowder, SpaceLy gave his side of the story about what he’s had to experience over the past few months. SpaceLy’s first demotion In the podcast, SpaceLy revealed that leading up to when he was dropped for the first time, both he and Nagafen knew that one of them two was going to be replaced in the next roster change period. He then claimed that an “insecure” Nagafen did everything he could to try and keep his spot, which apparently included him going behind SpaceLy’s back to point out any bad plays he would make to the rest of the team. “The whole time of me being on Gen.G with Nagafen, it just felt like he was always out to get me,” he said. “In my eyes, the reason it got pushed forward to me getting dropped in the first place for Envoy was because he was insecure it was either me or him to go.” SpaceLy gets dropped again SpaceLy was brought back into the fold to replace Nagafen ahead of the final week of the CWL Pro League regular season, and the team put on a very strong run to finish 4-0. However, just when everyone looked at Gen.G as a well-oiled machine firing on full cylinders, they decided to reverse the switch and brought back Nagafen, which caused a lot of uproar and negative backlash from many in the CoD community. According to SpaceLy, when he was asked to come back on board, he was under the impression that it would be for the remainder of the season, which clearly did not end up being the case. “It felt like something was going on already, for sure, and I didn’t understand why. “So then, we get back from the League, and they just me up – ‘yo, it’s nothing against you, you did nothing wrong, but we just feel like we have a better system with Naga.’ I was lost for words; I just laughed at them.” The discussion on this topic begins at the 1:00:00 mark of the video below: SpaceLy and his Mazer Gaming squad have been placed in Pool C of the $2 million CWL Championship, slated to face off against FaZe Clan, Units, and Team Divinely. Gen.G, meanwhile, are the top-seeded team in Pool B, and will be playing Enigma6 Group, Team War, and Fuego Gaming. Read More: Pools announced for CWL Champs – The group stage of the competition will be taking place August 14-15, which will not be open to the public, followed by the knockout stage on August 16-18.

SpaceLy announces new roster for Black Ops 4 Michael ‘SpaceLy’ Schmale has announced his team for the upcoming Black Ops 4 season, and he’s brought some familiar faces with him. After bouncing around between multiple teams during the WWII season, SpaceLy seems to have found stability with some of his Elevate teammates who made a surprising run at Champs back in August. Joining SpaceLy for Black Ops 4 will be former teammates Chance ‘Maux’ Moncivaez and Michael ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak, along with two new additions in Jared ‘Nagafen’ Harrell and Colt ‘Havok’ McLendon. Nagafen may not have been with the Elevate team that finished 7-8 at Champs, but he has some experience with SpaceLy, as the two played together with Elevate at CWL Anaheim in June. Havok, meanwhile, had a bit of a rough WWII season with Gone Gaming where the team failed to place better than 17-20 at any event. Even though only three members of this team have played together for an extended amount of time, SpaceLy nevertheless remains optimistic about the team, saying he is looking “forward to our new teammates buying into our system & grinding [with] them.” Going into Blackops 4 w/ @Maux419, @MajorManiak, @Nagafen & @ColtHavok. 3 of us just got done placing t8 at Champs last event & look forward to our two new teammates buying into our system & grinding w/ them. Also looking for an org to represent for the Bo4 Season, contact us. — SpaceLy – Mike (@SpaceLy) October 12, 2018 SpaceLy also states that the team is looking for an organization to represent them for the season. Regardless of whether they find an organization to play under, they will have to wade through the open bracket at CWL Vegas in order to secure a spot in pool play. Full roster SpaceLy – Maux – MajorManiak – Nagafen – Havok –

SpaceLy Announces New Role With Luminosity Gaming Ahead of CWL Pro League Stage Two Former Luminosity player Michael “SpaceLy” Schmale has revealed he will be taking on a new role within the organization he played for back in 2016, ahead of stage two of the CWL Pro League. SpaceLy has had a tough start to the 2018 CWL Season for CoD: WWII, failing to make the Pro League Stage One with his initial roster under Ghost Gaming, and has struggled to put together a competitive roster since. He has played in the CWL National Circuit since, with PURE Gaming most recently, but the team finished 6th of 8 teams in both Stage One and Two. With Stage Three fast approaching, SpaceLy has confirmed he will compete in the National Circuit – with a new roster – but has also taken on another role as an analyst/coach for his former organization, Luminosity. Luminosity have of course just made a major roster change, with Sam “Octane” Larew departing for OpTic Gaming, and Matthew “FormaL” Piper moving the other way in a straight trade. Perhaps they will look to have SpaceLy’s input as the new roster tries to work out the kinks of their game and work out how to best use the new mix of talents. Tweet got deleted by mistake – Going to be analyzing for LG for S2. Gonna be there with the boys, thanks to them and @Buuyyaakkaa for the opportunity. Also gonna be competing in the National Circuit with StuDyy, Naga, Blfire — SpaceLy – Mike (@SpaceLy) May 8, 2018 He also reveals that he will be teaming with Jeremy “StuDyy” Astacio, Mikhail “Blfire” Glushenok and Jared “Nagafen” Harrell for Stage Three of the National Circuit, although it is unclear which organization they will represent. For his Pro League role with Luminosity, the team will take part in Division B, with matches starting on May 29th (Division A begins May 15th). LG will be going up against FormaL’s old team OpTic Gaming in the Division, in what will be undoubtedly the most anticipated match of the league. Luminosity Gaming Call of Duty Jordan “JKap” Kaplan – Johnathon “John” Perez – Matthew “FormaL” Piper – Josiah “Slacked” Berry –

SpaceLy announces major update on org search for CWL Vegas With less than a week left to go until the start of CWL Vegas, Michael ‘SpaceLy’ Schmale has announced what organization his team will be representing at the event. After weeks of speculation, SpaceLy has confirmed that his team will be representing Str8 Rippin for the first event of the Black Ops 4 season. His statement on the issue came after a leak surfaced on December 1 that Str8 Rippin would be returning to Call of Duty with SpaceLy’s team after making waves during the Infinite Warfare season in 2017. The leak did end up being correct, SpaceLy confirmed an important caveat in his own announcement. Read More: Killa announces organization for CWL Vegas – While they will be representing Str8 Rippin in Las Vegas, no official contract has been signed, with the players and the organization coming to a mutual agreement for this one event alone while they continue searching for a long-term org. That leak/rumor is true for the reason we will be @Str8Rippin for Vegas. Nothing signed just mutual agreement to represent for the event as we continue to search. Super excited to compete & hyped to put on a show for you guys with the squad at Vegas. :rocket::sparkles::man::skin-tone-3::rocket: — SpaceLy – Mike (@SpaceLy) December 1, 2018 SpaceLy further clarified the issue in a response to a concerned fan who felt that he deserved an official contract, saying that they had a chance to receive salaries but “turned them down to wait until after [they] qualify.” Could’ve been had salary’s we turned them down to wait until after we qualify to sign anything. — SpaceLy – Mike (@SpaceLy) December 1, 2018 Despite having gone unsigned and unrepresented up to this point, the roster has been one of the hottest in Call of Duty. They came in second at the first CWL 2K tournament on November 4-5, finished 5-8 in the second on November 11-12, and finally rounded things out by winning the third tournament on November 18. Str8 Rippin’s road at CWL Vegas will begin with the Play-In Tournament where they will play their first match against Mindfreak. Str8 Rippin Michael ‘SpaceLy’ Schmale – Colt ‘Havok’ McLendon – Michael ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak – Chance ‘Maux’ Moncivaez – Jared ‘Nagafen’ Harrel –

SpaceLy announces major news regarding his CoD team for $250,000 CWL Vegas event One of the stronger Call of Duty teams that North America has to offer will be attending the upcoming CWL Vegas tournament without an organization to represent. Mike ‘SpaceLy’ Schmale took to social media on November 26 to announce that he and his squad have decided to not sign with an org prior to the first major event of the season. In addition to SpaceLy, the roster also currently features Jarde ‘Nagafen’ Harrell, Chance ‘Maux’ Moncivaez, Michael ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak, and Colt ‘Havok’ McLendon. “After many talks with organizations, our team has decided to not sign any offers we’ver received Pre-Vegas and will attend the event orgless,” he tweeted. “Just updated you guys because there’s been a bunch of curiosity surround our situation.” After many talks w/ organizations our team has decided to not sign any offers we’ve received Pre-Vegas & will attend the event orgless. Decided to hold out on a blessing of an offer that we appreciate but want to make sure we don’t rush things & focus on making the league first. — SpaceLy – Mike (@SpaceLy) November 27, 2018 This roster has been one of the strongest in the North American region since the start of the Black Ops 4 season. They qualified for the second day of competition in every one of their first three CWL 2000 Series tournaments, including winning the whole thing on November 19. In all three of the tournaments, they entered with the team name ‘Orgless,’ but SpaceLy revealed that they will not be using that moniker at CWL Vegas. “We have also just come to a collective decision; our team name for the event will be ‘Team NASA.’” he announced. There have been unconfirmed reports that the team had received offers from Rise Nation and Team Elevate, the org that SpaceLy, MajorManiak, and Maux all represented in the latter half of the WWII season, including CWL Champs. This could be what the “blessing of an offer” that they received was, but the team has ultimately decided to hold out on and “make sure they don’t rush things and focus on making the league first.” Due to their strong performances thus far, they’ve accumulated enough Pro Points to qualify for the CWL Vegas Pro Play Qualifier tournament, which would allow them to qualify for Pool Play directly and avoid the Open Bracket. Qualifying for Pools and advancing deep into the tournament would certainly give Team NASA substantial leverage when deciding which org to sign with and on what terms.

Sources: Vegas Legion to sign fan-favorite roster for CDL 2023/24 season Vegas LegionAccording to Dexerto sources, Vegas Legion have decided on the team they want to represent them for the upcoming Call of Duty League season, bringing in a mix of veteran talent and raw rookie skill in hopes of turning the franchise’s fortunes around. Vegas Legion have not had the most successful time in the Call of Duty League since they were one of the founding franchises in 2020, originally representing Paris. They have frequently found themselves outside of Championship qualification spots and unable to catch fire at Major events, resulting in them being one of the least successful franchises in the league since its inception. Things looked to be turning around in the 2022/23 season when three-time world champion James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks joined the team, but they just failed to make Champs at the final hurdle, missing out by a difference of two series wins across the entire season. With one player set to return for next season, Vegas Legion may have found their full squad. Vegas Legion retain Standy & sign 3 more According to sources close to the situation, Vegas Legion will be bringing Eli ‘Standy’ Bentz back into the fold as an SMG player, and surrounding him with three new players — including one rookie. Set to join Standy is Dillon ‘Attach’ Price, Dylan ‘Nero’ Koch, and 2022 Challengers champion Purj. This is certainly a team that fans will be excited about, especially with a sub duo of Standy and Nero leading the line as some of the best Free Agent SMGs available on the market. Nero was not originally supposed to be on this team, with Makenzie ‘Mack’ Kelley initially rumored to be taking the spot, but he has ruled out competing at the start of the season due to his mother’s ongoing health issues. Clayster is set to sign for the freshly-rebranded Carolina Royal Ravens, as reported by Dexerto, while Standy’s former Vegas teammates Thomas ‘TJHaly’ Haly and Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda look to be heading to Challengers to fight for their spots back in the pro league.

Sources: Vegas Legion sign TJHaLy & Prolute, working on Clayster deal for CDL 2023 season Vegas LegionAccording to Dexerto sources, Vegas Legion are completing their Call of Duty League 2023 roster with Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, and Byron ‘Prolute’ Vera joining Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda, with all except Clayster fully signed at the time of writing. Vegas Legion is the newest name in the COD League, having relocated from Paris after three seasons. The team has taken on the Vegas market — something that many Call of Duty fans have disapproved of — and are putting together perhaps their most star-studded roster yet ahead of the launch of Modern Warfare 2. Sources have told Dexerto that as of writing, all of Temp, TJHaLy, and Prolute have officially signed with the franchise, with just Clayster yet to put pen to paper. In the first three seasons of the CDL, Legion struggled to really make their mark on the league under the Paris Legion moniker. This was capped off by a very disappointing Vanguard season, finishing with a 2-23 series record despite Temp being one of the most impressive players in the league. This clearly marked a turning point for the franchise as they seek to invest more in 2023 and bring together a team that should be more hungry and more talented than any previous roster. TJHaLy is coming in off the back of a rollercoaster season with Boston Breach, where he struggled to really leave the mark CDL fans know he’s capable of. Similarly, three-time world champion Clayster was dropped by New York Subliners early in the 2022 season, and Prolute represented OpTic throughout Major 3 and part of Major 4 to sub in for an injured Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal. Vegas had previously been linked with the likes of Carlos ‘Venom’ Hernandez and Kenyen ‘Capsidal’ Sutton throughout the offseason, but settled on this quartet with a mixture of veteran pedigree and young talent looking to prove they deserve their spot. The full Vegas Legion roster is set to be: Temp – Clayster – Prolute – TJHaLy –

Sources: Toronto Ultra sign Standy and Scrappy to complete CDL 2023 roster Toronto UltraAccording to Dexerto sources, Toronto Ultra have signed 2022 Academy standout Thomas ‘Scrappy’ Ernst and former Minnesota RØKKR star Eli ‘Standy’ Bentz to compete on their CDL roster for the 2023 Modern Warfare 2 season. Following an up-and-down 2022 season in the Call of Duty League, Toronto Ultra said goodbye to longtime veteran SMG star Benjamin ‘Bance’ Bance and made Cameron ‘Cammy’ McKilligan a restricted free agent. They joined Minnesota RØKKR alongside Dillon ‘Attach’ Price and Marcus ‘Afro’ Reid, making up yet another predominantly-European squad in the league. In their places, Toronto have signed one of their star Academy players in Scrappy, as well as former Minnesota RØKKR SMG and 2021 Stage 5 Major MVP Standy, completing their 2023 CDL roster. Scrappy already made an appearance for Toronto Ultra in the CDL, playing in one of their Major 3 qualifier matches after Cammy dropped out due to illness. In the match against New York Subliners, Scrappy dropped a 1.26 KD, dominating in the Hardpoint and Search & Destroy matches in particular, immediately making a case to make his move into the big leagues when the time comes. Standy immediately hit the ground running when he joined Minnesota RØKKR during the 2021 Cold War season, and went on to earn MVP honors in their historic Stage 5 Major victory, which saw them come back from 0-4 down in the grand final against Toronto Ultra to win 5-4. The full Toronto Ultra squad is set to be: Thomas ‘Scrappy’ Ernst – Eli ‘Standy’ Bentz – Jamie ‘Insight’ Craven – Tobias ‘CleanX’ Juul Jønsson – While rumors were rampant that 2022 Academy player Charlie ‘Hicksy’ Hicks would be graduating to the main roster, he has been signed on as a substitute for the 2023 Modern Warfare 2 season. Make sure to keep up with all of the roster changes in our live CDL 2023 Rostermania hub, where we track every confirmed move of the offseason.

Sources: Toronto Ultra in talks with Envoy for 2024 CDL roster LA ThievesAccording to Dexerto sources, former LA Thieves star Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon has been in talks with Toronto Ultra over the possibility of signing with them for the upcoming 2023/24 Call of Duty League season, as they look to go one better next year to become world champions. Ultra had a fantastic year, all things considered, winning Major 3 and placing second at Championship Weekend, losing out only to New York Subliners. That’s why it came as a huge surprise when they released rookie SMG Charlie ‘Hicksy’ Hicks, who was instrumental in putting the team in the prime position to lift the trophy in his first-ever pro tournament, as well as rumors that they might be looking to sell both Tobias ‘CleanX’ Juul Jonsson and Jamie ‘Insight’ Craven. With free agency just days away at the time of writing, Ultra might be looking to get their business done early, and they appear to be aiming right for the top with this potential move. Envoy to Toronto Ultra? Most recently, Envoy has been linked with a move to OpTic Texas alongside LA Thieves teammate Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan, but other teams are looking to play spoiler to both of those moves, including Toronto for Envoy. There are very few elite SMGs available on the free agency market, and Envoy and Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari have become some of the most hotly-contested names among top organizations. Hannon would mark an upgrade on almost any team in the CDL, and is a difference-maker on the map, meaning he could be the difference between winning and losing for many teams in the league, especially when you look at how close Toronto Ultra came at Champs. With discussions between players and organizations constantly ongoing over this busy period, nothing is set in stone yet, but it looks as though Ultra are keen on packing a punch this offseason.

Sources: Top 4 CDL Challengers teams to get MW3 Esports World Cup invite Activision/Esports World CupAccording to multiple sources, Call of Duty Challengers teams will earn invites to the $1.8m Modern Warfare 3 Esports World Cup tournament based on their performance at Champs – so there’s even more to play for at the Texas event. The Esports World Cup is an eight-week festival of sorts, with tournaments across several titles, with some of the biggest teams in esports competing in multiple games. The last tournament to be announced was for Modern Warfare 3, which will have a $1.8 million prize pool. All 12 Call of Duty League teams were invited, although LA Guerrillas will not be attending, confirming an earlier report from Dexerto. Originally, there was meant to be three more spots for Challenger teams, plus a qualifier for the best MENA team to earn their place in the main tournament, but those Challenger invites will now be extended to four given LAG’s absence. While there’s been confusion over how said Challenger teams will be invited, several sources have confirmed that the top four teams at Challenger Champs will qualify for the Esports World Cup. One question that hasn’t been answered is what will happen to teams where one or more players are called up to a Call of Duty League team, after qualifying through Challengers Champs. For example, Joseph ‘Owakening’ Conley, Cameron ‘Cammy’ McKilligan and Evan ‘Purj’ Perez are expected to be on the Boston Breach roster for the World Cup, but they’re also one of the favorites to challenge for the title at Challengers Finals. It is unclear at the time of writing what exactly happens in this instance, and many players across Challengers are none the wiser either. As well as the OMiT Brooklyn side, FC Black, Houston Spartans, Lore Gaming, OMiT EU, and more have now had the stakes seriously raised for their Challengers Finals appearance. The COD Challengers Finals take place July 19-21, with the grand final set to take place on the main stage before the CDL Champs final.

