A new chapter in Call of Duty esports begins later this week as the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League begins with all 12 teams headed to Minnesota for Launch Weekend on Jan. 24-26.

Some fans are already attached to their hometown squad or have hitched their bandwagon to the team with their favorite players. But many Call of Duty League fans might still be figuring out who to root for. Either way, we’ve got your covered with team rosters and a look at how strong each squad is.

Which team will rise above the rest and capture the Call of Duty League’s first championship? Join us as we take a closer look at the Atlanta Faze, Chicago Huntsmen, and Dallas Empire.

Atlanta FaZe

Meet the Team

Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris

·     Call of Duty World League Champion (2019)

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2018)

·     CWL Pro League Champion (2019)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 2^nd(CWL Las Vegas, CWL London)

McArthur “Cellium” Jovel

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2019)

·     3^rdPlace at CWL Pro League Playoffs (2019)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: Top4 (CWL Anaheim)

·     Open Bracket Champion (2019 CWL Fort Worth)

Thomas “GRVTY” Malin

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2019)

·     4^thPlace at CWL Amateur Finals (2019)

·     Open Bracket Champion (2019 CWL Fort Worth)

Juan “JurNii” Antonio Gonzalez Munoz

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2018, 2019)

·     Top 10 at CWL Pro League Playoffs (2019)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: Top 6 (CWL London)

Michael “MajorManiak” Szymaniak

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2018, 2019)

·     2^ndPlace at CWL Pro League Playoffs (2019)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 2^nd(CWL Anaheim)

Preston “Priestahh” Greiner

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

·     2019 Call of Duty World League Championship runner-up

·     Top 6 at CWL Pro League Playoffs (2019)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors(back to back wins): 1^st(CWL London, CWL Anaheim) 

Chris “Simp” Lehr

·     Call of Duty World League Champion (2019)

·     Call of Duty World League Championship MVP (2019)

·     CWL Pro League Champion (2019)

·     MVP for the Pro League Finals (2019)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 2^nd(CWL London)

·     Open Bracket Champion (2019 CWL Fort Worth)

Why Atlanta is OP

With nearly half of the 2019 Call of Duty World League champions on their roster in the form of the “Tiny Terrors,” Atlanta is one of the most impressive teams in terms of recent form.

Outside of the MVP and his dynamic duo, the rest of the Atlanta main roster—Cellium, MajorManiak, and four-time world championship participant Priestahh—did enough in 2019 to be considered talented compliments to the second-year star Simp and aBeZy. Should this team decide to employ a substitute, they can slot in two other young guns in GRVTY and JurNii, with the latter coming from a team that defined Call of Duty esports in Spain for more than three years.

Of course, there is a glaring fact about this team that sets them up to become a potential dynasty for years to come: not a single player on this team is over the age of 21. 

The raw skill possessed by these seven players could become even more refined with additional professional experience this season. If they remain unfazed by the threat of other top contenders, and they stick together through this season and beyond, then the city of Atlanta may finally have an esports dynasty to call their own.

Meet the Team

Seth “Scump” Abner

·     27 Major Event Wins (2^nd Most in Call of Duty history)

·     Call of Duty World League Champion (2017)

·     MTN DEW AMP GAME FUEL Pro Am 2019 Champion

·     Only Player to win back-to-back X Games Gold 

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 1^st(CWL Las Vegas)

Matthew “FormaL” Piper

·     21 Major Event Wins (4^th Most in Call of Duty History)

·     Call of Duty World League Champion (2017)

·     Call of Duty World League Championship MVP (2017)

·     First competitive FPS player to win a major LAN event in two separate AAA franchises

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 1^st(CWL Fort Worth)

Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson

·     Call of Duty World League Champion (2019)

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

·     CWL Pro League Champion (2019)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 2^nd(CWL London, CWL Las Vegas)

Dylan “Envoy” Hannoy

·      Call of Duty World Championship participant (2019)

·      2^ndPlace at CWL Pro League Playoffs (2019)

·     Pro League All-Star (2019)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 2^nd(CWL Anaheim)

Peirce “Gunless” Hillman

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2017, 2018, 2019)

·     CWL Pro League participant (2019)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 1^st(CWL Fort Worth)

