Top 6 players to watch at CDL Champs 2023

The Call of Duty League Championship Weekend is upon us, with the eight best COD teams in the world heading out to Las Vegas, Nevada, to claim their place in the history books and become world champions. But which players should fans keep an eye on at the tournament?

CDL Champs is the pinnacle of every Call of Duty League season, and the big event that all players aspire to win. While winning a Major is great, hoisting the CDL trophy and getting a championship ring is a moment very few Call of Duty players have been able to do.

While some players and teams are more likely to win than others, we take a look here at the key players to watch that could be influential to their team’s success.

Obviously, each player has his own story heading into Champs. The likes of Sib, Accuracy, Attach, and more have a weight on their shoulders or records to uphold, but here are our key picks.

Players to watch at CDL Champs 2023

Ben ‘Bance’ Bance

It’s not unfair to say that expectations are low for Minnesota Røkkr heading into CDL Championship Weekend. They’re not very heavily backed to make a deep run, with some even expecting them to drop out of the tournament in Elimination Round 1.

That said, Bance is the key that unlocks this Røkkr team. The team’s performances are heavily tied to Bance’s individual performance — when he plays well, the whole team excels. If he doesn’t come out of the gate flying, Minnesota’s season may be ending far earlier than they would like.

Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat

Atlanta FaZe are heading into the tournaments as favorites, putting somewhat of a target on all of the players’ backs.

However, that is most true for SlasheR, who joined at the start of the 2023 season and is viewed somewhat as the outsider alongside the core FaZe trio of Simp, aBeZy, and Cellium. If they fail to win the event, or at least place highly, that could mean SlasheR’s spot on the team will be under pressure.

Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell

Dashy heads to Vegas as the veteran of this OpTic Texas side, who have looked seriously capable of challenging for championships at almost every step, marking his sixth appearance at Champs.

Commonly regarded as one of the best players to never win a ring, Dashy has probably never had a better chance than this season, with his team having dominated online and achieved back-to-back second places at Majors 3 and 4.

He’s an MVP-caliber player that needs the ultimate accolade to prove it, and that’s why this could really be a legacy tournament for the Canadian star — especially after such a tumultuous year.

Tobias ‘CleanX’ Juul Jønsson

Very similar to Bance for the Røkkr, CleanX’s performances can be what makes or breaks Toronto Ultra’s results in many cases. The only difference for Toronto, though, is that they are genuine title contenders.

When CleanX is frying, Toronto are unstoppable. We know what we’re going to get from the likes of Scrappy and Hicksy, alongside the consistency and leadership from Insight, but if the Dane can get hot, there are few players that could match him.

Eric ‘Snoopy’ Pérez

This is a pick that requires no explanation. Snoopy, barely 18 when the current season started, went from grinding it out in the lower tiers of Challengers, fighting to the top, to getting moved onto the Boston Breach starting roster just weeks before Champs.

Yet to play a single professional game, he’ll be making his pro debut against the ‘Green Wall’, facing off versus OpTic Texas in the opening round of Champs. The true definition of trial by fire, Snoopy has the chance to do something genuinely unprecedented this weekend.

Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland

Another OpTic pick, but then again, they’re certainly one of the more interesting teams heading into the crowning event this weekend.

Huke has had a stellar season by all accounts, ever since his switch from the LA Guerrillas. What is interesting, though, is that a poor final placement at Champs could signal the end of his stint on OpTic if they do indeed move for Seattle Surge star Pred.

Prior to his pickup, Huke was seen largely as a player that once had high potential but consistently failed to live up to it, watching his stock fall with every passing event. Now, he’s started to rectify that — but what happens if he finds himself on a different team and starts to struggle again?

Naturally, every single player in the tournament will be fighting to win it all. It’s everyone’s dream on that stage to win a world championship.

Some players, though, have more on the line than others. The ones above have legacies and careers hanging in the balance and could find their lives changing as the tournament progresses.

The Call of Duty Championship Weekend kicks off on Thursday, June 15. Be sure to check out our hub to follow all of the action.