As the best Call of Duty teams in the world gear up for the start of a new era in competition, Atlanta FaZe may have emerged as the strongest lineup ahead of the opening event on January 24.
Players have been grinding Modern Warfare since its release in October, 2019 as franchises prepare for a brand new year of competition under the new CDL structure. Before the 12 star-studded rosters descend on Minnesota for the opening weekend of action, however, teams are hard at work practicing on a daily basis to refine their skills and nail down various strategies.
Atlanta FaZe appear to have separated themselves from the pack, with members of the Call of Duty community heaping praise on the team of young-guns after an extraordinary scrim record was revealed on January 15.
Introducing your Atlanta FaZe for the 2020 CDL Season@aBeZy @SimpXO @Cellium @majormaniak @Priestahh #EZAF pic.twitter.com/c3HJgiD2vq
— Atlanta FaZe (@ATLFaZe) October 26, 2019
Set to kick off on January 24 in Minnesota, the first slate of CDL matchups feature the likes of the Chicago Huntsmen and hometown heroes Minnesota RØKKR. The very next day will serve as the first test for the Atlanta FaZe squad though, as they square off against the Dallas Empire to round out the second day of competition.
Revealing information about recent scrims, analyst Anthony ‘NAMELESS’ Wheeler shared that the Atlanta-based franchise could be a force to be reckoned with by the time they take to the stage next weekend.
“Atlanta FaZe went on a 52 map win streak in scrims then lost 1 map, then went on a 42 map win streak. What the f***” he outlined in a January 15 tweet, which set off plenty of conversation in the community.
.@ATLFaZe went on a 52 MAP WIN STREAK in scrims then LOST 1 MAP then went on a 42 MAP WIN STREAK
WHAT THE FK
— Anthony Wheeler (@NAMELESS) January 15, 2020
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
According to 2019 Champs MVP and starting member on the ATL roster, Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr, these consecutive streaks took place “right before new years.”
Confirming the validity of the statement, Simp highlighted how the map wins were, in fact, accurate and that the team did tally a record of 94 map wins with only a single loss along the way.
While obviously an extraordinary accomplishment, various players were quick to chime in and raise their eyebrows at the post. Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo-Palmer of the Minnesota RØKKR indicated that they have taken a few map wins against the FaZe roster following their 2019 streaks, for instance.
Additionally, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks added that the team in focus hadn’t quite been practicing against all of the top squads. “Wonder why,” he joked, hinting that Dallas Empire hasn’t had a chance to scrim them recently. Dallas last played Atlanta at the start of the scrim cycle.
it was right before new years i think
— FaZe Simp (@SimpXO) January 15, 2020
Wonder why 🧐
— Clayster (@Clayster) January 15, 2020
Once brothers under the eUnited banners throughout a successful 2019 run that saw them crowned world champions, Clayster and Simp will be duking it out in the very first weekend of action in the Call of Duty League.
Whether the grizzled veterans of the Empire or the young blood of FaZe stand tall at the end of the series is yet to be seen, but with a record so dominant throughout practice, it’s sure to be a fascinating matchup to start the season.