Spanish esports organization G2 Esports have announced two major roster moves for their North American based Call of Duty pro team.
Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni and Andres ‘Lacefield’ Lacefield, formerly of FaZe Clan and Pittsburgh Knights respectively, will be joining a roster that also features existing G2 players Rasim ‘Blazt’ Ogresevic, Martin ‘Chino’ Chino, and Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato.
The pair replaced Brice ‘Faccento’ Faccento and Richard ‘Ricky’ Stacy on the roster, both of whom had played for the team in the recent $250,000 CWL Vegas event.
The news was formerly announced on December 21 via a post on the official G2 Esports Twitter page, although many had already been expecting the moves to take place at some point prior to the qualifying tournament for the CWL Pro League.
Unless there are any last minute unexpected changes, this will the roster that G2 feature in the upcoming Pro League Qualifier, which is set to take place mid-January.
Exciting Announcement! Please welcome @Methodz and @Lacefield to the #G2ARMY. They join our #BlackOps4 team to help secure our spot in the CWL Pro League! :right_bicep:
:point_right: https://t.co/bMDjv0I3AJ pic.twitter.com/7HpAUXFeZ6
— G2 Esports (@G2esports) December 21, 2018
G2 Esports were in dire need of a change considering their poor performance at CWL Vegas, which saw them finish bottom of Pool D after going winless in the group, including a loss to the Open Bracket team Excelerate Gaming.
The team did make a slight push in the Loser’s Bracket, winning their first two elimination games, but were dominated by 100 Thieves in the third round to finish 13th-16th.
As mentioned above, these roster moves have not exactly come as a surprise to many since the this group of five players had been seen playing together numerous times during the week leading up to the announcement.
What did catch the community off guard was how quickly FaZe Clan decided to part ways with Methodz after bringing him on board during this past off-season.
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However, the team has been largely disappointing in their results so far in Black Ops 4, and after a low 13th-16th finish at CWL Vegas, many felt that they had to make a change.
Good luck to FaZe. Heading into 2019 under @G2esports alongside @Lacefield @MJCheen @Decemate @Blazt!
— G2 Zinni (@Methodz) December 21, 2018
These moves leave the future uncertain for the two players that were replaced, Ricky and Faccento, who will now have to find spots to fill on teams who will be playing in the Pro League qualifier next month.
Ricky confirmed that he was released by G2 in a long post on Twitter, in which he affirmed that he wants to continue playing at the highest level but is also open to a coaching position.
These roster changes have kick-started what should be another frantic season of Rostermania, with both FaZe and Knights now set to make corresponding moves to fill out their empty roster spots.
There is heavy speculation that FaZe’s new player will be up-and-comer ‘Cellium,’ who will be eligible to play in the CWL once he turns 18 on December 24, which is likely the reason why they haven’t announced the move already.
Cellium, who is currently a member of eUnited’s Cadet team, is considered to be one of the best raw talents in the game and represents the next generation of young players coming through the ranks.
Keep up with all of the roster moves and team changes that take place prior to the Pro League Qualifier by visiting our dedicated Rostermania hub.