Clayster considering break from pro CoD as online ‘sucks the fun out’ of the CDL

New York Subliners veteran James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks has revealed he’s considering a break from competitive Call of Duty, amid frustrations with the Black Ops Cold War season continuing online. 

While previous seasons of professional CoD have aimed to have as many matches as possible on LAN, the ongoing global health crisis has necessitated an entirely online setup for the CDL’s second season.

Many pros argue that online play is not as consistent as LAN due to the effects of internet connection, latency and other factors. However, the cost of creating a “bubble” – like we’ve seen in the NBA and some other professional sports leagues – is far too high for the CDL to realistically recreate.

The result has been a move to entirely online play, including majors like the ongoing Stage II Major. Despite promising results in group play, they suffered a disappointing exit at the hands of LA Thieves, placing 7/8th.

Off the back of the defeat, veteran Clayster let his disappointment be known in a series of tweets on April 9, explaining his struggles and frustrations with how the season is developing.

• Read More: How Standy turned Minnesota ROKKR into a winning CDL team

“So sick of everything recently,” he tweeted, “[I’m] not really sure where my heads at and feelin’ lost for the last few months. Hope I can reset and gain back some confidence/motivation or else idk what’s gonna happen. Playing this last year online has really sucked all the fun out of it. Tough.”

“Just really down with my mental health,” he elaborated. “Combination of being dropped [from Dallas Empire], Tommy [ZooMaa]. retiring… not seeing my friends/family, not having the outlets I normally do. Just a whole clusterf**k of things that I’ve really struggled with lately. Might need to take some time away.”

A final tweet thanked fans and fellow pros for reaching out. His frustrations with online play have been echoed by other pros like SlasheR, who was replaced on LA Thieves’ roster amid their CDL struggles.

Many consider Clayster to be one of the best CoD players of all time – he is one of only three players to ever win three World Championships.

We wish him the best with his mental health and expect him to bounce back, like he has done countless times before.