Sources: Seattle Surge to recruit multiple world champions & rookie for 2024 CDL roster Seattle SurgeAccording to multiple sources, Seattle Surge are closing in on their Call of Duty League roster for the 2023/24 season, locking in three world champions, as well as one of the hottest rookie prospects in years. The Surge are a team that have been surrounded by question marks this offseason. A complete squad wipe, including all four players, the coaching staff, and the general manager, meant that the team would look completely different by the time Modern Warfare 3 launches. Couple this with the rumors that the franchise could be moving to Vancouver — similar to Canucks’ Overwatch League team, Vancouver Titans — and there’s evidently a lot going on in the Surge camp. That doesn’t mean they’ve stalled on attempting to build a competitive roster for this upcoming season, however. With reports that former OpTic Texas head coach Ray ‘Rambo’ Lussier is taking on a hybrid coaching/general manager role for the team, he’s no doubt been assessing all options when looking to get this squad together. And their four players may have been settled on. Seattle Surge’s rumored CDL 2023/24 roster According to Dexerto sources, Seattle Surge are planning on fielding the following roster for the upcoming MW3 CDL season: Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson – Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal – Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland – Jordan ‘Abuzah’ François – Arcitys has just finished a severely lackluster season with the LA Guerrillas, in which he and the squad failed to make the CDL Championship event. He was one of the most expensive players in Call of Duty history after the Guerrillas bought him out of Atlanta FaZe. iLLeY was dropped by OpTic Texas mid-way through the 2022/23 season, while Huke moved from LAG to OpTic around the same time, enjoying somewhat of a resurgence as a player with the stronger OpTic squad and making a real case for himself after a couple of disappointing seasons. Finally, Abuzah is arguably one of the most exciting Challengers players in recent memory and has had interest from multiple franchises during this offseason. Rambo pushed to sign the player, however, and he’s likely to land in Seattle for his rookie season, with expectations high for the young Belgian. There will inevitably be question marks over the roles on this team. Arcitys, iLLeY and Abuzah are all assault rifle players, but sources have stated to us that Abuzah is likely to be using a submachine gun to start the year. There is likely to be some flexibility, however, as iLLeY also has experience as an SMG and likely won’t shy away from swapping roles should the game and team call for it. While this team isn’t fully signed yet, it’s a four-man squad that, according to our sources, looks all but officially locked in. Be sure to check out all of the latest leaks, news, and rumors in our 2024 CDL rostermania hub.

Sources: Rambo signs as Seattle Surge CDL head coach Call of Duty LeagueAccording to Dexerto sources, the Seattle Surge rebuild is now well underway, as they’ve signed Call of Duty legend Ray ‘Rambo’ Lussier to be the team’s head coach for the 2023/24 Call of Duty League season. Rambo was let go as OpTic Texas head coach midway through the 2022/23 season, after a public spat with Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell saw the player benched by the team, before the tables were turned and Dashy returned to the team, and Rambo promptly removed from his role. While OpTic eventually ended up bringing in former player and three-time world champion Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow to help analyst JohnPaul ‘JPKrez’ Krez, Rambo did not take on another job for the remainder of the season, seeing out the year from the sidelines. Then, at the end of the season, Surge did a full squad wipe, with not only all four players becoming unrestricted free agents but coach Sam ‘Fenix’ Spencer and General Manager John ‘Revan’ Boble left to find new employment, too. Rambo signs with Surge Now, Rambo’s fortunes have changed heading into the new season, as we can confirm that he has signed with Seattle Surge to head up their Call of Duty League team and lead them to glory. While we have heard of some players being linked with the team — who have been rumored to relocate to Vancouver for the upcoming season — there is nothing set in stone yet, though they are hard at work behind the scenes trying to lock in certain players, and believe they are getting closer. Prior to his tenure on OpTic Texas, Rambo won multiple tournaments as the head coach of the now-defunct Dallas Empire, including the 2020 world championship, as well as eight tournaments as a professional player himself. OpTic have made some major changes since the end of the season, too, dropping Dan ‘Ghosty’ Rothe and Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland. Though no announcements have been made, they’re expected to line up with Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari and Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams this coming season, alongside Dashy and Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro. Be sure to check out our full CDL rostermania hub for all of the latest confirmed changes and roster rumors.

Sources: OpTic Texas want Kenny for CDL 2023/24 season Call of Duty LeagueAccording to sources, Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams is set to join OpTic Texas for the upcoming Call of Duty League season, after much speculation over who will join OpTic as well as the future of the LA Thieves team. The end of the 2022/23 season saw the entire LA Thieves team be made unrestricted free agents, having not signed new deals after their world championship win in 2022. With Sam ‘Octane’ Larew retiring, the team was immediately left without a superstar main AR, plus the rumored moves of Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon to Toronto Ultra and Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan to Atlanta FaZe left them in a dire situation. Things got worse, though, as they failed to come to terms on a new deal with Kenny, who received interest from other teams. OpTic pivot after Drazah chooses FaZe After OpTic failed to land Drazah, who was their number one target throughout the offseason next to Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari, their choices were split between a number of options. While Daunte ‘Sib’ Gray was expected to reunite with Pred under the OpTic banner, the team instead opted to go after a more veteran talent in Kenny. According to Dexerto sources, the deal is not yet signed but is a work in progress, with LA Thieves failing to negotiate a figure that Kenny was happy with to stay with them. Once the top teams have all signed their new rosters, though, the landscape should start to develop more for players to join the middle and lower-ranked teams. Should this move go ahead, the OpTic Texas roster for next season would be: Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams – Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari – Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro – Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell – Kenny previously played for a very different OpTic, with OpTic Gaming Los Angeles in Modern Warfare (2019), though this would mark his first tenure with the Greenwall and what is now known as “real OpTic” in comparison with OGLA. Keep up with 2024 CDL Rostermania with our dedicated hub here.

OpTic Texas sign amateur star Ghosty to replace iLLeY for CDL Major 3 OpTic Texas/The RotationOpTic Texas have signed Call of Duty Challengers star Daniel ‘Ghosty’ Rothe to replace Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal for the foreseeable future, confirming prior reports from Dexerto that they were after the prolific amateur player. OpTic have been embroiled in roster turmoil almost constantly since the culmination of the 2022 Vanguard season, with both iLLeY and Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell dropped multiple times since then before being brought back into the team, as well as Scump’s retirement following their first week of Major 2 qualifiers. Having brought in Huke to replace Scump for the remainder of Major 2, they went to the LAN event in Boston with minimal expectations, having played well in qualifiers but with fans still acknowledging that this was a new team with things to work on. They ended up placing 4th, knocked out after consecutive losses to Minnesota Røkkr and eventual runners-up LA Thieves, but still a considerable improvement on their 9-12th finish at Major 1. Despite that, on February 8, iLLeY announced that he was a restricted free agent going forward, no longer representing OpTic Texas from Major 3 onwards. While rumors have swirled it has now been confirmed that, as first reported by Dexerto, OpTic have signed Ghosty to replace iLLeY, dipping into Challengers in a move that will come as a big surprise to many who have followed OpTic over the years. Ghosty most recently won the Call of Duty Challengers Open at Major 2 with Decimate Gaming, as well as placing 2nd in the Elite Stage 1 playoffs and consistently placing towards the top in Challengers competition. He was on track to make his CDL debut by signing for the Florida Mutineers, who are undergoing some mass roster changes of their own, but our sources stated that he didn’t end up signing with them and the situation changed drastically when OpTic started asking around about potential amateur talent to bring into the fold. As it stands at the time of writing, Florida Mutineers do not have their roster locked in after Ghosty’s plans changed.

Sources: OpTic Texas hold talks with Envoy and Drazah for CDL 2024 team OpTic Texas/Call of Duty LeagueAccording to Dexerto sources, OpTic Texas have held initial talks to bring LA Thieves stars Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan and Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon to the team for the 2023/24 Call of Duty League season. While it’s still extremely early in the rostermania life-cycle, rumors have already started to spread in abundance. Fans and players alike expect mass changes from as many as 11 of the 12 franchises — with Champs winners New York Subliners the only team firmly expected to stick. One huge question has been that of the OpTic Texas roster, with a ragtag combination of players coming together in 2023 while reports suggested that they were willing to make Seattle Surge’s Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari the most expensive player in Call of Duty history. That saw them end up with Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell, Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland, Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro and Daniel ‘Ghosty’ Rothe on the team, seeing almost immediate success with back-to-back second-place finishes at Major 3 and Major 4 respectively. However, they weren’t able to carry their strong performance through to the later stages of the season and ultimately fell short of expectations at CDL Champs 2023 and didn’t even manage a podium finish. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’re planning to make some changes. OpTic Texas planning big changes for CDL 2024 According to our sources, OpTic have held talks with two of LA Thieves’ 2022 world championship roster to join them for the Modern Warfare 3 season in 2024, with Envoy and Drazah in their sights to play alongside Dashy and Shotzzy. However, nothing is set in stone at this time. The free agency window doesn’t open until Monday, July 3, meaning there’s still plenty of time for things to change. Though, with both players being unrestricted free agents heading into the offseason, negotiations could be very simple if this roster is what all parties involved want. What this would mean for both Pred — who many have assumed to be a guaranteed pick-up for OpTic — and the LA Thieves remains to be seen. The Thieves could have the pull to bring over superstar players to replace the departed should they end up on OpTic, but with multiple players and organizations fighting to form the best rosters possible, the competition could really be heating up. As mentioned already this move definitely isn’t guaranteed right now, but does serve a good indication of what OpTic could be planning to do in the offseason.

Sources: New York Subliners to sign Sib as Priestahh replacement for CDL 2024 season Seattle SurgeAccording to Dexerto sources, the New York Subliners are looking to sign Daunte ‘Sib’ Gray for the upcoming Call of Duty League season, after failing to get Preston ‘Priestahh’ Griener to put pen to paper on a new contract. Despite winning a world championship together just three weeks prior to the time of writing, the Subliners are likely to be changing their CDL roster going into next season, the first team ever to do so directly after winning Champs without extenuating circumstances (franchising after eUnited won in 2019, Dallas Empire after move from 5v5 to 4v4 in 2020). Going into the offseason, Matthew ‘KiSMET’ Tinsley was an unrestricted free agent, while Priestahh had an extension option. Subliners tried to negotiate a lower salary with Priestahh to cut costs — something most CDL teams are doing currently — but the two parties struggled to find a compromise. Subliners to sign Sib After some speculation behind the scenes that the Subliners were assessing their options and looking at different players should negotiations not work out, it now looks as though they will be signing their number one target in Sib. After spending the last two seasons with Seattle Surge, Sib has been one of the best flexes in the game, and was widely rumored to be heading to OpTic Texas with Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari before LA Thieves’ Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams took priority for their remaining flex spot. This makes it unclear what comes next for Priestahh, who could seriously shake up the rostermania situation with his availability. The expected Subliners roster now will be: Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez – Matthew ‘KiSMET’ Tinsley – Cesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno – Daunte ‘Sib’ Gray – Be sure to keep up with all of the CDL team changes and rumors in our rostermania hub!

Sources: New York Subliners to field HyDra, Skyz, KiSMET & Priestahh on 2023 CDL roster New York SublinersAccording to Dexerto sources, the New York Subliners roster for the 2023 Call of Duty League season is almost locked in, with 2022 SMG duo Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez and Matthew ‘KiSMET’ Tinsley to be joined by Cesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno and Preston ‘Priestahh’ Griener. New York Subliners had a rollercoaster 2022 season, dealing with the very best and worst that Call of Duty: Vanguard had to offer. They struggled through multiple roster changes early in the season, before their miracle Major 4 run saw them qualify for CDL Champs by the skin of their teeth. The roster, which included Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter and Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila alongside HyDra and KiSMET, failed to keep their momentum rolling at Champs, though, and the fallout was unlike anything we’ve seen in Call of Duty for some time. With Crimsix and PaulEhx both seemingly in limbo, Crim apparently not receiving any offers from franchises and Paul’s future up in the air amid roster rumors, their former teammates have got their squad for Modern Warfare 2 locked in. Our sources state that Priestahh and Skyz are as good as confirmed for the Subliners roster going into the MW2 season, which is rumored to last two years as Call of Duty is allegedly foregoing the annual cycle that has made it one of the biggest media brands in the world. While contracts aren’t fully complete at the time of writing, there is an understanding that this team is as good as complete as final details are ironed out. The full New York Subliners roster for the 2023 Call of Duty League season is going to be: Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez – Matthew ‘KiSMET’ Tinsley – Cesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno – Preston ‘Priestahh’ Griener – Be sure to check out our CDL 2023 rostermania hub for all of the confirmed moves, and take a look at the rumored CDL 2023 schedule which Dexerto exclusively reported in August.

Sources: CDL teams already designing custom Modern Warfare 3 Operator skins & cosmetics ActivisionAccording to Dexerto sources, each of the 12 Call of Duty League franchises is hard at work designing custom Operator skins and cosmetics for Modern Warfare 3, getting a head start on bringing CDL assets to the game before it even launches. In Modern Warfare II, teams brought out Vaznev blueprints that they designed in-house, with completely unique designs, and sold on the COD store for fans to show off and rep their favorites. While these came very late in the cycle, only arriving in the game at the start of May before Major 5 Qualifiers started, they’re getting ahead of things by having teams get their designs ready before Modern Warfare 3 has even been formally announced. Modern Warfare 3 CDL operator skins While these operator skins are set to be customizable, the actual customization options won’t be extensive, our sources say. Unlike the Vaznev blueprints, only certain parts of the Operator skins will be customizable. Block team colors will be present across the Operator, but teams will be able to be a little more creative on areas such as the gloves or knee pads of said Operator. Alongside the skins, teams will also have charms that can be attached to weapons, with fans able to rep their favorites even further, allowing them to show their support for one team or mix and match to their heart’s content. It’s unclear at the time of writing whether custom CDL blueprints will also be coming to Modern Warfare 3, but with Operators and Charms available, it would definitely complete the look to have blueprint designs in-game as well. Modern Warfare 3 is set to be the next release in the Call of Duty series, developed by Sledgehammer Games, and due to release in November, according to leaks.

Sources: Minnesota Røkkr targeting all-new team with EU Challengers star for CDL 2023/24 season Minnesota RøkkrAccording to multiple sources, Minnesota Røkkr are targeting a roster of former Boston Breach and Seattle Surge talent for their 2023/24 Call of Duty League roster, as well as a budding EU Challengers starlet looking to make his professional debut. Minnesota Røkkr are in a complete rebuild phase for the upcoming CDL season. They parted ways with their entire roster following the culmination of the MWII year and said goodbye to head coach Brian ‘Saintt’ Baroska after a disappointing run of events. Amid reports of a merger with European esports organization G2, Rokkr weren’t involved in the early rostermania run as the top teams and players figured out their teams for the upcoming season. But, after figuring out their budget for the season, they’ve remained one of the more ambitious teams in putting together a solid squad and picking up some of the best available players. Rokkr’s new CDL squad According to Dexerto sources, Minnesota Røkkr are targeting the following players to complete their roster for the 2023/24 CDL season: Joseph ‘Owakening’ Conley – Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi – Reece ‘Vivid’ Drost – Thomas ‘Lynz’ Gregorio – Owakening played for Boston Breach during the 2022/23 CDL season, keeping up his high slaying capabilities but not able to help guide the team to victory, achieving a season-best third place finish. Vivid spent a majority of the season on Boston alongside Wake, putting in some good performances before ultimately being moved to the bench ahead of Champs, where he was replaced by Eric ‘Snoopy’ Pérez, who has since been signed long-term by Breach alongside Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat and Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner. Accuracy spent the last two seasons with Seattle Surge, where he won a Major championship as a veteran assault rifle player and leader of the team, helping guide his three young teammates through the trials and tribulations of being a professional. Finally, Lynz is a name that won’t be too familiar to many viewers, but those who have stayed in-tune with the European Challengers scene will know exactly what Rokkr are getting. The Frenchman maintained a 1.21 KD across all four Elites in 2023 with Aw0babobs, with top placements across the season, including a win at the Toronto Open. Multiple sources claimed that Accuracy is a huge fan of Lynz and wanted to team with the young star, and it will be interesting to see whether he could emulate similar results with Lynz as he did with Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari in his first two seasons as a pro. Nothing is yet set in stone for this roster with contracts not signed, but this is definitely the four Rokkr are targeting at this moment in time.

Sources: Minnesota Rokkr not rebranding immediately despite rumored G2 merger ActivisionMinnesota Røkkr will be maintaining their popular Nordic branding for the upcoming Call of Duty League season despite their rumored merger with European organization G2 Esports. However, according to sources close to the situation, this may change in future seasons, with a possible rebrand in 2024/25. There have been numerous organizational changes over the opening few years of the franchised Call of Duty League, with the likes of Chicago Huntsmen, Dallas Empire, OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, and Paris Legion now all names of the past. This has come as a result of a number of factors, including simple relocations, mergers, or CDL spots being sold, and the 2023/24 season doesn’t seem to be any different. With rumors of multiple changes possible, including a previous Dexerto report that stated that Activision has explored the idea of unifying brands across the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League, we can confirm that Rokkr will not be changing their branding for at least the upcoming season, despite their possible merger with G2 on the horizon. That may well change next year, though. Minnesota Rokkr to rebrand in 2024/25? In June 2023, it was reported that Rokkr may be looking to merge with G2 in the near future, with sources confirming the legitimacy of this rumor since. That said, nothing is yet set in stone, though the same sources have confirmed to expect the deal to be made official by the end of the year. This followed a conversation with Digiday in which Version1 confirmed that they are looking for a merger, saying: “The focus currently is on pursuing a merger with another org that we feel aligns with our view and our ownership group’s view of the esports industry.” Multiple sources have now confirmed to Dexerto that the Rokkr branding will be staying for 2023/24 — but it was stated that current plans indicate a change in 2024/25, for the unannounced Treyarch Call of Duty title. Version1 COO Brett Diamond confirmed to Dexerto that nothing is changing for the upcoming season, but declined to confirm or deny the possibility of a change next year. This may go hand-in-hand with the rumors that Activision is looking at possibly dropping city-based franchising entirely, though at the time of writing this only looks to be one of many options Activision is considering with the league. Rokkr are expected to announce their roster at the end of August, with Dexerto previously reporting a team of Lynz, Vivid, Accuracy, and Owakening expected to be running the show for them. Outside of the server, coach Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza is expected to lead the line, while Dexerto reported earlier in August that Matthew ‘Burns’ Potthoff is believed to be returning to Call of Duty as the Minnesota franchise’s new General Manager.

Sources: Minnesota Rokkr bringing Burns back to COD as CDL General Manager MLGAccording to sources close to the situation, former eUnited general manager Matthew ‘Burns’ Potthoff will be returning to professional Call of Duty, this time as the general manager of Call of Duty League franchise Minnesota Røkkr. Burns worked with the eUnited Call of Duty team throughout their incredibly successful Infinite Warfare and Black Ops 4 seasons, having formerly been a professional player himself, representing organizations such as Rise Nation, Cloud9, and Team Liquid throughout his playing career. Following the franchised league model taking over Call of Duty esports and a departure from the prior open circuit, Burns stayed with eUnited as they failed to secure a spot in the league, therefore no longer being active in COD. Since eUnited reportedly shut down operations at the turn of this year, Burns moved into a role at sports marketing agency PIVOT, as their director of gaming and esports. Now, he appears to be making his way back into Call of Duty with Minnesota Rokkr. Minnesota Burns Sources have confirmed to Dexerto that Burns has signed with Minnesota Rokkr to be their General Manager, starting from the upcoming 2023/24 CDL season, following the almost complete squad wipe of this offseason. Rokkr had a disappointing 2022/23 season, including a lengthy loss streak in the middle of the year, after which they subsequently let all their players go as well as head coach Brian ‘Saintt’ Baroska. Saintt’s former right-hand man Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza is stepping up to be the head coach of the team. While there has been speculation surrounding the team’s future direction, Rokkr will be hoping Burns can help bring the success that the ambitious organization has long clamored for, the same way he did with eUnited during the Black Ops 4 season. Dexerto recently reported on Minnesota’s planned roster for the upcoming CDL season, targeting a veteran AR alongside some young stars and a standout EU rookie. Be sure to keep up with all of the latest news, leaks, and rumors with our CDL 2024 rostermania hub.

