Author: Nik Ranger

All Call of Duty games in release order ActivisionCall of Duty is one of the most beloved FPS franchises of all time, having been around for over two decades, so here’s a rundown of every Call of Duty game in order of release. Video game franchises don’t come much bigger than Call of Duty. Since the series first arrived in the early 2000s, it’s become one of the best-selling franchises of all time, releasing several classic FPS titles along the way. However, with so many Call of Duty games on the market, recognizing which came first and which is the most recent can be challenging. With this in mind, this list details every Call of Duty game in release order, starting out with the original and finishing with 2024’s upcoming entry. How many Call of Duty games are there? Currently, there are 24 mainline Call of Duty games including Warzone, Warzone 2, and Mobile. The latest addition was Modern Warfare 3, released in November 2023, with Call of Duty Black Ops 6 coming up next in October 2024. Call of Duty (2003) Release date: October 29, 2003 – Developer: Infinity Ward – Platforms: PC, Mac, N-Gage – The iconic FPS series kicked off in 2003 with Call of Duty, released as a direct rival to the popular Medal of Honor games. However, COD quickly stole the show thanks to its unique WWII campaign, showing the conflict from American, British, and Soviet perspectives, as well as its multiplayer component. While it may look and feel basic now, this was the first sign of what was to come later down the line, setting the standards for the iconic FPS franchise to later flourish. Call of Duty 2 (2005) Release date: October 25, 2003 – Developer: Infinity Ward – Platforms: Xbox 360, PC, Mac – Sticking in World War II, Call of Duty 2 marked the first time that the series appeared on consoles, and was widely praised for its impressive graphics and four distinct campaigns. Call of Duty 2 also saw the debut of a number of features that have become standard in the FPS genre in the years since, including regenerating health, and a marker on the HUD to show when a grenade lands nearby. Though these may seem like small changes, they would become defining aspects of Call of Duty as the years went on. Call of Duty 3 (2006) Release date: November 7, 2006 – Developer: Treyarch – Platforms: PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PC – Here, we welcome Treyarch into the fold for the first time, developing Call of Duty 3 as the series moved into the yearly release schedule we’ve become accustomed to. With COD 3, multiplayer was beginning to play a more significant role, although it’s hard to imagine anyone could predict what would happen next. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) Release date: November 6, 2007 – Developer: Infinity Ward – Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PC – After a year away, it’s no exaggeration to say that Infinity Ward redefined the FPS genre when it released Call of Duty 4, placing COD in a league that no other first-person shooter could touch. Aside from its stellar present-day campaign, featuring moments and characters that are still remembered to this day, its multiplayer found a formula that would change the industry forever. It’s gone on to be regarded as one of the best games ever made, and you’ll get no argument from us. Call of Duty: World at War (2008) Release date: November 11, 2008 – Developer: Treyarch – Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, DS, PC – The next Call of Duty game in order is World of War, which saw Treyarch take the series back to WWII, but this time with the progression and perks systems introduced by Infinity Ward a year prior. World at War was also the first COD to introduce Zombies, a horde mode that would become incredibly successful as the years rolled on, and begin the trend of each game launching with three modes: campaign, multiplayer, and a co-op element. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) Release date: November 10, 2009 – Developer: Infinity Ward – Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC – If COD 4 hit on a formula, then many would argue that it was perfected by Modern Warfare 2. The follow-up doubled down on everything the original got right, delivering an exceptional story and instantly classic maps like Rust, Highrise, and Favela. 13 years on, Modern Warfare 2 is still the best game in the series, according to many fans. Its popularity is apparent, as MW3 (2023) brought back all of MW2’s launch maps, receiving plenty of praise for doing so. Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) Release date: November 9, 2010 – Developer: Treyarch – Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, DS, PC – 2010 saw Treyarch tread new ground with the first game in the now beloved Black Ops titles, expanding on the Zombies idea and shifting to a Cold War setting. Its gripping, unique campaign remains one of the most memorable that Call of Duty has to offer, paving the way for the only COD series that can rival Modern Warfare in terms of popularity to this day. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) Release date: November 8, 2011 – Developer: Infinity Ward – Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PC – Rounding out the original Modern Warfare trilogy, Infinity Ward offered players yet another standout campaign, concluding the events started by COD 4 in a dramatic and satisfying way. While its multiplayer often doesn’t get the props it deserves, it still has a collection of exciting guns and diverse maps that any other series would be envious of. It worked as an expansion to MW2, building on its predecessor to deliver a similar experience. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012) Release date: November 12, 2012 – Developer: Treyarch – Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii U, PC – Next up on our list of Call of Duty games in chronological order, we have what remains the best-selling entry in the series to date, and arguably the most well-received entry in COD history – Black Ops 2. With a branching campaign full of twists and turns and addictive online multiplayer, including the Pick 10 system that changed class building forever, it’s no surprise that Black Ops 2 is considered one of the best CODs out there. Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013) Release date: November 5, 2013 – Developer: Infinity Ward – Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Wii U, PC – It’s strange calling a game that shipped nearly 30 million units a flop, but that’s precisely how Ghosts is seen over a decade on from its release. Perhaps due to its unfortunate release between console generations, the community has largely forgotten Ghosts, and we’re still waiting for closure on that ending. A sequel or reboot for Ghosts seems highly unlikely, but you never know what the future holds for Call of Duty. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) Release date: November 3, 2014 – Developer: Sledgehammer Games – Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC – Finally, we arrive at the first ‘jetpack’ game in the Call of Duty series. As Sledgehammer took the reigns on their debut entry, the controversial feature aimed to place more emphasis on movement as the franchise moved in a more futuristic direction. Advanced Warfare was an incredibly ambitious entry, kickstarting a trend that would be improved upon in later years. Though divisive, Sledgehammer Games’ first solo entry has become more popular over the years, with MW3 even bringing back some of its iconic weapons including the BAL-27 and MORS. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015) Release date: November 6, 2015 – Developer: Treyarch – Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC – Of all the more futuristic CODs to release so far, Black Ops 3 is the one that many would point to as the highlight. The ability to use thruster boosts gave multiplayer an extra degree of verticality that players seemed to really respond to, without going to the extremes that Advanced Warfare did. It also saw the addition of customizable Specialists with unique cosmetics, offering more variety, which proved crucial in a franchise reliant on yearly releases. This would later become a staple of Call of Duty, as the games transitioned to a live service model dependent on seasonal updates. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016) Release date: November 4, 2016 – Developer: Infinity Ward – Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC – Infinite Warfare took quite the beating from the fans when it came along in 2016, and even the inclusion of Modern Warfare Remastered wasn’t enough to lift its sales. In fact, that package deal may have increased the backlash, with fans having to purchase the more expensive Legacy Edition to play MWR. After the third final entry in the jetpack era of Call of Duty took us into the stars, players had grown tired of the more and more outlandish settings and gameplay, begging for the next game to return to basics. They would get their wish, with jetpacks yet to make a return almost a decade on. Call of Duty: WWII (2017) Release date: November 3, 2017 – Developer: Sledgehammer Games – Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC – With WWII in 2017, developer Sledgehammer Games finally answered the calls for a ‘boots on the ground’ COD game, taking players back to where it all began – World War II. This was certainly a breath of fresh air, but even the new War multiplayer mode couldn’t help CoD WWII challenge the likes of World at War, with fans divided on this particular entry. Though the launch left a lot to be desired, later improvements in seasonal updates made WWII a genuinely great Call of Duty game. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018) Release date: October 12, 2018 – Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software, Beenox – Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC – Black Ops 4 was an exciting step for Call of Duty, partly because it was the first time that a single-player campaign wasn’t included and because it saw Activision dip its toes into the battle royale genre. Although Blackout didn’t become the rival to Fortnite or PUBG that the devs hoped for, it laid the foundation for future success and is still remembered fondly by a portion of the community. Call of Duty: Mobile (2019) Release date: October 1, 2019 – Developer: TiMi Studio Group – Revenue: $1 billion+ – By 2019, publishers were beginning to realize just how much profit there is in a quality free-to-play mobile title. Activision was no exception, and the AAA publisher was keen to get its flagship franchise on mobile devices as soon as possible. With more than 15 years worth of guns, maps, and modes to draw from, Call of Duty Mobile remains an incredibly popular game on Android and iPhone and is still going strong years on, alongside Warzone Mobile which has proven equally successful. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) Release date: October 25, 2019 – Developer: Infinity Ward – Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC – After a few years of lower sales, Infinity Ward looked to breathe new life into the series by rebooting the iconic Modern Warfare franchise. The likes of Captain Price, Soap MacTavish, and Gaz all made their return in a darker campaign that concentrated on the harrowing side of war, while the multiplayer was seen as a return to form. Call of Duty: Warzone (2020) Release date: March 10, 2020 – Developer: Infinity Ward, Raven Software – Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC – If 2018’s Blackout dipped a toe in, then Warzone swan-dived into the battle royale space, merging the very best elements of the genre with the CoD gunplay players have come to love. Over 100 million downloads later, you could argue that no game has changed Call of Duty as drastically since Modern Warfare in 2007. Warzone’s legacy is so great, that Activision would later rebrand Warzone 2.0 to just Warzone and make various gameplay changes to match the original, effectively bringing back this fan-favorite version. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020) Release date: November 13, 2020 – Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software – Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC – Treyarch took players back in time once again in 2020, opting for a 1980s setting in Black Ops Cold War. As a sequel to the OG Black Ops, fan-favorite characters like Alex Mason and Frank Woods made their comeback, while the multiplayer was a fun ride with little that players hadn’t seen before. Ultimately, in a year where Warzone dominated, Cold War managed to rack up impressive sales and was fairly well-liked upon release, with fans praising its overall feel and aesthetic. Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021) Release date: November 5, 2021 – Developer: Sledgehammer Games – Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC – Call of Duty Vanguard took the series back to WWII once again, but it sadly couldn’t live up to expectations. While the signature CoD gameplay was certainly ambitious, Vanguard fell flat thanks to a lack of innovation and a number of frustrating bugs at launch. Activision admitted that the game didn’t sell as well as first hoped, with their attention then shifted to Modern Warfare 2 (2022) instead. Despite its shortcomings, Vanguard did introduce some popular features like its enhanced Gunsmith, Combat Pacing, and destructive environments. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) Release date: October 28, 2022 – Developer: Infinity Ward – Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC – Modern Warfare 2 was the sequel to the Modern Warfare reboot, and it proved equally successful becoming a big commercial hit. Sales reached a record high of more than $800 million worldwide following the first three days from its release, making it the most successful CoD launch of all time. The game dominated the gaming charts, becoming one of the best-selling games of the decade. Despite this, MW2 came under criticism for bugs and removing popular maps, though later seasonal updates saw multiplayer improve greatly and go from strength to strength. Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 (2022) Release date: November 16, 2022 – Developer: Infinity Ward, Raven Software – Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC – While keeping many core principles that made the original popular, Warzone 2 still differed from what players were used to in the original game. It slowed the gameplay and focused on delivering a core Battle Royale experience typical of other games in the genre. In 2023, it was rebranded as just Call of Duty: Warzone, marking a return to the gameplay more comparable to the classic Verdansk days. Despite the name change, it retains the enhanced looting system, new weapons, and maps of Warzone 2.0. It has continued into Modern Warfare 3, where a large-scale integration with Sledgehammer’s new game was added in December 2023. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) Release Date: November 10, 2023 – Developer: Sledgehammer Games – Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC – The latest Call of Duty game to be released is Modern Warfare 3, another reboot and a direct sequel to 2022’s MW2. Unlike most other Modern Warfare games, this installment was developed by Sledgehammer, who previously made Advanced Warfare, WW2, and Vanguard. It offers a return to the franchise’s roots with classic features like a traditional minimap, perk system, and map voting. These were all reintroduced alongside the entire original Modern Warfare 2 launch map line-up. That’s all in addition to various gameplay changes including an increased health pool, reworked loadouts, and Aftermarket Parts. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (2024) Release Date: October 25, 2024 – Developer: Treyarch – Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC – Black Ops 6 is one of the most anticipated Call of Duty games ever, with Treyarch’s next entry having the longest development cycle in franchise history. That time has been used to develop innovative gameplay features like Omnimovement, a new movement system that gives players more tools to maneuver around. It will feature 16 new multiplayer maps at launch, with 12 being traditional 6v6 maps. Also, Black Ops 6 promises to bring back traditional prestige leveling, theater mode, and even classic round-based Zombies. If it lives up to the hype, Treyarch’s upcoming game has the potential to be an all-time great. There you have it! That was all the Call of Duty games in order of their release. You can also take a look at all Need for Speed games in order or every Resident Evil game in order if you’re a fan of these games.

Every Call of Duty Black Ops 4 map layout If you’re trying to get the upper hand in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, one of the best things you can do is get to grips with the 14 maps that have been released with the game at launch. Now, you won’t learn all of a maps quirks and hidey-holes until you’ve run around it a couple hundred times and gotten it ingrained in your mind, but a bird’s eye view is always handy when you’re trying to hammer the layout into your brain. To save you the bother of finding all of those overviews individually, we’ve compiled all of those bird’s eye view images for each of the game’s maps that are available at launch. We will keep this guide updated with relevant information as we learn more about each map or when updates are released. More detailed images to follow. New Maps: Arsenal Description: “Hostile covert ops on a manufacturing facility of a powerful North American military defense contractor means someone may have stolen the keys to the castle.” Frequency Description: “A covert listening station deep in the mountainous region of Hunan Province is being used to track strategic targets across the globe.” Hacienda Description: “A lavish vineyard estate situated on a quiet lake in the Spanish countryside, home to a high-ranking crime syndicate boss.” Payload Description: “A defensive ICBM launch facility deep in an Icelandic mountain range has been infiltrated by hostile forces attempting to steal a nuclear warhead.” Another classic from the first Black Ops game, Jungle was always a popular public map. Risk crossing the narrow bridges at your own peril!

European CWL Pro League team announce search for new organization After completing a number of incredible upsets and qualifying for the CWL Pro League, French Call of Duty team lead by Wailers ‘Wailers’ Locart are in search of a new organization. Representing Overtime eSport, the team won their series vs Team Spacely, Pittsburgh Knights, Mazer Gaming, FC Black, FaZe Clan and finally Mindfreak to secure their spot in the 2019 CWL Pro League. However, the players have decided to leave the organization to find a more resource-rich home, that can better support and bring more exposure to the French hopefuls. As a result, on Wednesday, January 23, Coach Keyvan ‘iKeeyv’ Miri declared the team is open to offers from a new organization. In a statement made to Dexerto France, Miri has announced that the team is on the market: The Pro League is fast approaching and we have taken the initiative to publicly announce that we are currently looking for a new organization to represent. Of course, we do not wish to leave Overtime like this. They helped us the best they could since arriving home before the CWL Las Vegas. But for the well-being of the team, we had already agreed with Overtime, in case of qualification in Pro League, the team had to be put on sale on the market. We really want to analyze all our possibilities. I invite all organizations that may be interested in the team to contact me directly, but also to contact @ Overtime_Astral for the spot in the CWL World League. – Keyvan Miri, team coach Many well-known organizations are believed to be looking for a qualified team for the CWL Pro League, and the exploits of Wailers, Natshay, rizK, Zeek and Breszy will not have gone unnoticed internationally. Eliminating FaZe Black, FaZe Clan and Mindfreak in the losers bracket was a groundbreaking moment in the careers of this French lineup, and it is all the more evidence that they have truly earned their place in the Pro League. Of course, they are not the only Pro League team in search of an organization, as the North American side known as ‘Team Spacely’, who earned their spot with no org backing them, are rumored to be the targets of a number of big name teams.

European CoD Team Leave Organization Day After Joining as Funding to CWL Anaheim Not Provided A European CoD roster has publicly accused German based organization ‘Nordic’ of failing to provide funding to CWL Anaheim – only a day after they joined the team to represent them at the event. Nordic released their previous roster on May 27th – a move that surprised many on social media – before announcing their current lineup on May 28th. The news that Nordic had dropped the previous roster, which included former Team Vitality player Eddy “Malls” Maillard, was also met with criticizm. Luke “Bidz” Biddle who was on the old roster, debated with Nordic’s Chief Marketing Officer over Twitter, calling the decision to drop them “dumb shit”, but apparently the organization had “no other choice”. The new lineup was announced, but barely 24 hours later it looks like the deal has broken down. English player Louis “LouiCM” Morton tweeted that the squad was no longer with the organization, after they have apparently been told that Nordic “cannot afford the event”. The team was recruited to represent Nordic at CWL Anaheim and the Last Chance Qualifiers for the Call of Duty World Championship. Or not. How can you tell us the day after you announce our team you cannot afford the event. Honestly is mindblowing. https://t.co/2bAp2sUrOP — Louis (@LouiCM_) May 29, 2018 We reached out to Nordic to address the accusation made by LouiCM. “[The] tweet is true. We got this team under contract and the plan was to send them to Anaheim and the LCQ if they qualified. Everything was sorted and the money was promised by our sponsors and ourselves. In the last 12 hours one of our biggest sponsors fell away. They promised us and told us no problem, they would pay everything – but then yesterday we got the message, that this event is too expensive. We tried everything, contacting other companies to try our best to sort the money, but we weren’t able to sort the whole event and contacted the team to tell them. After this the team decided to leave. Of course, from an outsider perspective it seems like we kind of [screwed] the team, but we tried our best to stand by our words and the contract, but its impossible for us to fund this from our own money.” Since LouiCM’s post, a number of other players have also spoken out against the organization, including former players Brad “endurAAA” Hughes and Josh “Creza” Burman. EndurAAA in fact claimed that Nordic had been hoping their previous roster would win amateur European CoD League ‘VAL’, in order to take a percentage of the winnings to fund the new team. Nordic Chief Marketing Officer responded stating endurAAA was not informed on the situation. Nordic was hoping Cammy was gonna win the VAL League to try take a % to fund LouiCM & Co, thats why they were so angry we lost — Brad (@endurAAABH) May 29, 2018 Creza, who represented Nordic alongside endurAAA at CWL Birmingham, claims that Nordic owe him €150. He later shared a Whats App conversation he had with Nordic’s CMO in which he threatens legal action and claims that Creza is not owed €150. gl guys if any of yous find my 150 euros laying about anywhere I’d greatly appreciate it — Josh (@Creza) May 28, 2018 The recently recruited roster seem to be on the search for a new organization already, in hopes of still making it out to Anaheim, for the event on June 15th – 17th.

eUnited’s Simp posted mindblowing stats at CWL London, his first ever pro tournament eUnited – TwitterIt’s no secret that eUnited’s Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr performed magnificently at the recent CWL London pro Call of Duty tournament, and a closer look at his stats shows just how impressive he really was. With CWL London being Simp’s first major tournament as a professional player, many did not know what to expect from the young star coming in. While pretty much everyone was aware of the immense talent he possesses, translating that to success on the main stage, particularly at an event in the UK, can be an unnerving experience, at least for most. Simp, however, is not like most others, and he proved it by putting up an incredible series of performances over the course of the three-day event. In fact, many would argue that he was the biggest reason for why eUnited were able to win the heavily-stacked Pool B, and make it all the way to the Grand Final, knocking out rivals OpTic Gaming in the process. Simp’s amazing stats at CWL London To give some perspective on how well Simp performed in his first ever pro tournament, it’s important to take an in-depth look at some of his stats, courtesy of @Hi_Im_Easy_Mac. His overall kills per death ratio was at 1.351, second best overall in the tournament. and tops among all players who were mainly using the Saug SMG. – His 1.820 K/D in Search and Destroy blew out the entirety of the competition, as it was 0.18 better than the next highest K/D (General – 1.640). – He also led all players in Control K/D at 1.417, which again was a whole 0.1 higher than the second place Decemate (1.310) – The only category that he did not lead in was Hardpoint K/D, but he still managed to get sixth overall at 1.236 – The stats get even more impressive when looking at specifically just Championship Sunday, which is when men are separated from the boys at major tournaments. Having to play four total matches on the final day, Simp had the best overall K/D (1.447), best in Hardpoint (1.390), second best in Control (1.456), and third best in S&D (1.682). :scream: WHAT A SNIPER SHOW FROM @SimpTheSickJoke!@eUnitedgg and @100Thieves even at 1-1! https://t.co/NKHQShcI4R #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/I3nZnL0gHA — Call of Duty World League (@CODWorldLeague) May 5, 2019 Speaking with Dexerto about his remarkable CWL London experience, Simp revealed that he had always been confident in his ability to perform well on the main stage. “I’ve been preparing to play in the professional scene for years,” he said. “I knew I had what it takes and this event really showed what I can do.” Now that he’s a pro, other teams will get many chances to play against him and learn more about his playstyle and tendencies, but the potential of them adapting against him doesn’t faze Simp. “I think I’ll be able to continue playing at the level I’m currently playing at,” he said. :movie_camera: @eUnitedgg’s newest recruit @simpthesickjoke reveals what it’s like to play for such a big organization at a major event. pic.twitter.com/QBwHAIY2yP — DEXERTO @ CWL London (@DexertoIntel) May 4, 2019 Simp’s rise to prominence Simp first established a name for himself in the competitive CoD community when he proved to be a dominant force in Black Ops 3, both online and at local LAN events. He got his first major break when he was one of the first four recruits to eUnited’s Cadet program, along with the likes of FaZe Clan’s Cellium. Having turned 18 during the Black Ops 4 CWL season and thus earned his eligibility to play in the CWL, Simp was promoted to be eU’s substitute at the CWL Pro League. Because he was not yet on the pro team, he was allowed to compete with FaZe Clan Black in the Open Bracket tournament at CWL Fort Worth, where he played a huge role in helping the squad finish in first place. Following the tournament, he was permanently moved into the starting lineup in place of JKap, who has since moved on Evil Geniuses. His first involvement with the team was at the Pro League, where he quickly showed off his immense skills and helped eU go 3-1 and tie 100 Thieves for the best record (8-3) in Division B. Having now proven himself at both the Pro League and a major tournament, it’s probably safe to assume that Simp will be around the pro CoD scene for many years to come.

eUnited’s Prestinni addresses CoD roster rumors and Clayster “death threats” Call of Duty player Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson has put rumors that he is set to be dropped by eUnited to rest after speculation circulated that his time with the organization has come to an end. Discussion regarding the future of eUnited’s roster started on Sunday, March 3, when a number of their players began to tweet cryptic clues that seemed to show frustration among the players, specifically from Prestinni and his brother Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson. While many believed that eUnited were just baiting Call of Duty fans – as has been the case in the past – it appears that the team were genuinely considering making a change, although those discussions seem to be now over. Posting on Twitter on Tuesday, March 4, Prestinni stated: “Some things changed, so no changes with us will be happening any longer. Excited to get the team back on track and start practicing again. Putting everything that’s happened over the past few days behind us.” Some things changed, so no changes with us will be happening any longer. It was never Clay’s fault so please stop sending him unnecessary hate. Excited to get the team back on track and start practicing again. Putting everything that’s happened the past few days, behind us. :grin::call_me_hand::skin-tone-2: — Preston (@Prestinni) March 5, 2019 Sanderson also asked for fans to stop harassing his eUnited teammate James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, who fans have blamed for the roster situation after an unconfirmed post from a Call of Duty Intel account stated that Clayster was the driving force behind the push to drop Prestinni, a claim that Eubanks vehemently denies. Clayster states that he has even received death threats regarding the roster move, something which he feels is unwarrented and extremely damaging to his public image. “I don’t mind the rumors or the bait,” wrote Clayster. “It’s all fun and games until people start sending you death threats. What people think of me and my persona is my lifeblood, having dirt thrown on my name is where I have issues.” my brand. This, in-turn, affects my livelihood. What people think of me and my persona is my lifeblood, having dirt thrown directly onto my name is where I have issues. I’m not trying to shame anyone for biting the bait or having fun with rostermania. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) March 4, 2019 Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris stated that the last few days of uncertainty regarding the roster had been “rough” but was excited to get back to scrimming with the team ahead of CWL Fort Worth and the return of the CWL Pro League. It’s been a rough few days but excited to start back scrims with the team tomorrow. Goodnight:sleeping: — eU aBeZy (@aBeZy) March 5, 2019 With Prestinni confirming that he will be remaining on eUnited, it appears that the line-up will remain unchanged heading into CWL Fort Worth which kicks off on March 15. There are still a few days left for organizations and squads to make changes though, with the roster move window remaining open until Friday, March 8.

eUnited’s Clayster apologizes after lashing out at OpTic trolls Professional Call of Duty player James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has apologized after he hit out at OpTic Gaming “fanboys” who came to his livestream to troll him. Clayster was streaming a scrim against OpTic on January 15, as the two top placing teams from CWL Las Vegas practiced ahead of the CWL Pro League beginning in February. In between maps, Clayster noticed a portion of his stream chat were not simply there to watch the match or support eUnited, but rather were OpTic fans there to troll him and other members of the chat. Eubanks, who played for OpTic for most of the 2014 season, is no stranger to fans of other teams, particularly OpTic, attempting to troll him online. However, on this occasion, it got under the world champion’s skin, prompting him to respond, but some feel his comments went too far. “You guys can all go fucking kill yourselves, idiots,” Clayster says in one clip, continuing, “like, imagine that’s your life, you sit in some person you fanboy over’s stream, then you go to another person’s stream during a practice match that we stream for your entertainment.” Following his comments, Clayster later apologized on Twitter, but also suggests that without context it looks worse than it was. Posting stuff without any context whatsoever is kinda whack too, guess that’s the world we live in with clips. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) January 16, 2019 Some were angered by Clayster telling these trolls to “kill themselves”, while others argue that he had been pushed too far, and the comment was clearly made in the heat of the moment. However, as a veteran player, Eubanks should have plenty of experience in having to put up with these trolls, particularly from the OpTic fanbase given their larger numbers compared to other teams.

eUnited win CWL Champs 2019 after intense Grand Final – highlights, recap, MVP CWL – TwitchThe 2019 CWL Championship wrapped up on August 18, with North American esports organization eUnited taking home first place. Solidifying themselves as the best competitive roster in Black Ops 4, eUnited were the last team standing when the dust settled at CoD Champs, the first time they’d ever cracked the top-three in three attempts. They defeated the formidable 100 Thieves 3-2 in what was a very tight Grand Final, thanks to the advantage of having won the Winners Bracket, which meant one series victory was enough to clinch the championship. With both teams considered tournament favorites coming into the week, it wasn’t much of a surprise that their lone meeting turned into a back-and-forth affair that went all the way to a fifth map. Read More: OpTic destroyed by 100 Thieves at Champs – However, after learning what it took to be a championship-caliber team following their win at last month’s CWL Finals, eUnited stepped up when it mattered most, not only getting to take home the prestigious trophy, but also a cool $800,000. For the full final placements and prize split for each of the 32 teams, make sure to visit our CWL Championship 2019 Final Placements hub. Grand Final recap – eUnited 3-2 100 Thieves eUnited took the early lead in the serious with an impressive showing on the first map Hardpoint on Seaside, winning 250-126. However, 100 Thieves are not a team that will roll over after a single map loss, and they proved it by coming out strong on Hacienda Search & Destroy, winning 6-3. Series TIED: @100Thieves take the S&D 6-3 and draw even vs @eUnited!https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh#CWLPS4 | #CWLChamps pic.twitter.com/sH09bZFP1k — Call of Duty World League (@CODWorldLeague) August 18, 2019 A key moment in that match came when 100T were trailing 1-2, and Priestahh was stuck in a seemingly unwinnable 1v3 situation. However, if there’s one thing to expect from the young star, it’s the impossible. The 1v3 from @Priestahh!#CWLPS4 | #CWLChamps pic.twitter.com/y7ZHkGoNcL — Call of Duty World League (@CODWorldLeague) August 18, 2019 100 Thieves then took control of the series with a 3-1 win on Frequency Control, as a clutch kill from Enable stopped eUnited short from tying up the round count. :surprised: @Enable gets the kill!@100Thieves close out the Control 3-1, one map win away from making this an even Grand Final vs @eUnited!https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh#CWLPS4 | #CWLChamps pic.twitter.com/u6C2PNJ9N1 — Call of Duty World League (@CODWorldLeague) August 18, 2019 With the threat of a bracket reset looming over them now, eUnited gave it all they had in the map four Arsenal Hardpoint, winning 250-219 to force a game five. #GAME5ALERT!@eUnited need one more map for the rings, @100Thieves looking to make it to another series.https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh#CWLPS4 | #CWLChamps pic.twitter.com/8H76ot4eOC — Call of Duty World League (@CODWorldLeague) August 18, 2019 Staying on Arsenal, the two powerhouse sides clashed in a game five S&D with everything on the line for both teams. A pivotal moment came during the fourth round, when Simp and Priestahh were in a 1v1 situation, and eUnited’s young superstar ended up getting the win. The 1v1 WIN from @SimpXO!#CWLPS4 | #CWLChamps pic.twitter.com/91ygcBkgHv — Call of Duty World League (@CODWorldLeague) August 18, 2019 That was all of the momentum they needed, as it was pretty much smooth sailing for eU from that point, clutching up and taking the map 6-4 to win their first ever CWL Championship. The WINNING MOMENT!!! @eUnited #STANDUNITED#CWLPS4 | #CWLChamps pic.twitter.com/28OCjGQFvS — Call of Duty World League (@CODWorldLeague) August 18, 2019 Simp wins MVP As if there was any doubt, Simp ended up being named the Most Valuable Player, and the stats he put up were bordering on insanity – a 1.35 K/D on Hardpoint, 1.76 K/D on S&D, and 1.20 K/D on Control, solidying himself as arguably the best player in the world right now. This major tournament victory is eUnited’s second in a row, after last month’s win at the Pro League Playoffs at CWL Finals. They join 100 Thieves as the only teams to have won multiple trophies this season. As for championship rings, this is the first one for Simp, aBeZy, Arcitys and Prestinni, and the second world championship for Clayster, who also one on in 2015 with Denial Esports.

