Published 18:50 IST, October 15th 2020
Call of Duty League off-season all roster changes ahead of second season in 2021
With Call of Duty League Season 2 around the corner, here's a look at the major roster changes teams have made during the current offseason.
Call of Duty League Season 1 concluded back in August. Dallas Empire became the champions of the inaugural season after beating Atlanta FaZe, 5-1, in the finals, thereby getting their hands on the whopping $1.5 million prize money. While Call of Duty League Season 2 is officially yet to resume, the offseason window for the new season started on September 14, allowing teams to make the necessary roster changes ahead of the 2021 season.
CDL also announced the introduction of the traditional 4v4 format for next season. Despite the 4v4 format being a mainstay in Call of Duty gaming, CDL opted to use 5v5 plays during the 2020 season. This announcement was bound to have major repercussions on the CDL roster changes as each of the 12 franchises had to drop a player from their starting lineup for the upcoming season. With that said, here are some of the teams that have confirmed their lineups for next season:
Minnesota ROKKR
Minnesota was quick to address the shortcomings in its roster by releasing the like of GodRx, TTinyy, Assault, Alexx, Exceed, SiLLY and Asim as soon as the release window started. The very next week, the franchise announced its new-look lineup featuring Priestahh, MajorManiak, Attach, and Accuracy.
Seattle Surge
After an 11th-place finish last season, Surge needed a major revamp to boost their chances of making the playoffs in 2021. The Surge parted ways with five players including the likes of Apathy and Enable. In turn, they signed Gunless, Loony, and Prestinni. The three new acquisitions joined Octane, the only player on the roster from last season.
Los Angeles Guerillas
From the team that finished second to bottom to the team that took the bottom place last season - the Guerillas retained Vivid from last season and acquired SiLLY, Assault and Apathy to complete their new-look lineup.
Toronto Ultra
Earlier this month, the Ultra introduced its lineup for the 2021 season featuring Methodz, Bance, CleanX, and Cammy. Toronto released six players from their roster, retaining starters CleanX, and Cammy.
Chicago Huntsmen
The Huntsmen parted ways with as many as four players, so far, and are expected to release another before the CDL transfer window shuts down. Starting trio Scump, FormaL, and Envoy were all retained. They will likely be joined by Dashy, who was re-signed last month.
Dallas Empire
The reigning champs made silent changes to their roster, releasing North American veteran Clayster and substitute Tommey. The release of the former meant Empire's championship-winning roster was all retained, which is now simply down to four to meet the required CDL 4v4 format.
- iLLeY
- Shotzzy
- Huke
- Crimsix
New York Subliners
Clayster and Hydra arrived in New York as starters to replace Attach and Accuracy, both of whom left to sign for Minnesota ROKKR. The Subliners are yet to reveal their confirmed roster. The franchise is still in the hunt for capable players to sign as substitutes.
- ZooMaa
- Mack
- Clayster
- Hydra
London Royal Ravens
The European side enjoyed a decent run last season, making it to the playoffs as the No.6 seed. London, however, exited the playoffs in the first round itself after losing 3-1 to Toronto. In response, the Ravens released all but one member of the roster during the offseason. Seany, the only remaining player, had his contract extended for the 2021 season. The London Royal Ravens are yet to make another signing to their roster.
Paris Legion
Fellow European franchise, Paris Legion went go one step ahead of London, releasing the entire 2020 roster. The Legion are yet announce a new signing, with the current rumours suggesting they might be looking to field a local lineup next season.
(Image Credits: CDL Twitter)
Updated 18:50 IST, October 15th 2020