Sources: London Royal Ravens to replace PaulEhx with Challengers star for CDL roster London Royal RavensAccording to Dexerto sources, London Royal Ravens is working on a deal to sign Ulisses ‘Ulisses’ Rios to their Call of Duty League roster, as the Challengers player looks set to replace Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila. London Royal Ravens have found themselves rooted firmly to the bottom of the CDL standings in Modern Warfare 2, though with online performances getting better over time as well as improvements on an individual basis among the players. While there have been some question marks and rumors surrounding the future of the London roster, with reports suggesting that they could be considering making a change, it looks like they moved very quickly after their heartbreaking 3-2 loss to OpTic Texas at Major 3. According to sources close to the situation, London has acquired Challengers star Uli from Decimate Gaming, where he played with recent Challengers call-ups such as Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson and Dan ‘Ghosty’ Rothe. In recent tournaments, Uli has played alongside former CDL stars Byron ‘Prolute’ Vera and David ‘Davpadie’ Maslowski. As for what’s next for PaulEhx, that much is currently unclear. It’s likely he’ll head back to Challengers unless another CDL roster looks to make a change before Major 4 kicks off on March 31. This would mean the new London Royal Ravens roster for Major 4 onwards is: Skrapz – Asim – Nastie – Ulisses –

Sources: London Royal Ravens sign PaulEhx, locking in Asim for CDL 2023 season London Royal RavensAccording to Dexerto sources, London Royal Ravens are signing Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila and Obaid ‘Asim’ Asim to join Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris and Byron ‘Nastie’ Plumridge for the 2023 Call of Duty League season. The London Royal Ravens had a very up-and-down Vanguard season throughout 2022. With roster inconsistencies midseason and some discrepancies between LAN and online performances, London was one of several teams that fans all unanimously saw as needing to make a change. After announcing that Marcus ‘Afro’ Reid would be joining Minnesota RØKKR, and rumors of various moves involving current and previous Royal Ravens players, they have managed to lock in their roster for the Modern Warfare 2 season. One of the players set to be joining Nastie and Zer0 is PaulEhx, who played for New York Subliners in the 2022 season and previously represented London in 2021. Paul returns to the Royal Ravens, this time on a permanent basis, after failing to pull off the Champs miracle run with Subliners in Vanguard. Also joining London as an SMG player alongside Nastie is Asim. He played under the LA Guerrillas during the Vanguard season but was moved to the substitute role after Major 3 as the team’s Champs hopes were starting to dwindle, despite their Major 2 win. At the time of writing, it is believed his contract is not yet signed but sources say the deal is as good as done. It is understood that London had made an offer to prominent EU Challengers player Elliot ‘WarDy’ Ward, but he rejected the offer to instead sign with New York Subliners. It is expected that he will be a substitute on the New York roster that Dexerto reported recently, which has not yet been announced. It is unclear what this means for former Royal Ravens player Joey ‘Gismo’ Owen, who is not set to be representing a CDL team in 2023. The London Royal Ravens roster is set to be: Zer0 – Nastie – PaulEhx – Asim –

Sources: London Royal Ravens moving Skrapz to starting roster to replace PaulEhx Call of Duty LeagueOn the back of a top 16 finish at Major 1, London Royal Ravens are already shaking things up as PaulEhx is set to be benched as veteran Skrapz is stepping into a role on the starting lineup. More than a year on from his last match in the Call of Duty League with Paris Legion, British CoD veteran Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall is set to rejoin the starting lineup of his hometown team, the London Royal Ravens. Having signed with the organization for the second time in October, Skrapz has been riding the bench to kickoff the 2023 CDL season. However, following on from a lackluster start both online and at the first LAN Major, the UK franchise is set to rotate him into the starting lineup, sources have informed Dexerto. The move sees American pro Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila sliding down to the bench after just a few weeks of play in the Modern Warfare 2 cycle. The Ravens currently sit dead last in the overall CDL standings. Despite winning their first two matchups against New York Subliners and the LA Guerrillas, the London squad has since lost five series in a row. Two of those losses came last week at Major 1, where the team was swept by Seattle Surge before losing in game five to LA Guerrillas Academy Online qualifiers for Major 2 get underway from Friday, January 13, 2023, giving the squad just over three weeks to gel with Skrapz in the starting lineup. The 25-year-old veteran has competed at the highest level since 2016 across the likes of Fnatic, Red Reserve, and FaZe Clan pre-CDL. Skrapz featured as part of the initial Royal Ravens lineup in 2019/20, helping lead the squad to a sixth-place finish overall and a top-four placement at that year’s Champs. His 2021 season saw a move to Paris Legion before parting ways and pivoting to content creation instead, largely focusing on Warzone streams ahead of his 2022 return to competition. Skrapz should feature in the first game back on January 14 as London goes head-to-head with Toronto in the opening series.

Sources: LA Thieves targeting roster of Ghosty, Afro, Cammy & JoeDeceives LA ThievesAccording to Dexerto sources, LA Thieves are starting to put the finishing touches to their Call of Duty League roster for the 2023/24 season, with a mix of young stars and top European talent. LA Thieves found themselves in an unenviable situation following the culmination of the 2022/23 season, with budget cuts dictating what was to result in some uncertainty over their roster. This ended with all 4 players either leaving the organization or, in the case of Sam ‘Octane’ Larew, retiring. Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan signed with Atlanta FaZe, Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon joined Toronto Ultra and Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams has been heavily linked with a move away to OpTic Texas. LA Thieves 2023/24 CDL roster So, with the top teams and players locked up, the Thieves have been tasked with building a squad of the best available players. With that in mind, a roster that they are currently targeting consists of: Daniel ‘Ghosty’ Rothe – Marcus ‘Afro’ Reid – Cameron ‘Cammy’ McKilligan – Joe ‘JoeDeceives’ Romero – At the time of writing, no contracts have been signed, so there is still scope for the situation to change. Cammy and Afro previously played for Minnesota Røkkr together, in what turned out to be a lacklustre season as they finished 6th in the regular season standings, having struggled much throughout the middle portion of the year. JoeDeceives was a standout player on the struggling LA Guerrillas side and certainly proved his value in the pro league during his rookie year, while Ghosty was the mastermind that helped turn OpTic Texas’ season around, and was released at the end of the year much to the chagrin of many OpTic fans. Another name that has been mentioned is EU Challengers star Abuzah, though multiple sources couldn’t confirm this. Make sure to check out our full CDL rostermania hub for all the latest news and rumors.

Sources: LA Guerrillas to reject CDL Esports World Cup invite to MW3 tournament LA Guerrillas/Esports World CupThe ongoing Esports World Cup is going to feature a 16-team Modern Warfare 3 tournament in August, and according to multiple sources, LA Guerrillas will reject their invite earned from being a Call of Duty League franchise. Despite finishing their regular season strong with a Top 3 finish at Major 4, ahead of CDL Championship contenders such as Toronto Ultra and OpTic Texas, the purple side of LA won’t be extending their season into the World Cup. The Guerrillas’ Major 4 performance saw them earn a qualification spot for Champs, and could be ending the year in a strong position. However, while other franchises and Challenger teams take to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the $1.8 million MW3 tournament, Guerrillas’ players are looking for new homes for the post-season trip. Due to this, there will be an extra slot allotted to a Challengers team. At the time of writing, it is still unclear how exactly the three (or four, now) Challenger teams will earn their invites. Organizations and players aren’t entirely clued in, either, with multiple sources confirming there has been no conversation about how Challenger teams get invited. As for the five Guerrillas players — Conor ‘Diamondcon’ Johst, Justice ‘Estreal’ McMillan, Kevin ‘Fame’ Bonanno, John-Alexander ‘Flames’ Dieguez, and Adam ‘Assault’ Garcia — their futures are not clear. We have heard Minnesota Rokkr is interested in both Diamondcon and Estreal to form half of their Esports World Cup squad, though no decisions have been made at the time of writing. The current expectation, however, is that Rokkr’s EWC and Black Ops 6 rosters will not be the same. This all comes after months of speculation that LA Guerrillas want to get out of the Call of Duty League, having released their other esports teams and reduced its overall workforce significantly with huge layoffs in February 2023.

Sources: LA Guerrillas sign MarkyB as head coach for CDL 2023 season Call of Duty LeagueAccording to Dexerto sources, Los Angeles Guerrillas have signed former Toronto Ultra head coach Mark ‘MarkyB’ Bryceland to take charge of their team for the 2023 Call of Duty League season. MarkyB has been one of the longest-standing coaches in the Call of Duty League, having headed up the Toronto Ultra team since the start of the Modern Warfare (2019) season. Prior to that, he was the coach of Splyce, which also operated under the OverActive Media parent company until CoD esports switched to a city-based franchising model. With Toronto, he coached the team to a Home Series victory in Modern Warfare, the Major 2 Championship in Black Ops Cold War, and the Kickoff Classic in Vanguard. Sources said that he’s now switching the purple of Toronto Ultra for the purple of LA Guerrillas. The Guerrillas themselves have undergone some key changes ahead of the Modern Warfare 2 season. In August, they announced the acquisition of two-time world champion Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson from Atlanta FaZe, as first reported by Dexerto, with veteran assault rifle star Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat heading in the opposite direction. Alongside Arcitys remain three stars from the 2022 season: Kris ‘Spart’ Cervantez, Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland, and Travis ‘Neptune’ McCloud. Spart was the Major 2 MVP for LA Guerrillas, winning his first chip after stepping in as a substitute. While their season didn’t end so brilliantly, failing to qualify for the Call of Duty Championship, they’ll be hoping that Arcitys’ leadership and MarkyB’s impressive coaching acumen will help push the team to the next level. At the time of writing, it’s unclear who will take over the head coach position at Toronto Ultra, though the likes of Troy ‘Sender’ Michaels (formerly OpTic Texas), Embry ‘Bevils’ Bevil (formerly LA Guerrillas), and John ‘Revan’ Boble (formerly New York Subliners) are free agents going into 2023. They could also look at the existing staff, should analyst Ryan ‘Flux’ Oldfield want to take on the lead role following Toronto Ultra’s announcement of their 2023 squad.

Sources: LA Guerrillas sign Academy stars for main Call of Duty League roster LA GuerrillasAccording to Dexerto sources, LA Guerrillas have signed three of their Challengers stars from the Academy team to make the step up into the main CDL roster, with an announcement expected imminently. LA Guerrillas have had some serious struggles throughout the start of the 2023 CDL season, culminating with a 9-12th finish at Major 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina, their only win coming against a Challengers team. This came shortly after the Guerrillas broke the bank to bring former Atlanta FaZe main AR Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson into the squad to lead them to victory, though following their early-season performances, it became apparent a roster change would be on the cards. The team is undergoing a huge shift for Major 2, with three new players making the step up to the CDL after a great showing at the CDL Pro-Am in Raleigh. The three players joining Arcitys are Adam ‘Assault’ Garcia, Kaden ‘Exceed’ Stockdale, and JoeDeceives. This leaves Travis ‘Neptune’ McCloud, Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland, and Kris ‘Spart’ Cervantez outside of the fold. Dexerto can also confirm that Neptune and Spart — the latter of whom signed a 3-year contract in the offseason — will be playing on the Academy team in the Challengers circuit. The franchise is preparing its goodbyes to Huke, with announcements of all of the above expected shortly. This news comes shortly after OpTic Texas attempted to acquire Arcitys from LAG, with Arcitys himself confirming he would have liked to join them but that contract issues held him back from leaving. The LA Guerrillas roster is set to be: Arcitys – Assault – Exceed – JoeDeceives – The LA Guerrillas Academy roster will be: Spart – Neptune – Diamondcon – Noysii –

Sources: Kremp to replace JoeDeceives on LA Thieves after Major 1 blunder LA ThievesAccording to Dexerto sources, the Los Angeles Thieves are signing Kremp to join the team ahead of Major 2 qualifiers following a disappointing showing at Major 1. LA Thieves finished the opening split of the 2024 Call of Duty League season dead last in the standings, managing just two wins from the eight matches they played, over Boston Breach and Carolina Royal Ravens, the two teams directly above them in the standings. Just 18 months out from the organization’s huge Call of Duty League Championship win in the 2022 season, the Thieves find themselves a far cry from where they were that short time ago, while the players from that team thrive on separate teams atop the CDL. Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Williams has become a monster on OpTic Texas, while Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan’s Atlanta FaZe placed second at Major 1, falling short to Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon’s Toronto Ultra. Kremp replacing JoeDeceives on LA Thieves Now, not content with letting the results get away from them, LA Thieves have dipped into Challengers and picked up a star from the Boston Open-winning side, FaZe Black. Kyle ‘Kremp’ Haworth shone in the FaZe Challengers side’s run through the bracket, on a team made up of players that have teetered between the CDL and amateur leagues in recent years. Kremp represented Boston Breach during the 2023 season having played for their academy team alongside the recently retired Doug ‘Censor’ Martin. While he failed to follow that up with a starting CDL spot this season, it’s not taken long for Kremp to get the call-up, and fans should expect to see him wearing the black and red of LA Thieves by the time Major 2 qualifiers start on February 16.

Sources Indicate Methodz is the Key to OpTic, Luminosity and FaZe Lineups in Latest CoD Rostermania News DexertoThe Call of Duty roster change period between CWL Seattle and Stage Two of the CWL Pro League could be the wildest one yet. If you’re not sitting comfortably, we suggest you sit down and brace yourself for the latest twist in a very complicated transfer period that involves plenty of moving parts. Following Activision creating the CoD World League, major organizations began to pay more interest in the competitive Call of Duty scene, and alongside roster locks for tournaments such as the Pro League, contractual obligations also followed suit. This new way of doing business came as something of a culture shock to players who had previously been allowed to roam freely among teams, but following the lead of traditional sports, buyouts and trades have become common practice. The current OpTic Gaming Call of Duty team has been together for over three years after forming during the Advanced Warfare season, however, they’re not the dominant force they once were. Having failed to win a single event during the WWII season, and only reaching the grand final once, following a top 16 placement at CWL Seattle a rumor began that the team would be splitting. At the time of writing there has been no official confirmation, but reputable sources close to Dexerto have revealed the current situation features a twist that no one expected. It’s believed that when Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni was sold to Team Kaliber from Rise Nation for an undisclosed fee, there was a timeframe given to tK in order to make the payment. Due to tK failing to pay on time, Rise Nation are now attempting to sell Methodz’ contract to OpTic Gaming. Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni could be the key to rostermania. OpTic, who are believed to be keeping Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter from their former team, will use Methodz in a trade to acquire the services of Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto from FaZe Clan. This entire exchange will then lead to the final trade of Matt ‘FormaL’ Piper to Luminosity for Sam ‘Octane’ Larew. It’s worth noting that this trade could fall through due to the large number of moving parts required in order to make it work. Our source didn’t have any indication either as to where Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow would end up, or who would replace Methodz in the Team Kaliber lineup should a deal be struck. OpTic Gaming (Rumored) Seth ‘Scump’ Abner – Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter – Sam ‘Octane’ Larew – Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto – FaZe Clan (Rumored) Dillon ‘Attach’ Price – Chris ‘Replays’ Crowder – Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner – Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni – Luminosity Gaming (Rumored) Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan – John ‘John’ Perez – Josiah ‘Slacked’ Berry – Matt ‘FormaL’ Piper –

Sources: Heretics Offered $115k Transfer Fee for Spanish CoD Pro MethodZ Team HereticsLVP SuperLiga Champions MAD Lions EC have made contact with Team Heretics to confirm their willingness to buy out two members of their Call of Duty roster. As first reported by Dexerto ES, the Madrid based club have expressed their interest in signing MethodZ and JurNii, both of whom represented Heretics at the 2018 CWL Championships. MAD Lions has reportedly offered to pay €100,000 (approximately $115,000) to buy Jorge ‘MethodZ’ Bancells out from his current contract, while the amount required to obtain Juan ‘JurNii’ González is currently unknown. With the Call of Duty: World War II season now finished, teams are wasting little time in attempting to build new rosters for the upcoming Black Ops 4 season. At time of writing, neither MAD Lions nor Team Heretics have commented publicly on the proposed transfers, and and the players in question are currently still under contract. It is unclear whether MAD Lions are planning to include any of their current players in the trade offer as they attempt to secure the services of MethodZ and JurNii. Read More : 100 Thieves are on the hunt for a Call of Duty Roster Team Heretics are coming off the back of an impressive performance at the 2018 CWL Championships, where they beat Epsilon Esports and took both Lightning Pandas and eventual runners up Team Kaliber to deciding maps. With players moving already, it will be fascinating to see how teams line up heading into the first CWL event of the Black Ops 4 season, December 7-9 in Las Vegas.

Sources: Florida Mutineers to partner with Heretics to create Miami Heretics CDL team Florida Mutineers/Team HereticsAccording to Dexerto sources, Call of Duty League franchise Florida Mutineers will partner with Spanish esports organization Heretics to form Miami Heretics, which will compete in the CDL starting in the 2023/24 season. The Florida Mutineers have not had a very successful Modern Warfare II season, with their team 10th in the overall standings at the time of writing and looking increasingly unlikely to qualify for Championship Weekend in Las Vegas. This follows a trend for Florida, who are set to miss their second consecutive Champs event after placing top eight at the two prior. With rumors circulating among fans in recent months that the Mutineers could be looking to reconsider their existence as a CDL franchise, it appears they’ve taken a different route, and will be partnering with Heretics to drive their Call of Duty esports efforts forward. According to our sources, the Mutineers planned to announce the news in the week following Major 4, with the trademark for Miami Heretics, filed on April 17, owned by the same company that filed the Florida Mutineers trademark. It’s unclear what caused the delay in the announcement, but with the team not expecting to make Champs, there won’t be much coming out of the Florida camp following Major 5, giving them ample time to start building the brand. Heretics have long wanted to be in the Call of Duty League, expressing interest ever since it was formed in 2019, so this will be a long time coming for them. This interest followed a successful Black Ops 4 year where they won over the hearts of fans with passionate displays and strong placements from their all-Spanish roster. At the time of writing, we understand that the Miami Heretics already have a roster in mind, but with nothing set in stone, this could of course change drastically before the new season starts.