eUnited win $2,500 CMG ProDown Black Ops 4 tournament #4 – recap, highlights, and final placements The fourth running of Checkmate Gaming’s $2,500 ProDown Black Ops 4 tournament wrapped up on January 7 with eUnited being crowned champions for the first time. eUnited defeated G2 Esports 4-2 and 4-0 in the Grand Final to become the first team other than OpTic Gaming to win a ProDown tournament, as OpTic had won the previous three. Having been relegated to the Loser’s Bracket in the very first round, eU had to win six straight series just to make it to the Grand Final. Even then, they were faced with having to win both series in the Grand Final, while G2 would only need to win one because they had won the Winner’s Bracket. eUnited would start off very hot in the first series, winning the Gridlock Hardpoint 250-99 and the Hacienda Search and Destroy 6-2. However, G2 would win two of the next three maps, 3-2 on Gridlock Control and 6-4 on Arsenal S&D, sandwiched around eU’s 250-169 Hardpoint victory on Hacienda. Leading the series 3-2 going into the game six Control on Arsenal, eUnited knew they had a chance to end the first series there and force a bracket reset, but it didn’t seem likely after G2 took a quick 2-0 lead. However, resilient as ever, eU regained and fought back to win the game 3-2 and take the series 4-2. With the bracket now reset, everything would rest on the second best-of-seven series. Just as with the first series, eU would blast out of the gates and take a quick 2-0 lead, winning the Hacienda Hardpoint 250-203 and Payload SnD 6-2. The lead would balloon to 3-0 after eU dominated the game three Control on Frequency 3-0, and they would also go on to win the game four Hardpoint on Seaside 250-136 to complete the dominant sweep and claim the ProDown championship. From Losers Round 1 to ProDown Champions!#eUCoD Dominate G2 4-0 in the second set to take this weekend’s ProDown!#StandUnited pic.twitter.com/KkiV2kUBZe — eUnited (@eUnitedgg) January 8, 2019 The CMG ProDown is a double-elimination tournament series that features some of the most prominent pro teams in Call of Duty esports. 16 teams participated in this week’s competition, which was split over two days. The bulk of the matches were played on January 6 and the latter rounds, including the Winner’s Bracket Final, Loser’s Bracket Semis and Final, and the Grand Final, were all played on January 7. Here are the scorelines for all of the day two matches. Winner’s Final: G2 Esports 4 – 3 SZN (iLLeY, Simp, Shotzy, Onyx, Paulehx) – Loser’s Semis – eUnited 3 – 0 Red Reserve – Loser’s Final – eUnited 3 – 1 SZN – Grand Final – Game 1: G2 Esports 2 – 4 eUnited – Game 2: eUnited 4 – 0 G2 Esports – – A full recap of all of the day one action, including the stunning elimination of OpTic Gaming, can be found HERE. The overall final placements can be seen in the table below, along with the Winner’s and Loser’s Brackets. Winner’s Bracket (From Quarters) Loser’s Bracket (From Round 3) For more information about the CMG ProDown, including team rosters and full brackets from this latest tournament, visit the tournament web-page on the CMG website HERE.

eUnited Twins Prestinni and Arcitys Reveal How Becoming CoD Pros Changed Their Entire Family’s Life The twin duo of Alec “Arcitys” and Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson broke out into the professional tier of Call of Duty during the Infinite Warfare season, and have revealed how much it changed their family’s lives. The pair first gained recognition in the Black Ops III season amongst the up and comung amateur scene, but after moving to eUnited with Justin “SiLLY” Fargo and Pierce “Gunless” Hillman, they’re careers really took off. Winning their very first event together, CWL Atlanta 2017, and netting a cool $20,000 each was life changing money, the twins have revealed in the newest episode of Behind the Controller with MLG and Scuf Gaming. And the twins have remained teaming together since, motivating each other if one isn’t performing as well or is in a slump. And since their Atlanta win, they have gone on to win even bigger prize pools, after finishing 3rd in the CWL Global Pro League Stage Two in 2017. “We weren’t in the best position financially, our parents actually just got into a big wreck so we needed money. Winning $20,000 like that, it really boosted our careers in this gaming community, it got us in a really good spot and out of that little drought we were in.” The twins also discussed a bit about how things were growing up, before they broke into the professional Call of Duty scene and started to earn some better money, for their family as well as them. “There were a lot of restrains when it came to financial issues. We were just never really in a good spot, and that why I’m so grateful that we did end up making something out of this. Because we can help support our parents back. To see our parents struggling and just stressing out because they don’t have enough money to get food this month, it wasn’t fun to watch. It’s motivation to never go back to struggling. It proved to us that we have what it takes to do whatever we want. If we want to do something, we can do it.” You can watch the full episode with Prestinni and Arcitys from the latest Behind the Controller from MLG and Scuf Gaming below.

eUnited roast OpTic Gaming’s CoD Champs failure with Halloween makeover Esports organization eUnited gave their social media accounts a Halloween makeover – dressing up as “a Top 24 Champs team” – i.e. OpTic Gaming. OpTic had a dysmal showing at the 2018 Call of Duty World Championship in August, eliminated in the group stages, despite only needing to win a single map against Evil Geniuses to advance. Evil Geniuses, led by now Envy captain Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price, went on to secure World Championship and reinforce the ACHES vs OpTic rivalry – but it appears eUnited wants to start a rivalry of its own. #SpookySzn indeed, a ghost deleted our original tweet. We’re still being a Top 24 Champs team for Halloween. pic.twitter.com/horwWA9KgA — eUnited (@eUnitedgg) October 31, 2018 And it wasn’t just this single tweet, they also changed their entire Twitter banner to the green colors of OpTic. eUnited placed 4th at the most recent World Championship, although they may have experienced a slight lapse in memory – as they too placed top 24, albeit at the 2016 World Championship – as they were reminded by CoDGamepedia. You guys didn’t have to dress up then :sweat_smile: pic.twitter.com/WjtsDaua46 — COD Gamepedia (@CODGamepedia) October 31, 2018 eUnited’s social media team may have earned somewhat of a reputation for their memes and gags, but this joke particularly caught the community by surprise. CWL caster and host Clint ‘Maven’ Evans simply responded with a picture of the OpTic Gaming’s Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, presumably mirroring his own reaction. 100 Thieves graphic designer Alpaca – formerly of OpTic Gaming – responded similarly, with a picture of an open mouthed Drake in complete shock and awe. MLG Director Ethan Spence just seemed happy to see another rivalry brewing ahead of the new season. There’s no response yet from OpTic Gaming themselves, but we’re sure they’re cooking something up to fire back at such slander – although a social media war with eUnited is not for the faint hearted. Of course, a handful of fans of the GreenWall were not impressed by eUnited’s hilarity, but it’s the response they would have expected.

EUnited Qualify for CWL Pro League Stage 2 Playoffs, Eliminating Luminosity in the Process North American pro Call of Duty team eUnited have qualified for the CWL Pro League Stage 2 Playoffs. The org becomes the third team from Division A to clinch a postseason berth, joining UNILAD Esports and OpTic Gaming, both of whom qualified on July 17. Coming into Day Two of the eighth and final week of the regular season with a 7-4 record, eUnited knew that victories against Tainted Minds and Luminosity Gaming would ensure a Playoff spot. A swift 3-1 victory against the Australians set up an all-important matchup against LG. The first game featured an astonishing finish, as eUnited edged it out 231-230 in one of the closest Hardpoint matches of the season. WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?!! Another insane Ardennes Forest Hardpoint sees @eUnitedgg winning by one second over @Luminosity!https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/bNcXHKJxYa — Call of Duty esports (@CODWorldLeague) July 18, 2018 While a team kill by Clayster allowed LG to win the S&D by a score of 6-5, eUnited answered back with a 3-1 victory in the CTF to take a 2-1 lead. YIKES… an unfortunate team kill from Clayster allows @Luminosity to steal the S&D round 11!https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/u53CJvVhsg — Call of Duty esports (@CODWorldLeague) July 18, 2018 .@eUnitedgg win the CTF 3-1, they take a 2-1 series lead on @Luminosity!https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/rrZbnub2xv — Call of Duty esports (@CODWorldLeague) July 18, 2018 The fourth game featured another close Hardpoint finish, but eUnited were able to clutch up and close out the series, securing themselves a Playoff spot. .@eUnitedgg will be one of the eight teams headed to #CWLPS4 Stage 2 Playoffs! They punch their ticket with the 3-1 series win over @Luminosity.https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh pic.twitter.com/Awhx7cbvNw — Call of Duty esports (@CODWorldLeague) July 18, 2018 Unfortunately for LG, the loss meant that they were eliminated from Playoff contention, capping off what has been a largely disappointing Stage 2 campaign for their new look squad. The team will now have plenty of time to practice before the 2018 CWL Championships in August, where they will hope to find the success they did not achieve in the Pro League.

eUnited players dispute CoDBurner’s latest claims The drawn out saga of the mysterious CoDBurner continues, and this time he’s made public claims about eUnited’s Call of Duty roster. According to the infamous insider, multiple eUnited players want to leave the org because of the disparity in their desired wages and what they’re actually getting paid. “Players want off eUnited because they can’t pay enough and everyone wants $10k now,” the CoDBurner claims. “Splyce is making big offers and ‘Rich Guy’ is offering $20k to everyone.” The CoDBurner went on to specifically name, what he alleges, is the current status for all of eUnited’s players regarding this wage situation. “Does this guy just sit in a dark room and write down predictions and hope they come to fruition?” he tweeted. “I’m playing with our fifth right now, stop tweeting me sheesh.” Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson had a much more emotional reaction to the CoDBurner’s claims, as he made clear in a response to eUnited coach ‘Saintt.’ “I’m ready to throw hands on sight when I found out who this guy is, Brian,” he wrote on Twitter. “I’m fed up. This guy is pissing me off at this point.” Whether or not the CoDBurner’s allegations are true remains to be seen, especially if the eUnited players are being this insistent in their denial. However, eUnited was not one of the orgs people predicted would make any wholesale or major changes to their CoD roster going into the Black Ops 4 season.

eUnited take down OpTic, Gen.G sweep Heretics – CWL Pro League July 5 recap TheCall of Duty squads jostling for their final standing ahead of the CWL Finals. Despite a few teams already knowing their faith ahead of Miami, that didn’t affect the action as there were three helpings of 3-1 series’, as well as a classic 3-0 for good measure. Elevate 1-3 Team Reciprocity In the first match of the night, Elevate locked horns with finals-chasing Team Reciprocity and tried to play spoiler by denying Bradley ‘wuskin’ Marshall’s squad a chance at making it to Miami. However, Reciprocity squared things away by a 3-1 scoreline. The majority-British team scored Frequency Hardpoint by a score of 250-193 but allowed Elevate to return serve with a 6-5 victory on Arsenal Search and Destroy. Yet, wuskin’s men responded with a 3-1 win on Arsenal Control before finishing things off with a 250-108 result on Hacienda Hardpoint. The ball was in their court and @TeamReciprocity clutched up! They qualify for the playoff bracket at CWL Miami with a win over @ElevateGG!#RECPack | #CWLPS4 :tv:: https://t.co/PsQ2lXN2pl pic.twitter.com/7ZQIjDGK2w — MLG (@MLG) July 5, 2019 Midnight 3-1 Envy After taking down OpTic Gaming in a 3-0 series in their last outing, Team Envy looked to take that momentum into their last Pro League game of the season – but fell to a dominant Midnight performance. Christopher ‘Parasite’ Duarte’s squad opened things up with an almost flawless 250-67 win on Gridlock Hardpoint before dropping the subsequent Search and Destroy. Midnight regained, however, taking Seaside Control with a 3-0 before closing things down with a 250-219 win on Hacienda Hardpoint. Gen.G 3-0 Team Heretics Prior to the main event, Gen.G took down Team Heretics in the only 3-0 sweep of the night. Gen.G, who have been on the verge of winning an event in Black Ops 4 but have not been able to get over the hump, kicked things off with a 250-144 victory on Frequency Hardpoint. The series remained on Frequency for the following two maps, with Gen.G holding off a feisty Heretics showing in Search and Destroy – winning 6-4 – before dominating the Control match-up by a 3-0 scoreline. Both teams have qualified for the Miami event – with Heretics needing to take down a play-in team before they have a chance of advancing in the winner’s bracket. eUnited 1-3 OpTic Gaming OpTic Gaming faced off against a red-hot eUnited team who were looking to claim the top spot in Division B. James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks’ men dropped the first Hardpoint on Arsenal by a 250-226 following a rousing late surge from OpTic. Read More: Crimsix accuses OpTic CoD of being “mentally checked out” after getting thrashed by eUnited – However, they quickly rallied and begun their dismantling of the Greenwall with an impressive 6-1 win on Payload Search and Destroy. Clayster’s squad didn’t let up either, picking up the Arsenal Control by a 3-1 scoreline before finishing things off with a 250-179 win on Gridlock Hardpoint. With the Pro League now done and dusted, teams will be looking ahead to the final major LAN events of the Black Ops 4 season, starting with the CWL Finals in Miami on July 19, before the big one – Call of Duty Champs in August. It remains to be seen as to who will end up as the ultimate dominant force in Black Ops 4, but it should be a tightly-contested field before the focus turns to Modern Warfare.

eUnited members roast Midnight Esports over new Twitter graphics This past Rostermania period was as intense as any in recent years, but eUnited provided some comic relief by hilariously roasting fellow CWL Pro League team Midnight Esports. On March 8, several members of eUnited took to Twitter to poke fun at Midnight for a graphic they used in announcing their newest player Renato ‘Saints’ Forza. The graphic, which Midnight tweeted out, featured a revamped version of the team’s logo over a dark purple backdrop and Saints’ name in white graffiti text underneath. FaZe Clan’s Attach joins new Pro League team ahead of CWL Fort WorthFollowing him was the team’s CoD coach Brian ‘Saintt’ Baroska, who tweeted out a meme that read: “Listen, if you want a spot on the roster, you need to make your own GFX.” Soon after Saintt’s meme came a quick roast from CoD pro James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, who quoted Midnight’s announcement image with the caption: “I legit could have made a better pic in 100 seconds.” Last but not least, eUnited’s John tweeted out a parody image that very much resembled Midnight’s but was instead meant for the announcement of Simp as the CoD team’s new sub, which also came on March 8. wait why didn’t we use my image pic.twitter.com/rQ9JPpxtim — eU John (@brutebrutebrute) March 8, 2019 These eUnited members were, of course, hardly the only ones who did not hold back when joking about Midnight GFX. When the original tweet was first put out, it did not take long for the comments section to be filled with roasts of varying degrees of savagery. At the end of the day, however, Midnight deserve credit and respect for sticking with the image and not deleting the tweet, and it appears they’re also ready to continue with their revamped branding and logo, which has also seen a fair share of jokes sent its way.

eUnited GM calls out Activision for ‘unfair’ CoD player signing window Call of Duty, ActivisionCall of Duty franchised league. Nine teams have been revealed to be part of Activision’s upcoming Call of Duty League, and player discussions have already started behind the scenes ever since the signing period opened on Tuesday, September 3. eUnited’s GM, whose roster recently claimed the title of the last-ever World League Championship winners, believes the signing window should have been held back, at least until all the franchise teams were confirmed by league organizers. “I don’t know how free agency windows open for a franchise league before all the franchises are even decided? This has happened in multiple games now LOL,” Clerkie said on Twitter. “The playing field is slanted like crazy.” Read more: OpTic’s Crimsix announces free agency – The main issue eUnited’s backroom is facing is that the confirmed teams already have so much of an advantage over the other teams still patiently waiting to find out if they have been accepted into the new-look competition. Idk how free agency windows open for a franchise league before all the franchises are even decided? This has happened in multiple games now LOL The playing field is slanted like crazy — eU dan (@clerkie) September 9, 2019 “Hey, you six teams are good to go. You can sign whoever you want,” he continued. “Hey, you four teams who we are still reviewing, if those six teams want your players you’re gonna have to make some hard decisions. LOL. “If you’re a good owner, you’d obviously let your players go instead of holding them for an unknown reality. But at the same time, the deck is absolutely stacked against the final teams that get in. Competitive integrity is literally out the window.” If you’re a good owner you’d obviously let your players go instead of holding them for an unknown reality. But at the same time the deck is absolutely stacked against the final teams that get in. Competitive integrity is literally out the window. — eU dan (@clerkie) September 9, 2019 Clerkie went on to admit he knew franchising would be about more than just winning championship rings, but still expressed his annoyance at the staggered nature of team acceptances. If the first teams sign all the good players, it will leave an unlevel playing field. “I get the league is under the pressure of teams that are in wanting to get started, and franchising is more than just winning and the games, but wow it’s unbelievable to me that it is considered a fair ecosystem at all,” he said. As things stand, eUnited have shown no indications that they will be participating in the new CDL, although rumors have it that they could be purchased by Lee Zieben, the new owner of the Houston Outlaws Overwatch League team. Read more: YouTuber leaks MW beta maps, level cap – According to the rumors, Zieben may bring in eUnited with the purpose of purchasing a spot in the CDL, which means that the defending CWL World Champions would indeed be competing in the franchised league. So far, nine locations/franchises have been confirmed for the Call of Duty franchised league: Atlanta, Dallas, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Paris, Toronto, and two Los Angeles teams. Currently, no rosters for the franchise league have been confirmed. You can stay up to date with all roster news and changes via our Rostermania hub.

eUnited eliminated in their first match of bracket play at CWL Fort Worth Despite being one of the top Call of Duty teams heading into CWL Fort Worth, eUnited faced much hardship right out the gate and have been eliminated from the tournament in their first match of Day 2. Given that eUnited were the runner-ups at CWL Vegas back in December, many expected them to once again contend for the title at CWL Fort Worth this weekend. After finishing the Pool Play stage with a lackluster 1-2 record at the bottom of Pool D, however, their misfortune continued into Saturday when they ran into a hot 100 Thieves squad. Coming out the gate, it was 100 Thieves that got things going with a fairly convincing 250-168 win on Arsenal Hardpoint. The action then switched over to Arsenal Search & Destroy where 100 Thieves jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead right off the bat. eUnited then made things a bit more interesting by rallying back and forcing things to a decisive Round 11. Once there, though, 100 Thieves completely took over to close out the round and take a 2-0 lead. Moving to Gridlock Control, eUnited managed to push through with a fairly dominant 3-0 victory that sent the game to Seaside for the final Hardpoint round. Much like the first Hardpoint, eUnited couldn’t withstand the the pressure from 100 Thieves and were sent packing with a 250-194 loss. eUnited will now have to get back to the drawing board before the CWL Pro League starts up again following this substandard 13-16 finish in Fort Worth.

eUnited, Echo Fox, Team Kaliber and Splyce all Eliminated in Top 12 at CWL Anaheim Four top caliber teams lost their opening match on Championship Sunday at CWL Anaheim, all ending with a disappointing top 12 finish, while two APAC teams advance to the top eight. eUnited narrowly beat Evil Geniuses on Saturday to advance to Sunday, in a game five round 11, which Evil Geniuses really should have won having been 5-3 up. But eUnited were then faced with an ever tougher challenge in OpTic Gaming, which proved far too difficult for them, as they were swept 3-0. While the first two maps were close, and really could have gone either way, eUnited either lost focus or were already out of steam on the third map, which OpTic took with relative ease. Team Kaliber put up a solid fight against FaZe Clan, and even had the upper hand after taking map one, but FaZe quickly regained to 6-0 tK on SnD map two. Another close CTF went the way of FaZe, and suddenly tK’s tournament life was on the line. The second Hardpoint was the closest map of the series with the team’s neck and neck for the majority, but FaZe closed it out 250-206 in the end. Mindfreak and Splyce battled a very close series, but where MF would usually choke in the all important game five, they clutched up, sending Splyce home with another disappointing placing. This insane end to the hardpoint was the highlight of the series, but Splyce couldn’t carry the momentum into map five. The most surprising result was likely Tainted Minds 3-0 sweep of Echo Fox, as the Australian team continue what is becoming a massively impressive losers bracket run. After also sweeping Team Envy on Saturday night, Tainted Minds once again upset a top NA team in Echo Fox, thanks to a 250-240 hardpoint, making a 2-5 comeback on SnD to win 6-5, and then closing it out on the CTF

eUnited Dominates Red Reserve in CWL Championship Winner Bracket Round One eUnited stunned Red Reserve in the first round of the CWL Championship winner bracket with a 3-0 sweep. Red is one of the big favorites for the tournament, having picked up second- and third-place finishes at the preceding two events. Following a loss to eUnited in the first round of the playoffs, however, they now face a long lower bracket run if they are to replicate those results. eUnited themselves entered the match off of a slightly shaky group stage, having relinquished the top seed from their pool to Lightning Pandas. The squad came out hot against Red, however, with everyone firing on all cylinders for a dominant opening Hardpoint win. Search and Destroy was a more back-and-forth affair early on, but in the later stages of the game it was once again eUnited that came through. A big clutch for Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson in the eighth opened a gap which allowed eUnited to close the game out 6-3. Flak Tower CTF was the closes map of the series. With neither team willing to risk a mistake, overtime was reached without a single flag captured on either side. It was Red Reserve that put the first on the board with a 50-second capture, but an incredible response from eUnited stole the game and the series with mere seconds to spare. This is the first time since this Red Reserve roster formed that they have been defeated 3-0. eUnited advances in the winner bracket, set to face UNILAD in the next round. Red Reserve, meanwhile, will be fighting for their tournament lives against compLexity.

eUnited Defeats Echo Fox in Strong Start to CWL Pro League Stage 2 Playoffs eUnited kicked off their CWL Pro League Stage 2 Playoffs campaign with a strong victory over Echo Fox. Respawn superiority was key for eUnited, coupling convincing Hardpoints with a hard-fought Capture the Flag to take the series 3-1. eUnited drew first blood with a dominant London Docks Hardpoint, putting Echo Fox on the back foot early. It looked like eUnited would carry their momentum through to a 2-0 lead, getting off to a strong start on Sainte Marie du Mont SND. Echo Fox found their footing in the mid-game though, coming back from three rounds down to secure a 6-4 win and tie the series up at one apiece. Flak Tower Capture the Flag was another intense affair, the two teams inseparable for much of the game before a late capture for eUnited tipped the scales in their favor, closing a 2-1 win to take the same lead in the series. A heroic effort from Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda on Ardennes Forest Hardpoint kept Echo Fox competitive throughout most of the map, but even with the extra time he was able to give them the rest of his team never quite got going, allowing eUnited to close out the game and the series. eUnited will play the winner between Red Reserve and Rise Nation in the winner bracket semi-finals – a formidable prospect either way – while Echo Fox will now be faced with the loser of that same match in order to keep their playoff run alive. eUnited 3-1 Echo Fox HP London Docks 250-161 SND Sainte Marie du Mont 4-6 CTF Flak Tower 2-1 HP Ardennes Forest 250-182

eUnited CoD team promote Simp to starting lineup following CWL Fort Worth eUnited – TwittereUnited have made a change to the Call of Duty professional roster, promoting substitute Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr to the starting lineup for the CWL Pro League. The roster move was announced on March 19 via a tweet from eUnited: “Coming off an impressive Open Bracket Finals win, we are proud to announce that Simp will be in the starting lineup during next week’s Pro League matches.” In order to make room from Simp in the starting squad, eUntied have decided to demote Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan to the substitute’s role for the time being. The wording used the tweet seems to suggest that this could be trial phase for Simp in the starting lineup for the upcoming week of matches, so we may see this change reversed if things don’t go according to plan. However, if things do end up working out, then Simp will likely remain in the starting lineup beyond next week, and JKap may be forced to either suffice with being a substitute or find a new team in the Pro League. Welcome @SimpTheSickJoke to #eUCoD. Coming off an impressive Open Bracket Finals win, we are proud to announce that Simp will be in the starting lineup during next week’s pro league matches. With his addition, JKap will be moved into the substitute role. #StandUnited pic.twitter.com/xikXTAFIjr — eUnited (@eUnitedgg) March 19, 2019 This roster move comes after Simp put in a steller performance in helping FaZe Clan Black dominate the Open Bracket Tournament at CWL Fort Worth. The squad dropped only four maps the entire competition, although they had to reverse sweep Mindfreak in the Grand Final to secure the first place prize. eUnited, however, could not have had a worse tournament, as they ended up placing last after finishing fourth in Pool D and getting knocked out by 100 Thieves in the first round of the Losers Bracket. https://www.dexerto.com/call-of-duty/faze-clan-black-win-75000-cwl-fort-worth-open-bracket-tournament-recap-final-placements-461422Shortly after this roster move was officially announced, JKap tweeted out his side of the story and claimed innocence from the controversial claims that were made against him. “All I want to address right now is the fact that “CoDBurner” has the whole community believing that I brainwashed three adult men,” he wrote. “It’s completely laughable, but everyone believes it because this community is all hive mindset.” Card Controversy aside, eUnited will look to keep their head in the game if they want to bounce back from their tough showing at CWL Fort Worth. The CWL Pro League has entered its cross-divisional stage, and eU, who currently sit second in Division B with a 5-2 record, are scheduled to play Evil Geniuses, UYU, and Red Reserve in the upcoming week.

eUnited CoD pros Clayster and Prestinni clash with Parasite over scrim ASTRO GamingCall of Duty professionals James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson and Chris ‘Parasite’ Duarte appeared to get heated on social media following scrim matches, but Prestinni insists it’s “not that deep”. Call of Duty pros clash over ‘shooting bodies’ Three prominent CoD pros exchanged insults on Twitter after a dispute over a scrim match. Clayster and Prestinni are both currently part of eUnited, while Parasite plays as an AR for Midnight Esports, having joined in March 2019. The dispute started on April 20, with Clayster simply instructing Parasite not to “shoot my teammates body”, after a killcam showed the Midnight player lacing Prestinni’s character model with bullets. ‘Shooting bodies’ in multiplayer shooters is generally interpreted as a sign of gloating and disrespect toward the opponent. Clayster’s tweet prompted Parasite to reply, who criticized Prestinni’s play, stating that his teammate [Prestinni] was chasing “red dots and hitting scrap for no reason”. This brought Prestinni into the argument, who quickly fired back. “I was literally rotated you dip shit,” said the eU SMG player. “Go win or something bro. It’s been like 10 years dawg. Figured you’d have retired by now”. Here, Prestinni is referencing the fact that Parasite has not won a major event since UMG Nashville in 2014, during Call of Duty: Ghosts. Prestinni’s last event victory came during the Infinite Warfare season, at the 2017 CWL Atlanta Open. His teammate, Clayster, has not won an event since 2015, back in Advanced Warfare. The two continued to exchange insults, with Prestinni even accusing Parasite of being “disrespectful to everyone in the community when you haven’t done shit” since Black Ops 2 – the game in which Parasite won his World Championship. I was literally rotated you dip shit. Go win or something bro. It’s been like 10 years dawg. Figured you’d have retired by now — Preston (@Prestinni) April 20, 2019 Ain’t nobody mad. You just disrespectful to everyone in the community when you haven’t done shit since Bo2. Maturing is hard — Preston (@Prestinni) April 21, 2019 However, soon after this, Prestinni appeared eager to put the disagreement to bed, saying: “I didn’t give a shit until you said something on twitter about me. GGs tho dawg. Thx for the scrim”, to which Parasite replied “likewise GGs”. Prestinni later tried to explain on Reddit that his comments weren’t all serious, and that he and Parasite remain friendly. Commenters weren’t entirely convinced that his insults were in jest, but it looks like the trio of pro players have moved on.

