Clayster benches himself in surprise Subliners swap

James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has revealed he will be taking a shock break from competing in the Call of Duty League, with the New York Subliners star admitting he needs time to “get myself straight mentally” before returning to pro play.

Subliners announced Clayster’s move on July 19.

New York’s recent results ⁠— especially their 0-3 run in Stage 5 so far ⁠— have been less than stellar, but there were no suggestions team management were looking to make roster swaps before Champs due to that Subliners dip.

“Part of the balance of competing at the highest level is knowing when to recharge,” the Subliners wrote in a July 19 team update shared on Twitter. Clayster will be taking a break from competition this week.”

Dexerto can confirm roster substitute Conor ‘Diamondcon’ Johst will be taking the veteran’s place in New York’s lineup for at least the Seattle Home Series.

On the swap, Eubanks said: “Just need a break from it all.”

“I’m sure you all have seen I haven’t been myself in quite some time, need to take a step back, get myself straight mentally. Gotta take care of yourself over everything, and I don’t plan on this being ‘for good,’ but I hope the boys crush it.”

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It is Dexerto’s understanding Diamondcon will replace Clayster for Seattle’s Home Series, and the CDL team will then reassess ahead of Champs.

The three-time CWL Pro League all-star has been competing with Subliners since the CDL shifted to a 4v4 format at the end of 2020. New York is currently fourth in regular-season standings, with 310 points from four stages.

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Clayster won back-to-back Call of Duty world titles with eUnited and Dallas Empire in 2019 and 2020, the latter of which was the first-ever CDL championship.