Sources: Florida Mutineers signing Vikul, Brack, and Havok for CDL 2023 roster Florida MutineersAccording to Dexerto sources, Florida Mutineers have settled on their team for the 2023 Modern Warfare 2 season, bringing in a team to build around 2022 AR star Michael ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak. Florida Mutineers failed to reach the Call of Duty Championship in the Vanguard season, missing out at the final hurdle after multiple roster moves and a real struggle to find any consistency in the league. Going into the 2023 season, which is due to start in December 2022 according to leaked internal documents, they’re looking to bring in two elite Challengers stars as well as former Minnesota RØKKR SMG Colt ‘Havok’ McLendon to join MajorManiak. They are Spaniard Javier ‘Vikul’ Milagro, who competed on the Toronto Ultra Academy NA team, as well as Carson ‘Brack’ Newberry, who won the Call of Duty Challengers Finals in August 2022 with his Iron Blood Gaming roster. Brack is no stranger to the CDL. He competed under the Toronto Ultra banner during the Modern Warfare season, having had a breakout year in Black Ops 4 under Luminosity Gaming. Vikul, on the other hand, will be hitting the pro ranks for the first time after an incredible Vanguard season, where he was one of the real standout SMG players in Challengers. Our sources state that the roster is as good as locked in, with all players Free Agents or already contracted to Florida. The exception is Vikul, whose transfer to Florida has now gone through, as also reported by The Rotation. At the time of writing, it’s unclear what happens with David ‘Davpadie’ Maslowski, who is believed to still be contracted with Florida Mutineers. It’s likely he will be their substitute player once again in 2023. We had heard earlier in the offseason that Florida were looking at a roster that consisted of London Royal Ravens players Joey ‘Gismo’ Owen and Byron ‘Nastie’ Plumridge, but that evidently didn’t come to fruition. The full Florida Mutineers roster for Modern Warfare 2 will be as follows: MajorManiak – Havok – Brack – Vikul – Davpadie (substitute, unconfirmed) – Elsewhere in the CDL, we recently reported that Boston Breach have signed EU Challengers star Ben ‘Beans’ McMellon to their roster for 2023. You can keep up with all the confirmed action in our 2023 CDL rostermania hub.

Sources: Florida Mutineers signing Capsidal and Felo to Call of Duty League roster Call of Duty LeagueAccording to Dexerto sources, the Florida Mutineers are signing Challengers stars Kenyen ‘Capsidal’ Sutton and Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson to their starting Call of Duty League roster to replace Javier ‘Vikul’ Milagro and David ‘Davpadie’ Maslowski. As rostermania is once again underway following Major 2, Florida Mutineers — who currently sit in 10th place in the standings — are making major changes to their squad. They have already announced the departure of Michael ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak, who is henceforth an unrestricted free agent, as well as Spaniard Vikul, who will be on the bench for the Florida side going forward. They brought Carson ‘Brack’ Newberry back in to replace MajorManiak after a few weeks out, but Vikul and Davpadie’s replacements weren’t quite as clear cut. The team trialed a wide range of players, both SMGs and ARs, including Dakota ‘Dak’ Markus, José ‘ReeaL’ Manuel Fernández, and Brendan ‘2ReaL’ Stockdale, before finally picking Capsidal and Felo as the stars to get them moving up in the league. Most recently, Capsidal placed 9-12th with his OMiT team at the Challengers Boston Open, just weeks after standing in for Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Williams on LA Thieves in their COD League Major 2 qualifier matches. FeLo, on the other hand, won the Boston Open, leading his team of young guns to victory, in a side that included Daniel ‘Ghosty’ Rothe. There were rumors that the team was after Ghosty as their number 1 target, though OpTic Texas ended up beating Florida to his signature.

Sources: FaZe Clan and Denial CWL Pro League lineups revealed following Red Reserve split DexertoWith Rostermania heating up in the world of Call of Duty esports, Dexerto sources familiar with some of the behind-the-scenes dealings have revealed the new rosters that FaZe Clan and Denial Esports are set to feature. Ever since the second window of roster changes for teams in the CWL Pro League opened up on April 5, fans of competitive CoD have been waiting in anticipation for what major moves may be in store. Amidst all of the rumors that have been swirling over the past few weeks, sources with insider knowledge have reported major intel regarding the fate of Red Reserve, the return of FaZe Clan, and a surprising roster overhaul for Denial Esports. Fate of Red Reserve It’s no secret that the future of Red Reserve in the CWL Pro League has been in doubt for several weeks now, considering that the esports side of the organization has been in heavy turmoil for some time. Sources have confirmed that RR have indeed sold their spot in the Pro League to FaZe Clan, as had been previously reported, with all five of their players now having moved on to new teams. FaZe Clan return to Pro League with new roster Having bought Red Reserve’s spot in the CWL Pro League, FaZe Clan will once again be a pro team, and sources have revealed which players the org will feature. Former RR players Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall and Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris will join current FaZe members Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto and McArther ‘Cellium’ Jovel. Read More: Crimsix paints bleak picture for OpTic heading into CWL London after shutting down a scrim – As for the fifth spot, it could either be filled by Dillon ‘Attach’ Price, who if currently on loan at Evil Geniuses, or Obey ‘Asim’ Asim, who has competed for FaZe Clan Black at the CWL Fort Worth Open Bracket tournament and the recent WorldGaming Black Ops 4 event. Denial’s surprise roster overhaul While the news regarding Red Reserve and FaZe will not come as a major surprise to many, what is bound to catch a lot of fans off-guard is the impending roster overhaul that Denial Esports are planning. According to sources, Denial will be replacing their entire French starting lineup with former RR players Ben ‘Bance’ Bance, Rhys ‘Rated’ Price, and Joseph ‘Joee’ Pinnington, who will be joined by Excelerate Gaming’s Carson ‘Brack’ Newberry and Team Sween’s Alex ‘Alexx’ Carpenter. Read More: Top 20 highest earning Call of Duty pros – As per CWL rules, Denial will have to keep at least one player from their starting lineup or substitute in order to continue competing in the Pro League, although whoever they decide to keep on will likely just be their sub the rest of the way.

Sources: Drazah opts to join Atlanta FaZe over OpTic Texas for CDL 2024 season Twitter: LA ThievesAccording to sources close to the situation, Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan has made his decision for the next step in his Call of Duty League career, looking to join Atlanta FaZe over OpTic Texas. As with his other LA Thieves teammates, Drazah became an unrestricted free agent following the 2022/23 season and has been the key sticking point to get the rostermania ball rolling following Champs. With a number of top teams in the market for a flex that can get the ball rolling and improve the team immediately, Drazah was the obvious choice. While he was heavily linked with OpTic Texas throughout the opening weeks of the offseason, expected to join the team alongside Australian SMG star Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari, Drazah has instead taken a different route. FaZe Drazah incoming? On July 5, Dexerto was informed that after weighing up his options with both squads, Drazah made the decision that he wanted to join Atlanta FaZe. The core FaZe trio have been dominant throughout the entirety of the Call of Duty League era, with a world championship and multiple grand final appearances under their belts, with no signs of slowing down. Over the last two years, they’ve played with Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson and Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat to try and stay on top and, while they’ve always found themselves fighting on Sundays, the results haven’t always been what they expect of themselves. They’re now hoping that Drazah will be the answer to their problems, a different type of player to his predecessors, and someone that has had a lengthy feud with the FaZe team since their battles throughout the Vanguard season. Drazah is expected to put pen to paper soon, but as always in rostermania, anything is possible and things can change at the drop of a hat.

Dallas Empire drop Clayster ahead of 4v4 CDL switch in 2021 season Robert Paul for Activision Blizzard[jwplayer sD84salO] Just days after winning the first-ever Call of Duty League Championship, the Dallas Empire are dropping veteran James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks ahead of the CDL’s switch to a 4v4 format for Black Ops Cold War. Clayster’s Dallas Empire dominated Atlanta FaZe 5-1 in the CDL Championship Weekend Grand Final on Sunday, August 30, on their way to being crowned champions of the league’s inaugural season. Just a day later, the CDL announced that the official competitive format would be reverted to 4v4 for the 2021 season and possibly beyond, which meant that one from the Empire’s title-winning roster would have to be demoted. After reports of Clayster’s demotion began to surface, the three-time World Champion announced that he is, indeed, the odd man out, declaring himself a restricted free agent ahead of the 2021 season. Restricted F/A for CDL 2021 Season Read: https://t.co/OTkf7S7FiG — Clayster (@Clayster) September 1, 2020 “Empire decided to move with the other four for next year, and I genuinely hold nothing against the org or the players,” he tweeted. “Only can blame myself for not doing more to secure my spot and the league for making this decision. Pretty heartbroken with how things turned out.” “Don’t want to blow up Twitter, but man this is heart-wrenching for me,” he continued. “Spent all night sobbing and chain-smoking cigarettes. Feels super sh**ty to give it my all, to accomplish something, obtain that goal, then get put back into the mix like it was all for nothing. Just want security, man.” Read More: CDL 2020 end-of-season Power Rankings – Following the announcement, Team Envy and Dallas Empire owner Mark ‘Hastr0’ Rufail made it clear that the decision stemmed solely from the switch to 4v4, and that Clayster would be signed to a long-term deal if that wasn’t the case. If we were still 5v5, I’d be trying to sign this guy to a 4 year contract extension right now. Damn, I’m going to miss you dude. @Clayster https://t.co/4GbNiKlkIP — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) September 1, 2020 Clayster expressed similar sentiments when speaking in Empire’s post-Champs press conference on September 1, calling the format switch “heartbreaking” for whoever doesn’t make the cut. “Nobody on this team deserves to be dropped,” he said. “We all worked so hard this year, we all put in equal contributions all year round. It’s going to be heartbreaking for whoever it is. I almost even want to be the one to go, just so them four can play together.” It’s not clear whether or not he had been told of the decision prior to addressing the media. “Nobody on this team deserves to be dropped.””@Clayster says that removing one of @DallasEmpire’s players will be “”heartbreaking”” as the CDL moves to 4v4. pic.twitter.com/x4wPJ7yhzv — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) September 1, 2020 What’s next for Clayster? In order to properly speculate on Clay’s future, we first have to look at what restricted free agency means. In essence, he is free to sign with any organization that offers him a contract, but if the Empire choose to do so, they can match that offer and retain him on their roster as a substitute. Read More: CDL pros split on surprise move back to 4v4 – That said, it’s highly unlikely that the organization will do that, not only because they’ve officially announced the roster change, but also because it would go against the player’s best interests if he does indeed get an opportunity to start for another franchise. With the heaviest of hearts we are forced to let go of an absolute legend. We will be forever proud and grateful. Thank you, @Clayster. — Dallas Empire (@DallasEmpire) September 1, 2020 For Clayster, this seems to be a case of history repeating itself, as the three-time World Champion found himself in a similar situation following his 2019 triumphs with eUnited. Franchising went into effect almost immediately after eUnited won CoD Champs in 2019 and their roster was split apart, with the five players going to four different teams for the 2020 season. Eubanks managed to overcome that challenge with the Empire, assembling a powerful squad that was the last one standing after the 2020 campaign was all said and done, but now he’ll have to do that again if he’s to contend for a third-straight world championship.

Sources: CDL targeting Columbus & Vegas for Major 4 and Champs events Call of Duty LeagueDexerto has learned of the two locations where the Call of Duty League is planning to host Major 4 and the Call of Duty League Championship, with both events being held in venues across the United States. On December 20, 2022, the New York Subliners announced that they would no longer be hosting Major 4, after the wildly successful event they held at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn in the 2021/22 Vanguard season. While their statement cited “a variety of reasons” for the cancelation, prior reports suggested that it was due to the scale of the event as the CDL Major will also have a Challengers Open tournament on the side. The Kings Theatre, which has a capacity of 3,000, cannot accommodate both competitions. For that reason, there has been much internal debate in the League over which franchise could host Major 4, and alternative plans were drawn up in case none of the teams was able to do it. CDL Major 4: Columbus, Ohio According to Dexerto sources, there were active efforts made for one of the 12 franchises to host the event but, with budget concerns from the teams and the league itself, they look set to head to Columbus, Ohio, for the penultimate Major of the 2023 season, though it hasn’t been completely finalized at the time of writing. Columbus is steeped in Call of Duty history, the home of the now-defunct MLG Arena during the pre-CDL days of the CWL, as well as hosting multiple top-tier events over the years before franchising, including the 2018 world championship. The Major 4 LAN event is due to take place from April 13-16. CDL Championship: Las Vegas, NV As for CoD Champs, the crowning moment of the Call of Duty calendar is looking to head to Las Vegas, departing from the usual Los Angeles spots that CDL fans have become so familiar with. With Vegas now having a CDL spot, following the move across the Atlantic from Paris Legion, the city will be hosting its first event since CWL Las Vegas 2019, which saw OpTic Gaming take home the trophy and Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell named MVP. While the dates for Champs have not yet been announced, according to the schedule reported by Dexerto in August 2022, the event could be planned for mid-June. The locations for Major 4 and Champs are expected to be announced officially in the pre-Major 2 Community Update on February 1, though this may be given as an update to the situation, rather than a knuckled-down venue or location.

Sources: CDL host Velly resigned following altercation at New York Major 4 IG: VellyCardwellDetails surrounding the surprise resignation of CDL desk host Loviel ‘Velly’ Cardwell on July 22 have come to light, with sources close to Dexerto explaining he resigned following an altercation with other members of the casting talent. Note: A previous version of this article stated Velly was asked to leave by the Call of Duty League. Velly has since shared further details and confirmed that he resigned of his own volition following the altercation. News of Velly resigning from the Call of Duty League shocked fans of competitive CoD, with the host establishing himself as a firm favorite on the broadcasting desk across the Vanguard season. Alongside former pro NAMELESS and analyst Allycxt, Cardwell hosted all of the CDL’s major tournaments this season, including the most recent New York Major 4. Despite another successful outing, fans were stunned when, on July 22, the CDL confirmed they had accepted his resignation ahead of August’s CDL Championships. Velly responded to say that there was no bad blood between himself and the League. The reasons for the move were not initially clear, with the community puzzled at the change in broadcasting talent just prior to the year’s most prestigious tournament. Though days after the altercation and Velly has since shared further details on what led to his resignation. Velly leaves CDL following New York Major 4 altercation Sources close to Dexerto revealed that Velly left the company following an altercation with two other members of the broadcast talent in the aftermath of the New York Major, which wrapped up on July 17 and saw LA Thieves crowned champions. The altercation was said to have taken place while members of the broadcast team were intoxicated during the post-event celebrations. Pro players and other members of the casting team were said to have broken up the situation. Velly tendered his resignation shortly after the altercation occurred. No member of the broadcast team or players were officially reprimanded by the CDL. Following publication of this article, New York Subliners player Crimsix, who was present during the incident, said it was “over an argument that went south but not heavily south.” “Did not see anything physical between the three other than Velly being grabbed by his arms from caster 3 being told to calm down. Things between Velly and this caster escalated over a supposed shove that I didn’t see. “Caster 3 was doing a horrible job of mediating, yelling at Velly to calm down, and he ended up getting the most pissed off out of everyone involved that night. Threatening Velly on assault charges/ready to fight Velly over a shove. It was to the point where Caster 3 was looking down at Velly. I then stepped in and diffused the situation.” Crimsix concluded, “In my opinion, it was a drunken bar argument that everyone would’ve woken up thinking how ridiculously stupid it was, but apparently not.” Following the account of Crimsix, Velly went live on his own Twitch channel one day later to reveal further details on the altercation. “People thought I was drunk, I was this wild guy. I don’t fight people, that’s not what I do,” he said on July 25. An unnamed individual allegedly approached Velly and “put his hands on [him] for no reason.” This person was a member of the Major 4 broadcast team, as revealed in group chat messages shown on Velly’s stream. “This person was already aggressive before they came up to me and put their hands on me,” he added. “This person was a dangerous person at the time.” Velly ascended to the Call of Duty League’s broadcasts of the back of successful stints casting in the CDL Challengers competition across 2020. He previously competed in Gears of War and, despite losing his position within the CDL, remains active talent for a number of other games including Valorant and Rainbow Six Siege. At the time of writing it is not clear who will replace him on the desk for CoD Champs.

Sources: Carolina Royal Ravens signing surprise trio for CDL 2023/24 season Carolina Royal Ravens/Call of Duty LeagueAccording to Dexerto sources, the newly formed Carolina Royal Ravens are due to make their first signings of the 2023/24 CDL season, bringing a surprise trio into the fold that is sure to turn some heads. In September 2023, the Royal Ravens announced their relocation from London to the Carolinas, the last franchise from outside North America to finally make the switch and cross the pond, dropping their British branding in the process. This left many question marks over how the team might progress with building their team, as the previous London teams were predominantly built around having English or UK players. That doesn’t look to be the case anymore, though they have signed one European player that has shown some real upside in Challengers in recent years. Royal Ravens target Clayster, ReeaL & GodRx Ahead of the Modern Warfare 3 launch on November 10, the Carolina Royal Ravens have started to make their first signings of the season, bringing in three-time world champion James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks as main AR, 2022 Challengers champion Adam ‘GodRx’ Brown as flex, and Spanish Challengers star José ‘ReeaL’ Manuel Fernández, previously an SMG for the Minnesota Røkkr Academy. 31-year-old Clayster will be looking to right some of the wrongs of his previous couple of seasons and get back on top, having missed out on Champs with Vegas Legion during the 2022/23 season. GodRx has flirted with pro league stints throughout his career, including in the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League when he represented Minnesota Røkkr, a standout player for them before the switch to online play saw his performances slow down and, eventually, he was benched, before dropping into the Challengers for the last three years. Alongside them is 19-year-old ReeaL, who has waited on the sidelines for some time now, coming top 8 at Challengers Finals 2023 but earning some top placements throughout the season, including a victory at Elite Stage 1 Playoffs and second at both the Texas and Boston Opens. Head coach and General Manager Brian ‘BrianSaintt’ Baroska, alongside his new team, will likely be picking a fourth before long, as Vegas Legion and LA Guerrillas will also be on the hunt for their new stars to represent them next season amid a crazy rostermania period.