eUnited CoD pro JKap apologizes for use of homophobic slur DexertoTwo time Call of Duty world champion Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan has apologized for his use of homophobic language, after it was caught on a fellow CoD pro’s stream. JKap has been a hot topic in the CoD community of late, after he was moved to a substitute role for eUnited following their disappointing finish at CWL Fort Worth. There has also been community discussion over his relationship with eUnited teammate James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, and how much this impacted the decision to drop him from the starting line-up. It was while referring to Clayster that JKap used the homophobic slur, which was picked up on the stream of 100 Thieves player Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams. On March 23, JKap issued a public apology via Twitter. JKap explained that he was sorry for using the term and that he let his emotions get the best of him “in the moment”. Kaplan went on to acknowledge that the use of the term was “unacceptable” and that it “does not reflect my values as a person”. The apology concludes that the behaviour will not be repeated. I want to apologize for something I said the other day. I let my emotions get the best of me in the moment and used a homophobic slur. This is unacceptable behavior from me and does not reflect my values as a person. I’m sorry for the language I used and it will not happen again. — Jordan Kaplan (@JKap415) March 23, 2019 I want to apologize for something I said the other day. I let my emotions get the best of me in the moment and used a homophobic slur. This is unacceptable behavior from me and does not reflect my values as a person. I’m sorry for the language I used and it will not happen again. His apology has received a largely positive response, with fellow Call of Duty pro Renato ‘Saints’ Forza replying “salute bro”, and others generally being forgiving of what happened. It is clear JKap wants to draw a line under the incident and focus on what’s next in his career, which currently lies in the balance as he sits on the bench of eUnited.

eUnited CoD coach Saintt calls for CWL coaching rule changes While there have been many changes to the CWL ruleset over the last few seasons, there’s still one change that some are looking to be made. In almost every major esport around, coaches are able to communicate with their teams during tournaments and events, whether it be in-game or in between individual rounds. Call of Duty is one of the major exceptions to this rule, as coaches are unable to give any sort of coaching during matches. The issue was brought to light by eUnited coach Brian ‘Saintt’ Baroska who posted a thread on Twitter wondering why the rules haven’t been changed given that other major shooters allow extensive coaching. Been thinking about it all night and why haven’t the coaching rules changed for CoD yet? If you look at any other major shooter title whether it be CS, R6, Halo, or GoW they ALL allow coaches on stage with the team being able to communicate whether it be in game or between rds — eU Saintt (@BrianSaintt) December 17, 2018 Saintt went on to talk about the difficulties with the current state of coaching in the CWL, explaining the fact that a coach would need to walk up on stage after a map “and physically take one of [their] player’s headset off” in order to give any sort of feedback. With CoD it’s near impossible to even talk to the team in between maps because you need to walk over to the stage after the map and physically take one of your player’s headsets off their head and use it to talk to the team while at that point the next map is about to start soon — eU Saintt (@BrianSaintt) December 17, 2018 He then ended his thread by saying it was “ridiculous” that he and OpTic Gaming coach Tyler ‘TeeP’ Polchow had to watch the Grand Finals of CWL Vegas from the crowd rather than help their team out. Saintt wasn’t alone in his thoughts on the matter, as a number of coaches chimed in with their approval of his sentiments. OpTic Gaming coach TeeP Evil Geniuses coach John ‘Revan’ Boble Splyce coach Mark ‘MarkyB’ Bryceland Team Envy coach Embry ‘Bevils’ Bevil While there’s been no official response from the CWL, there’s still quite some time until the next open event starts up in Fort Worth, Texas on March 15, allowing time for some adjustments.

eUnited CoD Coach ‘Saintt’ Almost Got Fired Because of the CoDBurner The mysterious ‘CoDBurner’ has become the topic of many conversations among the competitive Call of Duty community, and it’s almost cost eUnited team coach Brian ‘Saintt’ Baroska his job. Saintt, who retired from competing in February 2018 to become eUnited’s coach, revealed that his job status was in jeopardy after people began accusing him of being the CoDBurner. In a post on the competitive CoD Reddit page, the former pro angrily wrote about the situation as he wished that the mysterious informant would get hacked and exposed. I was already threatened to lose my job so I hope he gets doxed so I don’t have to hear anything about this again. After the WWII season concluded, the CoDBurner re-established themselves in the spotlight, revealing a lot of upcoming roster changes, insider dealings, and private agreements between players, teams, and organizations. Although many in the community have welcomed this influx of insider information, most of the players, coaches, and org higher-ups have been scrambling to determine the secret identity of this insider. Saintt is not the first insider to be accused of being the CoDBurner, nor will he be the last. Many players have taken the matter into their own hands and begun investigating and following every hint of suspicion, which has inevitably led to false, and even ridiculous, accusations. Some in the community are of the belief that a majority of the players are in on the CoDBurner and their identity, some even helping feed them information. However, OpTic’s Crimsix has come out and refuted those claims, and offered his own set of opinions as to the nature of the informant’s identity. Although the CoDBurner has become a valuable source of leaks, this latest development has certainly raised this stakes since more insiders are coming under scrutiny and their jobs under risk. It would certainly be a shame to see players, coaches, and other members of esports orgs lose their jobs because of the CoDBurner.

eUnited’s Clayster vents frustration after another CoD update changes the entire meta Competitive Call of Duty is an exciting, fluid esport for fans to indulge, but the constant changes to the scene can sometimes leave some pros wanting for more stability. In a series of tweets, eUnited’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks expressed some frustrations with the way CoD esports seems to change so frequently, which essentially forces pros to relearn major aspects of their job every few months. Although Clayster acknowledges that adaptation is always a part of the pro scene, these extensive and sometimes game-changing updates can still throw a troublesome wrench in teams’ preparations. Gimme a CoD game made by one developer that just updates or adds maps/guns once a year. Strictly made for comp from the ground up. Gimme some CS level strats with depth that spans a decade. A guy can wish — eU Clayster (@Clayster) February 19, 2019 “So tired of work being reset every ~3 months,” Clayster said. “Whether it be a patch, new game, whatever. Feel like CoD is so inconsistent because we can’t practice for longer than 90 days without something major happening.” The 2015 World Champion MVP suggested that Activison work on a title from the “ground up” specifically for the purposes of fostering the competitive scene. “Just adapt” yeah we will just like we have for the past 10 years. CoD players have the best adaptability over almost any other esport. We always adapt, literally all the time. We’re gonna adapt in four days practice to a completely new game playing in a league for $1.25m lmfao. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) February 19, 2019 Clayster suggested that a CoD title with a single, dedicated developer who updates the game once every year or so could set the stage up for more intricate stats or plays from the CoD scene. Read more: How to watch the Black Ops 4 CWL Pro League – streams, schedule, scores, standings, and more – As it stands, CoD teams can’t get used to a single style of play throughout a significant amount of time since major updates or new title releases basically wipes the potential for deep strats. With franchising coming to the Call of Duty in the future, Activision could look for more ways to make the esport’s scene more stable in its approach. Clayster and the rest of eUnited are currently in the midst of Pro League play in Division B with a 0-1 record and will look to get on level standing when they play again February 19 at 6:00 PM PST / 9:00 PM EST against Enigma6.

eUnited Call of Duty players hint at major roster change ahead of CWL Fort Worth A number of Call of Duty stars have dropped hints that the team may be making a roster change during the CWL Pro League roster movement window. Could it be for real this time? The transfer window officially opened on Friday, March 1, and will close on March 8, giving Black Ops 4 teams a week to freshen up their roster ahead of CWL Fort Worth and the second portion of the Pro League. Team Reciprocity has already made a move, adding Dylan ‘Dylan’ Henderson to their starting lineup after the Northern Irishman missed out on the Pro League with Team Sween. Now, rumors are circulating that eUnited will be the latest team to make a change, with a number of the squad’s players fueling the speculation. A number of eUnited’s stars have used Twitter to drop clues about a possible roster change, with most of the hints seemingly pointing at Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson being the player to make way for a new addition. Speculation began to grow when the mother of Presinni and his brother Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson reportedly changed her Twitter handle from “eUtwinsmomma” to “2winsmomma”, removing eUnited from her username. Hours later, Arcitys tweeted: “I’ve never felt more disrespected in my life,” with many believing that the tweet was a reference to his brother and the possibility that he was going to be dropped from the lineup. Prestinni himself then sent out a tweet to his followers, thanking fans for their support and appearing to give fans a look at what the future held for the pro player. “Too much support tonight,” wrote the American. “I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere in terms of competing. That’s all you need to know. I’m going to be the best version of me this year.” Too much support tonight. I’ll be here. I ain’t going no where in terms of competing. All y’all need to know. (: ima be the best version of me this year. — Preston (@Prestinni) March 4, 2019 Fans of Call of Duty esports remain wary of these tweets, as eUnited and their players have been known to bait fans in the past with possible roster moves before revealing that they had no intention of making a change. A recent quote from Seth ‘Scump’ Abner has raised suspicions regarding eUnited though, with the OpTic Gaming star mentioning that their pool at Fort Worth had become “stacked.” Whether this is a joke from the organization and its players remains to be seen, but with just five days to the end of the roster move window, it will be interesting to see if the team does in fact make a change.

eUnited announce two changes to their pro CoD team, finalizing their roster for Black Ops 4 season North American esports organization eUnited have added two new players to the pro CoD team for the upcoming Black Ops 4 season. Veteran player Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan and up-and-coming talent Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris have joined the roster that already features James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson, and Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson. In order to make room for the extra addition, Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson was dropped, after having joined eUnited halfway through the WWII season in replacement of SiLLY. This roster move was announced on October 11 via a post on eUnited’s official Twitter page, which included a video introducing all five members of their roster for Black Ops 4. Clayster also tweeted about the move, praising his new teammates: “Also another massive shout to JKap and aBeZy. Big things this year boys, really excited about this team.” One of the most prominent figures in CoD esports, JKap joined Luminosity Gaming at the start of the WWII season, having left Team EnVy after back-to-back CWL Champs grand finals appearances. He had a relatively strong season with LG, finishing top-three at five major tournaments, including a victory at CWL Birmingham. However, despite their successes, LG and JKap decided to part ways, as the team has revamped its roster with the recent acquisition of Gunless. As one of the most promising talents in the competitive scene, aBeZy was always going to be a hot commodity going into this offseason. He spent nearly the entire WWII season with Enigma6 Group, eventually qualifying for CWL Champs, where they placed 17-24. visiting our dedicated Rostermania hub here.

eUnited announce former pro as coach of Call of Duty team eUnited have signed former professional Call of Duty player Brice ‘Faccento‘ Faccento as the coach for their Pro League roster, as the team aims to solidify a spot in the $1.25 million playoffs. After a promising start to the Black Ops 4 season, finishing second at the first event, CWL Las Vegas, things took a bad turn for eUnited, leading to a top 16 (effectively last place) finish at the following event, CWL Fort Worth. Roster turmoil eventually led to veteran player Jordan ‘JKap‘ Kaplan being moved to the bench, followed by a public dispute with James ‘Clayster‘ Eubanks on social media, and up-and-coming player Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr taking his spot on the starting lineup. With the roster now fielding two ‘new’ players to the professional level in Black Ops 4 – Simp and Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris – they have brought in an experienced name in Faccento to help guide the squad. Faccento surprised many by announcing his retirement on March 5, stepping down from his position of Evil Geniuses, with his spot filled by former FaZe star Dillon ‘Attach’ Price. Given the abruptness of his retirement, many in the community though Faccento might already have something lined up, and eUnited confirmed his appointment as coach on April 2. Welcome @BriceFaccento to eUnited as our new Head Coach! Changes to #eUCoD: :newspaper:: https://t.co/8lpgVHhhBK — eUnited (@eUnitedgg) April 2, 2019 Interestingly, Faccento lives with benched eUnited player JKap, as well as 100 Thieves player Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and 100 Thieves Head of esports ops, Eric ‘Muddawg’ Sanders, also a former professional player and coach. The now former eUnited coach Brian ‘Saintt’ Baroska has confirmed he is looking for a new position in esports, and claims that the move had been in talks for over a month, despite him having no knowledge of it. Really don’t have anything else to say, just found out this was in talks for over a month with no knowledge of the situation. — Saintt (@BrianSaintt) April 2, 2019 eUnited manager Matthew ‘Burns’ Potthoff, also a former professional player, replied to Saintt’s post, explaining that it had been discussed that “changes could be made”. We discussed the importance of improvement and that changes could be made. In the same call, we went over core principles to work on. This wasn’t an easy decision to make and I truly wish you the best of luck. You will do great things. — eU Burns (@Potthoff) April 2, 2019 eUnited have already made a strong start since returning to CWL Pro League action for the cross division matches, beating Evil Geniuses, UYU and Red Reserve to improve their record to 8-3 overall. Simp has been a standout performer already, but the team will know there is still work to do if they are to secure the organization’s first tournament win in over two years, at the upcoming CWL London, on May 3-5.

EU CWL 2K reaches semi-final stage, Tainted Minds vs Mindfreak rivalry continues in APAC 2K APAC Call of Duty powerhouses Tainted Minds won their second CWL 2K win of the Black Ops 4 season with victory on Sunday, November 18, while the European version of the competition has been whittled down to the final four teams. Team Sween, who won the first EU 2K of the season have secured their place in the semi-finals by defeating Devious Gaming in their quarter-final match-up, and will now face Team Reciprocity, who have Adam ‘Peatie’ Peate and Shane ‘ShAnE’ McKerral filling in for Zach ‘Zed’ Denyer and Sean ‘Seany’ O’Connor. In the other semi-final, Team Heretics, who won the November 11-12 EU 2k take on Team Stanley, lead by Gurdip ‘SunnyB’ Bains and Adam ‘Defrag’ Matthews. The semi-finals of the competition are set to begin at 8PM GMT (12PM PST, 3PM EST, 7AM AEDT). In the APAC region, Tainted Minds and Mindfreak battled it out for the third consecutive week in the grand finals of the CWL 2K. Tainted Minds took home the first 2K of the season, but the new Mindfreak lineup came roaring back in the second, claiming victory over their rivals. Mindfreak brushed aside Jake ‘Fate’ Fitzpatrick and his Vegas Chokers squad, proceeding to the grand finals without dropping a single map, while Tainted Minds swept past Team ARRRM, which included former Synergy player Ryan ‘Killerpie’ Wallath. Mitchell ‘BuZZO’ Mader and his new look Mindfreak squad headed into the final hoping to win back-to-back CWL 2Ks, but eventually lost an agonizingly close Search and Destroy to fall to Tainted Minds 3-2. In North America, many of the continent’s top teams chose to take part in the CMG Prodown tournament, where OpTic Gaming have already earned their spot in the tournament’s grand final.

eU Clayster and his brother look similar, except for one large difference James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks recently tweeted out a picture with his family and people thought for a second eUnited’s star AR specialist was actually incredibly tall. It turns out that no, Clayster is just 5’10” (1.78m), but his brother, who looks an awful lot like the eU star, stands at 6’7” (2m). What followed were a bunch of funny responses from around the professional CoD community. “That guy on the left looks more like Clay than Clay” said Splyce’s Jurd which was quoted by Jonathan Tucker. Jeff Kuney went with Bubbles from the Trailer Park Boys to show his reaction. Sometimes genes just aren’t fair and one brother gets all the height from the parents. That seems to be the case for Clay because he’s the shortest guy in his family by at least a couple inches. At least he has done well with his natural talents so far. Still, it can be tough when a brother outgrows you, and even tougher when attractive Twitch streamers call your brother your “final form.” it’s awesome how your brother looks like your final form — spooky vin :spider_web: :skull: (@getvindictive) October 15, 2018 The comments weren’t all about his tall brother, many people were also focused on something else: the whole families’ very strong eyebrows. Look at them bushy brows… so amazing pic.twitter.com/h8L7y1FgIe — Dredgen Crise (@Only_Heretic) October 15, 2018

EU CDL legend Zer0 announces Call of Duty retirement Zer0After nearly 10 years in the professional Call of Duty scene, Trei “Zer0” Morris has decided to hang up his controller ahead of the 2024 CDL season. Amid a hectic 2024 CDL rostermania, a few iconic figures have decided to walk into the sunset. Multiple-time Call of Duty champion and 2022 world champion Sam ‘Octane’ Larew announced his retirement in June. And now, Zer0 has also decided to move on from professional Call of Duty. In 2015 Zer0 participated in the inaugural Call of Duty World League season under Team Infused and has been in and around the mix ever since. The standout sniper was named the 2017 CWL Global Pro League Stage 1 Playoffs MVP. Zer0 placed third at the 2019 CWL League Finals with FaZe and finished his career with two tournament wins. During the CDL era, Zer0 played with New York in the 2020 season and had two different stints with the London Royal Ravens. Zer0 retires from the CDL after memorable Call of Duty run On July 7, Zer0 announced he is retiring from professional Call of Duty. “This has been my life for nearly 10 years now, competing at the highest level, and I’ve loved every bit of it, from being a sweaty ps3 kid to becoming one of the first EU players to win an Event on NA soil and becoming MVP whilst doing that, to everyone that has supported me throughout my time competing I love you but its time for Coach Cartier to come out to play.” Zer0 didn’t rule out a potential Coach/GM CDL position in the future. He suggested that any CDL teams can reach out if they are interested. Call of Duty community members showed Zer0 love for everything he provided the scene. OpTic Methodz responded: “It was an absolute pleasure growing up competing against each other. No doubt in my mind that you’ll find your way, my boy. Fat Tony x Cartier soon.” Former Minnesota Rokkr ‘Attach‘ added: “My brudda Trei, I can’t thank you enough for letting me borrow the Gucci jacket. Legendary shit. Best of luck with coaching and I’ll be seeing you at events.” Gismo played with Zer0 for one season on the London Royal Ravens and had kind words for the fellow EU player. “It was a pleasure to play with you, and thanks for helping me in/out of the game. Truly are one of the good guys in the scene, rooting for you, buddy, love you.” For more, make sure to check out the rest of our 2024 CDL offseason coverage.

The crazy estimated cost of CDL Champs in a ‘NBA bubble’ format ActivisionMuch to fans and players’ disappointment, the $4.6 million Call of Duty League Playoffs are currently being played online, rather than on LAN, due to ongoing travel restrictions and social distancing rules. While some have lamented the decision, former MLG events operator Adam Apicella has shed some light on how much it would cost to have the event on LAN. Currently, the world’s best professional CoD players are competing for life-changing money, from the comfort of their bedrooms. While this was deemed a necessary move by league organizers, it has caused countless problems with internet issues throughout the season, and removes the intensity of the physical, LAN environment. The issues caused by online play were on full display on the very first day of the event, as OpTic Gaming LA’s star Kenny ‘Kuavo’ Williams had to be replaced by Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell due to connection problems. Dexerto’s Mike Kent suggested that the League could have adopted a similar format to the NBA’s ongoing ‘bubble’, allowing the season to go on. But, it wasn’t cheap, as this ‘bubble’ is said to have cost the NBA around $170 million, an investment to “protect its season.” Cost of running CDL Champs bubble Apicella provided his take on a rough cost if the Call of Duty League was to have attempted a similar feat for CDL Playoffs, estimating a total layout of at least $7 million. The NBA spent $150m just for the bubble precautions not to mention the normal costs to conduct the games and produce the game for TV — Adam Apicella (@MrAdamAp) August 20, 2020 Now do the same exact math for 100 staff Add on around $2m for production for the tournament, inclusive of staff T&E JUST FOR EVENT WEEK Add on a full medical staff Add on about $1,000,000 just for warm up for the entire run (2) — Adam Apicella (@MrAdamAp) August 20, 2020 I have this costing around $7,000,000 minimum NOT including the cost of a full time medical staff, security in a secure venue/hotel 24/7, INSURANCE, prize pool, and other administrative/misc I didn’t even think of — Adam Apicella (@MrAdamAp) August 20, 2020 Despite his experience in the field of event organizing, Apicella clarifies that his estimate could be as much as 100% lower than the true cost, given the extraordinary circumstances. Also, my “rough math” is based on 18 years of historicals in a non covid environment booking millions of room nights and thousands of flights I bet my estimate is an underestimation by possibly 50-100%. (1) — Adam Apicella (@MrAdamAp) August 20, 2020 What about LoL Worlds? However, despite the cost of such an event being held offline in the current climate, another esport has actually done just that. The LoL World Championships 2020, the equivalent of CDL Playoffs, will be held in a single-city, bubble hub format in Shanghai, China. The LoL esports team explained how they would manage the event and ensure the health and safety of everyone involved. Worlds is often the most-watched esports event of the year, as millions watch online. Even without spectators in a stadium, the event will be played entirely offline. The finals of the event will be held at the Pudong Football Stadium in Shanghai. The financial and administrative cost of this will undoubtedly be very high, perhaps even more so than a LAN CDL Playoffs would have cost, even by Apicella’s estimations. However, to reduce the cost for the CDL, the league could have held only the final stages of the event at LAN, therefore reducing the number of teams and players at the event. Keep up to date with all the action at CDL Playoffs and Championship Weekend with our dedicated coverage hub.

Esports community share confusion over Call of Duty: Modern Warfare crossplay announcement Infinity WardCall of Duty fans are hyped for the newly announced Modern Warfare, but it came with a side of confusion from the pro scene after Infinity Ward confirmed the new title would feature crossplay. At long last Infinity Ward gave the world its first look at the next entry in the Call of Duty franchise on May 30 after mountains of leaks and rumors. While there is no shortage of new and old players rejoicing at Modern Warfare’s reveal, there’s already rumblings of how the upcoming game is going to shake up the competitive scene. Across social media, everyone from Call of Duty pros to prominent esports figures have been chiming in with how crossplay in Modern Warfare could affect the landscape of future CoD competitions. In a press release shortly following Modern Warfare’s reveal trailer, Infinity Ward said they “plan for Modern Warfare to be played together across PC and console through cross-play support.” The news sent ripples through social media for people who were wondering what that meant for professional CoD, since a similar situation has been taking place in the Fortnite Battle Royale scene. “Wait wait wait wait WAIT,” Team Solo-Mid’s Ali ‘Myth’ Kabbani said, “COD going cross platform means what for competitive COD? Are former controller players shifting to PC? Will PC players end up being the alpha race? Or will all fronts just go head to head, that would be legendary.” Wait wait wait wait WAIT COD going cross platform means what for competitive COD? Are former controller players shifting to PC? Will PC players end up being the alpha race? Or will all fronts just go head to head, that would be legendary. — Myth (@TSM_Myth) May 30, 2019 Longtime esports commentator Lauren ‘Pansy’ Scott even saw the potential in a future PC player shakedown, saying: “Ooo CoD finally cross platform. Big yikes for console gamers incoming.” Even esports insider Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau gave his hot take on the announcement with a classic meme while adding: “One of the best things Call of Duty has ever done and another win for all gamers when the platforms come together… PC gamers coming in to ezclap console kids.” PC gamers coming in to ezclap console kids pic.twitter.com/LujRupBGaU — Rod Breslau (@Slasher) May 30, 2019 What does Modern Warfare crossplay mean for consoles? PC gaming has long enjoyed some of the most optimal ways to enjoy games due to high-functioning setups that can get the most out of a given title. With Modern Warfare having crossplay, console players will be able to opt-in to servers that include the entire CoD fanbase from Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. 600While this is incredible on the surface, there have been long winded discussions in the past about esports players on different platforms competing with each other. From aim assist on consoles to steadier higher frames that can be achieved with PC’s, it’s going to be interesting to see how the CoD scene will adapt, if at all, to the crossplay title.

Esports Betting Tips – CWL Championship 2018, Day Two The biggest event of the Call of Duty calendar is upon us. The CWL Championship kicks off on Wednesday August 15, with 32 teams facing off for the most prestigious trophy the game has to offer. It’s the final showdown of the WWII season. With day one in the books, the second half of the group stage remains. By the end of the second day, half of the teams in attendance will have been eliminated from the tournament. We’ve teamed up with Rivalry.gg to provide daily insight into the CWL Championship for prospective betters. If you’re looking to complement your viewing experience by adding some stakes of your own, we’ll be highlighting worthy favorites and underdogs for every day of the competition. Play It Safe OpTic Gaming TO WIN vs Evil Geniuses When: Thursday August 16, 23:30 UTC Odds: 1.39 vs 2.62 Despite coming in as the defending world champions, this is perhaps the first time in several years that OpTic Gaming isn’t a heavy favorite for the CWL Championship. If they fail to defend their title here, it will be the first time in the organization’s history that they haven’t won a championship across an entire season. Despite struggling to live up to their former glory this season, OpTic Gaming is still an incredibly dangerous team. Search and Destroy seems a clear weak spot for the team, but they still boast some of the most formidable slayers in the game and as such are a fearsome opponent for any team in respawn games. Their first notable challenge of the event will be taking down Evil Geniuses, the other Pro League team in the group and the toughest obstacle between OpTic and a top seed heading into the playoffs. This Evil Geniuses had an impressive debut with a second-place at CWL Seattle, but since then hasn’t managed to quite replicate those heights. While not a squad to be taken lightly, they should be very beatable for an OpTic that still packs one of the hardest punches on the circuit. Feeling Lucky Mindfreak TO WIN vs Ghost Gaming When: Thursday August 16, 20:30 UTC Odds: 2.07 vs 1.62 On paper, both Mindfreak and Ghost Gaming are difficult to separate. While the Australian side featured in both stages of the CWL Pro League and Ghost Gaming didn’t, when it comes to open events both seem to average out around the top-12 region. At the CWL Championship so far their records are identical. Both teams took down Zone with comfortable 3-0 sweeps, and both lost to Red Reserve, one of the tournament favorites, 1-3. Unfortunately, these matches offer little insight into their form, with all producing the expected results in quite clear-cut games. You could very much make a case for this match going either way, but Mindfreak’s underdog odds make them a more favorable candidate to back here. They also had the stronger showing at the most recent event, CWL Anaheim, where they were responsible for eliminating Ghost and took some big scalps along the way. Wildcard Splyce TO WIN vs eUnited When: Thursday August 16, 20:30 UTC Odds: 2.79 vs 1.35 – Bet In Group D, at least one of the top-two seeded teams will be going out in the group stage, as eUnited and Splyce face off in a head-to-head battle for a playoff spot. Both teams fell to Lightning Pandas on day one, meaning one of them is guaranteed an early exit. eUnited’s curse this season has been inconsistency. At their peak, this seems to be a team that could go the distance, perhaps even secure a trophy. Unfortunately, for every match that they look like world-beaters, there also seems to be a match in which they capitulate with less resistance than might have been expected of them. Despite such shortcomings keeping them off the podium for the most part, this is still a team that has consistently been able to reach the top-six of major tournaments, and rightly favored in this match. Splyce has had a largely underwhelming season, with only a couple of bright spots that seem increasingly distant. However, the quality on this team can never be ignored. Featuring some of the most talented and successful players that Europe has ever produced, Splyce can never be dismissed entirely, and particularly when facing a team that has been known to have slow games they’re a worthy wildcard pick. Earn up to $350 in bonuses with Rivalry and Dexerto and visit Rivalry.gg for more odds on Overwatch, League of Legends, Call of Duty, DotA and CSGO.

