After a potentially career-defining performance against the Minnesota RØKKR in the CDL, Obaid ‘Asim’ Asim revealed how he might not even be in the league in the first place were it not for retired former teammate Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto.
Asim joined the New York Subliners for the start of the 2021 CDL season, having spent almost the entire offseason presuming he might not even get a substitute spot.
He was coming off of a disappointing season with none other than the RØKKR, and failed to shine while representing the team, leaving him somewhat lost as rostermania hit.
Finally, he ended up on the New York team who were affected by ZooMaa’s retirement and French wonderkid Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez’s ongoing visa issues… and he’s proving what he’s worth and more.
During the CDL Super Week, NYSL had a 1-1 record before taking on a solid Minnesota team. While opinions were split over how the matchup would go, nothing was going to stop Asim from putting on a show — and he put in a performance that many CoD pros could only dream of.
In their 3-0 win, Asim had a 1.29 KD, including a 4.40 in Hardpoint, and a 9.00 in Search and Destroy. To put it simply, he was absolutely frying, giving the RØKKR absolutely no room to breathe or make something happen.
The game could have been completely different, though, were it not for ZooMaa sticking his neck out for Asim. “In all honesty, if ZooMaa didn’t fight for me for a 2nd time I don’t think I’d be a starter,” he said in a tweet posted after the February 25 match.
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In all honesty if ZooMaa didnt fight for me for a 2nd time i dont think id be a starter.This Guy deserves all the credit ❤️ https://t.co/uq5qhK1yho
— Asim (@Asim6_) February 25, 2021
Adding that the Italian Stallion deserves “all the credit” for his standout showing, Asim is clearly well aware of how close he was to this performance not even being a possibility.
ZooMaa was clearly proud of his friend too, tweeting that he’s “a mess” after the match.
I’m a mess over here @GstaAsim pic.twitter.com/DPv6ay3Zx5
— FaZe ZooMaa (@ZooMaa) February 25, 2021
Now, the pressure’s on Asim to prove that while this performance may never be replicated, he still has a lot more gas in the tank.
The question is, can he help make New York legitimate championship threats? If he carries on this way, it’s looking very likely.