Sources: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone to feature at Esports World Cup Activision/Esports World CupAccording to several sources, Call of Duty will feature at the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia, with both Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone tournaments possibly happening with a prize pool approaching $3m. The $45m Esports World Cup has drawn both praise and criticism from the wider esports community, and some fans have condemned teams and players who have signed up to partner with and earn money from the EWC. That said, the money on offer is life-changing, both to organizations and the players, and Call of Duty may well be included in the 2024 Esports World Cup, according to various sources — and even in strings of HTML hidden on the event’s website. After months of rumors that the COD Esports World Cup could take place in Riyadh, it is now more likely than ever, and an announcement could be coming soon. Dexerto had heard of talks between the Call of Duty League/Activision and the Esports World Cup dating as far back as September 2023, as plans were set in motion to get COD at the event, though there were some conflicting messages in the time since. Now, the rumor is back and much more concrete, with the EWC leaving details in the website’s source code that said the following (note that while writing, this text has now been deleted): “Name\“:\“COD: MW3\“,\“PrizeMoney\“:[\“$$1,800,000\“],\“StartDate\“:\“2024-08-15\“,\“EndDate\“:\“2024-08-18\” “Name\“:\“COD: Warzone\“,\“PrizeMoney\“:[\“$$1,000,000\“],\“StartDate\“:\“2024-07-03\“,\“EndDate\“:\“2024-07-06\” Dexerto has verified with several sources who confirmed they have been told of a possible Call of Duty event at the Esports World Cup from August 15-18, which comes one month after the Call of Duty Championship event in Texas in July. At the time of writing, this is not confirmed. The Warzone dates are a little harder to verify, as they fall straight before the Last Chance Qualifiers for the World Series of Warzone Global Final — which is predicted to take place in mid-September. Because of that, it is very unlikely that the WSOW Finals will be played at the Esports World Cup. That said, the info provided is: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Date: August 15-18 – Prize Pool: $1,800,000 – – Call of Duty: Warzone Date: July 3-6 – Prize Pool: $1,000,000 – – As neither of these have been announced yet, details are still subject to change, but with the proposed Warzone date coming up so soon, an announcement would have to come sooner rather than later. The Esports World Cup as it stands will feature tournaments in Street Fighter, League of Legends, Overwatch, Apex Legends, and more. If you want to play CDL daily fantasy, you can get a matched deposit of up to $100 if you use code ReverseSweep with PrizePicks.

Sources: Call of Duty League signing new YouTube exclusivity deal starting next season Call of Duty League/YouTubeAccording to Dexerto sources, the Call of Duty League is signing a new deal for matches to be streamed exclusively on YouTube, starting from the 2023/24 season. Throughout the Modern Warfare II season, Call of Duty League matches have been streamed across both Twitch and YouTube. Initially, matches were on Twitch only before the League decided to broadcast on both platforms in an attempt to maximize viewership. This came following a three-year exclusivity period with YouTube, after which the League failed to finalize a deal with either platform. Since then, the CDL has achieved record viewership figures, hitting over 330k peak viewers during Major 3, helped by co-streams from top COD personalities, such as Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto and Seth ‘Scump’ Abner. Now, despite mass backlash to our previous report that a YouTube deal was on the cards, from fans, players, and franchise execs alike, we have been told that the deal is as good as done. According to our sources, the Call of Duty League will broadcast exclusively on YouTube for two years, starting from the Modern Warfare III season in 2023/24. Why a YouTube exclusive deal? This is especially pertinent after Activision agreed to “eliminate any outstanding entry fees” for the Overwatch League team Toronto Defiant (who also own the Toronto Ultra CDL team). This is reportedly extending to the rest of the Overwatch League teams, though that has not been announced at the time of writing. It was also reported that, after this all goes through, CDL teams could ask for a similar kind of deal, being relieved of their outstanding entry fees as well. The teams have not been paying their agreed entry fees since the start of the global health crisis in 2020, so it’s unlikely teams will have paid anywhere near as much as the original Overwatch League teams have, but the outstanding fees could be reduced significantly or waived altogether. With Activision Blizzard waiving well over $100 million in entry fees, the YouTube deal becomes a necessity for the company so as to recoup that lost revenue. What about CDL watch parties? One big question that this brings up is what happens to the aforementioned watch parties. Scump’s co-streams alone amass more viewers than the official Call of Duty Twitch channel during matches and the The Flank watch parties hosted by ZooMaa are also highly popular. Questions remain about how these top personalities, who draw thousands of viewers to the product, will be affected if they’re not able to effectively co-stream matches. Exact details of the exclusivity deal are not yet known, though reports at the time of the original deal cited a $160m valuation over three years for YouTube to stream both OWL and CDL. Things could still change between now and the start of next season, especially with a meeting between Activision and CDL franchise owners over Championship Weekend in Vegas, but multiple sources have already confirmed with us that YouTube exclusivity is happening.

Sources: Call of Duty League planning to host opening event in Atlanta Call of Duty League/Unsplash: Joey KyberAccording to Dexerto sources, the Call of Duty League is planning to host the first event of the 2023/24 Call of Duty League season in Atlanta, home of the CDL’s most dominant franchise, the Atlanta FaZe. The teams aren’t yet set in stone for the 2024 CDL season, but plans are already well underway for where fans can expect to catch their favorite teams and players throughout the year. While there has been much speculation around when the league will start, how many Majors there will be, and who could be hosting them, especially given London Royal Ravens’ relocation to North Carolina. With such a long offseason, as Champs took place in June, there have been some major concerns that the season may not start until into the new year, but multiple sources have confirmed that not to be true. Kickoff event in Atlanta According to several people close to the situation, the CDL is targeting DreamHack Atlanta as a likely home for the first event of next season. The event has already been announced to be the home of the COD Mobile World Championships, and is due to take place from December 15-17. This is roughly around the same time as Major 1 of the 2022/23 CDL season, which was in Raleigh, NC, and was a Pro-Am tournament with the top four amateur teams in the game. Online league matches last season started two weeks prior to the tournament, on December 2. As DreamHack only lasts from December 15-17, or Friday to Sunday, it’s unclear whether this signals a move back into the traditional 3-day format from yesteryear, or whether the CDL portion of the weekend will be open from Thursday, December 14. It is believed that this event, should it go ahead, will not be a Major, but instead a Kickoff event ahead of the season starting in January. Be sure to keep up with our CDL rostermania page for all of the latest news, leaks & rumors.

Sources: Call of Duty League in talks with YouTube over new 3-year exclusivity deal Call of Duty League/YouTubeThe Call of Duty League is in talks to bring matches back to YouTube exclusively, with a renewed three-year deal in the works, sources close to the situation have told Dexerto. When the CDL was launched in 2019, it was announced that the competition would stream exclusively on YouTube, following in the footsteps of Activision Blizzard’s other franchised esports league, the Overwatch League. The three-year deal ran its course and, for the 2023 Modern Warfare II season, the league switched back to Twitch, though no exclusivity deal was signed at the time. Sources have told Dexerto that the Call of Duty League will be reuniting with YouTube in a renewed three-year partnership, with the platform switch planned to occur following this week’s Major 2 in Boston. This would mean Majors 3, 4, 5, and the CDL Championship would all be viewable exclusively on YouTube, starting with Major 3 Qualifiers. Since switching to Twitch, the CDL’s viewership figures have grown considerably in comparison to previous seasons, and that has only been bolstered by huge watch parties from top creators such as Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto. It’s unclear how exactly these watch parties would work if the league does indeed go YouTube-exclusive once again, as both stars would naturally prefer to stick with Twitch. Whether they could broadcast the YouTube livestream on Twitch is a question that will need answering. This is news that might not be welcomed too kindly by the wider community, many of whom begged for a return to Twitch in recent years and were delighted when the switch occurred. This follows Dexerto reports that the CDL is targeting Columbus, OH, and Las Vegas, NV for Major 4 and the Call of Duty Championship respectively. CDL GM Daniel Tsay has since suggested that Major 4 could be held at a venue without spectators or, alternatively, online. Major 2 kicks off on February 2 in Boston, MA – and it might be the last CDL Major on Twitch for several years now. It’s unclear at the time of writing whether this deal would also see the Overwatch League remain on YouTube, as it has in previous seasons. Dexerto has reached out to the Call of Duty League for comment.

Sources: Boston Breach signing SlasheR & Priestahh for CDL 2024 season Call of Duty LeagueAccording to Dexerto sources, Boston Breach are locking in the assault rifle duo of Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat and 2023 world champion Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner for the upcoming Call of Duty League season. Boston are going into the 2023/24 season off the back of a year that slowly fizzled out as it went, with multiple roster changes failing to help them get the ball rolling and achieve their dream of winning championships. After placing 5-6th at Champs, a placement they’d only beaten once during the season, it was clear that change was incoming, but despite their ambitions, it was unclear who exactly Breach could get after the top teams found their new players. For that reason, they’re looking to pack a serious punch for next season and are proving their ambitions to compete against the very best, by signing two huge names. Breach signing SlasheR & Priestahh SlasheR had an impressive year under Atlanta FaZe, winning one Major championship and putting up impressive numbers, especially towards the tail end of the year where he proved why the best trio in the game wanted him in the first place. While they’re moving on, with Dexerto previously reporting that FaZe want Drazah to take on the flex role, SlasheR is a serious talent that can evidently still win chips. Priestahh, on the other hand, is hot off the back of a career year, a vital part in the huge success of New York Subliners, in which they won three championships including Champs. Contract negotiations following the victory went sour, though, as Priestahh and the Subliners failed to come to an agreement on new terms, and the team announced his departure on Tuesday, July 18, much to the surprise of a large portion of the COD community. According to our sources, he is set to be replaced by Daunte ‘Sib’ Gray. Now, both players are set to challenge the top organizations — their former teams included — by reuniting four years after they last played together at the Black Ops 4 world championships. They will be joined by young SMG star Eric ‘Snoopy’ Pérez, who made his debut at Champs in July, and Boston see as a player for the future. Who joins them as their 4th is not yet decided, though it is not expected that Ben ‘Beans’ McMellon will be on the starting roster when the league kicks off in December 2023. They were heavily linked with Dan ‘Ghosty’ Rothe, though when Priestahh became available, he became the preferred AR duo for SlasheR. Be sure to keep up with our CDL rostermania hub to see all the rumors and confirmed teams as the offseason continues.

Sources: Boston Breach signing EU Challengers star Beans to CDL 2023 roster Toronto Ultra/Boston Breach/ActivisionAccording to Dexerto sources, Boston Breach are signing standout EU Challengers star Ben ‘Beans’ McMellon to their CDL roster for the 2023 Call of Duty League season. Beans had a breakout year in 2022, representing Toronto Ultra Academy EU alongside Liam ‘Furiious’ Osborne, Stephen ‘Vortex’ Allan, and Connor ‘Weeman’ Chilton. The squad finished 5-6th at the Challengers Finals in August, just weeks after a 3rd place finish at the Call of Duty Challengers Boston Open. They were consistently dominating their European competition throughout the year and despite some roster changes, Beans was a constant in standing out among the rest of the field. Due to his impeccable performances, Beans has attracted great interest throughout the offseason from a number of franchises, but a deal is now over the line for his transfer to the Call of Duty League’s latest inductee, Boston Breach, with his contract to be signed imminently. It’s unclear where Boston plan to slot Beans into their team. As an AR player, he’ll be competing for a spot with Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni as well as rumored new teammate Joseph ‘Owakening’ Conley, though that move hasn’t been confirmed yet. It’s possible he’s signed on as a substitute and could be fighting hard for that spot given the alleged uncertainty around Methodz’s future in Boston, having originally been signed to the two-week game launch extension for Modern Warfare 2. He has since announced that he’s staying in Boston, though the terms or length of his contract haven’t been confirmed. Should this turn out to be true, the Boston Breach roster will feature Beans, Methodz, and Owakening, with the SMG duo of Reece ‘Vivid’ Drost and Dylan ‘Nero’ Koch looking set to complete the team. You can keep up with all of the CDL roster changes in our 2023 rostermania hub.

Sources: Activision eye up London for World Series of Warzone Global finals ActivisonAccording to Dexerto sources, Activision are seriously considering London as a location for the World Series of Warzone LAN finals. Call of Duty League fans have long clamored for another event in London, with the previous one held in February 2020 and showcasing the excitement that a UK audience can bring to the game. Now, it appears that another COD esports event could be coming to London — though not how anybody had imagined it. Instead of the 12 Call of Duty League franchises flying across the Atlantic to duke it out on the big stage, the finest Warzone 2 players in the world look set to be making the trip, for the LAN finals of the World Series of Warzone which is slated to take place in September. WSOW London event possible The WSOW Global Final will include a $600,000 prize pool between the trios tournament and the Solo YOLO, which is worth $100,000 for the winner once again, the same as it has in previous years. Teams can earn a spot at the Global Final through top performances at the Stage 2 finals in their region, or via the Last Chance Qualifiers in July. One possible venue for this event, were it to take place in London, would be the Copper Box Arena, which hosted a Call of Duty League event in 2020 and a Call of Duty World League event in 2019. This has also played host to the Apex Legends Global Series Playoffs throughout 2023, which have been run by Esports Engine — the same tournament organizer behind the CDL LAN events. At the time of writing, we can’t yet confirm that this is set in stone, so don’t start booking your flights yet. However, with a Warzone event in London, this could open the possibility of the Call of Duty League heading there again in the future, too.

Sources: 100 Thieves acquire OpTic’s CDL spot, represented as LA Thieves Eric Ananmalay/ESPAT MediaSources have told Dexerto that 100 Thieves are entering the Call of Duty League by purchasing the spot previously held by OpTic Gaming Los Angeles. [jwplayer C884pVlv] After initially declining to invest in a slot for the Call of Duty League’s inaugural 2020 season, 100 Thieves are re-entering CoD esports after all for the 2021 campaign and beyond. The spot that had been OpTic Gaming Los Angeles’ has now transferred ownership to the prominent esports organization, and sources have reported that 100T will rebrand the team to LA Thieves. Immortals Gaming Club, which had purchased OpTic Gaming and one of two Los Angeles CDL franchise spots, recently sold the Green Wall back to Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez, who will remain in control of the brand. At this time, it’s not yet clear whether the league will allow H3CZ to rebrand his Chicago Huntsmen franchise to OpTic. Since he’s already the CEO of Huntsmen, his reacquisition of the OpTic brand meant that control of one of the two teams would eventually have to change hands once again. According to recent reports from Esports Talk, the CDL was taking the stance that franchises should remain tied to the cities they were initially founded in. Thus, if H3CZ and NRG wanted their team to take on the OpTic Gaming insignia, they would have to sell the Huntsmen spot and move their Call of Duty operations to Los Angeles. However, in those same reports, it was indicated that despite their initial unwillingness to enter the CDL, 100 Thieves and CEO Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag acquiring a spot was not totally out of the question, and now it’s come to fruition. While brief, 100 Thieves’ first stint in Call of Duty esports was a very successful one; the team captured two major trophies in the then-called CoD World League and finished second in the CWL World Championship. 100T’s team became a fan-favorite, and when Nadeshot announced that they’d be leaving the esport due to the transition to franchising, many were left disappointed, especially considering Haag’s extensive CoD background. Read More: World Champion John nearing pro CoD return – The only question that remains now is concerning their roster – whether or not Nadeshot or his org will want to make any personnel changes remains to be seen, but if not, many will still expect the team to be a contender, considering that three of the four players are top-tier with championship experience. LA THIEVES’ EXPECTED 2021 CDL ROSTER: Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat – Kenny ‘Kuavo’ Williams – Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly – Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan – For SlasheR and Kenny, this will be their second stint with 100T after previously featuring for the org in its lone season of competition. Similarly, General Manager Eric ‘Muddawg’ Sanders is also returning to the red and black after leaving them for OpTic when the org parted ways from CoD esports. As always, we will continue to update this story and bring you the latest as more information becomes available.

Soundcloud rapper Pouya threatens CoD pro SiLLY on Twitter SoundCloud rapper Kevin Pouya and Team Envy’s Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo-Palmer have locked horns on Twitter, in an engagement that initially had fans scratching their heads. It’s not too often that you see the world of music crossover with the world of Call of Duty, but that’s exactly what happened in just a few short Tweets on December 21. The Miami rapper apparently took offense to something that SiLLY said on Twitter, which led to a particularly heated Tweet that seemingly came out of nowhere. “Yo fuck you, [SiLLY] stay in your lane with your fucking video games before you get smoked,” read the Tweet posted on December 21. yo fuck you @SiLLY702 stay in your lane with your fucking video games before you get smoked. You don’t fucking know me — POUYA (@Pouyalilpou) December 21, 2018 It took SiLLY a few hours to see the Tweet in question, but once he did, he responded in kind by saying that “nobody even said anything about you.” lmaooooo nobody even said anything about you br0 — NV Justin Fargo uwu (@SiLLY702) December 21, 2018 While no one seemed to know what exactly had set off the rapper in the first place, one user posted an explanation by referring to a Tweet that SiLLY had posted the day before. SiLLY had responded to a picture of Pouya’s frequent rap partner Fat Nick, making reference to an ongoing investigation into rape accusations against Pouya. https://t.co/quhUgbTV9D an alleged rapist that raps about drugs that killed his friends? nice try with that tho — NV Justin Fargo uwu (@silly702) December 21, 2018 While Pouya has yet to confirm that this is the true reason for the beef, it hasn’t stopped fans of both parties from taking sides in the situation. Neither Pouya nor SiLLY have said anything else on the matter, so there’s no telling if things have blown over or if we’ll see a continuation of this somewhere down the line.

Soulja Boy starting esports team to compete in Fortnite, CoD, CS:GO and Overwatch Soulja Boy / InstagramSoulja Boy has announced his plans to launch an esports organization to compete in Fortnite, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike and Overwatch, having been inspired by his friend, popular streamer Ninja. The US Rapper has recently become involved in the world of gaming by launching his own gaming console, ‘SouljaGame Consule’, and although the business wasn’t exactly a success, it hasn’t put Soulja Boy off. The rapper told TMZ sports that he wants to create an organization to rival ‘Team Liquid and 100 Thieves’ – two of the best known North American organizations. Speaking to TMZ, he explained that he wants his team to compete in a variety of the biggest esport titles including Fortnite, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, Overwatch and more. “We’re going to be finding talent, hiring talent. I’m going to put together a team for Fortnite, put together a team for Call of Duty, put together a team for Overwatch, Counter-Strike, all of that.” As for who he wants on the team, he mentions that Ninja has been a mentor of sorts for him as he breaks into the gaming world, “but it’s going to cost me a lot to hire Ninja to play for me.” It’s clear that Soulja Boy is at the very early stages of planning this ambitious project, but if one thing is for sure, the rapper often does what he says he will do when he put his mind to it. TMZ claims that Ninja’s contract with Luminosity expires soon, and it could be ‘interesting’ to see where he signs next, so you never know where he might end up.