Esports Betting Tips – CWL Championship 2018, Day Three The biggest event of the Call of Duty calendar is upon us. The CWL Championship kicked off on Wednesday August 15, with 32 teams facing off for the most prestigious trophy the game has to offer. It’s the final showdown of the WWII season. The group stage has concluded, and half of the original 32 teams have been eliminated. This is where the real tournament starts, where tournament favorites will clash and every win is a step closer to that coveted trophy. We’ve teamed up with Rivalry.gg to provide daily insight into the CWL Championship for prospective betters. If you’re looking to complement your viewing experience by adding some stakes of your own, we’ll be highlighting worthy favorites and underdogs for every day of the competition. Play It Safe Unilad TO WIN vs compLexity Gaming When: Friday August 17, 19:00 UTC Odds: 1.35 vs 2.79 If the group stage of this event has shown anything, it’s that there’s no such thing as a truly safe pick at this tournament. In the playoff stage, there aren’t any series so mismatched that an upset would be more surprising than some of the results that have already occurred. That being said, Unilad looks to be as safe a favorite as you could ask for at this stage in the competition. The squad has been consistently impressive in the final stretch of the WWII season, and they took care of business with a flawless 9-0 run to top their group here. Facing them in the first round is a compLexity that, while solid, hasn’t been spectacular so far, playing almost exactly to their seeding. They dispatched both of the Last Chance Qualifier teams in their group, but fell to the higher-seeded FaZe Clan. With both Unilad and compLexity so far performing as expected, this should be a fairly clear-cut match. Unilad at this point must be considered a legitimately elite team that hasn’t been prone to being upset, and this looks like a fairly safe match to kick off their playoff run. Feeling Lucky Team Kaliber TO WIN vs Rise Nation When: Friday August 17, 20:30 UTC Odds: 2.27 vs 1.51 It’s not uncommon to see semi-final matches that would be worthy of grand finals, but in the very first round of this year’s CWL Championship is a match-up not only worthy, but that literally was the grand final of the previous event. Team Kaliber and Rise Nation clashed in both the winner bracket final and the grand final of the CWL Pro League Stage 2 playoffs, but here one of them will be heading to the lower bracket in the first round. According to the odds, that team is more likely to be Team Kaliber. A match like this could very much go either way, however. Team Kaliber’s slow start to the event cost them the top seed that would have avoided this match altogether, and that likely accounts for their underdog status. A single misstep, in their very first match at that, isn’t necessarily an indictment of tK’s form though. In the head-to-head between these two teams at the CWL Pro League, Team Kaliber came out on top two times out of three. This certainly isn’t a clear-cut match on either side, and Rise has been the more successful team more broadly in the later stages of the season, but Team Kaliber has proven capable of defeating them when it matters most and might arguably be the biggest threat to Rise in this tournament. Wildcard Ghost Gaming TO WIN vs Team Sween When: Friday August 17, 16:00 UTC Odds: 2.30 vs 1.50 Team Sween was one of the big surprises of the group stage. Put together solely for this event and even without an organization backing them, this collection of UK left-overs swept through a group featuring Splyce and eUnited in order to take a top seed into the bracket. The danger with miracle runs from unproven teams, however, is that it’s never certain when the magic will run out. Truly world-class teams appearing from nowhere are extremely rare – in most cases, underdogs pulling off big upsets prove to be more of a flash in the pan than the ascension of a new elite. As in all such cases, where Team Sween falls will only be identifiable in hindsight. So far, there isn’t much data with which to identify what kind of performances they’re capable of replicating consistently. Their next test will be a Ghost Gaming that is a little more quantifiable. This is a squad that likely won’t match the heights of some of the tournament favorites, but that isn’t going to capitulate to anything less than a tier-one performance. If Team Sween can replicate the form with which they took down the likes of eUnited, they are certainly capable of defeating Ghost Gaming. Ghost is absolutely a team that will take advantage of any dip in performance, however, so if you’re willing to accept some risk for a bigger potential reward this might be the team for you. Earn up to $350 in bonuses with Rivalry and Dexerto and visit Rivalry.gg for more odds on Overwatch, League of Legends, Call of Duty, DotA and CSGO.

Esports Betting Tips – CWL Championship 2018 Day One The biggest event of the Call of Duty calendar is upon us. The CWL Championship kicks off on Wednesday August 15, with 32 teams facing off for the most prestigious trophy the game has to offer. It’s the final showdown of the WWII season. We’ve teamed up with Rivalry.gg to provide daily insight into the CWL Championship for prospective betters. If you’re looking to complement your viewing experience by adding some stakes of your own, we’ll be highlighting worthy favorites and underdogs for every day of the competition. Play It Safe Ghost Gaming TO WIN vs Zone When: Wednesday August 15, 23:30 UTC Odds: 1.26 vs 3.27 A lot of the heaviest-hitters at the CWL Championship kick off their group stage campaign with comfortable matches, so while there are plenty of clear favorites to pick from on opening day, most of them offer very little return. That Ghost Gaming and Zone both came through the Last Chance Qualifier perhaps helps to balance out the odds slightly, although Ghost are still favored quite heavily. If you’re looking for a safe pick, this might be the team to back. Having missed out on both stages of the CWL Pro League, Ghost have been out of the spotlight somewhat this season. Since adding former World Champion Chris ‘Parasite’ Duarte, however, they’ve put in a top-6 placement at CWL Seattle and a top-16 at CWL Anaheim, arguably making them something of a dark horse for a deep run here. Kicking off their run against Zone, a UK squad which has arguably done well to even make it to the CWL Championship, should offer a fairly safe win for Ghost. Feeling Lucky Lethal Gaming TO WIN vs Brash Esports When: Wednesday August 15, 22:00 UTC Odds: 2.05 vs 1.64 Lethal Gaming and Brash Esports occupy similar territory, albeit on opposite sides of the pond. Both teams are made up of players with limited experience at the highest level, having largely operated in the open bracket of major events this season. Both are squads of players still looking for a big break. There are no has-beens or veterans to lead the way on either side, only the most hardcore of viewers will find names in these teams they might recognize. None have a top placing at a major event under their belt on any title. Both teams made a single roster change coming into the Last Chance Qualifier, further muddying potential predictions of form, and neither had an utterly dominant performance at the event itself. Lethal came through the winner bracket with back-to-back game five wins, while Brash fought through losers, with a game five victory of their own to secure qualification. With limited evidence of form or class on either side, this match could very much go either way. As such, it makes sense to back the underdog, Lethal Gaming. Wildcard Havok Esports TO WIN vs Team Vitality When: Wednesday August 15, 20:30 UTC Odds: 2.54 vs 1.42 Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewen has shown he can work miracles with unproven talent, and taking this squad to the CWL Championship, especially on such short notice, is arguably one of them. Half of the line-up had never competed internationally before the LCQ, and now they’re stepping onto the game’s biggest stage. Facing them in their first match will be a North American line-up under Havok Esports with some familiar names to anyone who watched the Infinite Warfare season, but WWII hasn’t seen them appear at the highest level. They lack notable achievements recently, which makes it hard to put much faith in the Havok players, but there is at least enough evidence of quality in the past that they shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand, especially against another team which largely has no major achievements to speak of. The exception is of course Tommey, and his class and veteran leadership may tip the balance in Vitality’s favor, but this is still an uncertain match-up. Vitality’s “favorite” status, at least according to the odds, seems tenuous at best, and so Havok are a good option if you’re looking for high-risk, high-reward. Earn up to $350 in bonuses with Rivalry and Dexerto and visit Rivalry.gg for more odds on Overwatch, League of Legends, Call of Duty, DotA and CSGO.

Esports Betting Tips – CWL Championship 2018, Day Four CWLThe biggest event of the Call of Duty calendar is upon us. The CWL Championship kicked off on Wednesday August 15, with 32 teams facing off for the most prestigious trophy the game has to offer. It’s the final showdown of the WWII season. The group stage was full of upsets, and the madness only continued on the first day of the playoffs. With several big names now either in the lower bracket or out of the tournament altogether, this year’s world championship is shaping up as the most surprising to date. We’ve teamed up with Rivalry.gg to provide daily insight into the CWL Championship for prospective betters. If you’re looking to complement your viewing experience by adding some stakes of your own, we’ll be highlighting worthy favorites and underdogs for every day of the competition. Play It Safe Team Kaliber TO WIN vs Elevate When: Saturday August 18, 17:30 UTC Odds: 1.38 vs 2.67 Safety is in short supply in what has been perhaps the most unpredictable CWL Championships to date, and it’s only getting scarcer as the tournament progresses. In the next round of matches, there’s only really one choice if you’re looking for a “safe” pick. Team Kaliber is the only pre-tournament favorite left in the winner bracket, and in their path is a team that has already outperformed expectations to reach this point. Elevate certainly shouldn’t be underestimated – in the group stage they beat Evil Geniuses and out-placed OpTic Gaming, and in the first round of the winner bracket they pulled off an insane upset with a 3-0 sweep over Luminosity. Though Team Kaliber hasn’t been flawless, since losing their first match of the tournament they’ve looked much more like the squad that won the CWL Pro League Stage 2. Upsets aside, these are teams in two different tiers, and Team Kaliber should be comfortable taking on Elevate here. All that being said, betters beware – several more surprising upsets have already occurred in this very tournament. There is no such thing as a truly safe bet, and never has that been more true than at this year’s CWL Championship. Feeling Lucky eUnited TO WIN vs UNILAD When: Saturday August 18, 17:30 UTC Odds: 1.80 vs 1.83 As punishment for being upset in the group stage by Team Sween, eUnited faces one of the toughest routes through the CWL Championship playoffs. One of their toughest challenges has already been passed, however, as in the first round eUnited swept aside Red Reserve, third-place finishers in Stage 2 of the CWL Pro League and one of the favorites for this event. In that match, eUnited was a team that looked capable of winning the entire tournament. Every player was dialed in and on point, with particularly notable performances from Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson. More games like that, and eUnited could well lift the trophy on Sunday. Every step of the way will demand just as much from eUnited, however, and UNILAD is no exception. After a flawless 9-0 map count in the group stage, they dismissed compLexity comfortably in the first round of the winner bracket. UNILAD hasn’t been tested the way eUnited have, however, and the last time these two teams met, at the Stage 2 playoffs, it was eUnited who were victorious. If you’re willing to accept the risk of betting on a match between two elite teams, eUnited should be favored here. Wildcard Lightning Pandas TO WIN vs Evil Geniuses When: Saturday August 18, 16:00 UTC Odds: 2.15 vs 1.58 Lightning Pandas continue to impress at the CWL Championships. Having taken down Team Kaliber in the group stage to steal the top seed for the playoffs, they dispatched Lethal Gaming in the first round of the winner bracket with ease. Evil Geniuses will be one of the toughest opponents they’ve faced yet. After something of a slow start, EG caught fire in their final match of the group stage, taking down OpTic Gaming 3-0 to eliminate them from the competition. Their own round one match, against Team Vitality, was another dominant sweep. Unlike Evil Geniuses, Lightning Pandas had to reach the CWL Championship through the Last Chance Qualifier. LP is no squad of rookies, however – this is a team of veterans, all of whom have competed at the highest level and one of whom even has two titles to his name this very season. EG can certainly hit impressive peaks, but as the group stage itself showed they’re also prone to underwhelming performances at times. The momentum they’ve carried into the playoffs arguably gives them an edge, but Lightning Pandas are certainly capable of defeating them – a result that would come as less of a surprise than the upset the Lightning Pandas themselves pulled off earlier in the tournament. Earn up to $350 in bonuses with Rivalry and Dexerto and visit Rivalry.gg for more odds on Overwatch, League of Legends, Call of Duty, DotA and CSGO.

Esports Betting Tips – CWL Championship 2018, Day Five Treyarch/ActivisionThe biggest event of the Call of Duty calendar is upon us. The CWL Championship kicked off on Wednesday August 15, with 32 teams facing off for the most prestigious trophy the game has to offer. It’s the final showdown of the WWII season. This year’s world championship has been one of the most unpredictable to date, with crazy upsets, big names crashing out early, and some underdogs making surprising runs. After four days of competition, only six squads remain for the last day of the tournament. We’ve teamed up with Rivalry.gg to bring daily insight into the event for prospective betters. With few matches left to play and only the strongest teams remaining, we’re changing up the format for the final day – rather than pick out matches in different categories, we’re simply reviewing the three confirmed match-ups, so you can make an informed decision if you choose to place a bet on the final day. eUnited vs Luminosity When: Sunday August 19, 16:00 UTC Odds: 1.77 vs 1.87 Aside from a single slip-up against Elevate in the first round of the winner bracket, Luminosity has been in blistering form at the CWL Championship. They didn’t drop a map in the group stage, eliminated pre-tournament favorites Rise Nation with a reverse sweep, swept aside Lightning Pandas with ease, and sent Red Reserve home, another of the top teams coming into the event. Right now, it really looks like there’s nothing this Luminosity team can’t do. Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper and Johnathon ‘John’ Perez are showing form reminiscent of their respective glory days, during which both won CWL Championship titles as the MVP for their teams. Both Josiah ‘Slacked’ Berry and Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan are playing their roles well, the latter looking to make his fifth appearance in a CWL Championship grand final. eUnited are no pushovers, however. They themselves stormed through the winner bracket, sending both Red Reserve and Unilad to the lower bracket before falling at the hands of an indomitable Team Kaliber. They too have shown flashes of form that make an eUnited championship look very feasible. This is very much a match that could go either way, but we’d give a slight edge to Luminosity to take it. They’ve built up a lot of momentum through an impressive lower bracket run, while eUnited has an unfortunate history of promising tournament runs cut short by consecutive losses in the playoff stage. Whichever of these two teams survives this match could very well go on to take the trophy, and certainly will be favored no matter who they face in the next round of the lower bracket. Team Envy vs FaZe Clan When: Sunday August 19, 16:00 UTC Odds: 1.87 vs 1.77 This isn’t the first time these two teams have clashed at the CWL Championship. They met in the very first round of the winner bracket, where Envy came up clutch in a fifth game to send FaZe to the lower bracket. FaZe are no strangers to lower bracket runs, however, and they’ve managed to fight their way back to this rematch. Team Sween was their first victim, before 3-0 sweeps over Unilad and Elevate carried them to championship Sunday. Meanwhile, after beating FaZe, Envy took down Ghost Gaming, but fell to a reverse sweep from Evil Geniuses in the winner bracket semi-finals. Within the context of this tournament it’s a tougher call, but taking a broader view of the season and recent events FaZe has definitely been the more impressive team. Neither looks likely to quite match the heights of some of the heaviest-hitters at this event – the likes of Team Kaliber, eUnited and Luminosity – but head-to-head either could take it. Despite losing their earlier engagement, we’d give the edge to FaZe Clan to take revenge here. They have frequently shown a clutch factor that Envy doesn’t seem to match, with the exception of their last meeting. FaZe has a talent for grinding out tough series, and it seems unlikely that Envy will be able to sufficiently blitz them to nullify that. Evil Geniuses vs Team Kaliber When: Sunday August 19, 17:30 UTC Odds: 2.07 vs 1.62 Evil Geniuses has had a spectacular run at this tournament, but it’s hard not to feel like this might be a bridge too far. In the winner bracket final they face a Team Kaliber that has been in phenomenal form throughout the winner bracket. Team Kaliber’s side of the bracket was about as tough as could be. They beat Rise Nation in the first round, who were coming in as the predominant favorites as far as most were concerned. Elevate in round two is arguably a slightly softer opponent – though that match-up only occurred because Elevate upset Luminosity in round one. Finally, Team Kaliber took on an eUnited in the winner bracket semi-final that has been looking incredibly hot in the playoff stages of the tournament. Team Kaliber remains unbeaten in Hardpoint at this tournament, despite playing some of the best Hardpoint teams in the world. With all of their big rivals either taken care of or fighting from the lower bracket, Team Kaliber is now the biggest favorite not just for this match, but for the entire event. Stranger things have happened at this tournament than Evil Geniuses beating Team Kaliber, but based on how formidable tK looks right now, smart money seems to be on them to secure a grand finals spot here. Earn up to $350 in bonuses with Rivalry and Dexerto and visit Rivalry.gg for more odds on Overwatch, League of Legends, Call of Duty, DotA and CSGO.

eRa Eternity announce return and claim to have paid debts to former CoD players eRa Eternity – LinkedInEsports organization eRa Eternity announced it was starting back up again on August 20, nearly a year and a half after players were reportedly going unpaid with salaries or event winnings. In March 2018, it was alleged eRa’s debt reached over $75,000 that hadn’t been paid to players across Call of Duty, CS:GO, Gears of War, and Rainbow Six according to Dot Esports. The organization eventually closed its doors but they have now reopened, and ready to win back the trust from players and fans alike. CEO CJ Kornhaus announced he was bringing back a team that will help eRa “get back to where it once was.” I would also like to formally announce the return of my colleagues and good friends @Alexx, @AlecoKaram, @Willhire and finally @Brandon_. These guys have been through thick and thin with me and they are here to help eRa get back to where it once was. #ANeweRa — eRa Spadez (@CJKhaus) August 20, 2019 “We would like to apologize to all the professional athletes who may have felt deceived as we failed to meet financial obligations of our extended contracts,” wrote CJ Kornhaus, CEO of eRa. “A sincere apology goes out to all eRa fans who’ve supported us in the past, you deserve better from us.” Operations at the organization are resuming immediately according to Kornhaus. Kornhaus clarified in a separate post that he has fulfilled the debt to the Call of Duty team, but still needs to make up the remainder of the portion. “I know some may not support this and some may,” he tweeted. “I’ve been trying to raise capital for over a year to pay the debt in full and have not been totally successful. As you know, CoD is paid. This will help with the remainder of the debt, then we will FULLY resume operations.” I know some may not support this and some may. I’ve been trying to raise capital for over a year to pay the debt in full and have not been totally successful. As you know, CoD is paid. This will help with the remainder of the debt, then we will FULLY resume operations. (: https://t.co/zbpWLNQL4d — eRa Spadez (@CJKhaus) August 20, 2019 All the players who haven’t been paid have all been contacted about the return of eRa and were also given a timeline on when they can expect their unfulfilled payments. The team plans on creating content across Twitch and YouTube along with collaborating with brands to release a new fashion collection. There’s still a sour taste in the mouths of many following all of this controversy but eRa will be trying their best to wipe that away. “We will continue to correct our wrong and promise you that the eRa Eternity name will be rebuilt in a respected manner,” said Kornhaus.

Epsilon’s Dqvee Pulls Off Insane 1v4 – While Using Hilariously Obscene Paintjob Epsilon’s star man David “Dqvee” Davies managed an incredible 1v4 clutch on CoD: WWII during a competitive match – but the highlight of the play might have been his custom weapon camo. Epsilon will be gearing up for the World Championship on August 15, after a tough run in the Pro League meant they missed out on playoffs for the second time this season. Dqvee, who is always a joker, has had a tough year overall, from having a teammate simply not show up to travel to an event, to successive disappointing placings at tournaments. But World Championship time is traditionally when Dqvee steps up, and looks like he is at least finding some SnD form, a game mode Epsilon struggled with in the Pro League. Placing fourth at the 2016 Championship, then top 12 in 2017, Dqvee will be desperate break back into those top placings this year and has said that a good run at champs could make up for the year so far. Practicing hard with the team, he pulls off a brilliant 1v4, requiring some expert map positioning and gun skill. Typically 1v4 clutches require a helping of luck, but this was all Dqvee. However, fair warning, you may find yourself distracted when watching this clutch, by the phallic shape imprinted on his PPSH. 1v4 for the gang #PS4sharehttps://t.co/GyApfFXshO pic.twitter.com/deEQZZMuXt — Dave (@Dqvee) July 21, 2018 Phallic imagery aside, the play itself is incredible, topped off by some unbelievably accurate shots on to his final opponent, made more impressive using an SMG. And for the camo itself, it seems Dqvee is more than proud of his artwork. Honestly cod developers should employ me to create gun camos https://t.co/WhGl62Jc0W — Dave (@Dqvee) July 21, 2018 You can next see the Epsilon boys compete at the 2018 World Championship with the group stage starting on August 15, with the finals taking place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Epsilon’s Dqvee Discusses His Experience Hands on With Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Gameplay Professional Call of Duty players at the CWL Pro League got a chance to play Black Ops 4 early, and David “Dqvee” Davies has given his opinion on the new game from what he has played so far. Black Ops 4, set for release October 12th, is still in development but has been playable at recent events including the E3 Convention and CWL Anaheim, as Treyarch fine tunes the game ahead of launch. There has also been a beta confirmed, and fans who have their beta code from pre-ordering the game will be expecting it to go live in the next couple of months. But while fan and casual player’s feedback is important, perhaps even more valuable are opinions and feedback from the most elite level players, the professionals. More: The 7th CWL Pro League Challenge Has Been Won by a Non-Pro League Team Yet Again – Final Placements – Many of whom have been playing CoD daily for the last six to ten years of their lives and can provide insight into the finer details of weapon balance, spawn systems and gameplay mechanics, maybe overlooked by a casual player. Dqvee, one of the players given hands on time, sat down with Epsilon to discuss his experience on the game and the competitive side. “Even though it’s boots on the ground, it’s a lot faster paced. The sliding is really fluid, movement altogether is pretty fluid. It was just really fun to play, everything felt fresh and new and fun and exciting. In past Call of Duty’s, I have been a flex type player – I’d use a [SMG] and an AR some maps – and when I have a SMG on I’m quite objective oriented. When I was playing hardpoints at the studio, I was getting over two minutes in hill every hardpoint with a good amount of kills. Who knows what it’s going to be like when the game actually comes out, I might like a different role more, but I think that role will suit me best, using a sub most maps. We know someone who had the chance to try the next #callofdutyblackops4 last week-end…Here are @Dqvee thoughts on the game ! And you, what do you expect from the next opus ? pic.twitter.com/WDMWvOOGuy— Epsilon eSports (@Epsilon_eSports) July 2, 2018 Presumably, Black Ops 4 will be playable again for the Division B teams, as currently only Division A is out at the MLG Arena in Columbus, so we should get another set of opinions soon. You can read some of what the other Division A players, including Bryan “Apathy” Zhelyazkov, Dillon “Attach” Price and Ben “Bance” Bance had to say about Black Ops 4 here.

Epic new trailer shows off ‘Blood of the Dead’ Zombies map in Black Ops 4 The latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 4, comes out on October 12 and a new trailer reveals that the ‘Blood of the Dead’ map will take players back to Alcatraz. The trailer opens with shots of the map, from combat areas, to an entire overhead view of a zombie-infested Alcatraz Island that is no doubt just as difficult to escape as the original. Shots of characters fighting off hordes of the undead coupled with haunting music gives this trailer a feeling of hopelessness and impending doom that fits Zombies perfectly. The characters featured in the new trailer are Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Masaki, and Edward Richtofen, all of whom have appeared in previous versions of Zombies, along with a big zombie wearing barbed wire armor that looks like a boss of some sort. ‘Blood of the Dead’ expands and adds new areas to the same map as Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s ‘Mob of the Dead’ Zombies map. It also shows off some of the traps and weapons available to players, like flamethrowers, chain guns, and a swinging chain trap that rips zombies apart like a hot knife slicing through a stick of butter. Black Ops 4 has generated a ton of hype in the community leading up to its release thanks to the Blackout battle royale mode, which features a few zombies as well. Now, this new trailer should only fan the flames of hype, especially for Zombies fans, ahead of Black Ops 4 release on October 12.

Epic Meal Time’s Harley wants his own MW2 Operator skin & CoD fans are totally for it ActivisionHarley Morenstein of the popular YouTube channel Epic Meal Time wants Call of Duty to make his own Operator skin in MW2. Operator skins are a fun way for Call of Duty players to standout in Warzone 2, Modern Warfare 2 and just about every recent CoD title on the market. While we’ve seen FIFA legends such as World Cup contender Lionel Messi get their own skin, players have been hoping for a bit more variety in their Operators. Now, Harley Morenstein has stepped up and is making a huge plea for the devs to serve up a brand new Operator with his own likeness and fans want it to happen. Fans want Harley Morenstein MW2 and Warzone 2 Operator skin In a post on Twitter, Harley tagged the official Call of Duty account and asked very politely if they’d consider creating an Operator for him. “Hey Call of Duty, I know it’s a huge ask…but let me be an operator in MW2 please?” he requested. “Thank you for your consideration.” Right away, fans flocked to voice their approval and urged Activision to make his dreams a reality. YouTuber Brandon Herrera remarked that he would “honestly judge my friends for not using a Harley operator skin in MW2.” “I’d buy the game all over again just to see you as an operator,” another commented. “MW2 would be my favorite game if this happened,” replied someone else. So far, CoD hasn’t responded, but hopefully his request goes better than TimTheTatman’s who was brutally trolled by the devs for wanting his own Operator.

Envy’s Apathy has revealed his Black Ops 4 content plans Team Envy’s Bryan ‘Apathy’ Zhelyazkov has revealed his intention to produce a consistent stream of content during the Black Ops 4 season. The two-time CWL champion posted a video to his YouTube channel talking about Team Envy’s roster and expressing his immense excitement for the upcoming season. “Listen, guys, we can’t get complacent, man,” Apathy recalled telling his teammates. “I want to go into Black Ops 4 just having the fire, having the drive just like how we had it going into Champs for World War II.” Along with Apathy’s fire for competition going into the season, he’s also hyped for the game itself and has outlined his hefty plans for a steady content stream once the game launches. “Especially with such a great game, I wanna be putting out so much content, man. I wanna be posting YouTube videos every day. If not every day, at least every other day,” Apathy affirmed in the video. Apathy’s commitment to putting out content isn’t limited to just YouTube, though, as Apathy said he intends to stream as much as he can along with posting clips and other videos on Twitter, as well. Apathy is joining a long list of pros who are excited for the release of Black Ops 4 and intending to pump out a ton of content during the upcoming season. With many players expressing their discontent with the previous title, World War II, the rejuvenated focus from many of the scene’s most prominent members is an early sign that the Black Ops 4 season could be the best one yet.

Envy’s ACHES and Hastr0 respond to Crimsix’ accusation of throwing at CWL Fort Worth YouTube/Envy/Crimsix/Twitter/ACHESTeam Envy owner Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufail and CoD captain Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price have taken to Twitter to respond to allegations of ‘throwing’ from OpTic Gaming’s Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter. CWL Fort Worth got underway on March 15, with the Winners and Losers Brackets being decided as pool play concluded. The top two teams of each pro pool go into the Winners Bracket, while the bottom two teams are forced into the Losers Bracket. OpTic Gaming’s Crimsix, seemingly frustrated by the day’s events, took to Twitter to convey his frustrations with Team Envy, late on March 15. Team Envy were 0-2 down in their pool play match versus Team Reciprocity; a match that had significant consequences for OpTic. Were Envy to win, OpTic would have progressed to the Winners Bracket, given their head to head advantage over eUnited. However, were Reciprocity to win, they would have gone to a 2-1 standing and so finished second in the group, pushing OpTic into third and therefore into the Losers Bracket. When Team Envy were 0-2 down against Team Reciprocity, Crimsix posted a GIF, showing MMA fighter Conor McGregor throwing objects into the crowd at one of his press conferences. The tweet, which has now been deleted, was quickly interpreted by the CoD community as a suggestion that Team Envy were ‘throwing’ their match, in order to force OpTic into the Losers Bracket. The tweet amassed lots of attention before it was deleted, with over 250 retweets and 2,000 likes. However, they were not taken to kindly by Team Envy’s CEO Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufail, who quickly issued a couple of replies. Hastr0 stated that OpTic Gaming, and Crimsix, “should have showed up earlier so you wouldn’t feel the need to subtweet accusations like this. A bit sad to see to be honest.” He also tweeted again a few hours later, this time with a GIF of former US President Barack Obama looking confused, with the caption: “When you get accused of throwing by OpTic fans, but still managed to have a better performance vs Reciprocity than OpTic did while supposedly throwing.” You should have showed up earlier so you wouldn’t feel the need to subtweet accusations like this. A bit sad to see to be honest. — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) March 16, 2019 When you get accused of throwing by OpTic fans, but still managed to have a better performance vs Reciprocity than OpTic did while supposedly throwing. pic.twitter.com/nmrDNJmARn — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) March 16, 2019 In his later tweet, Hastr0 is referencing the fact that, despite being 0-2 down against Reciprocity, Envy fought back to take the game to a Map 5, Round 11. Although they could not close it out, and so lost the series 2-3, they had a better result versus Reciprocity than OpTic did, who also lost their series 2-3, but did not take the final Search and Destroy to an eleventh round. This was reinforced in a tweet by Team Envy’s Captain Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price, who also said: “It is and never will be my nor anyone’s responsibility “to ensure” one team makes it into the bracket. We came out slow and REC capitalized.” It is and never will be my nor anyone’s responsibility “to ensure” one team makes it into the bracket. We came out slow and REC capitalized. We battled back to a R11 G5 and couldn’t close. GGs to everyone today. WBR1 vs Red at 330! — Patrick Price (@ACHES) March 16, 2019 CWL Las Vegas 2019 winners OpTic Gaming will now start in the Losers Bracket, after being upset by both Team Reciprocity and Team Envy. They will face Evil Geniuses on March 16. eUnited, finalists at CWL Las Vegas in January 2019, are also forced into the Losers Bracket, where they match up against Nadeshot’s 100 Thieves on March 16, in a mouth-watering Losers Round 1 match. Given Envy’s comeback in the match versus Reciprocity, it seems unlikely that they were trying to throw the match, but that did not stop the thought from crossing Crimsix’s mind. Remember you can stay up to date with all the events from CWL Fort Worth at our hub right here. Envy face Red Reserve in winners, after falling to second in the group with the loss to Reciprocity.