·     Major Event Champion (2018 CWL Anaheim Open, 2018 CWL Seattle Open, 2018 CWL Atlanta Open)

·     Major Event MVP (2018 CWL Atlanta, 2018 CWL Seattle)

Jordan “General” General

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2017, 2018, 2019)

·     CWL Pro League All-Star (2017)

·     Former CWL Owner/Player of Enigma6 Group

Marcus “MBoZe” Blanks

·     Call of Duty World League Championship Participant (2013, 2014, 2015)

·     Major Event Champion (2013, 2014, 2015)

·     Former Captain of OpTic Nation

Why Chicago is OP

The biggest offseason pickup for the Chicago Huntsmen might have been their new co-CEO, Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez. The storied former owner of OpTic Gaming has brought his personal leadership—and fans—to Chicago, and he may just be starting another dynasty in his home state. 

The Huntsmen boast a well-rounded team stocked with standout players with storied Call of Duty pro careers, including the fan favorite “T2P” duo of Scump and FormaL. The latter also is reuniting with former teammate Gunless, a known public match stomper, a Call of Duty pro with multiple major wins under his belt, and in-game knowledge matched by few pro players.

Based on these three players alone, the knowledge of each other’s playstyle and natural chemistry already makes the Huntsmen strong contenders. Combine that with Arcitys, a 2019 World Champion, and Envoy, a 2019 All-Star, and you have a starting five that could be holding up a championship trophy later in 2020.

Then there are the substitutes, both of which have experience running teams of their own. General is already being touted as the “best 6th man in the league” by his own squad, and MBoZe is downright legendary for his esport career over the past decade.

Will they make a direct impact on the squad in 2020? Possibly. But their natural ability to create great rosters could just set Chicago up for years to come.

Meet the Team

James “Clayster” Eubanks

·     Call of Duty World LeagueChampion (2015, 2019)

·     Call of Duty World League Championship MVP (2015)

·     Played in every Call of Duty World Championship event

·     CWL Pro League All-Star (2016, 2017, 2018)

·      15 Major Event Wins (7^th Most in Call of Duty history)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 2^nd(CWL London, CWL Las Vegas)

Ian “Crimsix” Porter

·     32 Major Event Wins (Most in Call of Duty history)

·     Call of Duty World Champion (2014, 2017)

·     Call of Duty World Championship participant (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 1^st(CWL Las Vegas)

Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro

·     CWL Amateur Finals participant (2019)

Cuyler “Huke” Garland

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2018 ,2019)

·     Youngest Call of Duty player to earn an X-Games silver medal

·     MLG Pro League 2015 Season 1 Uplink Player and Rookie of the Season

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 4^th(CWL London)

Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal

·     Signed with Dallas as a 17-year-old

·     Recognizable amateur moment was winning a 2v1 S&D match against TJHaly and FormaL

Thomas “Tommey” Trewren

·     Played in every Call of Duty World Championship event

·     Most Call of Duty Event Wins by a European Player

·     Best Placement at 2019 Majors: 3^rd(CWL Fort Worth)

Paul “Tisch” Tischler

·     Call of Duty World League Championship participant (2019)

·     CWL Amateur Finals participant (2019)

Why Dallas is OP

One word might define the Dallas Empire: hungry. Their roster is stacked with extremely talented newcomers and amateur players who are anxious to make a name for themselves in professional Call of Duty.

In other words, in every single game of the first Call of Duty League season, this team will never forgive… and will never forget.

Speaking of that, Crimsix, the winningest player in Call of Duty history is on this squad, as well as the only two players to play in every Call of Duty World Championship: Clayster and Tommey. 

Those three will have a crop of skilled newcomers at their side and, given their veteran leadership, could develop the next generation of legendary players. Huke is still a relatively young player who has shown flashes of greatness for several years, while Tisch has done work in the amateur bracket this past season.

Then there are the wildcards: Shotzzy is an esport world champion with plenty to prove, and iLLeY’s talent is one of the worst kept secrets in Call of Duty esports. 

With these two players getting their first full year of professional Call of Duty eligibility, and doing so underneath some incredible mentors, the Empire may just be true to their name and become a Call of Duty League championship empire.  

Tune in to callofdutyleague.com to watch all the action of Launch Weekend starting on January 24!

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