Sony takes a stab at Battlefield, claims EA’s franchise “cannot keep up” with CoD Activision / Electronic ArtsSony’s legal team just fired a stray at the Battlefield franchise, claiming EA’s long-running FPS series simply “cannot keep up” with Activision’s gargantuan Call of Duty. As Microsoft pushes forward with its historic $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Sony attempts to hinder their progress by placing roadblocks along the way. Although Xbox leads have assured the publisher’s biggest titles, namely Call of Duty, will remain on PlayStation hardware moving forward, Sony is still looking to challenge the process at every turn. After all, CoD is an unstoppable force that continues to sell an exorbitant number of copies year in, year out. Most recently, Modern Warfare 2 topped $800m in sales over just three days, breaking records as the biggest launch in series history. With CoD being most popular on PlayStation hardware, a chunk of that revenue goes to Sony, thus, any threat to that income is taken seriously. With multiple governing bodies launching investigations into the legality of the unprecedented merger, Sony has publicized its arguments in opposition of the buyout. In doing so, their legal team looked to underscore the importance of CoD to their business. This came at the cost of firing a jab at an unsuspecting Battlefield, initially highlighted by PCGamer. “Other publishers do not have the resources or expertise to match [CoD’s] success,” Sony’s legal team claimed. Evidently, no other FPS franchise has managed to come close to Activision’s annual cycle of generating buzz with Call of Duty launches. The legal reps chose to exemplify this fact by honing in on Battlefield. “Electronic Arts (one of the largest third-party developers after Activision) has tried for many years to produce a rival to Call of Duty with its Battlefield series. “Despite the similarities between Call of Duty and Battlefield and despite EA’s track record in developing other successful AAA franchises (such as FIFA, Mass Effect, Need for Speed, and Star Wars: Battlefront)—the Battlefield franchise cannot keep up. As of August 2021, more than 400 million Call of Duty games had been sold, while Battlefield had sold just 88.7 million copies” Evidently, nothing here is incorrect. CoD massively outsells Battlefield when the two compete in any given calendar year. CoD enjoys an annual cycle, while Battlefield has never quite matched that pace. Just three Battlefield titles have launched in the past six years, halving the output of its rival in CoD. Ultimately, just shy of 89 million sales is nothing to scoff at. Other floundering FPS titles could only dream of reaching EA’s comparative success. But in the shadow of CoD, even Sony’s legal team recognizes nothing else comes close to Activision’s ongoing juggernaut.

Sony fears “broken features” on future PlayStation CoD titles if Microsoft acquires Activision Microsoft/SonySony disapproves of Microsoft purchasing Activision and argued future CoD titles on PlayStation could include “bugs and broken features.” CharlieINTEL reported on February 21 that PlayStation, Google, NVIDIA, and other gaming companies spoke to EU regulators, sharing their thoughts on Microsoft’s potential acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft successfully struck 10-year deals with Nintendo and Nvidia, promising Activision Blizzard titles on their platforms if the deal goes through. However, according to GameIndustry Biz, Sony opposed a 10-year contract to keep CoD on PlayStation. Lulu Cheng Meservey, Activision Blizzard CCO, took to social media and accused Sony of undermining the deal to “protect its two-decade dominance in gaming.” This comes after a report in early February suggested Sony cut off communication with Microsoft regarding the potential Activision Blizzard merger. Sony labels Microsoft’s offer for CoD on PlayStation “unviable” On March 8, CharlieINTEL reported, “Sony’s response to the latest CMA findings has also been shared— Sony says Microsoft’s offer for CoD on PS+ is ‘unviable’ and says Microsoft could include ‘bugs and broken features’ on the PS version to incentivize Xbox purchases.” In the CMA findings, Sony argued, “Microsoft might release a PlayStation version of Call of Duty where bugs and errors emerge only on the game’s final level or after updates.” “If it became known that the game’s performance on PlayStation was worse than on Xbox, Call of Duty gamers could decide to switch to Xbox, for fear of playing their favorite game at a second-class or less competitive venue.” Sony is one of several roadblocks still standing in the way of Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard. EU antitrust regulators confirmed a decision by March 23, 2023, whether to clear or block the deal. The UK CMA and US FTC need to make decisions as well. Meservey remains confident in the regulators approving Microsoft’s acquisition, and Xbox head, Phil Spencer also expressed confidence.

Some retailers are letting people pick up Black Ops 4 before the Midnight release Some UK retailers are allowing people who pre-ordered Black Ops 4 to pick up the game before the midnight release on October 12th. Both Smyth’s Toys and GAME are allowing customers to pick up the game at 6 PM on Thursday, October 11th. This is unusual, as fans of the game who want a physical copy typically have to wait until the midnight release, and then brave the crowds to get the game. :collision: Call of Duty #BlackOps4 Release :collision: You can pick up your pre-order copy from 6pm on Thursday 11th October from any Smyths Toys Superstores :smirk: Secure yours right here: https://t.co/2uKE5gSD6j #CODNATION pic.twitter.com/c3Mh40tvBi— Smyths Toys UK (@SmythsToysUK) October 8, 2018 ATTENTION! This Thursday October 11th we are opening our doors at 18:00pm til 19:00pm for you lot to pick up your copy of Call of Duty Black Ops 4, ready to play at midnight! Don’t miss out because we are NOT OPEN for midnight launch! pic.twitter.com/0QX7E5pSfz — GAME Newport (@GAMENewport) October 8, 2018 While the game still won’t be able to be played until Midnight, picking up a copy early will allow players to jump immediately onto the game instead of waiting at a store. The goal of this policy seems to be making game distribution easier on retailers. Especially for smaller retailers, keeping the shop open to weird hours could prove difficult, and this policy will allow for them to still sell the game on release date without bending over backward to do so. It is not clear whether or not this will be a universal policy adopted by other retailers in different countries but for now, the only two stores known are both located in the UK. We will continue updating our readers if more stores adopt this policy.

Some CoD players promise to boycott MW3 after leaks surface ActivisionThe recent Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 leaks have left players frustrated that they will essentially be paying “full price for a patch,” and will subsequently boycott MW3. Even though we’re still a few months out from the projected release of Modern Warfare 3, leaks have already begun to surface. For instance, it’s pretty much been confirmed that an MW3 reveal event is imminent and that the classic mini-map and Ninja Perk will be returning. But another leak that has caught the eye pertains to the status of Operator Skins, weapons, and bundles. It quickly became public knowledge that all of this gear might be moving over to MW3. Interestingly, the devs responded almost immediately and questioned the player base on this issue. However, while it’s a good thing that players’ purchases will be viable in MW3, they also feel this causes its own problems. MW3 boycott could be enforced by fans Talks of Modern Warfare 3 and its purported plans are not sitting well with MW2 players who think that “the current one is in such a sorry state.” This sentiment was raised in an MW2 Reddit post discussing the dev’s response to the latest leaks. One user said: “This is a good thing but imo it shouldn’t be applauded. If everything is going to be seamlessly transfered to the new game it could’ve been just another update for MW2 or a $40 DLC. But we know it’s going to be a $70 game and that the only reason they’re doing this is to trick people into buying it after screwing over the entire community with the broken and contentless mess that is MW2.” Across this post and another Reddit post concerning the subject, CoD fans went all in and explained that they won’t be investing and will boycott MW3 because, as one fan summed up: “This just confirms they’re charging full price for a patch.” “I got baited into buying Modern Warfare ’22 because (successor), but I won’t be falling for it again,” explained one fan, another added: “I don’t care because I won’t be wasting money and getting disappointed in the next CoD game,” and one final thought offered this: “I bought MW2019 based on the beta. I would have skipped MWII based on its beta but a few friends wanted me to play with them. Now I won’t touch another CoD with a ten-foot pole if it’s the same crap as MWII. I’m hoping XDefiant is good.” Modern Warfare 3 will be the continuation of the recent reboot series. An MW3 boycott could happen, but we’ll have to see. In the meantime, check out all the latest on the latest CoD title so far.

Some Black Ops 4 maps could soon come in different versions, according to leaks While new maps have been confirmed to be on the way with future DLC packs for Black Ops 4, some clever fans might have discovered what some of those new maps are ahead of their release. As with any update for a PC title, data miners are always hard at work trying to uncover any secrets they can find within the game files. Black Ops 4 is no different as fans have managed to uncover what look to be updated versions of maps currently in the game that have yet to be announced or detailed. The maps were found in the PC version’s game files after the pair of updates released on November 20 and 21. The first map found is title ‘Firing Range Night’ and is a night version of the popular Firing Range map. The other map found is titled ‘Seaside Sunset’ and is a new version of Seaside that’s a bit darker and features plenty of rain. The clever Reddit user, ‘Joshwoocool,’ who discovered the maps also included a slew of screenshots that give a good look at everything maps have to offer. At this time, there’s no telling whether these maps are planned for release by Treyarch given that not everything in the game files actually shows up in game. There is a precedent for Treyarch releasing themed version of maps, however, as Black Ops 3 saw an updated version of Redwood Snow released for different in-game events.

Some big-name Call of Duty teams desperately need wins on Day 3 of the CWL Pro League Qualifier The CWL Pro League Qualifier is in full swing, and some of the biggest names in Call of Duty are in big trouble heading into the third day of competition. There is only one Pro League in the Black Ops 4 season, meaning teams who are attending the qualifiers have only shot at making it to the league in 2019, as there will be no relegation tournament later on in the year. The Pro League Qualifiers feature the 28 teams who placed between 5th and 32nd at CWL Las Vegas, with only 12 teams able to secure their place in the league. With two days played, there are already some big-name squads in precarious positions, with a number of them extremely close to finding themselves in the elimination places. For all the standings, results and upcoming matches, visit our how to watch the CWL Las Vegas Qualifier tournament hub. FaZe Clan Many looked at Pool A as a difficult group to escape from, and it’s proved to be just that with some surprise performances, especially from Project 18 who sit second. Arguably the headline team in the pool is FaZe Clan, who have lost two matches on the bounce since their opening day victory against sister team FC Black. The fifth placed squad take on pool leaders Team Reciprocity on day three, knowing that a victory is required to keep themselves in the bracket play spots. Pool A standings after day two 100 Thieves The highly-touted squad have had a difficult time in Black Ops 4, and their struggles have continued into the Pro League Qualifier. 100 Thieves kicked off their event in the worst possible way, falling to a 3-0 demolition against currently unbeaten Midnight Esports. 100 Thieves were able to recover and beat Team SpaceLy, but a loss to Pittsburgh Knights dented their automatic qualification hopes. The only bright side for the Thieves right now is that they’ve played the group’s current top two teams, but they’ll need to secure some victories in day three with SpaceLy and co. breathing down their neck for those bracket play spots. Pool C standings after day two Red Reserve Red Reserve also find themselves teetering on the brink after a loss to Evil Geniuses on day two. Mindfreak currently sit unbeaten at the top of Pool D with an unblemished 4-0 record, and Red Reserve will need to pull out all the stops to pull off a vital win, especially with EG taking on 0-3 squad Nation of Power earlier in the day. The tournament continues until Sunday, January 20, and you can ensure that you don’t miss any of the action with our handy CWL Pro League Qualifier guide. Pool D standings after day two Lightning Pandas A top six finish for Lightning Pandas at CWL Las Vegas came as a shock to some, and it seems that the squad haven’t been able to carry any momentum from the event into the Pro League Qualifier. The Pandas sit rock bottom of Pool B after losses to European brethren Heretic and Giants, and an opening day three bout with group leaders Team Envy means that Lightning Pandas will need to come out firing if they want to make a run for the bracket play positions. Pool B standings after day two

Soccer star Ronaldo stuns Warzone teammates with cracked squad wipe Activision/Twitch: RonaldoTvBrazilian soccer legend Ronaldo Nazario stunned his Warzone opponents and teammates with an incredible squad wipe proving he’s more than just a genius on the pitch. Ronaldo is undeniably one of the greatest strikers in the history of the beautiful game. He was an unbelievable goal scorer who scored over 300 goals for Brazil, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and more. If you thought he had stopped being a dominant force in competition since his retirement, though, you would be wrong, as he proves on his Twitch channel. Regularly dropping into Verdansk and Rebirth Island, Ronaldo looks like he could easily make a career from competing in Warzone if he chose to. Ronaldo started streaming his Warzone gameplay on Twitch towards the tail end of November 2021 and has been seeing a fair amount of success, both with viewership and the actual gameplay itself. If there was any doubting his ability on the battlefield, from detractors who think he’s not capable of dominating anymore, those doubts can safely be dispelled. After transporting through a red door and popping an Advanced UAV, Ronaldo and co. quickly noticed there was a team right near them, slowly pushing them — and he wiped them out, hardly taking a hit in the process. With top-tier movement and steady aim, the Brazilian legend looked as silky smooth as he used to with a ball at his feet, putting his opponents on skates to easily get the better of them. His teammates go wild, too, pulling off the kills with enough time to hit the revive, screaming down the mic in excitement at a Ronaldo who barely flashes a grin, so used to making such plays. So the next question is, are we going to see Ronaldo in the next World Series of Warzone tournament?

Snipers buffed again in Warzone Pacific Season 5 with huge flinch changes ActivisionWarzone devs Raven Software have confirmed that sniper buffs will be arriving in the game in Season 5 after earlier nerfs left them “unusable” in the eyes of many players. Towards the end of the Verdansk days in Warzone, you could barely move across the map for fear of being sniped from just about any direction. They were incredibly powerful, and the Kar98 was a must-have in every meta loadout. They underwent several nerfs since, however, and now snipers are somewhat of a rarity in Caldera, Fortune’s Keep, and Rebirth Island, with rifles like the KG M40 and Cooper Carbine proving more popular as the long-range options. That might be all set to change in Season 5, though, as the current generation of Warzone Pacific enters its grand finale ahead of Warzone 2. As noted in the Season 5 patch notes, snipers will be getting a notable buff in the season, bringing them ever so slightly closer to where they were at their dominant best. Raven Software explained: “Snipers have almost climbed to the ideal healthy usage rate, and for the first time we’re seeing a good spread of different Weapons being used depending on map and situation. With the rebalancing of some of the Vanguard Optics and a further reduction of flinch, we expect this category of Weapons to be in a solid position going forward.” They also included the following broad changes to snipers: Flinch Decreased on Heavy Sniper Rifles by 11% – Flinch Decreased on Light Sniper Rifles by 40% – As well as the above, certain sniper rifles received balancing changes to make them stronger in the Warzone Season 5 meta: LW3 – Tundra (BOCW)Damage Range Increased to 69 meters, up from 61 meters – Upper Torso Damage Multiplier increased to 1.52, up from 1.1 – Lower Torso Damage Multiplier increased to 1.3, up from 1.05 – Extremities Damage Multiplier increased to 1.0, up from 0.9 – ADS Transition In Time decreased to 430ms, down from 460ms – – Type 99 (VG)Shiraishi 712mm SniperNeck Damage Multiplier scale increased to 1.62, up from 1.0 – Upper Torso Damage Multiplier decreased to 1.1, down from 1.181 – Sprint to Fire Penalty decreased to -15%, up from -18% – – – Shiraishi 712mm Sniper – 3-Line Rifle (VG).30-06 20 Round MagsDamage Bonus decreased to 7%, down from 10% – Rate of Fire Penalty decreased to -6.5% , up from -10% – – – .30-06 20 Round Mags – With these massive changes coming to sniper rifles in Season 5, could we see the return of the sniper and marksman meta before Warzone 2 arrives? Only time will tell, but for now, you’re going to want to be careful popping your head out from behind cover when traversing the Warzone maps.

Sneaky Breaking Bad easter egg spotted in Modern Warfare 3’s Season 2 trailer ActivisionAn easter egg referencing award-winning TV show Breaking Bad has been spotted in the new Modern Warfare 3 Season 2 trailer. Call of Duty has been littered with bugs throughout the years, occasionally paying tribute or referencing past titles in the franchise and even real-world events in various ways. Players sometimes spend hours cracking codes and connecting dots to figure out these easter eggs, which occasionally can hint at future releases for the game. On the other hand, some easter eggs that are found in plain sight just simply reference mainstream culture, and it looks like the devs have made a nod to Breaking Bad in Modern Warfare 3. Breaking Bad easter egg found in MW3 Season 2 trailer Ahead of Season 2’s release, players spotted the tiny easter egg and took to Reddit to share with the community. On February 5, the devs released a short video showing off all the new maps arriving in Season 2, where fans found what they believe to be a small reference to Breaking Bad. At approximately 30 seconds in the video, a pizza can be seen on the roof of the garage on the new map ‘Stash House’ — which players think is a link to the drama. Fans of the award-winning TV show may recall the “iconic” pizza scene in the third season, where Walter White, portrayed by Bryan Cranston, throws a pizza onto the roof in a fit of rage. It wouldn’t be the first time the CoD devs have made a reference to Breaking Bad in some way either. On the Modern Warfare 2 map Santa Seña, the show’s famous RV marked with strikingly familiar bullet holes could be found. Not only that, the same could be encountered on MW3’s Season 1 map Meat. Nevertheless, it looks like the Sledgehammer Games developers are noticeable fans of the Breaking Bad series.

SnD player 1v5’s new OpTic Gaming roster in Black Ops 4 tournament OpTic Gaming’s CoD team lost their first ever round of SnD as a roster in Black Ops 4 in style, as an opponent in the $2,500 kickoff tournament killed the entire squad as the last man up. OpTic’s new squad, bolstered by the additions of SnD masterminds Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell and Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly, hope to seriously improve their performance in the game mode compared to last season. Crimsix in fact explained that the main reason they had chosen the young pair, TJHaLy from Rise Nation and Dashy from CompLexity, was for their SnD prowess mainly. But, in Call of Duty, anything can happen, and the squad lost their first ever round as a team when SnD player ‘Steadyful’ pulled off the 1v5. More impressive still is that currently, specialists main abilities are banned in SnD tournaments, as the competitive ruleset is still in the works, so this was all straight up gunplay. Admittedly, Steadyful does get his first kill a fraction of a second before his final teammate drops, but for all intents and purposes, this is a solid 1v5 clutch. My first 1v5 on OpTichttps://t.co/3UaR666WL2 pic.twitter.com/7JQMWw7gX1 — gabe (@gSteadyy) October 13, 2018 Watching the clip from OpTic’s perspective, they probably got a little over confident after finding themselves with the man advantage, pushing too aggressively. The new manual healing system was put to excellent use by Steadyful, as he was repeatedly put to within a fraction of death, but got his health back just in time. Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow loses the final 1v1 after planting, but admittedly couldn’t do much about his bad timing as he clambered through the window opening. OpTic did go on to win the map however, and the following map, Slums, to advance in the tournament. They were later eliminated in the quarter finals by a team featuring Chance ‘Maux’ Moncivaez, Anthony ‘DraMa’ Padilla and top SnD players ‘GorgoKnight’, ‘NUGLECT’ and ‘BigBobbyJinx’. When Treyarch and the CWL announced the change to 5v5 rather than 4v4 for competitive, players worried that 1v5’s would be extremely rare, but hopefully we will see more clutches like this at major tournaments.