Envy pro ACHES shares who he thinks are the top trash-talkers in Call of Duty esports Reigning World Champion Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price has shared a list of players who he feels are the best trash-talkers in the competitive Call of Duty scene. In the first ever episode of Team Envy’s new Queue Up podcast series, ACHES and team owner Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufail reminisced about the trash-talking that has gone on over the years in CoD esports. The pair judged trash-talkers based on quality and quantity, claiming that some players will constantly be trash-talking without much substance. It comes as no surprise that ACHES, who has built a strong reputation for being a notorious trash-talker throughout his illustrious career, placed himself first on the quality list. “Is there a quality number one that isn’t you?” he was asked. “No, there’s not.” ACHES replied with a chuckle. “I make sure, when I’m talking trash, it’s going to be good. I’m not talking just to talk.” To nobody’s surprise, ACHES has named himself the best trash-talker in Call of Duty esports. After naming himself, ACHES and Hastr0 also named 100 Thieves’ Slasher and OpTic Gaming’s Crimsix as two other players who may not trash-talk all the time, but will pack some punch when they do. “I’ll give Crim some quality,” Hastr0 said. “Crim talks some quality smack. I love Crim’s style because he’ll just laugh people off.” Both ACHES and Hastr0 agreed that Crimsix is a quality smack talker, even though he doesn’t do it too often. As for the quantity list of players, or those who can always be found trash-talking, two names were highlighted – eUnited’s Clayster and free agent KiLLa, both of whom are longtime veterans of the esport. “Quantity number one is Clayster,” ACHES said. “But like it’s not always… you look at it and you’re like…” “I was actually disappointed for a couple of years in Clayster because he wasn’t producing the amount of smack that I’ve known him for,” Hastr0 added. “I love the guy, he’s a good friend of mine, but yeah, he’s starting to pick it back up now.” ACHES crowned Clayster as the most frequent trash-talker, although he claims that some of it can be lackluster. Once the pair named all of the players they felt were known for their trash-talking, ACHES went on to discuss how the nature of smack talk has been dialed down. “I think a lot of the players have mellowed out. They’ve grown up. Even I have. I’ve mellowed out a lot from what I used to be in terms of trash talking. Back then when you trash-talked somebody, you disliked them. Now, it’s kind of hard to really come at somebody. It’s a lot of banter more so.” You can check out the full first episode of the Queue Up podcast series by clicking any of the links provided in the tweet below. The discussion about trash-talking begins at the 1:17:00 mark. NEW PODCAST!@hastr0 and @ACHES discuss COD, top 3 trash talkers & how to go pro in the first EP. of Queue Up. New Guests each week from the world of esports hosted by @JayHairston Spotify: https://t.co/wE1izrbacP Google: https://t.co/mfxyV1oEvp iTunes: https://t.co/ft6qsjEa8l pic.twitter.com/SjCsGJjJB7— Team Envy (@Envy) February 11, 2019 We will see ACHES and the rest of Team Envy competing in Division B of the CWL Pro League starting on February 18, so be sure to keep a lookout for any quality potential trash-talking.

Envy Gaming sign Warzone competitor & streamer BobbyPoff Twitter, @BobbyPoff / Envy GamingEnvy Gaming have officially signed Warzone star and Twitch streamer BobbyPoff to their organization, making him the latest Call of Duty content creator to get a professional contract. As Call of Duty: Warzone continues to hold a place among Twitch’s most-viewed games and within the tournament ecosystem, the “Scarf Lord” BobbyPoff (real name: Bobby Poff) is now the third of the game’s players to get signed to a gaming organization. Owning the Overwatch League’s Dallas Fuel and Call of Duty League’s Dallas Empire, Envy Gaming continue to make massive strides in the esports world. Likewise, the organization has upped their branded content game, bringing on various creators like the chess world’s Botez sisters under their umbrella recently. After 100 Thieves made headway by buying a spot in the CDL (the Los Angeles Thieves), they also signed Warzone pros Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewren and Rhys ‘Rated’ Price to their brand as possible members of a pro Warzone team. By signing BobbyPoff, Envy have continued this trend, securing their own competitor and content creator. Big Bobby and the Scarf Squad! 🧣 Welcome, @BobbyPoff! pic.twitter.com/tsLtf0CIS8 — ENVY (@Envy) February 19, 2021 Making the announcement with a fittingly whimsical animated short, Envy are obviously brandishing the Scarf Lord’s personality just as visibly as his talent. Discussing the addition, Envy’s Chief Content Officer Andrew Peterman touched on why that versatility fits the brand so well. Read more: 7 best Call of Duty Warzone players to watch – “He’s competitive, fun, and community-oriented, which is exactly what we want fans to expect more of from Envy.” In light of that multifaceted content creation and competitive nature, Envy have additionally announced that they will be hosting prized Warzone tournaments with Mr. Poff as well as a video series that showcases the behind-the-scenes path to becoming a full-time content creator. With over 200,000 followers across social media and Twitch, his digital footprint is likely large enough for fans to be interested in the steps he’s taken to get there. Announcing the signing with an animated short and Matrix-esque graphics, it’s clear that Envy intends to lean on Bobby’s often-comical character in their content. What remains unclear is how the organization and CDL are planning for the esports side of Warzone. In late-January, CDL commissioner Johanna Faries confirmed that Warzone was part of the league’s competitive future. Whether that means teams will be able to field their own battle-royale counterparts or let their players compete in WZ tourneys continues to be a question. If the former is the case, then fans should expect more and more esports orgs to follow in 100T and Envy’s footsteps by signing skilled streamers.

Envy confirm LG and Splyce trades as Huke, Gunless and Assault shuffle MLGAs the final roster change period comes to a close in the CWL, Envy, Luminosity Gaming and Splyce have all confirmed moves with three big names on the move in Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland, Pierce ‘Gunless’ Hillman and Adam ‘Assault’ Garcia. In a Twitter post, Envy confirmed Huke will be going to Splyce, Gunless from Luminosity Gaming substitute to Envy, Fero dropped to inactive, and Assault to Envy. The roster changes wrap up today, June 20, so now fans have a clear idea at what to expect from the major teams and players going forward. #CallofDuty Update:@Huke :arrow_right:️ @Splyce (Loan)@Gunless :arrow_right:️ #TeamEnvy(Loan) –@f3rocitys; +@AssaultRoster through #CWLChamps:@ACHES | @silly702 | @Decemate | @Assault | @Gunless — Team Envy (@Envy) June 20, 2019 The final roster period tends to be more hectic due to only having a couple of days for changes instead of the usual two weeks. With just two weeks to go to close out the CWL going into the finals, these players don’t have a ton of time to grow accustomed to their new teammates. Gunless is certainly a big pick up here as he was linked to numerous teams following his benching with Luminosity, but now he’ll be able to play a major role with Envy going forward. One thing to pay attention to is how he will mesh with the rest of the members of Envy, who will have two new faces after the overhaul. With these moves, we now have a complete look at Envy’s roster which includes Gunless, Assault, Patrick ‘Aches’ Price, Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo-Palmer and Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato. Envy placed a very disappointing 13-16th at CWL Anaheim so a shakeup like this was necessary if they want to remain competitive going forward. Now that there are no more roster changes to look forward to, this will be the team that Envy will be rolling with going into the final two weeks of the season and the CWL Finals. Team Envy Roster ACHES – SiLLY – Decemate – Assault – Gunless – Splyce Roster Jurd – Loony – AquA – Temp – Huke – Luminosity Gaming Roster Slacked – John – FormaL – Brack – Skyz –

Envy CoD team issues spill onto Twitter amid roster speculation MLGThe issues between Call of Duty players Adam ‘Assault’ Garcia and Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo have spilled onto Twitter as speculation continues to swirl about their future with the organization. Call of Duty is currently in a transfer period, where players are available to trade and be released by organizations looking to strengthen their existing lineup. With the CWL Pro League set to return in May, many teams are in the process of revamping their rosters, and one of the most talked about team changes has been at Team Envy. The majority of the current Team Envy lineup competed as Evil Geniuses in World War II. What’s rumored to be happening at Team Envy? With rostermania now in full swing, notorious leaker CoDBurner has been discussing what he believes is going on at various organizations including Team Envy, who have been mentioned by the mysterious figure on numerous occasions. Since Envy picked up the World Championship-winning squad from Evil Geniuses back in September, the lineup have had a difficult time, finishing 9-12 at both CWL Las Vegas and CWL Fort Worth. They currently sit fifth in their CWL Pro League division with a 6-5 record. Originally, CoDBurner reported that Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland wanted to drop the entirety of the roster apart from himself, but after days of uncertainty, this doesn’t seem like it will be the case. According to the CoDBurner on April 11, SiLLY will now retain his place on Envy alongside Huke and Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price, with Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato coming in from G2 Esports, and Maurice ‘Fero’ Henriquez joining on loan from 100 Thieves. CoDBurner says that Huke previously wanted to drop the entire Team Envy roster. What did SiLLY and Assault say? While it appears SiLLY will remain as part of Team Envy, the CoDBurner states that there will be no place for Assault, who could head back to former organization Evil Geniuses, where he won the Call of Duty World Championship with most of the current Envy roster back in August. In response to a tweet from Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza, who commented on how quickly people forget players’ previous performances, Assault stated that “you’re only as good as your team is,” appearing to fire a shot at his Envy teammates. SiLLY immediately asked what the statement meant, with Assault telling the Envy player: “We had no idea how to play as a team.” In response, SiLLY simply stated: “I think our lack of killing anything might have been connected to that,” referencing the struggles the team have had throughout the Black Ops 4 season. i think our lack of killing anything might have been connected to that — NV Justin Fargo uwu (@silly702) April 11, 2019 The roster change period in Call of Duty is set to wrap up on Monday, April 22, as teams turn their focus to the Pro League and CWL London events which both take place in May.

Envy CoD could lose Huke according to latest CWL transfer rumors MLGRumors suggest that Call of Duty player Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland to Splyce as teams attempt to finalize their rosters in the final CWL transfer window of the 2019 season. The third roster change period of the season opened on June 17 following CWL Anaheim, giving players just over three days to make alterations to their squads. With such a short amount of time, changes have been happening at breakneck pace, and according to rumors, one of the biggest moves of the season could take place before the window slams shut at 6pm PST on June 20. According to popular Twitter account CWL Intel, Envy might be losing their biggest hitter, suggesting that Huke will be revealed as the newest member of Splyce’s CoD roster. The 19-year-old, who also competed as a professional Halo player, would be drafted in as the permanent replacement for Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi, who announced he was a restriced free agent back on June 3. Read More: Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza’s tweet thanking the Brit for his efforts made it clear that his short time on Splyce had reached its conclusion. According to the account, Huke will be joining Splyce on loan, presumably for the rest of the season, although his future beyond that deal remains uncertain. :rotating_light: Sources: @Huke to @Splyce (on loan) — CWL INTEL #ROSTERMANIA (@INTELCallofDuty) June 19, 2019 Losing Huke would be a massive blow to a Team Envy squad which has struggled throughout the Black Ops 4 season, as he is regularly the player putting up the most kills for the squad. It is believed that the team was originally built around him, but as the team’s struggles have continued, including a shocking performance at CWL Anaheim which saw them lose four consecutive matches without winning a map, it seems both player and organization have decided to move on. Of course, there’s no guarantee that this move will definitely take place, as the rumors are unsubstantiated and nobody from Team Envy or Splyce has spoken about Huke and a possible transfer. You can view a full list of confirmed moves using our CWL Rostermania transfer hub. With just hours left to make roster moves, if this transfer does take place, we can expect to see official confirmation in the near future. Rumored Splyce CoD roster: Jordan ‘Jurd’ Crowley – Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza – Ulysses ‘AquA’ Silva – Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda – Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland – –

Envy CEO blasts critics following Huke’s controversial Splyce transfer Call of Duty World League roster change period, leading many to question what they were doing, and even accusing them of giving away Huke for free. With rosters finalized heading into the final weeks of play as we approach the CWL Finals, there are a lot of eyes on the controversial move of Huke from Envy to Splyce. Both FaZe Clan‘s Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall and 100 Thieves‘ James ‘Crowder’ Crowder expressed shock over the decision, and numerous fans also were confused by the move. Envy CEO responds Team Envy’s CEO and owner Mike Rufail didn’t take kindly to these remarks, and went after the Call of Duty pros who were baffled by the move. “Call of Duty professional gamers commenting on business dealings with 0 experience and 0 continued education beyond high school,” he tweeted. “Name a more iconic duo.” Call of Duty professional gamers commenting on business dealings with 0 experience and probably 0 continued education beyond high school. Name a more iconic duo. — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) June 22, 2019 The story going around is that Splyce was able to pick up Huke for free, something that Rufail has flat denied, and called the assumptions ignorant. “First of all, it wasn’t for $0,” he tweeted. “So you can already see where the assumptions are just totally amateur and ignorant.” First of all, it wasn’t for $0. So you can already see where the assumptions are just totally amateur and ignorant. — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) June 22, 2019 Rufail argued that while the pros are good at what they do, it’s different when they begin to talk about things they don’t fully understand. “You won’t ever see me complaining about Call of Duty pros competing on Call of Duty because that’s what they’re good at,” he said. “It becomes a different situation when they start babbling about things they don’t understand the depths of.” You won’t ever see me complaining about Call of Duty pros competing on Call of Duty because that’s what they’re good at. It becomes a different situation when they start babbling about things they don’t understand the depths of. — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) June 22, 2019 James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, a well-known Call of Duty pro for eUnited, got into a back and forth with Rufail. Clayster was part of the podcast where the pros discussed the move. “C’mon man, we talked about roster changes in a CoD show,” he tweeted to Rufail. “It’s not your responsibility to divulge more info, but it’s also perfectly okay for us to speculate. From the outside looking in, it seems odd, granted we did try and come up with options/reasons to make it beneficial.” Before things were able to escalate further, Rufail said he was just chiming in and wasn’t overly offended by anything. You know me well enough to know that I’m just chiming in and I’m not overly offended. Just keeping things balanced while I allegedly smoke the good stuff. — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) June 22, 2019 Huke is a major pickup for Spylce going into the home stretch so while some might feel the move to get him was controversial, it was a big one nonetheless. The CWL Finals take place in on Miami July 19-21. In the meantime, Huke will have plenty of time to get used to his new teammates.

Envy’s ACHES calls out “trash” CWL analyst desk Twitch / Call of DutyProfessional Call of Duty player Patrick ‘ACHES‘ Price is clearly not impressed by the current CWL analyst desk, labelling newcomers Jonathan ‘Pacman‘ Tucker and Jeremy ‘StuDyy‘ Astacio “trash cans”. Both Pacman and StuDyy have joined the CWL talent lineup for the Black Ops 4 season, and feature on the main desk at both open events and throughout the regular Pro League matches. Between games, the desk discusses previous and upcoming matches, and analyse the various teams and their performances. There has been mixed reactions to their additions to the desk. Initially positive, as fans were glad to see some fresh faces on the broadcast, the reception has turned sour after the first month of Pro League action. Many viewers have taken to Reddit and social media to complain about the lack of actual analysis which takes place, with more general, light-hearted discussion taking up much of the analysis segments. There has also been criticism from pro players, after Pacman suggested that Denial Esports drop their entire roster following bad performances, which some felt was not appropriate. Following the announcement that Brice ‘Faccento’ Faccento was retiring from competing, ACHES Tweeted to the former Rise Nation and Evil Geniuses player: “Replace one of the trash cans on the desk PLEASE.” Pacman responded shortly after, telling ACHES to worry about his own business and focus on Team Envy’s performance, but ACHES didn’t back down, making clear he was referring specifically to Pacman and StuDyy, and suggesting they should no longer be on the desk. I don’t handle those things. But anyone not named Katie or Ant gotta find something else to do. — Patrick Price (@ACHES) March 6, 2019 Not everyone felt so strongly though, and both OpTic Gaming player Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell and 100 Thieves’ Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt responded, defending the desk’s apparent shortcomings. I don’t know the specifics, but it feels like they don’t have enough time to actually analyze the games. Just a bunch of fluff — 100T Enable (@Enable) March 6, 2019 The next event on the calendar, CWL Fort Worth, will be an opportunity for the analyst desk to take some of the feedback from fans and players on board. The balance between in-depth analysis and more general discussion is perhaps proving tricky for the broadcast team, but don’t expect ACHES to show them any sympathy.

Envy, 100 Thieves, and Evil Geniuses confirm rumored CoD roster moves MLGCWL Pro League teams Envy, 100 Thieves, and Evil Geniuses have all confirmed roster changes for the professional Call of Duty teams, coming after weeks of heavy speculation and rumors. On April 18, all three major organizations put out announcements about their new rosters for the upcoming CWL London major tournament and the final portion of the CWL Pro League. Interestingly enough, all of the roster moves announced pretty much just confirmed what most competitive CoD fans had already known, thanks to the flurry of leaks and slip-ups that had revealed these changes before-hand. Makes sure to keep up with all of the roster changes made during the April 5-22 window by visiting our CWL London RosterMania hub. Team Envy bring on Fero and Decemate The biggest roster moves of the day are courtesy of Envy, who have signed their former player Jacob ‘Cato’ Decemate from free agency while also acquiring Maurice ‘Fero’ Henriquez from 100 Thieves. Read More: OpTic’s Crimsix gets hilariously roasted by random teammate in League Play after team-killing – In order to make room on their roster for the two new players, they’ve designated Adam ‘Assault’ Garcia as a restricted free agent and transferred Bryan ‘Apathy’ Zhelyazkov to Evil Geniuses. These changes officially break up the team that won the CWL Championship last season, albeit that squad had been with EG at the time. TEAM ENVY ROSTER Maurice ‘Fero’ Henriquez – Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato – Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland – Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo-Palmer – Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price – Evil Geniuses acquire Apathy As part of this roster rotation, EG have brought Apathy back on board just eight months after he hoisted the CWL Champs trophy wearing their colors. While no corresponding roster move has been officially announced, all indications are that EG have dropped Mathew ‘Royalty’ Faithfull, who is reportedly set to join UYU. EG have confirmed that this will not be the end of the roster dealings until the end of the season, which falls in line with theories that they still plan on acquiring Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan and others as part of their overhaul. EVIL GENIUSES ROSTER (FOR NOW) Bryan ‘Apathy’ Zhelyazkov – Jevon ‘Goonjar’ Gooljar-Lim – Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson – John ‘Xotic’ Bruno – Dillon ‘Attach’ Price – 100 Thieves finally part ways with Fero A relationship that started with optimism and high hopes has finally come to its inevitable end as 100 Thieves have transferred Fero over to Team Envy. While many believed that Fero would simply be going out on loan, 100T’s announcement had a strong sense of finality to it. Today we part ways with @f3rocitys. Thank you Fero for being a part of 100 Thieves and pulling through for the team during hard times. Wish you nothing but the best on @Envy and can’t wait until we meet once more on the big stage. pic.twitter.com/eEaIo4gFdT — 100 Thieves (@100Thieves) April 18, 2019 With Fero gone, the only question remains as to who will be 100T’s new substitute in the Pro League, although they could do what some other teams have done and use their coach James ‘Crowder’ Crowder as also their sub.

Envoy’s AK74u Black Ops Cold War loadout after MP5 nerf Activision / Call of Duty LeagueOpTic Chicago star player Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon has unveiled his go-to AK74u class in Black Ops Cold War, as a potential replacement for the nerfed MP5. [jwplayer Oq5drofm] When Cold War first dropped, the MP5 was perhaps the most popular weapon in the game, able to excel across most ranges with minimal recoil and damage drop-off. That said, a nerf came in for the weapon that increased its recoil and made it less effective than before, leaving players to look for alternatives. While he and other pros will likely be keeping MP5 loadouts for their close-quarters fights, Envoy has shown off his ideal AK74u loadout that he plans on using in-game when the opportunity arises. The 74u definitely seems to be second in line in terms of the game’s submachine guns, behind only the MP5, so if you feel like the nerf has thrown you off, you might want to give this loadout some consideration. Here’s what Envoy stacks on his AK-74u to compete against the top pros: Muzzle: Spetsnaz compensator – Barrel: 9.3” VDV Reinforced – Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Speedgrip – Handle: Speed Tape – Stock: No Stock – Timestamp 4:17 Of all his class setups, this is the only one Envoy has named, calling it “Speed” — so you know exactly what you’re getting from this one. As with his other classes, and as required by his role on OpTic, Envoy carries a 1911 pistol in his back pocket, and for equipment, he takes a Trophy System, Semtex, and a Smoke Grenade, perfect for rushing objectives or holding off potential lanes from enemies. If you like playing aggressively with an SMG, this might be what you want to go for, especially if you’re not loving the post-nerf MP5. And, given the past couple of years, Envoy is definitely somebody you want to listen to when it comes to SMG gameplay.

Envoy & Octane explain why rumored OpTic Dallas roster could fail Call of Duty League/LA ThievesLA Thieves have confirmed their Call of Duty League roster for 2022, and while discussing their opposition for the season, said that it could be a rough time for the rumored OpTic Chicago and Dallas Empire merger team. Just a few weeks before Vanguard officially launches, there are still several CDL rosters not yet announced. Nadeshot’s LA Thieves, though, got in early and announced their star-studded roster not long after the 2021 season ended with the additions of Envoy and Octane. The new squad got together to discuss the different teams for the upcoming season, both confirmed and rumored, and had some choice things to say about certain teams. One of the most talked-about storylines going into the 2022 season continues to be the reported OpTic Chicago and Dallas Empire merger, with the teams combining and also bringing together two of each of their squads. The rumored roster is Scump, Dashy, Shotzzy, and iLLeY. Read More: LIVE: CDL 2022 Rostermania hub – While there are mixed opinions on this potential team within the CoD community, the LA Thieves players let their thoughts be known. “On paper, they’re one of the most talented rosters, but I still think after being there for two years, some of the problems that we had as a team is going to fall onto them again,” former OpTic star Envoy explained. Timestamp 3:43 This is something that Octane reiterated, expressing concern that there’s “no overarching leader” within the rumored squad. “I don’t see these four players and immediately think ‘this guy’s going to take the reins’,” he said, before suggesting that it’ll likely fall on Scump’s shoulders. This thought does echo much of the community sentiment towards this possible team, too, and we may well see the squad relying on Scump to be the veteran leader that the likes of Crimsix and Clayster have proven to be in recent years. That said, as the LA Thieves crew point out, the skill ceiling is very high for this OpTic Dallas team if it comes to fruition — they just need to get the results.

Envoy leaves OpTic Chicago Call of Duty League roster after Cold War season Instagram, EnvoyOpTic Chicago will officially be making a roster change this offseason as SMG star Envoy announced that he is an unrestricted free agent heading into the 2022 CDL season. Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon is coming off one of his worst seasons since entering the pro-scene, even though he had magical moments. He was last in the team with a 1.02 K/D and had a lackluster performance at CDL Champs, dropping a 0.89 K/D. OpTic as a team failed to reach the Grand Finals of a tournament this year for the first time in the org’s history. Envoy tweeted out that he is an unrestricted free agent, seemingly hinting at the fact he’s looking for a new squad. However, it is unclear whether he was dropped from the team or decided to walk away on his own. OpTic Chicago and Envoy part ways After CDL Champs, OpTic Chicago hosted a press conference where the team talked about the season as a whole and what went wrong at Champs. Envoy mentioned that he had a poor season to his standards, but fans were still hopeful that the Greenwall would stick it out. As for now, the community is frantically looking for answers. Neither CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez or any of the other OpTic players have made a comment on the roster decision. However, it is not guaranteed that this will be the last roster move the team makes this offseason. With the recent news that the Dallas Empire dropped Ian ‘Porter’ Crimsix, fans were fantasizing over an OpTic and Crim reunion. Now with Envoy leaving the squad, there is a better chance of this happening. The dominoes have fallen and 2022 rostermania is in full swing. Here’s OpTic’s current roster at the time of writing: Seth ‘Scump’ Abner – Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper – Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell – For more details about the 2022 CDL offseason, you can follow us on Twitter (@DexertoIntel) and check out our rostermania hub here,

Envoy explains why SMGs “are not viable” in Black Ops Cold War YouTube: OpTic Chicago / TreyarchBlack Ops Cold War may have some strong Submachine Guns, but OpTic Chicago’s Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon believes Assault Rifles are absolutely dominant when it comes to competitive play. [jwplayer pHIlNffX] Treyarch’s latest release has barely been out for a few weeks but a meta is already forming. As Call of Duty League teams get valuable practice time in, and dozens of early tournaments set the tone, a trend seems to have emerged. 2019’s Modern Warfare featured a solid mix of SMGs and ARs throughout the year. However, Black Ops Cold War is all but dominated by ARs, according to both Envoy and OpTic teammate Seth ‘Scump’ Abner. While scrimming Atlanta FaZe and a few other CDL teams, they “were getting bodied,” due to the AR dominance. “The subs are not viable in this game at all,” Envoy followed up. As the primary SMG user on the team, Envoy is the one that will be sticking to the class for essentially every single map. Previous years have featured various mixes of roles, though this year appears to be leaning towards a three-to-one split: Three players running with ARs, and just one with an SMG in-hand. “On certain maps it’s like three (ARs) and one sub on each team,” Scump explained. However, certain teams are even going a step beyond that due to the sheer power of ARs in Black Ops Cold War. “We ran into New York and they ran four AK74’s on Moscow,” Envoy said. “I was mind blown. I feel like subs are just harder in this game. We switched to the AK-74u and it’s a bit easier but the MP5 was just impossible.” Obviously, it’s still early days. Things could change drastically before the start of the 2021 season. Balance updates are already coming through from Treyarch, so SMGs could get some love sooner than later. For the time being though, Black Ops Cold War has Envoy “wishing [he] had an AR.” The relevant topic begins at the 1:41 mark below. This isn’t entirely a result of weapon balancing either. There’s more that goes into shaping the meta than first meets the eye. “It’s part of the map design too,” Envoy explained. “How many [head glitches], how many open lanes, where the hills are at.” With four ARs, some objectives are “just unbreakable.” There’s no date set in stone for the 2021 season just yet. Though we’ll be sure to keep you updated as the meta evolves in the lead-up to the next year of CDL action.

Envoy explains why he thinks Chicago Huntsmen can beat Atlanta FaZe Call of Duty LeagueChicago Huntsmen’s young star Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannan has explained why he believes the struggling team can beat the Call of Duty League’s current leaders, Atlanta FaZe. Chicago Huntsmen got a win at the London Home Series in February, but since then have failed to repeat the feat, including three consecutive fourth-place finishes, while FaZe have consistently been at least top two, including two Home Series wins out of a possible five so far. Despite that, Envoy thinks his Chicago side have a good shot against Atlanta, and has explained how and why he thinks they could beat the side that has thus far eluded them. In an appearance on Call of Duty League original show ‘The Barracks’, host Tyler ‘TeePee’ Polchow explained that he believes Atlanta are the biggest threat to take the overall CDL trophy at the end of the season. Envoy, though, thinks his team has a decent chance against the league leaders, despite the fact that they are yet to face off. According to the young star, Chicago’s style of play matches most similarly with Minnesota ROKKR, who have beaten FaZe twice so far this season – and that’s why he believes his team can get the better of the reigning champions. The main issue, he says, is Chicago’s teamwork. Minnesota have been widely credited as one of the most cohesive team units in the league, and he says that while they “need to do a better job of replicating Minnesota’s teamwork,” they play at a very similar pace to ROKKR and that seems to counter FaZe well. (Timestamp 30:36 for mobile viewers) His final point is that if they match the “consistency of FaZe” and “the teamwork of Minnesota,” a meeting between Chicago and Atlanta would be “a good match to watch.” It’s hard to disagree that the matchup could be exciting, but given Huntsmen’s recent struggles, which have been explained in detail by Hunstmen players themselves, the two might be slightly mismatched at this point in the season.

Envoy claims Major 1 Qualifiers will be played without CDL ruleset Twitter: DylanEnvoyLos Angeles Thieves’ Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon believes that Call of Duty League Major 1’s online qualifiers will be played without an official CDL ruleset in the game. The online qualifier portion of Major 1 kicks off on December 2 and will determine the seeding for the Pro-Am style event in Raleigh, North Carolina, two weeks later. These matches represent the first official League action since Envoy’s squad claimed the biggest prize of them all back in the final event of Vanguard season, and while that’s typically an exciting prospect for competitors across the board, the removal of the CDL rules from Modern Warfare 2 could be a heavy blow for an already beleaguered game. Envoy believes MW2’s first CDL online qualifiers could be played without pro ruleset Hannon announced over on Twitter when discussing what it’s been like to scrimmage against other teams for the first time since the CDL rules were pulled from private matches in the Season 1 update. “CDL Rules won’t be back until after matches start. That means Control won’t give extra time per tick, and we have to use Ultimate Perks after not for the first couple of weeks. New Spawns as well,” he said. As he stated in the tweet, these changes come after several weeks of getting used to each game type, as they will be played when the rules are back, meaning every team will have to readjust for these unexpected difficulties. At the time of writing, it’s unclear why the rules were removed from the game, but many have pointed to issues with the now-delayed CDL Moshpit game mode that was supposed to arrive with Season 1 as a contributing factor.

