The tornado that is the Call of Duty League Rostermania continues to spin as both the Atlanta FaZe and Minnesota ROKKR have announced their full starting lineups for the upcoming 4v4 season in 2021.
With the free-agent signing moratorium finally lifted on September 14, CDL teams who don’t have full rosters yet are starting to announce their new players for the 2021 campaign.
A day after Dashy’s high-profile move to the Chicago Huntsmen became official, the man he replaced – Arcitys – signed with Atlanta FaZe, completing their lineup for next season.
FaZe had an open roster to fill after announcing that Priestahh and MajorManiak would be departing (more on those two below). This reunites Arcitys with former eUnited teammates Simp and aBeZy; the trio, along with Clayster and Alec’s twin brother, Prestinni, won the Call of Duty World League Championship in 2019 with eUnited.
DESTINY HAS ARRIVED IN 4V4 😈
And it's teaming up with the Tiny Terrors, just in time for Cold War.
Welcome to Atlanta FaZe @Arcitys; the FINAL BOSS. #EZAF pic.twitter.com/TUDcZtqQSn
— Atlanta FaZe (@ATLFaZe) September 15, 2020
Atlanta FaZe 2021 CDL starting lineup
- Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr
- Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris
- McArthur ‘Cellium’ Jovel
- Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson
Atlanta FaZe departing players
- Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner
- Michael ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak
Priestahh and MajorManiak wouldn’t remain in limbo for long, however, as moments after FaZe announced their departures, the Minnesota ROKKR unveiled them as part of their 2021 lineup, which also includes Attach and Accuracy, formerly of the New York Subliners.
The ROKKR, of course, were free to recruit all four after getting rid of their entire roster just prior to the signing period.
Let's make it happen #ROKKR pic.twitter.com/Jq6028qCw8
— Minnesota RØKKR (@ROKKR) September 15, 2020
Minnesota ROKKR 2021 CDL starting lineup
- Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi
- Dillon ‘Attach’ Price
- Michael ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak
- Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner
Interestingly enough, Accuracy is the only player from that group that was officially a free agent prior to this announcement. The other three were still under contract with their respective franchises but their departures were announced just moments before ROKKR unveiled their new team.
The Subliners tweeted about Attach’s departure, thanking him for his contributions and wishing him good luck in the future. NYSL had an up-and-down season in 2020, starting off slow before noticeably improving down the stretch and even picking up a tournament victory at their own Home Series.
Thank you @Attach for all that you've done for the team this season. You represented New York well, and we are grateful for all your contributions. Wishing you the best of luck in your next chapter. #NYSL pic.twitter.com/FcXRGtwX0V
— Subliners (@Subliners) September 15, 2020
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Atlanta FaZe expressed similar sentiments in their own posts about Priestahh and MajorManiak, which included videos featuring the two players talking about their lone season with the team.
https://twitter.com/ATLFaZe/status/1305929797009379328
The oldest player in the league comes with its perks – wisdom, teamwork, and an immense amount of kindness. Add that on top of being great at Call of Duty, and its a scary mix. We know you'll continue to show all your talents & more in your next journey.
Thank you @majormaniak pic.twitter.com/NZT0d5Y4oW
— Atlanta FaZe (@ATLFaZe) September 15, 2020
The two were instrumental in FaZe’s tremendous 2020 campaign, which saw them capture the best record in the regular season and finish second to the Dallas Empire at the CDL Championship Weekend.
Their vaunted ‘Tiny Terrors’ lineup was considered by many to be the most talented in the league, but with the format shifting to 4v4, fans recognized that one of these two were the likeliest to be the odd man out.
That’s why a lot of people were caught by surprise when the organization announced that both would be leaving. Priestahh, who is regarded as a top-tier player, fell off considerably in the final third of the season, while MajorManiak was always a candidate to be dropped since most rank him below everyone else on the team.
With Atlanta in the market for a fourth starter, who better to pick up than the experienced and proven Arcitys, who’s already lifted CoD esports’ ultimate prize with two of FaZe’s players.
That was during the Black Ops 4 season, and with the next game in line – Black Ops Cold War – also developed by Treyarch, the organization is hoping to rekindle some of that dominant magic that led eUnited all the way to the top.
You can keep up with all of the offseason team changes and player signings with our Call of Duty League Rostermania hub.