Smart Warzone HUD change would make teamwork much easier ActivisionA smart fan-made Warzone UI concept would see more teammate information added to players’ HUDs, letting them know armor quantities, killstreaks available and more. One of Warzone’s best aspects is the integration of Call of Duty’s multiplayer staples. Not only have scorestreaks and perks made the cut, but so have vehicles, care packages, and an emphasis on 1v1s in the form of the Gulag. These components mean that, in all forms of Warzone except Solos, teamwork and communication are absolutely key. Being able to reposition around a teammate’s scorestreak can win you a gunfight. However, one fan’s UI concept would take Warzone teamwork to the next level. At the moment, teammates get very limited intel in terms of their teammates’ perks, available scorestreaks and equipment. Currently, the bars at the bottom left of a player’s screen only show health, armor, self-revive, and the amount of cash they are carrying. Read More: 10 most popular weapons in Warzone – However, Redditor ‘u/Abood_Abuobaid‘ has suggested an overhaul to aspects of it, so that it displays the number of armor players are carrying, what perks they have, and their scorestreaks, if any. The information would be available at a glance, and would instantly allow players to see how their team is set up. The idea proved incredibly popular on Reddit, sitting at over 3,000 upvotes at the time of writing. One fellow player said: “This would be awesome. Although I like hiding that I have plates to share with my mates when they make stupid decisions during the endgame and constantly ask for mine.” Of course, it’s not without flaws. For example, seeing the number on top of the shield symbol may be tricky for some. Especially if you play on a large screen, and sit far from it. However, it’s still better than the alternative, which is no information at all. With this update, there’d be no way of duping teammates and hoarding your armor plates. Whether we see it added is another matter, but add it to the list alongside these 8 vehicles that are apparently on their way.

Small Warzone streamer in disbelief after massive Aydan host & shoutout Activision/Twitch/New York SublinersA small Warzone streamer was absolutely shocked when top Twitch star Aydan hosted him on the platform and gassed him up on Twitter — and he went on to win his Rebirth match in dominant fashion too. Aydan has been one of the biggest names in the battle royale genre for years. Once a top Fortnite pro, he made the switch to Warzone and was even more dominant, becoming the first player to hit $300k earnings and generally being considered one of the best players, particularly in Verdansk. With his insane popularity and incredible stream numbers, a host from Aydan would be huge for pretty much anyone — but for a small streamer that’s barely got over 300 followers, it’s potentially life-changing. That’s exactly what happened with hpoT_, who doubled his follower count in a matter of minutes and received an influx of subscribers and gifted subs after the host. Brother I’m in shock wtf dude thanks so much man ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ life changing shit bro — hpoT (@hpoT__) April 11, 2022 In the stream, hpoT kept thanking Aydan and trying to keep up with his chat, which was no doubt far more active than he was used to seeing it, as 1.5k viewers gassed up the young streamer. hpoT made Aydan proud with his performance after the host, too. His movement was cracked and his gunskill was second to none, even with the new pressure facing him and the nerves of having that many eyes on him. He won the game on Rebirth Island, complete with 360 quickscope snipes and finishing moves in abundance, putting on a show for his newfound fanbase. Maybe Aydan was right — hpoT could have a solid future as a Warzone competitor if he puts his mind to it.

Small Warzone streamer gets 3 million Twitch followers overnight Instagram: NeonSniperPanda/TwitchA Warzone streamer has been thrust into the top 30 of most followed Twitch streamers after receiving a huge, and unusual, boost in one go. [jwplayer mfcRpjb4] Building up a following and community on Twitch can, obviously, be a slog if you’re starting from scratch. Streamers can stream for weeks and months on end without even having their talents recognized and blow up in popularity like others. Some others can take shortcuts, be it because they have a following on another platform, or because they decide to inflate it with fake accounts. This has happened before, with casino accounts smashing records in a bid to advertise their platform, while smaller streamers have been hit with huge boosts in an attempt to troll them for one reason or another. Warzone streamer NeonSniperPanda has become the newest content creator to be struck by these boosts, as his channel has rocketed into the top 30 of most-followed Twitch streamers. The streamer, who had previously built up a modest following of nearly 10,500, received the unusual boost in early October, jumping up to over 3.3 million followers. As previously mentioned, this figure puts him up there with some of Twitch’s biggest names like Fortnite World Cup champion Bugha and Spanish content creator Ibai, though, NeonSniperPanda hasn’t inflated the figures himself. The Warzone streamer has called on Twitch a number of times to help him out, noting that he’d been botted out of the blue and given the ridiculous amount of followers. “Yo quick reminder, I was follow botted 3.3 million and there’s no way to delete them @TwitchSupport @Twitch can you help me out bro bro,” he tweeted. https://twitter.com/NeonSniperPanda/status/1320617396898394113 Previously, the aileybeanssa channel had been hit with a similar botting, as they rose up to have over 4.64 million Twitch followers in September. However, those figures have since been removed. Given that Twitch has been able to scrub channels of botted followers, they should be able to do the same for NeonSniperPanda, but it remains to be seen as and when they might do so.

Slide canceling nerf reversed in Black Ops Cold War Season 3 update TreyarchTreyarch originally nerfed slide canceling in Black Ops Cold War as part of the Season 3 update, all but disabling the popular movement mechanic. Since the update, however, this has now been reversed. For the past few Call of Duty titles, slide canceling was a major feature for those looking to gain an edge in combat. With a quick input, your slide animation could be canceled ahead of time, allowing you to continue moving faster than usual. What first came about in Black Ops 4 soon made its way to Modern Warfare and eventually Black Ops Cold War as well. After more than five months with the game on the market, however, Treyarch has made the decision to finally nerf it once and for all. After installing the first part of the major Season 3 update, players had noticed that slice canceling was no longer possible. 🚨 Slide cancelling nerfed in Black Ops Cold War! Looks like you can’t slide cancel anymore after tonight’s update… (via @Attach) pic.twitter.com/Jovtu58ztS — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 21, 2021 Rather than canceling the animation and continuing with full movement speed, players would return to a standing position much slower than before. This made things feel very different: from rushing out of spawn to pushing around corners. Moreover, aiming down sights out of a sprint took slightly longer as well. Read More: Warzone Season 3 – patch notes & what’s new – After years of it being one of the more prolific movement mechanics, the change came bundled in alongside a litany of other balance adjustments in the Season 3 patch. Slide canceling reverted Lead Game Designer Matt Scronce commented on a Twitter post that shared footage of the reverted change: “Should make the camera transition out of slide feel a bit better, but likely a touch too fast on that crouch to stand transition.” The revert also fixes an issue with the 3rd and 1st person cameras not aligning, making things feel a lot more seamless and natural to use when switching. Slide canceling has long been a tactic used at the highest level of play. Without this feature to fall back on, it would offset many of the top Call of Duty League pros. Keep on top of all the upcoming Esports action right here with our London Home Series overview, and in the meantime, here’s where you can keep on top of every major change in the Season 3 update for Black Ops Cold War. We’ve also got a release hub covering everything you need to know about 2021’s game.

Slept-on Warzone rifle is just like a classic Verdansk favorite ActivisonIf you’re looking to freshen up your Warzone loadouts for close-range fights, you may want to look at one ‘slept-on’ rifle that is proving to be “nasty” in Season 6. Across the original Warzone and the Warzone we have now, players have been able to tune their loadouts in plenty of different ways to suit their playstyle. That’s included turning powerful assault rifles into pseudo-SMGs because they perform better up close, snipers have essentially become shotguns at times, and we’ve even seen semi-automatic pistols being able to delete enemies as fast as some of the best weapons around. As Season 6 has brought a fair few weapon changes with it, players have again been experimenting with a fair few under-the-radar guns. That includes the FTAC Recon, which had been a solid option in the past. Best FTAC Recon loadout for Warzone Season 6 Now though, according to Warzone guru Metaphor, the battle rifle is best used as a close-range weapon and has even proven to be a bit “nasty” at times. “Using this thing as a single-fire DMR is pretty nasty. You can get a lot of kills you wouldn’t expect to get up-close,” the YouTuber said. “Like jumping out of cars and popping people with this thing is so much fun.” Metaphor isn’t sold on it being a gun for the long-range battles, but it certainly has worth up-close. “I think playing aggressive and getting in people’s faces with this thing is really good. It kind of reminds me of the FAL from Verdansk. It just absolutely rips as a close-range DMR,” he added. Barrel: Bull Rider 16.5’ – Optic: VLK 4.0 Optic – Stock: PSO Heavy – Rear Grip: Sakin ZX Grip – Magazine: 15-round mag – As noted, the FTAC Recon has barely been on anyone’s radar for a while, but it seems like it could be something that freshens things up a little bit. The Warzone meta is unlikely to change in any big way before the new update drops in December, so what we’ve got now is what we’re working with for a while.

“Slept on” Warzone rifle deletes enemies like classic DMR ActivisionThere is a Warzone rifle being “slept on” that can delete enemies in two shots, if you know how to use it properly. Even though the Call of Duty community has been swept up in the hype around Modern Warfare 3’s release, Warzone is still going pretty strong as well. The battle royale side of CoD won’t have proper integration with MW3 until December, meaning that Al-Mazrah, Ashika Island, and Vondel are still the go-to maps, and players are still running around with weapons from Modern Warfare 2. At this point, the meta might seem a bit stale. The Kastov 762, Lachmann Sub, and ISO 9mm are firm fan favorites, and you’ll struggle to play a few games without running into them. However, there are still a few experimental and under-the-radar options that pack a killer punch if you know how to use them. Best TAQ-M loadout for Warzone Season 6 One of those is the TAQ-M, which Warzone guru Metaphor highlighted in his November 16 video, claiming it’s been “slept on” for the longest time, but can get reliably get rid of enemies in three shots and, at times, two shots. “This gun is being slept on. It is a consistent three-shot kill and it’s a two-shot headshot. If you hit those headshots, that’s insane,” he said. “I’ve hardly ever used this thing and I was surprised by how good it was.” There isn’t any sort of secret attachment or anything making it a powerful option either. The High-Velocity rounds are the bullets of choice, again, as well as having the VLK 4.0 Optic as the sight. Muzzle: Tempus GH50 – Optic: VLK 4.0 Optic – Magazine: 20-round mags – Ammunition: 6.5mm High-Velocity – Rear Grip: Demo Cleanshot Grip – As noted, we are pretty late in the Modern Warfare 2 x Warzone cycle, so some players might not want to change up their loadouts at this last stage. However, if you are an adventurous player and want to give something new a try, this TAQ-M seems a top option.

“Slept on” Warzone AR has deadly TTK to beat meta weapons ActivisionThere’s an assault rifle in Warzone that has the TTK to compete with some of the more popular guns and is “slept on” after falling away from the meta just a bit. Even though Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is just around the corner, the Warzone devs have still been dishing out some changes to the battle royale. Just like with the start of each new season before it, Season 6 delivered some piping-hot weapon changes as the devs dished out some buffs and nerfs to the current arsenal. Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles, and Handguns all went under the knife in a big way, allowing the SMGs to strengthen their grip on the meta. However, if you’re someone who prefers to use an all-round weapon instead of a close-range beast, then you might want to revisit the Tempus Razorback. Best Tempus Razorback loadout in Warzone Season 6 That’s according to Warzone guru WhosImmortal, after he highlighted the AR in his October 18 video, noting that it should be a meta weapon but it is being “slept on” by players in Season 6. “This is the most predictable and easy-to-use weapon in the game over long-range, pretty much because we are focused on horizontal control attachments,” he said. After throwing on the likes of the Komodo Heavy muzzle, DM Proto-Grip underbarrel, 60 Round mag, and High Velocity ammo, the Razorback’s TTK shakes out at around 867 m/s across the first 30 meters. That beats the likes of the TR Geist and M4 – which are both way more popular. Muzzle: Komodo Heavy – Underbarrel: DM Proto-Grip – Optic: Aim OP-V4 – Magazine: 60 Round mag – Ammunition: 5.56 High Velocity – The Razorback had been a solid part of the meta when it was introduced back in Season 4, but has slipped away. That’s why WhosImmortal gives it the “slept on” treatment. It’s unlikely that the meta will see many major changes before MW3 rolls around, so the AR is in a solid position to get some love before then. So, give it a go.

Slept-on Warzone 2 SMG keeps getting buffed but no one is using it ActivisionWarzone 2 has a slept-on SMG that could be about to crack the meta and become a go-to weapon for many players. With the meta in Warzone 2 undergoing a bit of a shake-up in recent weeks, players have found themselves building classes around the Vaznev-9K, Cronen Squall, FJX Imperium, and the MCPR-3000. These four guns cover the must-have short-range and long-range classes in the battle royale, but they’re not the only guns players have been using. With the meta becoming slightly stale, players have been experimenting with some under-the-radar weapons in an attempt to freshen things up. And, well, when it comes to the SMG class, a slept-on gun is just waiting to become the next big thing. Best BAS-P MSG loadout in Warzone 2 That SMG in question is the BAS-P, as Warzone YouTuber Metaphor highlighted it in his May 7 video, noting that it has been buffed by the devs a few times. “I haven’t used it all the time because it hasn’t just really been that strong but it keeps getting buffed. Like, they really want to push this gun into the meta,” he said, noting it can outgun more popular weapons like the MP7 at close-range. If you’ve ever tried to use the BAS-P, Metaphor’s build just veers slightly away from what players have been using as he doesn’t opt for a sight or the 50-round drum. Barrel: 10.5’ Bruen Typhon – Underbarrel: Lockgrip Precision 40 (-0.65, -0.40) – Laser: Accu-shot 5Mw Laser (-0.28, -13.29) – Stock: Bruen Flash V4 Stock (-2.71, -0.93) – Rear Grip: Bruen Flash Grip (-0.77, -0.23) – The only issue the YouTuber has with the BAS-P is its magazine, as he wishes it had a 40-round mag to choose from instead of just the 20, 30, and 50 options. As per WZRanked stats, it’s the fifth most-used SMG in the game, but it is only the 21st most-used gun overall. It remains to be seen if that’ll fly up without more buffs, but it seems like it could be the next go-to.

Slept-on Warzone 2 SMG has super quick TTK to compete with meta weapons ActivisionThere is a “slept-on” SMG in Warzone 2 that has the TTK and speed to compete with some of the best weapons in the game. Here’s what you need to know. Over the last few months, a whole assortment of weapons have taken over the meta in Warzone 2. Initially, LMGs stole the spotlight but nerfs have seen them make way for assault rifles and snipers in recent weeks. The likes of the ISO Hemlock, MCPR, Vaznev-9K, and Cronen Squall currently rule the roost, in what is a somewhat balanced meta. Though, there are always players looking to find what could be the next best thing that is currently going under the radar. Well, that’s where Warzone 2 guru WhosImmortal comes in, as he’s highlighted the MX9 SMG as one of the best choices in the battle royale, even though hardly anybody is using it right now. Best MX9 loadout in Warzone 2 Season 3 Reloaded That’s right, the YouTuber pointed out that the MX9 is a viable alternative to some of the more dominant guns in the game, even if it is just on the fringes of being meta. “Quite frankly, it is slept-on, a little bit for good reason, mostly for not good reason,” he started. “This thing is actually very impressive. Its close-range TTK is right up there with the other SMGs on this list and its mid-range TTK is also very impressive.” The one big issue with the SMG is its ammo capacity, with WhosImmortal having to throw on the 32-round mag as an attachment. Though, even that pails in comparison to other alternatives in the SMG class. Barrel: 16.5’ Bruen S901 – Optic: Cronen Mini Pro – Magazine: 32-round mag – Rear Grip: Bruen Q900 Grip – Comb: FTAC C11 Riser – It’s not the first time the MX9 has been in the spotlight recently. Some stats gurus have picked it out to be the next best thing in the game. As noted though, the SMG is quite slept-on despite that. As per WZRanked stats, it has slipped to being the 25th most-used gun in Warzone 2 with a 0.3% pick rate.

Slept-on Warzone 2 AR actually dominates as an SMG in Season 3 ActivisionIf you’re looking for something a little different in Warzone 2, there’s an underused assault rifle that actually beats out some of the meta SMGs in the game and can be used in a similar manner. Across both Warzone and Warzone 2, there have been a few examples of weapons operating slightly differently from the weapon class they’re actually classified under. This has been evident when some assault rifles lack the power to compete over long-range and are better suited to being an SMG and, on the flip side, we’ve seen SMGs dominate across long-range because the TTK at close-quarters isn’t all that solid. In Warzone 2, this has popped up again with the X13 Auto pistol actually beating out some SMGs in gunfights. Though, it’s not alone in that sense. Best Kastov-74U loadout in Warzone 2 for sniper support Warzone 2 guru WhosImmortal highlighted the Kastov-74U – the AK-74U – in his April 26 video, noting that the AR is actually better used like an SMG because of its short-range power. “Its great for close to mid-range, this really isn’t a long-range weapon whatsoever, so it is perfect for that sniper support niche,” the YouTuber said, noting it “fries” up close and beats out some SMGs. His setup does differ from the more popular 74U build with the BR209 Barrel, FSS OLE-V Laser, and Markeev R7 Stock all being used instead of more popular attachments. Barrel: BR209 Barrel – Laser: FSS OLE-V Laser – Magazine: 45-round mag – Stock: Markeev R7 Stock – Rear Grip: Demo-X2 Grip – What is also interesting about the 74U is the fact that its power doesn’t match its popularity. The AR clocks in as the 28th most-used weapon according to WZRanked’s stats. That could see a boost, but it’s unlikely to crack the meta anytime soon given some other SMGs out there. But, it’s at least worth trying.

Slept-on Warzone 2 AR actually beats meta picks after Season 4 changes ActivisonThere’s an assault rifle in Warzone 2 that is a bit slept-on despite the fact it can compete with some of the top meta picks for TTK. The last few updates for Warzone 2 have seriously shaken up the meta, but none more so than Season 4 and Season 4 Reloaded. Those two updates have tackled a host of broken weapons, putting the meta in a pretty healthy position. Sure, the Cronen Squall and Lachmann Sub remain the go-to weapons for most players, but there is a whole raft of viable options out there too. We haven’t been able to say that for a while in the CoD battle royale. Assault Rifles are in an especially strong position too, with the M13B, Tempus Razorback, and Kastov 762 all hanging around the top five most-used in terms of pick rate. However, there is one AR that is being slightly overlooked despite its pretty impressive TTK. Best STB 556 loadout for Warzone 2 Season 4 Reloaded The AR in question? That would be the STB 556. It was highlighted by Warzone guru WhosImmortal in his July 27 video as he noted that it is on par with some of the more popular picks in the battle royale. “The STB 556, honestly, you can make an argument that this is the number one rifle because it is by far the most versatile,” he said, adding that it can easily go from being a long-range option to a deadly SMG-AR hybrid type of weapon. WhosImmortal crowned the Kastov 762 as the “best” AR for Season 4, but the TTK stats show that the STB 556 is right there with it. In fights between 28-50 meters where it outguns the Kastov. Muzzle: Harbinger D20 – Barrel: 508mm Rear Guard – Optic: Aim OP-V4 – Ammunition: 5.56 High Velocity – Magazine: 42-round mag – It’s not the first time that the STB has been in the spotlight and bigged up as a solid alternative option, but that hasn’t been reflected in its pick rate. As per WZRanked stats, the AR is only being used by 2.8% of players, which is a far cry from where it should be given its TTK. Though, maybe that’ll change moving forward.