Envoy blows minds by revealing that he plays with headset backwards Call of Duty LeagueDylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon is a star Call of Duty League player for the Chicago Huntsmen and, as it turns out, an audiophile iconoclast—as discovered during the CDL’s Seattle Surge Home Series. Gamers are no strangers to inverted controls, as every game allows for options that suit certain players’ personal preferences. Early FPS titles like Goldeneye and Medal of Honor utilized an inverted Y-Axis, and those habits persist for a minority of gamers today. But it appears that Envoy has taken inverted to a whole new level, as his peer, the Dallas Empire’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks discovered while watching the CDL tournament on May 23: The Huntsmen star apparently plays Call of Duty with his headset on backwards—hearing things on his right in-game through his left ear in real life. Does this dude @DylanEnvoy have his Astros on backwards? LMAOOOO pic.twitter.com/BcLiOo20r6 — Clayster (@Clayster) May 23, 2020 This information is new to much of the CoD community and, understandably, pretty shocking. When you’re approaching Envoy from the right, his left ear registers those footsteps but his brain understands that the movement is on his right side. It’s a psychological masterpiece, a testament to the human brain’s habituation. In response to Clayster, he explained the history of this bizarre habit: “Dude, I never knew I was wearing my headset backwards when I was a child and ever since I started com I just had to wear it that way ‘cause I can’t get used to the normal way.” dude I never knew I was wearing my headset backwards when I was a child and ever since I started comp I just had to wear it that way cause i cant get used to the normal way. Worst part is that on some PC games like CS I have to wear the normal way idgi tbh — Envoy (@DylanEnvoy) May 23, 2020 Making things even more confusing, it appears that there are certain games in which he does not have this proclivity toward inverted audio—as he mentions that he has to wear his headset “the normal way” when playing PC titles like Counter Strike. While this information is new to much of the CoD scene, it’s long been known by Envoy’s teammates and fans, to the extent that his Twitch stream even features a “!headsetstory” command that will prompt Nightbot to explain that his brain has simply “adjusted to inverted audio” and that the professional beamer is just “weird.” Many might wonder how cracked Envoy’s gameplay could be if he switched to wearing his headset the normal way. But the Huntsmen are 12-4 overall and 2-0 in the Seattle series thus far, so fans will probably just want to trust his brain for now.

Enigma6’s Black Ops 4 lineup includes a Halo World Champion Enigma6 have announced their full five man roster for the new Call of Duty season, featuring familiar faces alongside some young guns and a former Halo World Champion. Joining long-time E6 captain Jordan ‘General’ General is Steven ‘Diabolic’ Rivero, former EZG player Kade ‘Kade’ Jones, Matthew ‘KiSMET’ Tinsley and two-time Halo World Champion Bradley ‘Frosty’ Bergstrom. Frosty competed with TOX Gaming during the 2018 Halo season, and previously won consecutive Halo World Championships with OpTic Gaming. Bergstrom announced his intention to switch to Call of Duty in September, citing the lack of upcoming Halo events as the reason for his decision. Bergstrom hopes to follow in the footsteps of former Halo players who have flourished after making the transition to Call of Duty such as Matt ‘FormaL’ Piper, Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter and Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt. The American is looking to remain in Call of Duty for the long haul, stating: “Hopefully I can be established in CoD, so that I don’t have to play Halo 6. I mean, I want to, but if I have a good team I’m not going to switch back.” Enigma6 announced their new roster in a video uploaded to their YouTube channel on Thursday, October 11. The video sees E6 captain General break down the WW2 season, and their new roster alongside a masked figure who is revealed to be Kade. With the first Call of Duty event scheduled for December 7-9 in Las Vegas, it will be interesting to see how quickly Frosty can make the transition to Call of Duty. Enigma6 CoD: Jordan ‘General’ General – Steven ‘Diabolic’ Rivero – Kade ‘Kade’ Jones – Matthew ‘KiMSET’ Tinsley – Bradley ‘Frosty’ Bergstrom –

Enigma6 announce surprising roster moves ahead of CWL trade deadline CWLTeams in the Call of Duty World League are banking on final moves before the transfer window closes, and a struggling Enigma6 has made some roster changes to build with their lineup in the coming events. The CWL regular season has seen teams rise and fall throughout the year. While orgs like OpTic Gaming and eUnited have impressed throughout the season, not all teams have gelled together quite so well through now. It’s because of this that numerous teams have been making last ditch efforts to salvage their season by changing up their roster to test out new experiments or make strong pushes for the year’s final events. In a June 20 announcement, Enigma6 revealed their deadline moves by adding both Mehran ‘Mayhem’ Anjomshoa and Paul ‘Breszy’ Breszynski to their active five-man roster to field for the rest of the season. Enigma6 is proud to welcome @Breszyy and @Mayhem6 to our @CODWorldLeague Roster. They will be joining @JordonGeneral, @KiSMET6_ @AdamGodRx and Coach @Sender_FN. We’re looking forward to finishing the year strong in our quest for a championship. Please welcome them to #E6ARMY pic.twitter.com/kFPHakhqe1 — Enigma6 Group™ (@Enigma6Group) June 20, 2019 The full squad will consist of Jordon ‘General’ General, Matthew ‘KiSMET’ Tinsley, Adam ‘GodRx’ Brown as well as Mayhem and Breszy while being led by Coach Troy ‘Sender’ Michaels. Fans were shocked to see Bradley ‘Frosty’ Bergstrom seemingly dropped from the team, but the org is making moves to find any improvement before the season is up. Similarly, Eric ‘JetLi’ Phan announced earlier on June 19 that he had become a free agent before any official team announcement. As mentioned before, the E6 have been struggling all year to string good results together, and are hoping that the new changes will find them some good fortune in the latter portion of the season. Both new additions have previously shown promise in the CWL and will have a great chance to showcase what they can bring to the table for E6. While there’s not a chance for E6 to go positive in their record through the 2019 regular season campaign, it should still give the new roster iteration a chance to make mistakes without too much on the line. The changes will be something for Enigma6 to experiment with as they’re tied for last place in the Pro League alongside Luminosity with a record of 5-13. Enigma6 Roster General – KiSMET – GodRx – Breszy – Mayhem –

End of An Era: New OpTic Gaming Call of Duty Roster Officially Announced in Vision The end of a storied era for the most successful Call of Duty roster in history has come, as OpTic Gaming announce the departure of Matthew “FormaL” Piper and Damon “Karma” Barlow from the team. The news was expected, but that will not lessen the blow for many OpTic fans who have grown very familiar with this roster – one of the longest lasting in any esport. After just over three years, 13 LAN tournament wins and a World Championship in 2017, the four man roster which cemented itself a great dynsasty, is finally over. Since winning the World Championship last year, the team has suffered from the ‘CoD Champs curse’ – where the winning team from the previous year ultimately falls apart. The roster of Scump, Crimsix, FormaL and Karma won OpTic Gaming’s first World Championship in 2017 The year did not start poorly for the roster, with a 3rd place at the opening event, but it was their 2nd place finish at the CWL Pro League Stage One Playoffs, that ultimately saw the demise of the team. After a top 16 placing at the following event, CWL Seattle, the writing was on the wall. It has now been officially announced in vision, that Former Luminosity player Sam “Octane” Larew will replace the outgoing FormaL. Ex-Team Kaliber player Anthony “Methodz” Zinni also joins, in place of Karma. For now, Karma’s future is uncertain, and although he has likely received offers from other teams, there are also rumors that he will step away from competing, at least until the release of Black Ops 4. FormaL has joined Luminosity Gaming, in what is a direct trade for Octane. OpTic and LG will face off in Division B of the CWL Pro League Stage Two, beginning May 29th (Division A matches start on the 15th). The New OpTic Gaming CoD Roster Seth “Scump” Abner – Ian “Crimsix” Porter – Sam “Octane” Larew – Anthony “Methodz” Zinni –

Enable: Why “blockbuster” Octane transfer could solve Seattle Surge’s CDL woes Activision/Call of Duty LeagueDuring the Reverse Sweep CDL Preview Show, 100 Thieves’ Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt has explained why Seattle Surge should consider trading star player Sam ‘Octane’ Larew to another CDL team. For the last few years, Octane has been one of, if not the, best main ARs in Call of Duty. His stints with Luminosity Gaming and 100 Thieves cemented his status, while his first year under Seattle in the Call of Duty League saw him put up insane stats. The main issue with Seattle was that they simply weren’t winning, no matter what kind of crazy antics Octane was getting up to on the map. That issue has leaked into the current season too, with Seattle struggling throughout Stage 1 despite a roster of bonafide stars and winners. So, it’s clear that the Surge needs to do something to start getting some notches in the wins column and move up the standings. and Enable has suggested they do the unfathomable, by trading Octane away to another team. While discussing Seattle and London, the two teams lowest in the standings and Dexerto’s power rankings, Enable made his spicy take. After saying that Seattle is probably edging close to the salary cap, Enable suggests the move because “nobody else is probably going to want Loony, Prestinni or maybe even Gunless.” He continued: “Sam will be a hot commodity compared to the others. I would try and trade him out for another good player, it frees up salary cap. Besides that, what do you do? Who’s taking Prestinni or Loony right now?” Timestamp 6:00 Saying that it would be a “blockbuster move,” co-hosts Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker and Katie Bedford agree that Seattle could get even a couple of good players for Octane. “You could get a real package,” Pacman said. “You could ask for really competitive players because Sam’s going to help whatever team he goes to.” Needless to say, the idea of Seattle shipping off their best player probably hasn’t entered most people’s minds. However, the argument definitely makes sense, and could breathe some new life into a Surge roster packed with opinionated leaders and talented players. Seattle Surge will definitely want to see improvements in Stage 2, but how they reach that point is impossible to know as of yet.

Enable: Ultra bullied FaZe to win the Stage 2 Major | CDL Reverse Sweep Review After the shocking Toronto Ultra win in the Call of Duty League’s Stage 2 Major, our Reverse Sweep team is back to recap all the biggest moments. Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker, and Katie Bedford are here to break everything down. In what was the most unpredictable event thus far in 2021, Ultra stunned Atlanta FaZe to take home the Stage 2 championship. From Accuracy’s historic clutch to the lackluster showing from Dallas Empire, join our Reverse Sweep crew as they make sense of it all. Ultra shocks the world with Stage 2 Major win Seemingly out of nowhere, the entire Toronto lineup reached a new level in the Stage 2 Major. Their performance was nothing short of “phenomenal,” as Pacman described it. It was “the most improbable win. They beat all of the top teams.” Not only did they secure the Stage 2 trophy, but they did so in style, Enable added. “That was the first time in Cold War that FaZe was on the opposite side of getting bullied.” Does the Major format need to change? Is it now a DISADVANTAGE to be from the winners side?@PacmanJT, @WorldsBedford & @Enable discuss the bracket format and how it is “insulting” to the winners’ side team. 🤔 #CDL2021 Major Review: https://t.co/EoVSLe0LNv pic.twitter.com/u9FJApDx95 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 13, 2021 Not to discredit Ultra’s shocking run, but the format of the CDL Majors “is a little bit iffy,” in Pacman’s eyes. For Atlanta FaZe, they came through the winners bracket but had no real advantage in the Grand Finals. One series loss in the entire event and that was all she wrote for the Stage 1 champs. “You need to find a way to give the winners bracket team an advantage,” Enable said. “The vetoes… that doesn’t matter. Ultra deserve the win, they outplayed FaZe. But still… you have to be able to give them something. They lost one series, they lost the tournament.” Dallas Empire struggling to find championship form Despite a solid showing in the latest event, for Dallas Empire, their performance wasn’t all too inspiring for our Reverse Sweep team. “It’s tough to be down on a team that got third,” Pacman admitted. “But it’s the way that they’re winning. They’re not dominating anyone, everything is down to the wire.” In fact, Enable even argues that they’ve “regressed” over the past few weeks. “They haven’t improved in any game mode. They looked worse in this Stage than they did the first. They’re not that dominant team they were last year.” OpTic’s heartbreaking loss to ROKKR OpTic was looking hot throughout the Stage 2 Major, though it all came crashing down when the stars aligned for Accuracy. His shocking 1v3 clutch “might be one of the most unlucky situations of all time,” according to Enable. For OpTic to lose in such a difficult way, “it’s gonna eat at [them].”If it wasn’t for that unbelievable moment, “who knows how far they could have made it.” MVPs of the Stage 2 Major He proved the doubters WRONG! 🔥 @PacmanJT, @WorldsBedford & @Enable pick @Bance as their Stage 2 MVP!#CDL2021 Major 2 Review: https://t.co/EoVSLe0LNv pic.twitter.com/0NTByYBX9e — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 13, 2021 When it comes to the most impressive players in Stage 2, it’s impossible to pick anyone outside of the Toronto lineup. For Enable’s money, Insight “has to be” the MVP of the Major. “Two months ago he was in Challengers getting Top 64. Now, he just won the second Major in Cold War. He’s been phenomenal, I don’t think he’s had a bad series.” For Pacman, it was Bance who showed up and impressed more than anyone else. With a 1.44 KD against FaZe in the finals, he reached a level we’ve rarely seen before. “He played phenomenally. I don’t know what got into him but Bance deserves it. I just want him to stay at this high level of play.” Craziest moments of the Stage 2 Major While Accuracy’s 1v3 against OpTic just had to be a standout moment, it could be more than just a highlight for the reel, according to the Reverse Sweep experts. It was a “heartbreaking loss.” Enable is “interested to see how the future unfolds for OpTic.” Meanwhile, Empire’s ridiculous 0.01-second Control clutch against Minnesota is also another standout moment from the Major. “That was just a meltdown from Minnesota,” Enable joked. If ROKKR closed it out there, the ripple effect might have resulted in a completely different Major. “If Dallas doesn’t get that clutch, I think Empire loses to OpTic in the losers bracket. They don’t get third… it just changes everything.” Least Valuable Players of the Stage 2 Major As for the least impactful players of the event, Enable had a unique take. While he didn’t actually play in the Stage 2 Major, SlasheR is his pick for LVP. “Who would’ve thought a team without SlasheR could be better?” The LA Thieves “looked like they were having fun on two days of practice. They played better without [him].” Taking a different approach, Clayster may have had the worst showing of all according to Pacman. “Clay did not play well. That was actually a despicable performance [from NYSL]. They didn’t show up.” For all Reverse Sweep CDL news, head over to our dedicated page.

Enable: Ultra benching Methodz won’t pay off | Reverse Sweep CDL Toronto review After Toronto Ultra benched Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker & Katie Bedford discuss how it wasn’t the right decision for the team. With some surprise reverse sweeps and decisive 3-0s, the Toronto Home Series was one to watch. Atlanta FaZe and Seattle Surge both bagged a 3-1 victory over Subliners and Mutineers, with Seattle looking drastically better than they have previously. Paris Legion dominated against Minnesota RØKKR with a 3-0 smackdown, and LA Thieves got through by the skin of their teeth with a 3-2 victory over New York. The trio focused a lot on the big decision made by Toronto Ultra to bench Anthony ‘Methodz ‘ Zinni for Jamie ‘Insight’ Craven. While the young player had a fantastic series, Enable says he “didn’t agree with the initial benching of Zinni, and it seems like a lateral move.” “I think that if they were going to make a move, they should have benched someone else for Insight. They might have more potential with Insight, but I don’t really see them getting any better. I don’t think Insight’s going to be a superstar and change Toronto into a top team.” Pacman agreed, saying that “Zinni was their highest-rated player in every single mode,” asking “What did that move really accomplish?” Check out the above video to hear the full thoughts on the benching, alongside the rest of what went down in Reverse Sweep. For all Reverse Sweep content, keep it locked over at our main page.

Enable: TJHaly could save LA Thieves’ CDL season Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of Duty On Monday, May 24, LA Thieves announced that they would be bringing Thomas ‘TJHaly’ Haly back to the starting CDL roster in place of new star Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland, in a move that shocked just about everyone. Huke was brought in to add even more star power to the LA Thieves roster, a dominant SMG that could open doors for the team to really compete with the very best. While he didn’t spend long on the starting roster, Huke struggled to have an immediate impact on the squad, and they’ve brought TJ back in to try and continue the improvement they saw prior to the acquisition of Huke. While many fans and critics have their own opinions on the decision, Reverse Sweep hosts Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker believe TJHaly has the power to turn LA Thieves’ season in the right direction. While this show was recorded prior to Huke’s benching, the message remains the same: TJHaly is an incredibly important factor in the Thieves’ success. “Drazah and Venom are two new kids in the scene and I wonder, if things don’t go so well at this LAN, if maybe they bring TJ back,” said Enable. “Hold on to Teej until after the Major… [Then] you have that kind of safety net, because you don’t want to go into Champs with no confidence in your team.” Pacman echoes Enable’s sentiment, adding that TJHaly is an accomplished LAN player and is especially good at Champs, which could play a role in LA Thieves’ decision making when the tail end of the year hits. Of course, when this topic came up on the CDL preview show, Enable and Pacman thought the obvious move was TJ in to replace Venom. With Huke being moved to the bench, the Thieves have some serious talent on the sidelines, and they clearly plan on utilizing it whenever and wherever they think it is most needed. Stage 4 kicks off on Thursday, May 27, and we’ll have to wait to see how TJHaly performs throughout the Stage; it could have huge implications on the roster going forward, and the team’s championship hopes.

Enable suggests Dallas Empire consider moving on from Crimsix & Illey Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of Duty During the Reverse Sweep CDL show, host Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt suggested that Dallas Empire might need to consider making some major roster changes if they want to start competing for championships again. Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter and Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal are incredible talents with the accolades to match, and Dallas’ commitment to them has shown throughout the turbulent season and in particular when they had to drop a player following the switch back to 4v4. At the time, between Crimsix and James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, the latter found himself on the sidelines. Now, though, Dallas aren’t hitting their 2020 world champion form. A strong start in Stage 1 is long forgotten, with a 0-6 map count seeing them crash out of the Stage 3 Major at pace. They dropped Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland and brought in Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson, but with results not improving, Enable says the team needs to look a little deeper. With FeLo being benched ahead of the start of Stage 4, there was much speculation over who would come in and try to bring the team back to their former glory — but this might require more than just one change. “I think the only player on their team who has been consistently playing well is Shotzzy,” Enable said when discussing the Empire’s woes on Reverse Sweep. “FeLo’s going to be the scapegoat, but he’s playing well for the situation he’s in.” Then, Enable suggested that the other two could possibly be on the chopping block. “You’ve got to look at Crim and iLLeY,” he said. “They have not been performing too hot. So I think multiple team changes need to happen if they want a chance to actually get a championship.” Dallas definitely have the pull to bring in some huge names, and with the likes of former LA Thieves players Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat and Thomas ‘TJHaly’ Haly on the bench, there’s the chance of something major happening. But could Dallas really bench Crimsix, arguably the greatest CoD player of all time? Is dropping iLLeY really a possibility? It’s hard to tell, but for the best chance of going back-to-back at Champs, something needs to change.

Enable: Scump Doesn’t NEED TO Compete! | CDL Reverse Sweep Review The Reverse Sweep team has a lot to run through before the CDL Stage 2 Major kicks off this weekend. Catch up with Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker & Katie Bedford who go down every big storyline in the league. While the League is always in a state of flux, Katie, Enable & Pacman cut through the noise to dissect everything in their CDL review. This week’s episode is a big one with OpTic trying to get their team back on track, Asim pulling out heroics in the face of tragedy, and FaZe Clan looking scary heading into the Major. Optic & Scump Seth ‘Scump’ Abner doesn’t need to compete in the CDL. The 25-year-old pro has been at the top of the CoD scene for years, with a career that will surely thrive after his competitive days are done. While the Reverse Sweep panel likes how OpTic recomposed themselves in the LAG Home Series, now it’s going to be a question of the Greenwall’s consistency heading into the Major. Scump’s hinted that he’s “lost his mojo,” but the Reverse Sweep team can easily see him and OpTic picking it back up from here. Group B and the RØKKR Enable had “a feeling” that the Minnesota RØKKR would top Group B, but it’s been a hectic time in that field with surprises in a lot of matches so far. Still, this has been peak Call of Duty with how many players can turn up in a moment’s notice which left Florida Mutineer barely in last after losing to a surprising Paris Legion. No cracks in FaZe FaZe Clan have been the image of success so far in Stage 2. With a 4-1 record and 14-4 map differential to put them atop of Group A, they’re riding high going into the Major. The Los Angeles Guerrillas managed to “punch [FaZe] in the face” but both Enable and Pacman are chalking that up as LAG getting the better of then rather than FaZe showing signs of wear. FaZe are still one of the most dominant teams week in, week out, and the team are looking for them to be a force in the Stage 2 Major. Royal Ravens losing luster After Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila joined the Ravens and the team strung two wins, the London org had a lot to be happy about. But the honeymoon phase is starting to wear off and the Ravens have lost their last three outings going into the Major, so they’ll have to find how to right the ship before it’s too late. Asim The New York Subliners are 4-1 in Stage 2, and are looking like a really strong unit. While that’s something for the org to celebrate, Obaid ‘Asim’ battled through tremendous personal loss this week just to regroup with his team hours later against Toronto Ultra. After capping off a 3-1 win vs Ultra while leading his team with a 30-kill performance in the last Hardpoint map, Asim explained the hardships he went through with the loss of his uncle and grandfather. His performance was brilliant both in the game and at keeping his mentality locked in the series. MVPs, LVPs, and Highlights Even though the LA Guerrillas are still figuring it out and OpTic are getting back to form, their respective stars Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo-Palmer and Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell take this week’s MVP. Speaking of OpTic, both Enable and Pacman point to Scump’s performance against Dallas creating the moments of the week. As for the LVP, the crew picked Empire’s ‘guru,’ Seattle’s pointman and two other players that one of the hosts thought needed special recognition. For the full Reverse Sweep review, check out the full video! For all Reverse Sweep CDL news, head over to our dedicated page.

Enable reveals the reasons he was benched by Seattle Surge Seattle SurgeSeattle Surge Call of Duty star Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt has explained why he was benched by the CoD League team – and why it was the “wake up call” he needed. After just two weekends of League play, Seattle became the second team – after Toronto Ultra – to make changes to their starting line-up, with Enable revealing that he would be getting benched for the foreseeable future. While this may come as somewhat of a surprise, considering the success he saw last year and his steady performances in Modern Warfare, Enable has explained the rationale behind the decision. “This was kind of a wake-up call, to be honest,” he explained in a February 16 stream. “Even though it sucks, and not competing is going to kill me inside, I did get off-track for a little bit and I wasn’t putting in the time I needed to be.” Though Enable himself hasn’t been performing badly, Seattle is clearly showing signs of struggling and will need to improve if they want to compete at the top of the standings – and maybe this lack of time put in could be one of the reasons behind that. Enable went on, saying: “It lit a fire under me. I’m just going to grind and see what happens. This is definitely not the end of me playing for this year – at least, I hope so.” Enable then confirmed that, despite how early it is in the season, he’s “already had a couple of teams reach out” to him, but that he won’t be making a decision until after the Los Angeles home series on March 7-8. This would give him little under a month to figure out what his future is, whether it’s on the Seattle Surge bench, starting roster, or on another team completely. He went on to clarify that he has a “no-trade clause” in his contract, meaning that if Seattle wanted to trade him to an opposing team, he would have to agree to it. But, if he finds a team he wants to go to, they’ve agreed to work with him to make it happen. In the meantime, it appears Casey ‘Pandur’ Romano will be taking Enable’s spot on the starting line-up. His first LAN appearance for the Seattle roster would be the LA homestand, after which Enable will be making his final decision. It was suggested in Enable’s stream that there isn’t a trade period, and he thinks trades can be made throughout the entire season, so we may be getting our first high-profile roster move of the Call of Duty League in the very near future.

Enable reveals he’s been benched from Seattle Surge CoD League roster MLGSeattle Surge flex player Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt has revealed that he has been moved to the team’s bench following two disappointing weekends in the first events of the new Call of Duty League. Seattle Surge are one of the eight teams who have competed in both Call of Duty League weekends so far, and while many thought the team could place highly in the league, the squad has endured a difficult start to their season, winning just one of five matches, and losing all but one Search and Destroy maps they’ve played so far. After four losses, it appears that Seattle Surge have decided to make a change to try and arrest their slump early in the season, moving Enable, who won back-to-back events with 100 Thieves in the 2019 season, to their bench going forward according to the pro player. Surge found themselves eliminated in the group stages of the Call of Duty League London Home Series, getting swept by Dallas Empire in their first matchup. The squad were able to recover and take a hard-fought victory against L.A. Guerrillas but were soundly beaten 3-1 when they faced the Empire once again in an elimination match. After returning home from the event, Enable jumped back into pickup matches with other pro players, and when asked by a viewer how his week had been, and how their scrimmages had gone, the 26-year-old explained that he had been removed from the starting roster. “How were scrims?” he read from his chat. “We have not scrimmed. I actually got dropped. Benched, for the time being. I think they’re starting up tomorrow maybe, I don’t know.” Seattle Surge will now be using one of their two substitute players moving forward, although it’s currently unknown whether it will be Casey ‘Pandur’ Romano or Nicholas ‘Proto’ Maldonado who will step into Enable’s shoes when the team begins practicing again on February 14. The next Call of Duty League Home Series takes place in Atlanta on February 22, however, Seattle Surge won’t be in action again until the Los Angeles event on March 7.

CoD pro Enable announces Warzone plans following CDL retirement Call of Duty LeagueVeteran professional Call of Duty player, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, has announced his retirement from the esport, and revealed he’ll pursue a competitive career in Warzone. [jwplayer qYU9URvL] In a year that’s already had Call of Duty legends such as Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow and Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan call it quits, the competitive scene now sees another one of its biggest names hang up the sticks. Enable announced his retirement on November 11 via an emotional YouTube video; “It’s the right time, it’s the right move. I’m retiring from professional Call of Duty.” “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. When you’ve been doing something for as long as I have, you got to know when it’s time to start something new, to refresh yourself, refresh your mind, because this is all I’ve ever done.” Despite retiring from the traditional competitive CoD scene, Enable isn’t going anywhere and has instead announced that the next step of his career will be playing Warzone, Call of Duty’s popular Battle Royale variant, as well as a “great” opportunity that he will speak about at a later date. “I definitely will be competing, just not in another game,” he said. “Next year, along with the opportunity I’m going to take, I plan on competing in Warzone. I want to give it a shot, it’ll be something I’ll be able to take seriously, I’ll be able to compete – have some sort of competition, which is what I need. I’m definitely not fully gone but it won’t be what you guys are used to.” Read More: Huntsmen rebrand as OpTic Chicago in the CDL – As for whether he’ll ever return to pro-CoD, the 26-year-old isn’t ready to completely close that chapter yet: “I don’t want to say there’s no chance; at this point in time, I think I’m done for good but I won’t say there’s a 0% chance. If the opportunity is right and it makes sense, then I will come back and compete.” Enable made his professional gaming debut in 2006 and would spend the first several years of his career as a Halo pro, competing for teams like Dynasty and Status Quo. Enable competed for several tops teams during his 7-year career, including FaZe, 100 Thieves, Team Kaliber, and even OpTic Gaming. pic.twitter.com/ZgqvHDrhqd — DEXERTO Call of Duty (@DexertoIntel) November 11, 2020 He made his transition to Call of Duty in late 2013, and in the seven years that followed, Enable featured for some prominent teams, including FaZe Clan, 100 Thieves, Team Kaliber, Evil Geniuses, and even OpTic Gaming, to whom he was loaned out to for a couple of European tournaments. After CoD esports’ switch to franchising and the CDL in 2019, he was picked up by the Seattle Surge but ultimately got demoted to the bench after a slow start to the season. Prior to his announcement, it was rumored that 100 Thieves were considering Enable for their vacant fourth starter position, but he shut that down shortly after LA Thieves was announced. His accolades include eight major tournament victories, back-to-back second-place finishes at the CoD World League Championships in 2018 and 2019, and a third-place finish at the 2015 Champs.

Enable responds to 100 Thieves coaching rumors for CDL 2021 CWL/100 ThievesCall of Duty pro Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt has denied rumors he is set to coach the 100 Thieves franchise in next year’s CDL – if they’re confirmed as a new team – as well as explaining why he doesn’t think coaching is a good fit for him. The Call of Duty League off season has, unsurprisingly, seen a number of roster rumors rise to the surface. Among the biggest news to come out of the off-season is the confirmation Dexerto received regarding 100 Thieves’ purchase of the Los Angeles-based CDL slot. There have also been rumors that this will see OpTic Gaming reunite with H3CZ in Chicago, but this remains unconfirmed for the moment. One pro who has been touted as a potential player for any 100 Thieves owned CoD team is Enable, whose first season in the CDL was spent struggling with the Seattle Surge. Struggles saw Karma retire and Enable move to the substitutes bench, but the Surge’s fortunes hardly improved. Enable return to 100 Thieves? Prior to his time in Washington state, Enable was a member of the 100 Thieves roster that enjoyed considerable success in the Black Ops 4 season, winning CWL Anaheim and CWL London. This success with Nadeshot’s organization is perhaps the fuel for the rumors he will return to coach an LA Thieves line-up, but Enable poured cold water on the possibility during a podcast with the Minnesota ROKKR’s Attach. “I think I’m gonna have a decision [to make] really soon,” Enable said. “Which is good, because it’s obviously stressful just not knowing. One thing I will say though… I one thousand percent will tell you that I am not coaching 100 Thieves. Zero percent chance – not a coach.” Topic starts at 1:13:50 He finished: “I just don’t think that [coaching] is for me. You telling me I gotta f**king watch TJ rotate?” His shots at TJHaLy shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but it seems clear that we won’t see Enable making a return to the CDL as LA Thieves’ coach in its second season. Given his aversion to coaching in general, a playing role seems far more likely for Enable. Whether he can find his way onto a starting roster remains to be seen, but we’ll be the first to update you when there’s news on his situation.

