7 players to watch during CDL Los Angeles

Up next in the Call of Duty League calendar is CDL Los Angeles, where OpTic Gaming and the Guerrillas will host six more teams that are all hungry to put some points on the board.

At the last tournamnet, Atlanta FaZe became the first team in the Call of Duty League’s history to defend their home series event, and they did so in style — despite a close call in the semifinals.

Now all eyes are looking forward to the City of Angels for the next home event. With plenty on the line, who will be crucial to their team’s success? We’ve rounded up seven players to keep an eye on at CDL Los Angeles.

Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson (Florida Mutineers)

With everyone expecting a Huntsmen versus FaZe final, Prestinni and co. shocked the CDL world when they reverse swept Chicago Huntsmen. The Mutineers’ SMG was pivotal in their comeback against his brother, with his selfless objective work paying dividends.

• Read more: How to watch CDL Los Angeles: Stream, schedule, results, more

It wasn’t just in the semi-finals that Prestinni stood out, however, he was on fire throughout the whole event. He particularly shone in Domination, where his slaying prowess bagged him the second highest kills of CDL Atlanta (only 10 behind Skyz’ total of 382 kills) — his 13 killstreak against Royal Ravens is one that will be etched in spectators’ minds for quite some time.

Despite falling short to FaZe in the Grand Final, Prestinni was the indispensable cog in Mutineers’ well-oiled machine. Can he continue his form to lead Florida to a second successive Grand Final appearance?

McArthur ‘Cellium’ Jovel (Atlanta FaZe)

2019 world champions Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr and Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris have commanded the most attention on the FaZe roster so far, but it was Cellium who earned the MVP award in their CDL Atlanta win. The 19-year-old was vital to FaZe’s home series defence, proving that he could slay teams off the map while still doing the dirty work around the objective. 

With their backs against the wall in their semifinal match-up versus Minnesota RØKKR, Cellium showed up when his team needed him the most — racking up 100 kills in the series, with a 1.20 K/D!

• Read more: Stats show how Cellium outshone aBeZy for CDL Atlanta MVP

Alongside aBeZy, Cellium was Mutineers’ kryptonite in the Grand Final. After a convincing 3-0 sweep, the FaZe pair will be keen to repeat their antics against the Florida squad when they meet again in the opening match of CDL Los Angeles. But will Cellium prove just as deadly away from the support of his home crowd?

Adam ‘GodRx’ Brown (Minnesota RØKKR)

Despite being Minnesota’s Flex player, GodRx has been posting numbers that most main ARs would be proud of. Whether it’s an M4 or MP5 in-hand, GodRx can do it all. He’s even lethal with a Sniper Rifle, as he’s currently the second most deadly marksman in the league with 10 kills. 

Alongside being RØKKR’s top fragger, GodRx has been putting in the objective work on Hardpoint, too, with an impressive hill time of around 50 seconds between his past two events.

• Read more: CDC Paris Challengers final results: WaR upset Singularity in grand final

However, it is Domination where GodRx comes into his own. By averaging 26 kills per game, he takes the strain off his teammates and makes the objective work a much easier feat. After all, who can forget his standout Domination performance against Chicago Huntsmen, where he clocked in 30 kills with a 2.0 K/D ratio. 

After coming close to raining on Atlanta FaZe’s parade in the semifinals of CDL Atlanta, GodRx will be looking to come out of the blocks hot in Los Angeles.

Sam ‘Octane’ Larew (Seattle Surge)

Despite being accompanied by a star-studded lineup, Octane has seemingly put the rest of the Seattle Surge on his back in their opening two events. He did everything in his power to pull his team into bracket play at CDL London, but his strong slaying and handy objective work wasn’t enough to get them past the Dallas Empire.

• Read more: Call of Duty League power rankings ahead of CDL Los Angeles

After suffering an early exit in London, Seattle’s main AR has a point to prove in LA. Given that Surge missed CDL Atlanta, the veteran line-up have had time to work on their weaknesses since their last outing. With five world championship rings between them, you can’t count the Seattle Surge out just yet!

James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks (Dallas Empire)

As the oldest pro in the Call of Duty League, Clayster certainly knows a thing or two about the competition. The 27-year-old has shown that age is just a number during Dallas’ opening events. Despite going 0-2 during Launch Weekend, the Empire struck back in London and grinded their way to the Grand Final.

• Read more: Top 10 moments from CDL Atlanta

At the forefront of that run was Clayster. By locking down rotations on Hardpoint, putting on a clinic in Search & Destroy and controlling the lanes in Domination, he led his team’s charge throughout the event. 

After losing for a third successive time to Chicago at CDL London, Empire will be breathing a sigh of relief that their Achilles’ heel won’t be in attendance this weekend. So will Clayster continue his hot streak and help his squad climb the standings? Los Angeles certainly gives Empire a prime opportunity to put their stamp on the competition.

Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi (New York Subliners)

With only 10 CDL points to their name, there’s no doubt that New York have had a rough start to their Call of Duty League campaign. Perhaps their only shining light from the Subliners’ first two events, Accuracy has been the Big Apple’s only ray of hope thus far.

• Read more: Zer0 explains why he’s been benched by New York Subliners ahead of CDL Los Angeles

He was the key ingredient when Subliners dished Paris Legion some humble pie at CDL London, after running through the French representatives 3-1. Despite this being their only victory in the league to date, Accuracy has posted some incredible numbers — accruing the highest hill time in Hardpoint while still winning those all-important duels as the team’s main AR.

Subliners find themselves in the “group of death” in Los Angeles, competing against Empire, FaZe, and Mutinees for just two spots in the playoffs. If they have any hope of making it out, Accuracy will need to continue his stellar form.

Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell (OpTic Gaming Los Angeles)

After bowing out of CDL Atlanta 0-2, OpTic Gaming are still seeking their first win of the inaugural CDL season – and where better to do so than in their own backyard? OpTic may look like a shell of its former self, but Dashy is doing his utmost to keep the GreenWall’s hopes alive.

• Read more: Team WaR owner explains why top CDL Challengers roster might be leaving

As the only player to have a positive K/D rating for OGLA, Dashy has been grinding his way against the grain in their opening two events. After a shoddy start to the season, OpTic are sitting rock bottom of the standings, still yet to find a single win. As a result, Dashy is set to pick up an SMG for the upcoming event, as SlasheR looks set to go back to his AR roots. 

Will the role change help them get off the ground at last? OpTic Gaming’s opening match against their local rivals, Los Angeles Guerrillas, certainly sets the stage for the talented roster to swing the tide in their favor. 

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So what will be Hollywood’s blockbuster story of the weekend? Will OGLA chalk up a win versus their rivals? Can someone stand in the way of Atlanta FaZe making history and going back-to-back? Only time will tell, but these players will certainly have their say.

Be sure to follow our guide on how to watch the CDL Los Angeles to ensure that you don’t miss a minute of the action over the course of a jam-packed weekend of Call of Duty.