Sources: London Royal Ravens moving Skrapz to starting roster to replace PaulEhx

❘ Published: 2022-12-21T00:13:53

Call of Duty League

Royal Ravens most recently finished top 12 at CDL Major 3.

On the back of a top 16 finish at Major 1, London Royal Ravens are already shaking things up as PaulEhx is set to be benched as veteran Skrapz is stepping into a role on the starting lineup.

More than a year on from his last match in the Call of Duty League with Paris Legion, British CoD veteran Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall is set to rejoin the starting lineup of his hometown team, the London Royal Ravens.

Having signed with the organization for the second time in October, Skrapz has been riding the bench to kickoff the 2023 CDL season. However, following on from a lackluster start both online and at the first LAN Major, the UK franchise is set to rotate him into the starting lineup, sources have informed Dexerto.

The move sees American pro Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila sliding down to the bench after just a few weeks of play in the Modern Warfare 2 cycle.

The Ravens currently sit dead last in the overall CDL standings. Despite winning their first two matchups against New York Subliners and the LA Guerrillas, the London squad has since lost five series in a row. Two of those losses came last week at Major 1, where the team was swept by Seattle Surge before losing in game five to LA Guerrillas Academy

Disappointed is an understatement, but we will bounce back.

GGs to LAG Academy. We'll see you again with the fire next month. #LRR
— Carolina Royal Ravens (@RoyalRavens) December 16, 2022

Online qualifiers for Major 2 get underway from Friday, January 13, 2023, giving the squad just over three weeks to gel with Skrapz in the starting lineup.

The 25-year-old veteran has competed at the highest level since 2016 across the likes of Fnatic, Red Reserve, and FaZe Clan pre-CDL. Skrapz featured as part of the initial Royal Ravens lineup in 2019/20, helping lead the squad to a sixth-place finish overall and a top-four placement at that year’s Champs.

His 2021 season saw a move to Paris Legion before parting ways and pivoting to content creation instead, largely focusing on Warzone streams ahead of his 2022 return to competition. Skrapz should feature in the first game back on January 14 as London goes head-to-head with Toronto in the opening series.