Veterans of competitive Call of Duty have sparked a fiery argument online as members of the Los Angeles Guerillas and OpTic LA franchise rosters have traded blows.
The first official Call of Duty League event isn’t set to kick off until January 24 in 2020 when the Minnesota Røkkr host the very first matches, yet franchise rivalries are already taking form thanks to some heated online trash-talk.
Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price and Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat have fired shots at one another online, and seemingly kickstarted a rivalry between the two LA-based franchise teams that they represent – the Los Angeles Guerillas and OpTic Gaming Los Angeles respectively.
In a November 3 post, ACHES wished to welcome Andres Lacefield to the Guerillas roster, stating that he’s “super excited to be teaming with Lace again!” The pair haven’t teamed together since their tenure under Cloud9 that came to an end early in 2017.
“Great addition to round out the LA B team,” SlasheR responded to agitate the two-time World Champion, implying that the OpTic lineup is much more impressive on paper.
Great addition to round out the LA B team congrats Pat!
— Austin Liddicoat (@SlasheR_AL) November 4, 2019
“Listen bro at least all of my teammates want to be on my team, not a part of the fake OpTic” ACHES responded. “See you in a few months. If y’all make it that long of course.”
Hinting at a litany of issues that have surrounded the OpTic organization of late, ACHES returned fire by bringing up the sale of OpTic parent company Infinite Esports & Entertainment to Immortals Gaming Club.
Additionally, the comment hits on behind the scenes drama surrounding Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell, which saw the star player threatening to bench himself if he wasn’t released from the LA team. ACHES seemed to suggest the same could play out again in the new LA team, before the first bullet had even been fired in the CDL.
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Listen bro at least all of my teammates want to be on my team, not a part of the fake Optic. See you in a few months. If y’all make it that long of course. #HoodsUp
— LA – PATTYP (@ACHES) November 4, 2019
Adding even more fuel to the fire, SlasheR responded in kind, arguing that ACHES “didn’t even want to be on [his] own team” according to texts between the two on September 4.
“September 4th?!? Was that before Free Agency even begun? Make sure you’ve settled everything at home before you talk about some LA rivalry,” ACHES concluded, responding with a GIF that doubled down on rumors of Dashy wanting to part ways with OpTic LA to join Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez and the powerhouse roster under the Chiacgo Huntsmen brand.
September 4th?!? Was that before Free Agency even begun? I’d hate to live in the past like that Austin. But like I said, make sure you’ve settled everything at home before you talk about some LA rivalry. pic.twitter.com/XmkI6WEfjl
— LA – PATTYP (@ACHES) November 4, 2019
The OpTic roster features a mix of youngblood and veteran talent as the duo of Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell and Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly join forces with back to back World Champion Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan, 2018 rookie of the year Kenny Williams and former 100 Thieves teammate SlasheR.
Meanwhile, the LA Guerillas lineup brings together a wealth of competitive Call of Duty experience with Renato ‘Saints’ Forza and former Splyce player Ulysses ‘AquA’ Silva, alongside ACHES and the newly announced Lacefield.
Which of these two rosters will come out ahead as the league kicks off, remains to be seen. One thing can be certain though, the battle for LA supremacy will always be an enthralling matchup, especially with this bitterness adding fuel to emerging storylines.
As the LA Guerillas confirm their final starting member as well as any substitutes, you can keep up to date with all of the latest announcements using our dedicated off-season tracker.