Slept-on Vanguard SMG kills faster than Warzone Season 4’s most meta weapons ActivisionWarzone guru WhosImmortal has claimed the Sten SMG, one of Vanguard’s most underused weapons, can actually rival the very best weapons in the battle royale in terms of time-to-kill (TTK) despite its mediocre pick-rate. Regardless of the season, one of the best ways to judge whether the weapon you’re using in Warzone is meta is to compare it to the most used guns in the game. Naturally, the weapons with the highest pick rates are the strongest, with players using them to maximize their chances of winning matches. Occasionally, though, the player base can overlook powerful weapons on the basis of their pick rates. Now, with Vanguard weapons still dominating Season 4 despite recent patches, that appears to be the case with one particular WWII submachine gun. WhosImmortal outlines “best TTK” Sten for Warzone Season 4 In his July 16 YouTube video, Warzone expert WhosImmortal revealed that the Sten SMG – a Vanguard weapon with a pick-rate of just 0.4% – can actually challenge the strongest guns in the game. “There is one gun in particular though that is getting slept on a lot,” he said. “It has actually, very quietly and very subtly, jumped up into a very competitive stance… It is right up there with some of the top SMGs in the game.” Outlining his chosen build for the Sten, Immortal showed that it can actually compete with the H4 Blixen, the Vanguard SMG that has ruled the roost since being added in Season 3. The full loadout is detailed below: Muzzle: Recoil Booster – Barrel: SA 65mm Rapid – Optic: Slate Reflector – Stock: Gawain Parra – Perk: Acrobatic – Perk 2: Quick – Rear Grip: Taped Grip – Magazine: 9mm 50 Round Mags – Ammunition: Subsonic – Underbarrel: M1915 Steady – Once you’ve got the Sten equipped as your primary, all you’ll need is a strong longer range weapon to complement the underrated Vanguard SMG. For that, your choice should depend on how confident you are. More experienced players can probably drop in with a sniper (like the Gorenko Anti-Tank Rifle), but players who are less confident with a sniper will be better off using a low-recoil AR (like the ever-trusty Kilo 141). With this Sten in your primary slot, though, you’ll be more than equipped for any close-range combat.

Slept-on Vanguard SMG is topping Warzone win-rate charts Treyarch/ActivisionA powerful Vanguard SMG is going under the radar in Warzone Season 5 Reloaded despite having the second-highest win rate in the game. When it comes to picking a meta SMG in Warzone Season 5 Reloaded, two options stand out from the crown as the overwhelming favorites. We’re of course talking about the Armaguerra 43 and MP40, with both weapons maintaining a huge pick rate thanks to their devastating TTKs. While these guns will always be solid choices, their popularity does lead the community to overlook a lot of other weapons. Well, one Vanguard SMG, in particular, appears to be a hidden gem as it’s topping the win rate charts with just a 0.2% pick rate. Best Sten loadout in Warzone Season 5 Reloaded Attachments Muzzle: Recoil Booster – Barrel: SA 65mm Rapid – Optic: Slate Reflector – Stock: Gawain Custom – Underbarrel: Mark VI Skeletal – Magazine: 9mm 50 Round Drums – Ammo Type: Subsonic – Rear Grip: Taped Grip – Perk 1: Acrobatic – Perk 2: Quick – With an extremely low pick rate of just 0.2%, it’s safe to say the Sten is being slept on by the Warzone community despite offering a lethal TTK and a huge amount of mobility. It’s absolutely perfect for players who love taking aggressive gunfights and who aren’t afraid to get up in the faces of their opponents. The build above features the most popular set of attachments for the weapon and aims to boost the Sten’s fire rate and overall TTK while also keeping its trademark mobility. While it’s deadly at close range, you will need to run Overkill so you can eliminate foes from a distance. We recommend the Cooper Carbine AR in the current meta as it shreds at long range. Although a lot of guns in Warzone are underrated, it’s the Sten’s win rate in Season 5 Reloaded that makes it stand out from the crowd. Currently, the Vanguard SMG has a 5% win rate, which makes it the second highest for that stat in the entirety of Warzone. This means players who are using the Sten are winning matches consistently, and with the loadout above, you can do that as well.

Slept-on Vanguard SMG dominates H4 Blixen in Warzone TTK ActivisionWant to get away from the H4 Blixen and Marco 5 SMG meta in Warzone? Well, there’s an underused Vanguard weapon that actually dominates in the TTK stakes. Following on from the recent pass of weapon balancing and updates, Warzone’s meta has pretty much been taken over by three guns – NZ-41, Marco 5, and H4 Blixen – all from Call of Duty: Vanguard. In an ongoing bid to keep things fresh, some players have continued to use other weapons to tackle these three dominant guns, with some weapons from Modern Warfare and Black Ops Cold War getting a bit of love. Though, there are still plenty of Vanguard options as well. Included in that batch of Vanguard weapons is the Type 100, which has been pretty dominant in Warzone previously, but has fallen down a few pegs thanks to changes. However, it could squeeze its way back into the meta picks once again. Type 100 could be Warzone meta again with devastating TTK That’s right, if you forgot about the Type 100 somewhat, you’re not alone. The Vanguard SMG has slipped to having a 1.01 pick rate as per WZRanked, which is a far cry from where it was a few months ago. As NRG’s IceManIsaac points out, though, the slept-on SMG can still dish out pretty devastating damage, and has a way better TTK than the H4 Blixen – and it’s as low as 500ms in some shot locations. “The Type 100 is that guy. It is absolutely crushing it, even to the stomach, even to the legs, even to the lower legs and arms,” the YouTuber said in his July 24 video. “You are winning your 1v1s with this gun. This gun is shockingly good and it’s very easy to control.” To get those stats, Isaac isn’t running some funky build – it is still the same Type 100 setup that pretty much everyone was using before the SMG was hit with a bit of a nerf. So, if you want to break free of the meta and use something a little different, why not revisit an old favorite? It’s still pretty deadly.

Forgotten Warzone 2 sniper might be best in the game ActivisionIf you’re looking for a new sniper to use in Warzone 2, you might want to consider an option that barely anyone uses these days. Given the size of Warzone’s different maps, snipers have always played a massive role in the Call of Duty battle royale. Sure, they were more powerful in the original Warzone, but they still have a place in Warzone 2. Most recently, if players are going to run a sniper, they’ve been going with the MCPR-300 and FJX Imperium (Intervention). They’re both powerful and mobile options, so it makes sense that they remain popular. While the MCPR is the most-used sniper in Warzone right now, it might not actually be the best. That honor goes to one sniper that barely anyone uses these days, even though it was popular in the past. Best Victus XMR loadout for Warzone 2 Season 4 Ranked That sniper? It’s the Victus XMR. That’s according to Warzone guru Metaphor, who believes it is definitely the best choice for Ranked play now that one-shot snipers don’t exist there. “This gun actually does a tonne of damage and one of the best parts about this gun is the amount of damage it does to downed players,” he said. “What you can actually do with this gun, which is different from other snipers, is due to the high damage profile on the weapon to begin with, it actually allows you to kill people that are downed with one shot.” The YouTuber’s build is slightly different from others, seeing as he uses a short-range scope and laser. Though, the popular Bruen Counter Ops muzzle and .50 Cal High Velocity ammunition attachments remain. Muzzle: Bruen Counter Ops – Barrel: Mack 8 33.5 Super – Laser: VLK LZR 7mw – Optic: Schlager 3.4x – Ammunition: .50 Cal High Velocity – As noted, barely anyone uses the Victus these days. WZRanked has it with a 0.3% pick rate, so it is going slightly under the radar. If you start to notice it more in Ranked play, then, don’t be shocked to see people copying Metaphor’s build. It’s pretty spicy.

“Slept-on” MW3 LMG kills faster than Warzone’s meta DG-58 There is an LMG from Modern Warfare 3 that can kill Warzone enemies faster than meta picks like the DG-58 but it is being completely “slept-on” right now. For the longest time, LMGs were seen as a meme option in Call of Duty. Players would run them in multiplayer to try and troll enemies, spraying and praying to their heart’s content. When it comes to Warzone, though, they’ve become genuine options and have owned the meta at different points. That’s been especially true in the last few months of Modern Warfare 3, with LMGs such as the TAQ Eradicator, Bruen MK9, and RAAP H all being picked up by players. However, following the Season 3 Reloaded update, the TAQ Evolvere has been highlighted as a genuine option by Warzone guru TrueGameData, as it has a lightning-fast TTK. In fact, the Evolvere considerably outguns other LMGs like the DG-58, Holger 556, and Pulemyot 762. In fights up to 53 meters, the TAQ kills in just 750ms, which is 100 ms faster than the more meta option in the DG. “I think the TAQ Evolvere is just a very slept-on weapon right now,” the stats guru said. “I think this gun is awesome right now.” Muzzle: VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor – Barrel: LRF Righteous Long Barrel – Optic: Corio Eagleseye 2.5x – Stock: SA Kilonova Grip – Rear Grip: XRK Response Grip – The TAQ’s TTK does fall off slightly in fights that extend over 53 meters, however, you’re probably not going to be fighting beyond that all that much. If you are, just pick up a sniper. However, as TrueGameData points out, you are getting an “important” extra 10 meters of damage range anyway, seeing as some other LMGs fall off a fair bit after 40 meters. It ultimately remains to be seen if the slept-on LMG will start to rise up the ranks and become a widely used meta pick. Though, it clearly has the stats to do so.

MW2 AR with “phenomenal” TTK in Warzone is still being slept-on ActivisionOne of Modern Warfare 2’s most popular assault rifles should be back in the thinking for the Warzone meta as it has a “phenomenal” TTK but is being overlooked right now. With Call of Duty’s annual release cycle still in effect, Warzone has gotten caught up in things. The battle royale has become an amalgamation of different games, mixing weapons, equipment, perks, and a few other things into one intense battleground. In the case of Modern Warfare 3’s integration with Warzone, guns from the newer game were more suited to the early health and TTK changes. They quickly displaced the popular guns from Modern Warfare 2 which some players believed had become “unusable” in certain scenarios. However, some MW2 guns are creeping back into the thinking again and there are others that are being overlooked which could, eventually, get some love again. Best STB 556 loadout in Warzone Season 2 One of those weapons is the STB 556. Warzone expert WhosImmortal highlighted the assault rifle in his February 15 video as one of the best options for Resurgence matches, especially with a “phenomenal” TTK. “The STB 556, it’s a sleeper. You’re sleeping on it, I know you are, this thing has actually got a phenomenal TTK and it’s super easy to use,” the YouTuber said, noting that the Modern Warfare 2 favorite benefits from MW3 attachments to really buff its control and damage ranges. That includes using the VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor, Bruen Heavy support underbarrel, and Corio Eagleseye 2.5x. Though, you do have to use the 42-round mag as that’s the best you’ll get ammo-wise. Muzzle: VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor – Barrel: 508mm Rear Guard – Underbarrel: Bruen Heavy support – Optic: Corio Eagleseye 2.5x – Magazine: 42-round mags – Timestamp of 9:00 The somewhat limited ammo capacity is the only knock on the classic assault rifle, and it shouldn’t be enough to dissuade you from using it. Plus, the fact that it’s been since MW2 means you’ve probably maxed it out anyway. It remains to be seen if it’ll actually step back up into the meta anytime soon, but for now, the AR remains a fun and different option that many players won’t be using.

Slept-on MW2 AR dominates Warzone as meta close-range weapon ActivisionWarzone expert WhosImmortal has picked out another assault rifle from Modern Warfare 2 that is being slept-on but could be one of the best close-range guns in the battle royale. When the Warzone integration in Modern Warfare 3 first launched, plenty of Call of Duty fans were worried that guns from the previous game, Modern Warfare 2, would become obsolete. Many of these concerns centered around the health and time-to-kill changes that MW3 brought, leading to some players claiming that some of MW2’s most popular weapons had become “unusable” in the early goings. Fast forward a little bit and select MW2 weapons are back on the rise in Warzone, become dominant options after changes in Season 1 Reloaded and, more recently, Season 2. Best M13C loadout in Warzone for Modern Warfare 3 That includes the M13C, which Warzone guru WhosImmortal has highlighted as being a “curveball” option at the top of the close-range meta. “Maybe a bit of a curveball, but a weapon I think a lot of people sleep on – the M13C. This thing, for a rifle, is pretty aggressive all things considered, you’ve just got to make sure you’re accurate with it and you’ll be well off in the mid-range, as well as close,” the YouTuber said. As with plenty of rifle builds these days, the M13C utilizes the VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor, Bruen Heavy Support underbarrel, and the MK.3 Reflector sight. These are all designed to nerf sway and kick, allowing the AR to do serious damage up close. Muzzle: VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor – Underbarrel: Bruen Heavy Support – Optic: MK.3 Reflector – Magazine: 45-round mag – Stock: TRX-56 Stock – Timestamp of 10:18 The only drawback to the M13C is, of course, the 45-round magazine capacity. It is slightly bigger than some of its rivals, but not massively, and well below the huge capacity that LMGs can run. As per WZRanked, the MW2 AR has barely been getting a look at from players, so it is as WhosImmortal says, a sleeper option. Though, it remains to be seen if it’ll become massively popular.

“Slept-on” Modern Warfare 3 AR actually has one of Warzone’s best TTK’s ActivisionThere is a “slept-on” Assault Rifle that has one of Warzone’s best Time to Kill, especially now that some of its rivals from Modern Warfare 3 have been nerfed. Over the last few months, the Warzone meta has undergone a fair amount of changes. Previously dominant choices like the RAM-9, Bas-B, and MTZ-762 have fallen away, giving players the chance to experiment with other guns. That’s been the case for Warzone experts like WhosImmortal, as he’s been testing a range of guns to see what could be the next best thing. He’s previously highlighted the FR Avancer, Kastov 545, and TR-76 Geist as being some of the best choices following the Season 3 Reloaded update. Now, though, he’s turned his attention to the MTZ-556, as he believes the Modern Warfare 3 Assault Rifle is finally one of the best options in the battle royale after being “slept-on” for quite some time. “There’s one that’s really been slept-on though for the vast majority of the year, that finally has seen enough competitors nerfed or had a few changes here and there that makes it well worth using right now,” the YouTuber said. “All across the board, the MTZ-556 is now incredibly consistent, more so than ever before.” As he points out, the AR dominates in mid-range fights, outgunning the likes of the Holger 556 and DG-58 LSW with its TTK of 929 ms. Muzzle: VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor – Barrel: MTZ Clinch Pro Barrel – Underbarrel: Bruen Heavy Support – Magazine: 50-round drum – Optic: Corio Eagleseye 2.5x – WhosImmortal also praised the MTZ’s versatility, noting that it could be built to be more of a sniper support option – if that’s what players want. That would involve changing the optic from the Corio Eagleseye 2.5x to something else, but that’s a personal preference. Regardless of how you want to run it, the AR more than just a solid option right now, and should be more widely used.

Slept-on LMG is “overpowered” & laser beams enemies in Warzone 2 ActivisonWarzone 2 expert WhosImmortal has unveiled an underrated “powerhouse” LMG that melts opponents at long-range on Al Mazrah. Warzone 2’s first meta has finally been established, with the Fennec 45, TAQ-56, and RPK standing out as the most dominant weapons. While these guns are undeniably strong, their overwhelming popularity often leads the community to overlook certain guns that are unbelievably powerful. This is especially true in the long-range category, as a lot of the LMGs are thrown to the wayside by players on account of their sluggish mobility. Well, Warzone 2 guru WhosImmortal has revealed a “powerhouse” LMG that’s being slept on and has the potential to take over the meta next patch when other top-tier picks get nerfed. Best Sakin MG38 loadout in Warzone 2 Attachments Barrel: 20″ Bruen Silver Series – Muzzle: Kastovia DX90 – Underbarrel: FTAC Ripper 56 – Optic: Aim 0P-V4 – Rear Grip: Bruen G305 Grip Wrap – For WhosImmortal, the Sakin MG38 is an “overpowered” LMG that’s going under the radar in the current meta and that means when Season 1 Reloaded rolls around, the gun will likely be left untouched while other top-tier options get nerfed. According to the Warzone 2 expert, the gun is extremely “easy to use” and a “powerhouse” from a distance, making it simple to laser beam foes on Al Mazrah. Equipped with a deadly TTK, minimal recoil, and a hefty magazine size, it’s ideal for devastating enemy squads from power positions. WhosImmortal’s meta loadout bolsters the hefty gun’s kickback, while also boosting its damage output and range to the max. When it comes to perks, we recommend running Weapon Specialist for Overkill which will allow you to use a meta SMG or AR. This means if an opponent pushes your position and forces a close-range gunfight, you’ll have a gun that can compete face-to-face. So, if you’re struggling to rack up kills in Warzone 2, the Sakin MG38 may be your saving grace and give you the tools to pick up more victories than ever.

Slept-on Cold War LMG is actually one of Warzone’s deadliest weapons ActivisionLooking to run something different in the final days of Warzone? Well, there’s a slept-on LMG from Black Ops Cold War that is doing some serious damage. It’s not long now before the book is closed on Warzone and players move on to Warzone 2 and everything that the updated battle royale has to offer. As a result, plenty of players have been saying farewell to the Call of Duty battle royale in different ways. Some have been trying to get wins with every gun in the game, others have gone full pacifist, while others have just gone back to their roots with Modern Warfare weapons. If you’re a completionist and want to record wins with everything, you’re going to have to dip back into the Cold War weapon pool. Sure, they’re not all deadly weapons, but there is one that is standing tall at the minute – the RPD. RPD LMG is dominating Call of Duty Warzone’s final days That’s right, the classic Call of Duty LMG has been getting some love in Season 5 Reloaded, and has actually been producing decent results for players. As per WZRanked stats, the RPD only has a 0.23 pick rate, which is way outside of the current meta numbers. However, it boasts solid win and kill death ratios with 1.16 and 3.18, respectively. Those ratios put the RPD just outside the top 10, which is pretty much dominated by Vanguard weapons, but they go to show that high-level players are finding success with the LMG. What’s interesting to note is that the loadout remains pretty much the same for both, but there is one slight tweak that makes them different. The higher win rate comes with using the Serpent Wrap, while the higher K/D build uses the 120-round mags. Given that the RPD was once one of the best guns in Warzone, you may already have everything you need unlocked. So, if you do, give it a run and you just might grab some final wins.