Toronto Ultra bench Methodz in surprise CDL roster move

❘ Updated: 2021-03-11T03:10:20

Call of Duty League

Call of Duty veteran Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni shocked CDL fans by announcing that he has been benched by his Toronto Ultra’s lineup, following a disappointing 3-5 start to the 2021 season.

Interestingly, it was not the Ultra who announced the surprise benching of the league’s beloved Chef Tony — it was Zinni himself. Taking to Twitter, the nine-year veteran revealed the roster shakeup without detailing why the decision was made or who would be replacing him.

This comes after a 3-5 start to the season by the Ultra, who have shown flashes of the form that helped the team win CDL 2020’s Week 13 Toronto Ultra Homestand and place in the top 6 at CDL Champs. While obviously disappointed, Methodz himself told us that this 2021 team is “miles better” than it was at this time in 2020.

methodz ultra benching

Obviously confused himself, Methodz mentioned that Black Ops Cold War has been his “best game since WW2 and obviously wasn’t expecting this.” He’s played a major role in the team’s three wins, so fans are baffled as well.

Mere hours after the initial tweets, Methodz followed up to reveal his new plans. While on the Toronto bench, he’s been given permission to compete in the Challengers scene.

“Despite what I think, this is the situation I’m in and have decided to play Challengers,” he said.

Despite what I think, this is the situation I'm in and have decided to play Challengers w/ Decemate, Drazah, and TMTwerk. I'm confident I'll be back where I belong in due time & I appreciate all of your guys' support more than you know.

— OpTic Methodz (@Methodz) March 11, 2021

Methodz will be teaming with former LA Guerrillas player Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato, LA Thieves substitute Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan, and multiple time Challengers Cup champion Christopher ‘TwerK’ Nava.

“I’m confident I’ll be back where I belong in due time,” he added.

At the moment, Jamie ‘Insight’ Craven is the lone bench player on Toronto — suggesting that he would move into the starting lineup barring other moves.

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At 21 years old, he is reputable in the European scene (where he became known as ‘Cash Out Craven’), but has yet to make an impact anywhere near Zinni’s in North America. If he does become the starter, Toronto will have an all-EU lineup.