Enable puts LA Thieves’ struggles down to players “slumping” at crucial time Reverse Sweep / LA ThievesLA Thieves, despite the backing of CoD legends Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan, have experienced a turbulent first season in the CDL. But what’s going wrong for the Thieves, and will the introduction of Huke and SlasheR actually solve their problems? The excitement generated from 100 Thieves’ acquisition of a Call of Duty League spot looks disproportionate in comparison to the waves they’ve made in the league. While not necessarily a disaster, the Thieves have found consistency incredibly difficult to come by. Initial responses saw Venom and Drazah drafted in as SlasheR struggled to acclimatise to online play. There was some promise shown but, ahead of the return to LAN at the Stage IV Major, Huke and SlasheR have returned to replace both the young-guns. The new roster made their debut on June 11, but lost out to a resurgent ROKKR. There’s still the Stage IV Major left to play, but the Thieves’ chances of a favorable finish will be reduced considerably if they do not start in the Winners’ Bracket. Plenty of theories have circulated about their struggles but, for Enable, it simply comes down to players “slumping” at the wrong time. Speaking on Reverse Sweep, Enable put the Thieves’ main struggles down to a lack of composure when it really matters: “Drazah hasn’t looked good, Venom hasn’t… none of them have really looked good. I don’t know if there’s any issues behind the scenes with the overall team vibes. More importantly, the players just look like they’re slumping. Multiple players are slumping at the same time and this is not the time of the year where you want to be.” In contrast, Pacman actually highlighted the org’s previous roster changes. As we now know, the organization’s response has been more roster changes. Whether that can arrest the slump remains to be seen but, if Thieves are going to pull up any trees at Stage IV, they’ll need all players to put in better performances than they’ve shown so far.

Enable & Pacman: Why Simp and aBeZy are the perfect duo in CDL 2021 ActivisionAtlanta FaZe are the CDL 2021 Stage 1 Major champions, and they are absolutely stomping the competition. Reverse Sweep’s Enable and Pacman believe the Tiny Terrors are the key — and the perfect complement to each other. At the Major, FaZe plowed through Dallas Empire in an 8-2 map count across the Winners Final and Grand Final. It was nothing short of a blowout, and a real eye-opener for Dallas’ 2020 world championship-winning team. There’s no denying that while Atlanta has a seriously impressive team across the board, the duo of Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr and Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris have been as phenomenal as ever. Voted MVP in our Team of the Week following the Stage 1 Major, Simp was lights out in the final — but the Reverse Sweep crew believe aBeZy makes him even better. During the Reverse Sweep review show after the Major, Enable and Pacman discussed the Tiny Terrors with host Katie Bedford. They explain why the duo are so perfect for each other, and how their plays complement one another. Read More: CDL Power Rankings after Stage 1 Major – After talking about the MVP, Enable says that he’s not sure he’s ever seen a more complete player. While Pacman can’t deny the young star’s dominance, he believes that aBeZy makes it that much easier for him. “ABeZy’s the best entry man in the game, and is perfect for everything Simp does on the map, which is pretty much everything else,” Pacman said. “[aBeZy] gives him the information on the map, and then Simp is the best at using that information to the best of his ability.” Enable agrees with Pac’s point, noting that aBeZy is “more methodical” and this provides exactly what Atlanta needs from him, especially as a hyper-aggressive entry sub. Obviously, the two work very well together, hence why they’ve chosen to team for so long, and rarely (if ever) have a bad event. The question is, what would these two look like without each other? Could either be as dominant as they are without the other? We imagine the other CDL teams are dying to know.

Enable & Pacman: Scump getting his mojo back helped OpTic “through the rough patch” Call of Duty LeagueDespite a rough showing in Stage 2 Week 2 of the 2021 Call of Duty League season, OpTic Chicago has already rebounded in the eyes of our Reverse Sweep crew. Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker, and Katie Bedford discuss how important it was for Seth ‘Scump’ Abner to get his mojo back. Stage 2 saw the biggest slump yet for the Green Wall. Throughout Week 2, OpTic failed to win a single map against Minnesota and Florida, dropping them to fifth in the Group B standings. One more loss at the LA Guerrillas Home Series and they would have been starting the Stage 2 Major in the Losers bracket. While the slump could be pinned on individual players or even specific game modes, it didn’t last long. Just one week later and OpTic came out firing on all cylinders to sweep Seattle and take down Dallas. This was “exactly what they needed to do,” Enable argued. In light of a major bump in the road, they were able to turn things around faster than most would have predicted. “Usually when that happens, it takes a little more time,” Pacman said. But thanks in large part to Scump’s regain, “we can look back at it now and just say, that was a bad couple of days.” Big week of S&D from @OpTicCHI 💥 • 3-0 vs Surge & Empire • Combined 18-5 round count • 1.80 team K/DAre OpTic’s Search struggles fixed? #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/2KusU2p3h1 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 4, 2021 Having tweeted that he may have “lost his mojo” for a brief stretch, Scump revealed he was indeed in a “major slump.” Helping lead the scene for the better part of a decade now, downturns like these are to be expected, according to Enable. “When you compete for such a long time, it gets repetitive,” the veteran explained. “It can become stale. “For Seth, he’s one of the greatest Call of Duty players of all time. He has so much going for him, he’s the biggest Call of Duty player in the League.” Put simply, Scump doesn’t “have to compete.” 👑 @Scump 2.0?@Enable says if he keeps his form he can take @OpTicCHI to a Major victory!#CDL2021 Major 2 Preview: https://t.co/TG53TdZ9MD pic.twitter.com/qOQqsjGjwU — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 8, 2021 “He’s already made his career, his legacy, he has enough money to do whatever he wants. For him, it just comes down to having fun and wanting to get on every day.” After a rough showing in Week 2, a fire has clearly been lit. Throughout the following two matchups, Scump was able to “get his mojo back.” Rapidly turning things around against Seattle and Dallas, Scump “showed his resilience,” Enable added. He helped them avoid the Losers Bracket start and “they looked good doing it,” Pacman said. OpTic just fell short in a nail-biting series against Toronto to kick off the Major. Despite this close loss, Enable firmly believes “they’re gonna be on that upward trend again.” If they keep the momentum rolling through the lower bracket, “who knows… Maybe they’ll even get a first Major win.” Read More: Scump calls for CDL roster change rules – Be sure to keep on top of everything in the Stage 2 Major as we bring you the latest results and highlights.

Enable & Pacman: Roster changes LA Guerrillas need to make to survive CDL 2021 ActivisionWith the Stage 2 Major out of the way, Reverse Sweep hosts Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker say that LA Guerrillas are most in need of changing their team around — and discuss who they could pick up. Rostermania is well underway in the CDL, with Paris Legion and Florida Mutineers already announcing changes to their squad. There are multiple more changes expected, including Slacked’s replacement on the Mutineers, with New York Subliners also rumored to be switching things up for Stage 3. But there’s one team that Enable and Pacman say are in dire need of making a roster move — if not getting a whole new squad — and that’s the Los Angeles Guerrillas. Who should LA Guerrillas drop? Despite being the team to grant Atlanta FaZe their first loss of the season during Stage 2, the Reverse Sweep crew think that this squad needs a serious shake-up, suggesting which players could be replaced and who by. Read More: Scump explains why he “hates” the CDL format – “They have a difficult decision to make when it comes to dropping players,” Pacman says. “The one that’s shown the most promise to me is SiLLY, so if I had to keep one, it would be him. And Vivid’s stats have been pretty good.” Enable agrees with Pacman, saying: “It’s not like they’re Paris or Florida where one player could make a huge difference. It has to be multiple players. So you have to be able to get the players that want to come and play for LAG.” Who should LA Guerrillas pick up? Discussing possible pick-ups for the Los Angeles-based side, a few options were mentioned. Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat is an obvious one, with LAG main AR Adam ‘Assault’ Garcia the only player not mentioned as one with upside. Enable adds that he “wouldn’t be surprised if they take the route of getting a whole new team,” adding that former Guerrillas stars Renato ‘Saints’ Forza and Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato could also be considered. Whether Guerrillas make any changes remains to be seen, but if they want to earn a spot at CDL Champs at the end of the season, it might be in their best interests.

Enable & Pacman predict who could upset FaZe at CDL Stage 2 Major Dexerto / Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League’s Stage 2 Major is underway and no fan brackets are safe during the $500,000 tournament. During the latest episode of Reverse Sweep, Enable and Pacman broke down who could be FaZe’s toughest challenge. The Atlanta FaZe are widely, understandably considered to be the favorites at the CDL’s Stage 2 Major. At 12-1 and a stunning 40-12 on maps, FaZe are in a clear tier of their own — leaving just one main question when predicting Major II’s Grand Finals: Who can test Atlanta? According to Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, a former player for FaZe himself, one underdog team that can push Atlanta to the limit and it’s Minnesota’s ROKKR squad. In the latest episode of the Reverse Sweep, Enable argued the ROKKR’s case with Katie Bedford and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker. Pacman went a different direction with his prediction, noting that OpTic Chicago’s recent return to form could mean a run through the Winners Bracket. Both predictions now rely on Losers Bracket runs after each underdog team dropped their first match, but impossible is nothing in tourney play. Enable believes ROKKR can threaten FaZe Feeling the spice of bracket life, Enable’s first take was a particularly juicy one: “My bold prediction is Minnesota beating FaZe in the finals, 5-4 … this is my hot take.” With immediate reactions of surprise by his fellow analysts, the former CoD pro cooled off a little and reassessed his stance — opting for a more palatable take instead: “Minnesota will be in the finals and it will be a competitive series, win or lose, I think they’re gonna take FaZe to the distance.” After picking up rookie Eli ‘Standy’ Bentz during Stage 2, the ROKKR have impressed everyone, surging up the standings and into the Winners Bracket. But the team is still ranked sixth on the season, at 6-5, so it’s pretty ambitious to expect them to both make the Grand Finals and push FaZe to nine maps. 0.1 SECONDS 😱#DefendTheThrone | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/i1WmQMPpOM — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 9, 2021 That boldness was demonstrated as the ROKKR lost 2-3 to the Empire in Winners Round 2. Still, it took 0.1-second heroics from the Empire and a game five, round 11 to beat Minnesota, so it’s clear that the team has a lot of punch in them. As for Pacman’s take, his hopes for an OpTic run through the Winners Bracket have already been dismantled. Nevertheless, three of OpTic’s four players notched a positive K/D (kill-death ratio) in their 1-3 loss to the Toronto Ultra. Each underdog squad still has a chance to go the distance and give FaZe a run for their money. But if Enable was putting his money down, it would be on ROKKR surprising the CoD world: “It’s going nine maps, it’s going 5-4 … This is going to be the wildest Major we’ve seen in a while.”

Enable & Pacman pick their perfect best-of-5 competitive Call of Duty series ActivisonDuring the Reverse Sweep CDL show, hosts Katie Bedford, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker took a trip down memory lane to create their ideal best-of-5 competitive CoD series, causing some serious debate. Call of Duty first became a major esport in 2012 with the release of Black Ops 2, which many cite as a turning point for the franchise. One of the great things about CoD is that, with a new game every year, there’s bound to be at least one or two maps annually that really feel great, and it’s entirely personal preference. So, with so many maps to choose from across a variety of titles and game modes, Enable and Pacman took a look at the very best and worst. While Pacman himself is a veteran of the scene, competing all the way back in Call of Duty 2, the pair decided to just create their perfect best-of-5 series from Black Ops 2 onwards. Read More: CDL announces LAN return with Stage 4 Major – Using maps and modes from all different titles, they disagreed on a lot, with Enable saying that Pacman’s choices were “horrible.” Here are the maps that each of them picked for their perfect series on Reverse Sweep: So, there’s definitely some contention over certain maps. Enable hated Pacman’s Ardennes Forest S&D pick for game five, while Pac similarly hated Enable’s game-five pick of Detroit, which he later changed. Katie even started to pick her choices but, with Modern Warfare’s Arklov Peak mentioned, they decided to not let her go any further. With two completely different players, who made their names in completely different eras of Call of Duty, there were bound to be some disagreements, but overall it shows just how many great maps there are. Which maps would make up your ideal best-of-5 series? Let us know by tweeting us at @DexertoIntel!

Enable & Pacman: OpTic facing biggest test yet | CDL Reverse Sweep Preview DexertoThe 2021 Call of Duty League Season is through to Week 3 with the Dallas Home Series. Before we get there, join our Reverse Sweep crew of ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker & Katie Bedford to preview all the biggest matchups. With the Stage 3 Major fast approaching, there’s only one event left for teams to improve their spot going in. The Dallas Home Series is right around the corner and our Reverse Sweep team is here to break it all down. From the biggest matches to the players you need to keep an eye on, here are the biggest talking points heading into the next week of CDL action. OpTic looking to break out of a slump The past week wasn’t all too kind to OpTic. Suffering a 1-3 loss against the LA Thieves, they now find themselves battling for a better spot in Group B. A rough showing could be lead to a lower bracket start in the Major and they just so happen to be up against two of their toughest opponents. First on the agenda is NYSL but close behind is FaZe, a match Pacman “definitely expects” OpTic to lose. Enable backed him up, arguing “FaZe is just a little too much for Chicago.” Both games will be extremely important as Stage 3 comes to a close. If OpTic doesn’t perform, it could be their downfall, according to the Reverse Sweep crew. Stage 3 Major Losers Bracket predictions 3-11 in RESPAWNS?! 😬 @PacmanJT & @Enable discuss OpTic’s struggles against top teams.#CDL2021 Stage 3 Week 2 Review: https://t.co/UmyVZauyDY pic.twitter.com/RK5yifeNEE— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 4, 2021 On the back of their predictions for OpTic, both Enable and Pacman believe they could end up in the lower bracket at the Major. “Even if they go 1-1 [this week], I don’t know if that will guarantee them the winner’s bracket,” Enable said. “Realistically, OpTic has the most chance to go 0-2 this week compared to other teams,” he added.” Meanwhile, Pacman also threw Seattle and London into the mix as two teams all but destined for the lower bracket start. Seattle’s Stage 3 roster shuffle Just days out from the Dallas Home Series, Seattle announced that Loony would be moving to the bench. In his place, Decemate is returning to a starting CDL lineup. Despite the shakeup, Enable and Pacman don’t see it working out for the Surge. “Decemate’s been in the League before, I’m not expecting much from this change,” Pacman said. “He’s not a better player than Loony.” Continuing the argument, Enable outlined how Seattle’s problems can’t be boiled down to a single play. “It’s hard to say that he’s going to make them any better. Seattle has bigger issues.” Players & teams to watch during the Dallas Home Series It’s the last week before the Stage 3 Major and pressure is higher than ever. 5 players’ Dallas Home Series performances can dramatically impact #CDL2021 momentum: 🔹 @ColtHavok 🔹 @Huke 🔹 @MackMelts 🔹 @FormaL 🔹 @Decemate pic.twitter.com/sLOTzc7j5x— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 6, 2021 With 10 games scheduled for the week, there’s plenty to keep on top of. As for the most important rosters though, OpTic and the Subliners stand out for Enable and Pacman respectively. “This is a make or break week for [OpTic],” Enable said. “If things go south, they could start in the losers bracket and have a very hard time in the Major. They’re either going to excel or end up having to make a team change.” For NYSL, this week is equally important heading into the Major, according to Pacman. If they can secure back-to-back wins, they’ll have confidence “going into the Major knowing they could win it.” On the flip side, a 0-2 week could have New York “doubting themselves.” Bold predictions for the Dallas Home Series Closing things out with some bold predictions for the week, Pacman is confident NYSL will come through unscathed. “NYSL’s gonna go 2-0 this week,” he said. “Beat OpTic and Thieves, then they’re gonna go on to at least Winner’s Finals in the Major. Meanwhile, Enable had to go with his boys in the LA Thieves. Not only can he see them “getting first in [Group B],” but he predicts a finals appearance in the Stage 3 Major as well. Be sure to keep on top of everything at the Dallas Home Series event with our dedicated hub.. For all Reverse Sweep CDL news, head over to our dedicated page.

Enable & Pacman: New York Subliners need to make decision on HyDra’s roster spot Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of DutyDuring the Reverse Sweep CDL Preview Show, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker discussed the huge decision New York Subliners have to make regarding French wonderkid Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez. The ongoing global health situation has caused a number of issues within the Call of Duty League. One of the most prominent has been foreign players getting visas sorted so they can safely and legally travel to the United States to compete. One player that has been most affected by this is French star HyDra, who seemed to come from nowhere and received serious praise from Subliners’ James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks ahead of the 2021 season. After picking up someone perceived to be a “generational talent,” Pacman and Enable explain why the New York camp have some serious decisions to make. Welcome to New York, @HyDrAnml… kind of. #NYSL pic.twitter.com/lB07EVqd8Q — Subliners (@Subliners) March 11, 2021 As the Reverse Sweep crew discuss, the HyDra situation actually leaves New York Subliners in somewhat of a sticky situation. Clayster has gassed him up endlessly, but can they really just slot him into the team now? “If he’s as good as they say, it doesn’t matter how good you are playing, you put the guy on your team,” Pacman explains. “How dumb would you be if you were eUnited in the past and you had Simp waiting, and then you let him to go another team… then he’s Simp!” Enable agrees, but makes counter-arguments too. He says: “Unless New York starts falling off and there’s a player who is obviously not up to par, you can’t make a team change and say ‘Oh, we’re going to practice with HyDra this week.’ You can’t do that… [So] you can’t bring HyDra in.” They go on to explain that he’s still a young kid, perhaps doesn’t have the best English right now and also that competing in EU Challengers is a whole different game to the CDL or even NA Challengers. Overall, there’s clearly a bit of a tough decision to make regarding HyDra. They won’t want to trade him to another team if he really is as good as is being claimed, but at the same time, he won’t want to be sat on the bench either. As Enable says, it is actually a “great spot” to be in, having the option to bring him in if things go south… But it’s hard to say how exactly that works out over the course of the season.

Enable & Pacman: LA Thieves are CDL’s biggest threat | Reverse Sweep Review DexertoThe Call of Duty League’s Paris Home Series came to a close earlier in the week and our Reverse Sweep team is back to reflect on all the biggest developments. Hear from Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker, and Katie Bedford as they go through all the latest news. Now midway through Stage 3, the 2021 Call of Duty League season is continuing to heat up as teams edge closer to the next Major. To break down all of the latest, join our Reverse Sweep crew as they dive into the biggest storylines emerging from the Paris Home Series. Kenny lifting LA Thieves to the top of Group B With a 3-1 win over OpTic and a nail-biting five-map affair with FaZe, the LA Thieves have started to find a new form. Now sitting atop Group B, Enable and Pacman place Kenny at the center of their recent success. “That boy Kenny is different,” Pacman joked. “He’s one of the best players in the game.” “One of the BEST players in the game!” 🔥 @PacmanJT & @Enable think @Kuavo looks better than ever!#CDL2021 Stage 3 Week 2 Review: https://t.co/UmyVZaMa2y pic.twitter.com/ObUNc7yym7— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 4, 2021 Having swapped from his trusty SMG to the role of a Main AR, he’s proven to be “one of the most versatile players,” according to Enable. If they’re able to keep building around the former MVP, a Major win could be well within reach. Has OpTic become a mid-tier team in 2021? Despite coming out hot to start the year, OpTic has consistently fallen to the middle of the pack this season. From Pacman’s perspective, “they’re starting to look like a team that doesn’t have that next gear.” While they only had one match this week, they were rolled over by the Thieves in a 1-3 loss. Whenever they’re up against elite contenders, their true potential becomes apparent, according to Pacman. “It doesn’t feel like they’re ever going to hit that point where they’re the best team in the game.” Enable points towards a consistent issue that’s plagued OpTic over the years. “Their number one problem has been an issue historically for OpTic,” he said. The Green Wall often starts strong and slows down as the year progresses. While “they’re a team that should be contending for championships,” a lack of “discipline” could hold them down for the rest of 2021. FaZe losing their dominant touch? [#CDL2021 S3: W2 | Day 3] UPSET DENIED ❌ @ATLFaZe hold off @RoyalRavens in game five to avoid one of the season’s biggest upsets! 📰: https://t.co/NJAXsEgO6O pic.twitter.com/yECrAAOvJv — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 1, 2021 Despite closing out two wins in the Paris Home Series, both of Atlanta’s matchups went the distance. They’re still a “top two team in the game,” Enable said, “but every other team is starting to improve.” With the gap closing, Pacman “wouldn’t be surprised” to see FaZe falling short in the next Major. There’s no justifying any roster shuffles yet, they’re still racking up wins after all, but it’s proving to be a challenge for them to remain “dominant.” With the latest patch, there’s even a chance recent close calls boil down to subtle changes in the meta. We’ll have to wait to see if FaZe can find its dominant form in the weeks to come. Royal Raven’s improvements may not be enough. London had one of its best weeks of the year after securing a win over New York and taking FaZe to a map five. With Zaptius settling into the lineup, things have been trending upwards for the Royal Ravens. However, their recent showings still might not be enough to push them up the ranks. “I still don’t feel like they’re going to get into position for the Top 8 race,” Pacman said. Their “ceiling is still not high,” Enable added. “They’re not about to turn it around and be a top team. I just don’t think they’ve got enough to put them over the top.” They face off against Seattle next which could be a telling series. Even if it’s a blowout, Royal Ravens need some bigger wins to impress the Reverse Sweep crew. MVPs of the Paris Home Series Our Team of the Week and MVP for the #CDL2021 Paris Home Series! 🔸 MVP: @CammyMVP 🔹 @Arcitys 🔹 @Shotzzy 🔹 @Zaptius pic.twitter.com/QmCHFj0AbP— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 3, 2021 When it comes to the most impactful players at the Paris Home Series, Pacman couldn’t praise anyone else but “that boy Kenny.” After dominating with his AR, the LA Thieves Sith Lord has “earned that respect. Everyone knows he’s now a top-three player in the game.” Meanwhile, for Enable’s money, the MVP has to go to Arcitys. With FaZe playing some lengthy matches during the event, Arcitys showed up with some “great” performances. “I think he’s going to be huge moving forward,” Enable said. Best moments of the Paris Home Series Once again, Kenny was in the conversation right away when it came to the hottest moments of the week. His streak on Raid Control against OpTic stood out as Enable’s highlight. He “got a four-piece and just took over.” While the play itself was a sight to behold, there’s more to it than just a clip for the reel. That moment showed “how Kenny can take over with the Main AR,” he added. “Kenny can literally do it all.” Read More: CDL Paris Home Series Top Plays – For Pacman, it was Toronto who impressed with the biggest moment of the event. Despite going down drastically against ROKKR in Control, Ultra managed to turn things around. “They should have lost that map,” he said. But they “keep finding a way to clutch up.” Least Valuable Players of the Paris Home Series Closing out this week’s show, the Reverse Sweep cast put forward their picks for the least impressive players. Havok took that nomination from Enable as the Mutineers starter appears to be “wasting his opportunity.” While he “has a lot of potential, he’s just not putting it together.” Katie jumped in for the “fifth week in a row” to slam the “frustrating” Seattle roster once again. “I am sick and tired of watching Seattle choke,” she said. For all Reverse Sweep CDL news, head over to our dedicated page.

Enable & Pacman: How OpTic Chicago can overtake Atlanta FaZe & Dallas Empire Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of DutyDuring the Reverse Sweep CDL Preview show, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker reveal what’s stopping OpTic Chicago from becoming the best team in the game. OpTic Chicago came 4th at the CDL Stage 1 Major, outplaced by New York Subliners, Dallas Empire and the unbeatable Atlanta FaZe. While they were beaten by New York, OpTic are commonly looked at as a top 3 team, only behind Dallas and Atlanta. While the talent and potential is there for them to be world-beaters, they’ve not been able to make it happen yet. On Reverse Sweep, Enable and Pacman say that it comes down to one thing that, if fixed, could make them the best team in the game. S&D wins championships While looking ahead at the next bout of matches, Enable and Pac agreed that OpTic are a truly dominant team in Hardpoint and Control. However, their Search and Destroy is a problem, and could be what’s holding them back from being the best team. Read More: Call of Duty League 2021 Power Rankings – With a poor 5-7 S&D record, the fourth-worst in the Call of Duty League, the Reverse Sweep crew had a lot to say. “It’s their weakest mode, so when you’re going up against a top team, like FaZe and Dallas, you need to be able to take some S&Ds off them. The respawns are going to be dependent on the day because these teams are so elite… They need to improve their S&D if they want to win.” Both Enable and Pacman agree, however, that this isn’t something OpTic should be too worried about just yet. Enable even jokes that OpTic could simply skip the second map of each series and still win 3-1 most of the time. Ultimately, though, as they say: this is an issue that will need to be addressed when facing off against the top teams. When your opponents are also very strong in respawn modes, going into a match with the likelihood of losing in Search & Destroy makes it an uphill battle.

Enable & Pacman expose the truth behind CDL’s ‘friendship league’ claims Dexerto Are claims that the Call of Duty League is more of a ‘friendship league’ accurate? Reverse Sweep’s Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker delve into the rumors and discuss their past experiences navigating the CoD scene. The CDL has been labeled a friendship league right from the very beginning. Rumors and speculation have often pointed towards a scene where players are picked up based on who they know, rather than their individual merit. But is there any truth behind these accusations? Having both competed at the highest level for a number of years, there’s no better duo to answer that question than Enable and Pacman. Together, the Reverse Sweep crew outlined the state of the CDL today, agreeing that it’s certainly not in a “healthy” position. “As far as I can remember, if your team wasn’t in that contending stage, it seems like there were always people talking behind your back,” Enable explained. Even with his success over the years, he admitted the CoD scene has always been “volatile.” “It’s one of those things… it is what it is. It’s very high school cliquey,” he added. “You obviously need a certain skill set to be in the situation, but people are gonna network, people are gonna throw dirt on your name. That’s just how life is.” Ultimately, that’s been the way of things from the very beginning in CoD, according to Pacman. It may not be changing anytime soon either. “As long as kids are playing, as long as new and upcoming youth is gonna take over… This is just how it is,” Pacman said. But what exactly can be done to evolve the CoD scene from its current nepotistic form? It all boils down to management, both Enable and Pacman agreed. “You need to get the right people that know what they’re talking about,” Enable stressed. “In Call of Duty, most of these people can’t build a team. “As this becomes a more professional scene, management has to take a bigger role,” Pacman added. Moreover, age could also play a key role moving forward in CoD as well. Comparing the scene to Valorant and CSGO, Pacman highlighted how the age of talent in the CDL is still fairly young. Perhaps as talent matures and players gain more experience, the notion of a friendship league will fade away.

Enable & Pacman explain why LAN won’t be OpTic’s saving grace Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of Duty The Call of Duty League returns to LAN for the first time in over a year for the Stage 4 Major, which is slated to take place on the week of June 14. Fans believe this could help save OpTic’s season — but it might not be quite that simple. LAN has always been the peak of competition in esports, with no online issues holding players back (or giving them an unfair advantage). Throw in a strong, loud crowd, and the LAN environment is a completely different beast to just playing at home in your bedroom. Throughout much of the last couple of seasons, fans have debated whether certain teams would perform better or worse if matches had been played on LAN. This season, many are convinced that OpTic are being held back by online play. The topic of returning to LAN came up on the Reverse Sweep CDL preview show, with Katie, Enable and Pacman discussing how it’ll affect teams and general gameplay. While OpTic showed clear progress at the Stage 3 Major, the Reverse Sweep crew think it’s more complicated than that. “Those teams are just at a higher stage than OpTic are right now,” said Pacman, referencing the team’s chances against the likes of Atlanta FaZe, Toronto Ultra, and New York Subliners. “I do think they can do really well on LAN, but to win, it’s just tough.” Enable adds: “If they keep improving, I think they could potentially win. But I don’t think LAN’s going to make a difference … The top teams online are, a majority of the time, the top teams on LAN. When OpTic were winning anything, they were the best team online as well.” They went on to express that a loud crowd could be somewhat of a difference-maker, alluding to the pressure that comes with having a large arena of people cheering for you or your opponents. That said, when it comes to just pure gameplay, Enable and Pacman don’t expect it to change things too much for OpTic or their biggest competition in the CDL. That doesn’t make it any less exciting, though.

