Merk & Maven to make CDL 2022 debut after fan backlash

Legendary Call of Duty casters Merk and Maven are finally making their return to the CDL in 2022 after months of fan backlash and contract negotiations. The news was announced in a March 2 Community Update.

The Call of Duty League’s March 2 Community Update brought a number of interesting news to the CoD community, but one piece stood out for the fans: casting partners Joe ‘Merk’ DeLuca and Clint ‘Maven’ Evans are back.

In January 2022, it was revealed that Merk and Maven would not be present at the CDL Kickoff Classic. This news wasn’t particularly alarming, as fans expected their contracts would be resolved after the preseason event and before the season’s official start.

Then, all of Major 1’s qualifiers went by without Merk and Maven’s presence. Fans never got used to their absence, though, as an uproar of “W” and “let’s f**king go” comments have followed the March 2 Community Update.

CDL announce Merk and Maven’s return for Major 1

As CDL General Manager Daniel Tsay explained during the Community Update, there was “obviously a lot of community discourse about two noticeable missing faces from the CDL so far.”

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In response to said discourse, he confirmed the good news: “I am excited to announce that they are back for the CDL season.”

As Tsay elaborated, the league apparently always intended for Merk and Maven to be on the 2022 broadcast. However, contract negotiations were still ongoing so official discussion had to be kept under wraps.

Now, though, the duo of passionate CoD casters is back for the year. They’ll be making their debut at a significant time as well, as the Major 1 tournament begins on Thursday, March 3.