Enable & Pacman explain why dropping Loony won’t solve Seattle Surge’s CDL issues Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of DutyThe rumor mill is running fast at the moment, with many speculating that Seattle Surge could be looking at dropping Daniel ‘Loony’ Loza. On Reverse Sweep, hosts Katie Bedford, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker say dropping him wouldn’t solve Seattle’s issues. Seattle Surge are a team that have consistently underperformed since the start of the Call of Duty League in 2020. A team full of top names, they should undoubtedly be competing for championships, but instead they often look miles away from it. For two seasons in a row now, many fans attribute this to one key issue, being Seattle’s SMG players. Currently, they have Loony and Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson as SMGs, and many are saying they need to shift out Loony for a more slay-heavy player to help them find success. With Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland now available after being dropped by Dallas Empire, this could look the perfect spot for him — but Enable and Pacman don’t think dropping Loony fixes the problems Seattle have. While discussing their Least Valuable Players from the London Home Series, Seattle’s never-ending woes naturally came up on Reverse Sweep. “At least recently, they come out and have these maps against damn near any team in the league, in the bag,” Enable said. “Then they somehow just decide to hand it over. I don’t know if I could pinpoint anything.” “The easiest thing that people say is to drop Loony,” adds Pacman. “But do I feel like that would actually fix it? I don’t. It’s something wrong with the core of the team. No one is actually playing bad, you’re not going to pick up someone who’s just going to flip the team around. The team just can’t close.” Pac definitely raises an interesting point. While many think that Seattle’s issues can be solved by bringing in a cracked-out slayer that can hop in the hill and kill everything in sight, the Surge’s issues do seem to run somewhat deeper than that. They’re regularly in winning positions and somehow manage to lose, and whether picking up a Huke or someone similar fixes that isn’t exactly clear. That said, with Champs so close, is it worth the risk anyway?

Enable & Pacman explain why Atlanta FaZe are almost a CoD dynasty Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of Duty The term ‘dynasty’ is thrown around a lot in the Call of Duty esports world, but Reverse Sweep hosts Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker believe Atlanta FaZe are firmly entering the conversation. There are only two real dynasties recognized in CoD history: the Complexity/Evil Geniuses team of Black Ops 2 and Ghosts, and the OpTic Gaming dynasty from Advanced Warfare to midway through the World War 2 season. These dynasties are recognized due to extended periods of dominance, going into every event as a clear favorite, every loss a huge shock. Now, this Atlanta FaZe side have arguably been the most successful team of the CDL-era of Call of Duty, making 12 of 14 finals since the start of the Modern Warfare season. Enable and Pacman argue on Reverse Sweep that, despite some believing differently, FaZe are firmly in the dynasty conversation. It’s something the community have discussed a lot throughout the Cold War season. There’s no doubt Atlanta FaZe have been the best team in the game this year, and certainly top-two last year, but the dynasty conversation is more nuanced. “No team has done anything close to that since that OpTic dynasty team,” Enable said, referencing their 12 grand finals appearances in 14. “People hate the dynasty term, but you’ve got to start talking about it.” Pacman then points out that while FaZe are winning a lot now, they’ve still got to win Champs — and maintain momentum after. Pac also points out that the style of CoD played could factor heavily into the future of this Atlanta FaZe side. “Simp and aBeZy have never actually played a different style of CoD,” he said. “Boots on the ground was complexity, then we went to jetpacks and it’s OpTic… Now we’re in the slide cancelling CoD and they’re the best team at it. If it were to change to something else, that might be something that hinders them.” As we reach the business end of the season, the pressure is on Atlanta to become world champions when the event rolls around. If they do, it would be hard to deny the dynasty description. They’ve already won three of the four Majors to have taken place, and look utterly unstoppable.

Enable & Pacman: Dropping Temp was the right move for LA Thieves During Dexerto’s Reverse Sweep, Pacman, Enable and Katie Bedford spoke about the breaking news that LA Thieves would be replacing Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda with amateur star Carlos ‘Venom’ Hernandez. In terms of raw star power, LA Thieves should be up there with the best of them. The team is full of proven winners, especially with Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat at the helm, but the results aren’t there. With a very close win over a faltering Toronto Ultra, followed by a reverse sweep at the hands of New York Subliners during the Toronto Home series, something had to give. The Thieves had obviously been looking for backup for some time, and pulled the trigger by bringing Venom in on March 22. As Enable and Pacman explain during Reverse Sweep, a roster move was inevitable and, despite the fact he wasn’t performing poorly, Temp was always going to be the player on the chopping block. A lot of LA Thieves’ potential relies on SlasheR and how his teammates gel with him. This, Enable says (from experience), could be the reason behind Temp being dropped. “You either hate Austin or you love him,” Enable says. “You have to have a certain attitude and personality to team with him. It’s as simple as that. If you don’t, you will not do well individually, and the team won’t do well… I just think Temp is one of those players that doesn’t do well with Austin.” The 100 Thieves man goes on to say that Temp is an “unbelievable talent” but that he was “probably in his own head” while teaming with SlasheR. While it now appears that Temp will be playing with top Challengers side WestR for the time being, the group also discuss Temp’s future in the CDL. When prompted by Katie on where they imagine Temp could end up, Pacman had one team in mind. “The easiest fit is Paris Legion,” he said. “That’s a simple fit on a team that’s actually looking really strong, and you pick up someone who’s flat out just a better player. Then there’s Florida [Mutineers]… and LA Guerrillas, I guess. But I’m not sure Donny would want to go there.” Needless to say, all eyes will be on LA Thieves throughout Stage 2 to see if Venom really is the player to get them back on the right track. And, of course, whether Temp was really the problem.

Enable & Pacman: How Cold War Control changes could improve CDL 2021 ActivisionPotential changes to Black Ops Cold War’s Control game mode could make the mode far more “competitive and entertaining” for the remainder of the 2021 Call of Duty League season. Our Reverse Sweep crew of Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker explain why. With the release of Black Ops Cold War in 2020, Treyarch brought Control back for the second time in Call of Duty history. While the mode was instantly locked in for competitive matches, it hasn’t quite played out as fans expected. Leaked settings that were soon added into the game could be just what’s needed to restore the excitement of what was once a fan-favorite mode. With the new option enabled, Control might unfold in a completely different way. Rather than gaining time on the clock for a full capture, teams can now gain additional time with each segment. Moreover, capturing more segments will lead to a favorable defensive spawn if the game comes down to overtime. Enable and Pacman argues this change would be beneficial for the CDL season. “To me right now, Control is kinda boring to watch,” Enable said. “It’s not like Control in the past where you could spread the map and really strategize pushing two points at the same time.” When Control was introduced in Black Ops 4, players could use their specialist abilities to break into a point. This kept things more even across offense and defense as one huge play could unravel the best setups. Without them, “there’s just a lot more work that goes into it, so people are essentially playing [Team Deathmatch],” Pacman explained. As a result, a majority of maps at the pro level end up in a round five. Teams will play far more passively in order to secure the defensive advantage in overtime and clean up the win. Read More: Call of Duty League 2021 Power Rankings – “Right now, it just seems super basic,” Enable added. However, with this change to capture progress, it could bring the mode back to its former level of complexity. “I think it has a lot of potential to make the game mode more entertaining for the viewers and more competitive.” Incentivizing individual ticks on each zone would see the mode being played “how it’s supposed to be played,” according to Pacman. Nothing is set in stone just yet, though the option is now available in-game. Therefore, players have a choice moving forward. We’ll just have to wait and see if it’s implemented for the rest of the season or not. In the meantime, make sure you’re all up to speed with the final Week 3 results as we head towards the second Major of 2021.

Enable & Pacman: CDL’s world champs made a mistake | Reverse Sweep Review DexertoFollowing the first week of Stage 3 in the Call of Duty League, our Reverse Sweep crew is back to run through all the latest news. Here from Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker, and Katie Bedford as they discuss the biggest storylines. The beginning of Stage 3 has already seen major roster shuffles, surprising upsets, and newcomers making a splash. To break everything down, join our Reverse Sweep crew as they dive into all the biggest developments surrounding the London Home Series. HyDra helps Subliners topple FaZe In his first series on the starting lineup, HyDra helped push NYSL over the edge against FaZe. While it came down to the wire in a classic Game 5 Round 11 situation, “HyDra looked like the real deal” in Enable’s eyes. After weeks of anticipation, the French rookie “showed what he can do.” Not only can he hang with the top teams in the League, but he can edge them out as well. Subliners had been doing well before Stage 3, but now, they’ve just received a big “upgrade” for what was “already a great team,” according to Pacman. Dallas benches Huke in shock roster shuffle Perhaps the biggest shock of the week came just hours of Empire’s first win in Stage 3. Huke was surprisingly moved to the bench while FeLo stepped up to the starting lineup. Pacman described it as “easily the most controversial move we’ve had in the CDL. On paper, it’s absolutely asinine.” Read More: Clayster defends Dallas over Huke benching – “There has to be more we don’t know,” Enable added. “You don’t just bench your most talented player.” Despite FeLo holding his own in a tough first series against Toronto, Enable simply doesn’t see Empire “improving at all” after this shakeup. Toronto keeps the momentum rolling after Stage 2 win For the Stage 2 champs, plenty of questions were answered at the London Home Series. With back-to-back sweeps, they proved the Stage 2 victory wasn’t a fluke. “I think they’re the best team in the game at the moment,” Enable claimed. “Top to bottom they look really consistent across every game mode. All the players have been playing fantastic.” If they’re able to keep it up, another championship could be just weeks away. Most impressive debut of the week MONEY CHEEN ON FIRE 🔥 @MJCheen is @PacmanJT & @Enable’s most impressive debutant!#CDL2021 Stage 3 Week 1 Review: https://t.co/5LTnTHYJDp pic.twitter.com/JbFJORkT8e— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 27, 2021 With plenty of newcomers jumping in for the first week of Stage 3, Pacman highlighted Cheen as the most impactful debut. “[Los Angeles Guerrillas] isn’t the best team, but he came in and they immediately looked better. While we’ve only seen one game with Cheen in the starting lineup, it was a clean 3-0 sweep over Paris to put them on the board. Enable agreed with Pacman’s pick, explaining that Cheen was the only new player “that actually did impress [him]. Maybe he can turn this Guerrillas team into a legitimate team,” he said. MVPs of the London Home Series For the most valuable players of the week, the Reverse Sweep crew put up two different names. Pacman went with Ultra’s Insight due to his “consistent” performance in S&D. “He just keeps dropping bombs. The guy’s nasty, he might be the best individual S&D player in the game right now.” Read More: CDL Top Plays from London Home Series – While Enable commended the British player as well, he had to give his MVP award to fellow 100 Thieves member Kenny. “There were a lot of questions when [the LA Thieves] decided to bench SlasheR and move Kenny to a Main AR. I think he’s proven he can easily be considered one of the best in the game, he’s like a human highlight reel.” Craziest moment of the London Home Series Facing the league’s best team in his #CDL2021 debut, @HyDrAnml TURNED UP for @Subliners! 💥 1.09 series K/D 💥 Win vs FaZe 💥 30-bomb in first-ever map 💥 Led team in damageWelcome to the league kid! #NYSL pic.twitter.com/KSna3XA20h — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 25, 2021 It’s been an eventful week both in and out of the game, but one moment stood out in particular for Enable. “It has to be that Round 11 from Subliners vs FaZe,” he explained. When a well-placed flash grenade failed to hit its target, it completely flipped the final round on its head. “I don’t want to blame the whole game on that, but it was a huge play,” he said. From Pacman’s point of view, however, the biggest moment of the week took place on Twitter instead. “The tweet from Dallas Empire,” he joked. “At midnight, when people are chilling, they drop one of the best players in the game.” With Huke now on the bench, it could offset the League for the rest of the year, according to Pacman. We have no idea on the ripple effect of this. It could end up being a big thing at the end of the season.” Least Valuable Players of the London Home Series Last but not least, the LVP awards. Enable couldn’t settle on just one player this week, so he handed the award over to Skrapz, Aqua, and Classic together. “I’m putting that trio as the LVP,” he said. “When they made the move to pick up Temp, I thought they’d be a team that could compete. They’ve just looked really bad so far and haven’t shown any signs of improvement.” Pacman took a similar approach, giving his LVP to the entirety of the Royal Ravens for one particular reason. “How are you gonna drop Dylan for Zaptius?” Pacman asked. “Why do you drop one of the most explosive players on your team?” It’s still early days yet so perhaps a rebound is right around the corner. For now, though, Pacman isn’t all too pleased with London’s latest roster shuffle. For all Reverse Sweep CDL news, head over to our dedicated page.

Enable and Pacman pick the best and worst competitive Call of Duty games Dexerto / Activision Veteran Call of Duty players and analysts, Reverse Sweep’s Enable and Pacman put their experience to work and decided on tier lists for their favorite (and least-favorite) CoD titles of all time — all the way from Black Ops 2 to Modern Warfare 2019. Call of Duty tier lists are no easy task. Activision Blizzard enlist a number of different developers to produce a new title every single year, making the game a constantly evolving affair. From boots on the ground gameplay to jetpacks and back, CoD is always changing and that means different people can have vastly different opinions. But, sitting comfortably in a two-week period until Call of Duty League action resumes for Stage 5, Reverse Sweep’s Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker took some time to reflect. We may be in the slide-cancel era, but the analyst duo broke down where each CoD title, from every era, stacks up. Of course, it should be noted that these two are former pros and current CDL analysts — so their tiers are dictated by competitive play as well. A lot of people can have different opinions about CoD, but Enable and Pacman agree on one thing definitively: Black Ops 2 is the game’s best competitive title ever. And Enable explained why the game is so renowned, even for those who didn’t play it at the top level: “I didn’t compete in Black Ops 2, but that is — in my opinion — the Call of Duty that got CoD on the map… it seemed, from a competitive standpoint, that it’s probably still the best competitive game to this day.” On the opposite end of the spectrum, the duo also agreed on the worst game of all time: Modern Warfare 2019. While Enable and Pacman were able to settle on the games occupying each side of the spectrum, there were some disagreements in between. We won’t get into all of that here, but you can check out the video above if you disagree with any of the tier choices. As far as judgment metrics — the duo considered a lot: skill ceiling, maps, tournament offerings, teamwork, gunplay, etc. With all that in play, they ended up with just one title in S and one in F, leaving the rest to fill out the middle tiers.

Enable: OpTic need to break “mental block” to become CDL champions Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of DutyOpTic Chicago look like they’re finally turning their Call of Duty League season around… but they still have one huge obstacle to overcome if they want to win championships again. Throughout Stages 2 and 3 of the 2021 CDL season, OpTic seemed to lose their way. They started their season as legitimate contenders but they quickly fell to the wayside as other teams learned the game and overtook them in the standings. At the Stage 3 Major, though, that seemed to change. They started in the Loser’s Bracket and went on a bit of a run, falling in a devastatingly close Game 5 matchup against Toronto Ultra, arguably a top-two team in the game. On Reverse Sweep, hosts Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker explain why a “mental block” could be the difference between winning and losing against the best teams for OpTic. While discussing OpTic’s steady rise back to the top, the Reverse Sweep crew obviously had to talk about Atlanta FaZe, and where OpTic are falling short of them — especially in the manner they’ve lost to them. “It’s got to be a confidence thing,” Pacman says. “Anyone can say they believe they’re going to win, but do they actually feel like they’re gonna win? I’m just not sure.” Enable reiterated what Pacman was saying, too. “They’re competitors. They’re not going to tell you there’s a mental block but it’s clearly got to be there. If you can get a nice, solid win, I think we could see OpTic really breaking into that top tier and then being a legitimate contender for the rest of the year.” While OpTic have looked great throughout Stage 4 against mid to lower-table opposition, they were absolutely slaughtered by Atlanta FaZe when they met up. There is very clearly a huge improvement in OpTic’s gameplay, but if they can’t even get close to beating the best teams, it signals a huge issue for them going forward. Whether they can beat that mental block, however, remains to be seen.

Enable: OpTic Chicago roster in trouble if results don’t improve Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of DutyDuring the Reverse Sweep CDL Preview show, hosts Katie Bedford, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker discuss how OpTic Chicago face a major headache if they don’t improve their Major performances. OpTic Chicago has one of the most talented rosters in the Call of Duty League. They should, for all intents and purposes, be challenging to win every single Major without fail. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case, with the squad getting a 4th and 5th/6th placement at the first two Majors respectively. While the most recent, at least, was the result of a freak, one-in-a-million 1v3, the results still just aren’t good enough for any OpTic side. This could cause the franchise a headache, according to the Reverse Sweep crew. With rostermania the hot topic of discussion headed into Stage 3, OpTic was brought up, and both Enable and Pacman agreed that the situation could be more difficult for OpTic than with other teams. After Katie asked whether it becomes difficult for OpTic if they can’t make changes, Enable agreed wholeheartedly. “I feel like I was in a similar situation as this OpTic team when I was on FaZe with Clay, Attach, and ZooMaa,” he said. “We looked at each other as brothers, then when things weren’t going as well, we were like ‘damn, we’re really good friends, but someone’s on the chopping block. “I don’t think they’ll make a roster change, and I don’t even know who you would say, how could they possibly pick one person and say ‘he’s the one.’” Pacman adds that the situation gets more difficult because nobody in particular is playing badly, making their options severely limited. Read More: Scump explains why he “hates” the CDL format – There’s also the fact that because each player is so good, finding adequate replacements wouldn’t be an easy feat in the slightest. Of course, a roster change doesn’t seem on the cards for OpTic. However, if they continue to struggle at the biggest events, it might become necessary if they intend to contend for a championship.

Enable: OpTic Chicago starting CDL Stage 2 Major in Losers would be “scary” If OpTic Chicago falters in the upcoming LA Guerrillas Home Series, they’ll be starting the Stage 2 Major in the Losers Bracket. The Reverse Sweep crew of Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker, and Katie Bedford recently discussed how that would be “horrible” for the Green Wall. Following OpTic’s worst week yet, as the stacked lineup lost six maps in a row against Minnesota and Florida, their backs are now against the wall. Currently fifth in the Group B standings, one more loss “guarantees a Losers start in Major 2,” as Bedford explained. Throughout the next Home Series event, starting April 1, OpTic has to take on an upsurging Seattle before meeting the 2020 champs Dallas Empire. “Anything can happen,” according to Pacman, but the Chicago squad needs a huge rebound if they want to start in the upper bracket for the Major. Should they fall short and drop either series, it could leave them in a “horrible” position, Enable said. “It would be horrible for them to start this Major in Losers, for their mentality.” Struggling more than ever before in Week 2, OpTic is certainly in a slump. “Now I lost full,” Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper tweeted after the second loss of the week. Clearly agitated at their performance, another week of shortcomings could be disastrous heading into the Major. ““If they start in Losers and say they end the second Major out early, who knows what their mindset is moving forward,” Enable added. While that’s obviously the worst-case scenario, it might not be all doom and gloom. Should they fall short, it’s going to be “scary” for their first opponents in the Major. “You don’t want to fight OpTic in Losers early,” Pacman stressed. Read More: Call of Duty League 2021 Power Rankings – “If they get out of this slump, they’re going to be an intimidating team to go up against in the Losers bracket, especially early on,” Enable agreed. Things are incredibly “tight from top to bottom” in the current CDL standings. Therefore, the LA Home Series “can tell us a lot before we get to the Major.” Could OpTic’s downward trend continue or will the Green Wall bounce back? Be sure to stay up to date with all the latest results at @DexertoIntel.

Enable: Legion can upset Empire | Reverse Sweep CDL Stage 2 Week 2 preview In this week’s Reverse Sweep, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker & Katie Bedford look ahead and discuss the top talking points leading up to Week 2 of Call of Duty League’s second stage. The trio explains how important it is for OpTic Chicago to pick up their S&D game, while Enable suggests that Paris Legion could cause a serious upset for Dallas Empire. “Dallas is obviously a top team, but they have had their series’ where they’ve looked shaky,” he said. This will ultimately be a great test for Legion as they aim to prove themselves to be amongst the teams to watch out for. “I don’t necessarily think that they need to beat Dallas, but I need to see it be a close game. They need to compete.” In the case of OpTic, both Pacman and Enable believe that their S&D ‘issues’ are somewhat overblown: “They’re not atrocious at S&D, they’re just not great at it… This is a really strong OpTic team. Envoy’s one of the best players in the game.” Enable follows this line of thought: “They’re way too good at Respawn. They’re too much for these teams to handle. So it’s like, ‘ah, who cares — maybe we’ll lose an S&D, but we’ll win both hardpoints and the control’.” Make sure to check out the full video above to hear all of the trio’s thoughts on ROKKR’s form against the likes of OpTic; Thieves vs FaZe; those to watch, and their predictions heading into CDL Stage 2, Week 2. For all Reverse Sweep news, keep it locked over at our dedicated main page.

Enable: LA Thieves have a chance to pass up OpTic ahead of the Major | CDL Preview The Call of Duty League is inching closer to the Stage 4 Major, but before that, the Reverse Sweep gang is here to preview the league heading into the LA Thieves Home Series. Here’s how Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker & Katie Bedford see the week shaking out. There’s still plenty of concern around some teams down the stretch and the Reverse Sweep panel took a look at the biggest talking points in the Stage 4, Week 2 review. As the standings start to tighten up, there’s not much time left for teams to mount meaningful comebacks, so it’s all going to hinge on results in Week 3. Group A already set in stone? There’s plenty of tiebreaker scenarios that can happen at the tail-end of Stage 4. Unfortunately, teams on the come-up like LA Thieves and Minnesota RØKKR might end up in the lower bracket, Pacman thinks. Even though LA Thieves have had some bad luck in Stage 4, they’re lucky to go into the final week with their fate in their hands. Group A is far from decided, and if they can pick up the wins against OpTic and Minnesota, that could push them to the Winner’s bracket. Enable thinks LA could still have some fight in them, but they have to win out since they might not fare too well in Loser’s bracket. NYSL, Florida, & Toronto commanding Group B The top spots in Group B look secured. Reverse Sweep sees plenty of firepower in Subliners, Mutineers, and Ultra to set them up in the Major upper bracket. Now Enable got funky with the math and sees a way for the Empire to compete for one of those spots, but they’re going to face a scary Mutineers team this week. If Dallas gets some help from Toronto by beating NYSL, then all Empire would need to do is win against Florida and they’d be in Winner’s. The final week of Stage 4 still has enough drama that can shake up the Stage 4 Major. CDL standouts: Neptune and Crimsix The Florida Mutineers are clicking right now and they have plenty of reason to stay confident heading into the final week of Stage 4. Travis ‘Neptune’ McCloud is a big reason for that, and Enable expects him to keep up his form. If Florida is going to be a consistent elite team in the CDL, then it’s going to be off the back of Neptune’s play. Someone who hasn’t been having the best of luck is the Empire, but that doesn’t mean Crimsix hasn’t been showing up. Pacman knows that if Dallas are going to turn their season around, C6 needs to play like the G.O.A.T. that he is. He’s shown flashes of brilliance thus far, so it’s well within reach for Crim. Team roster changes imminent in CDL? While a lot of the top teams don’t have a reason to change their four-man formula before the Major, we could see meaningful mixups in the lower parts of the CDL standings. Before Champs, teams like LAG, Seattle, and London have a lot of meaningless matches, as Enable puts it. This could give Challenger players a really good window to sub into the CDL level and foster a new lineup of players. Even teams like the RØKKR, with enough bad results, could consider making wholesale changes to give them the best chance at Champs. Bold predictions: Dallas should beat Florida, LAT ahead of OpTic Like we’ve said before, there’s a lot that can still happen before the Stage 4 Major, and the Reverse Sweep crew are banking on all the spiciest results to unfold. Pacman thinks the World Champs have another gear in them, and they can have a resurgence to bully their way into the top spots on the tables. Enable is loving Sam ‘Octane’ Larew and company’s firepower and think they have a chance at putting OpTic in a strange predicament come the weekend. Further, LAT would be able to capitalize on that to maybe inch ahead of Chicago in the standings. It’s a “slim chance,” but a chance. There’s plenty of moves that can happen before the LA Home Series, so check out the full preview show to see what Reverse Sweep has to say about it! For all Reverse Sweep CDL news, head over to our dedicated page.

Enable explains why SlasheR will bounce back after being dropped by LA Thieves ActivisionWhile reading out some of the funniest and best Reverse Sweep comments, host Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt has explained why he thinks Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat will bounce back after being dropped by LA Thieves. The announcement that SlasheR would be departing from the Thieves’ starting roster was somewhat of a bombshell to the entire community. To many, he is seen as a leader that expects nothing but the very best, as well as being one of the greatest AR players Call of Duty has ever seen. With much criticism of him being based around his stern, no-holds-barred leadership style and attitude to winning, he now finds himself on the sidelines for the first time in years. But this could be a huge opportunity for him, according to Enable. While the crux of this Reverse Sweep show was for Enable to read mean or funny comments alongside co-hosts Katie Bedford and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker, they did have to take a moment to discuss the benched star. “Austin will rebound,” he said, after one comment accused him of being ‘scared’ of SlasheR. “I think this was good for him. Him being benched, hopefully it resets his mentality and he kind of reinvents himself.” Adding that he doesn’t think SlasheR needs to reinvent himself in-game, Enable suggests that his attitude towards the game and towards his team could alter as a result, and be a positive step in the right direction. Timestamp 11:00 Enable goes on to call SlasheR an unreal talent and “one of the best Call of Duty players of all time,” who has “received a lot of unnecessary hate” off the back of his benching. While the rest of the video isn’t quite as serious, there’s clearly a lot of love between Enable and SlasheR — and if he’s right, we could be seeing an ever better version of the world champion in the near future.

Enable explains why OpTic need to follow Envoy’s lead in CDL Activision OpTic Chicago have severely struggled throughout Stage 3 of the Call of Duty League 2021 season, and Reverse Sweep host Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt believes the majority of the team needs to start pulling their weight to have a good run in the Major. Chicago’s struggles are clear for everyone to see. As the most popular team in the league, with some of the highest expectations, every minor loss is viewed through a telescopic lens. Now, they go into the Stage 3 Major in the Loser’s bracket, considered a mid-table team and dropping down the power rankings at an alarming rate. During the Reverse Sweep preview show, OpTic was a hot topic, and Enable believes it simply boils down to just one player really pulling their weight. Throughout Stage 3, Enable believes Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon was the only player really putting the work in to try and get the win, agreeing with Pacman that he is Chicago’s best player. Read More: Scump claims OpTic Chicago “don’t suck” – “Envoy is the only one on the team that really takes the time and the effort to make those boring plays, in the grand scheme of things” Enable explained. “He’s taking that long route, he’s trying to go for that spawn, he’s pinching to break the hill.” He continued: “You’re never going to have success going up against other top teams when you’ve only got one guy doing it. When NYSL, Toronto, FaZe have more than one person doing it, it’s going to be hard.” The comparison to other top teams is important. All the teams Enable mentioned have incredibly strong SMG duos, something OpTic can’t exactly boast right now, and fill in gaps that their teammates leave. If only Envoy is making those plays, OpTic simply have no hope going forward. They’ll all need to get on the same page if they want to start winning again, but that could be easier said than done when looking at the competition.

Enable explains why OpTic Chicago CDL loss was good for Atlanta FaZe YouTube: Dexerto Call of Duty OpTic Chicago finally got one over on their Atlanta FaZe rivals at the Minnesota Home Series, but the Reverse Sweep crew have argued that this might actually help FaZe more than it hinders them. OpTic won the series 3-2, a five-game thriller that went all the way to a Round 11 on Standoff Search & Destroy, with Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon earning himself a Team of the Week MVP accolade. Obviously, there are a multitude of factors that go into this. OpTic had their moments and looked brilliant, but FaZe were also playing on some of their weaker maps, attempting to expand their already-huge map pool ahead of the year’s biggest events. But will this actually help FaZe in the long run? Reverse Sweep hosts Katie Bedford, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker believe so. Katie first raised the question of whether it works out well for the Atlanta side, noting that one problem with winning all the time is the ability to become complacent. Enable, well aware of what it takes to win and having represented both teams at some point throughout his career, agreed wholeheartedly. “When you’re as dominant as FaZe, it can get a little unrealistic at points,” he explains. “You’re never really experiencing a low. Sometimes you have to get punched in the face, be brought back to reality, and be aware that while you are so good, you can lose. So you need to focus up, especially right now.” Enable compared it to the 2020 season, where they “looked so great but then lost at Champs to Empire,” which is no doubt something that Atlanta FaZe fans will be concerned about. Taking a different viewpoint, Pacman actually says the biggest loser from this is Toronto Ultra. With Atlanta as dominant as they are, Dallas looking like a force again and now OpTic overcoming their biggest hurdle, the Ultra might have yet another team looking to take their spot among the top two teams. With Champs less than a month away at the time of writing, this time of the year is crucial for teams wanting to put their best foot forward — and OpTic might be finding their best form at the perfect time.