With the introduction of the official Call of Duty League (CDL), the off-season has seen one of the biggest rostermanias in the history of the esport. Franchise teams scrambled to build star-studded rosters, grabbing established veterans and prospective young guns. As a result, we’ve seen the return of historic duos from previous seasons. While it’s most likely just our nostalgia, we’re still excited to see these duos back together. Here are five legendary duos to watch out for going into the new season.
T2P reunited in the Call of Duty League
On the Chicago Hunstmen, we have the reunited Seth “Scump” Abner and Matthew “FormaL” Piper. Colloquially dubbed “T2P” or “Time 2 Pound,” the duo first teamed on OpTic Gaming in the Advanced Warfare season. Their partnership came to a bitter end during the World War II season when the OpTic dynasty finally came to an end. While Scump stayed with the Green Wall, FormaL left to join Luminosity Gaming.
T2P was fundamental to the success of OpTic Gaming. The team looked to these two to bring firepower in their aggressive, slay-heavy play style. Scump had always been one of the best SMGs throughout his career, and FormaL at the time was a prospective talent. By the end of the duo’s time, FormaL had established himself as the AR to reckon with.
LG loyal
Rejoining his former longtime teammate on the Seattle Surge for the Call of Duty League, Sam “Octane” Larew returns to Josiah “Slacked” Berry. The two first started teaming during the Black Ops III season on Rise Nation. While they didn’t see any success immediately, they started making noise after a move to Luminosity Gaming. However, Octane took an opportunity to join OpTic Gaming during the World War II season, while Slacked remained a longtime Luminosity Gaming player.
Although Luminosity Gaming weren’t constant tournament winners, they were consistently a contending team. The duo managed to win a major tournament in each of the two seasons they teamed together for. Even after moving to separate rosters, they individually found success in the Black Ops 4 season. Slacked has been one of the most consistent support players, and pairing that with Octane, one of the top ARs in the scene, can be a recipe for success.
The Boys in Blue
In a weird twist of fate, OpTic Gaming Los Angeles has welcomed mainstays Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat and Jordan “JKap” Kaplan. The duo is known for its time on Team Envy, the “eClassico” rivals to their new green home. Although not successful in the early season, their Envy squads always developed into championship contenders later in the year. This is how they found themselves in back-to-back finals at champs, even taking first place back in 2016.
Following the end of the jetpack era, Slasher continued this mid-season mantra. He went on to build championship-winning teams in subsequent seasons with Rise Nation and, more recently, 100 Thieves. JKap, however, has not had the best few years. Despite a relatively successful brief stint with eUnited, his individual performance has been lacking. He remains an infrastructural benefit to teams, but not so much to high-tier ones. Here’s hoping that some Slasher-JKap magic can occur once more.
FaZe up
The classic FaZe Clan duo of Tommy “ZooMaa” Paparatto and Dillon “Attach” Price finds itself together on New York Subliners for the Call of Duty League. Although their separation was short, their reunion is a delight for any fan of CoD esports. The duo originally rose to prominence during Advanced Warfare due to their infamous rivalry with OpTic Gaming. Despite not finding success in subsequent seasons, they were always a dangerous duo.
After almost four years teaming together, the duo finally parted ways in the middle of the Black Ops 4 season. They both failed to achieve any major placings in their short time apart and are going back to their tried and true formula. While Attach isn’t that explosive star he was in Advanced Warfare, his time on Evil Geniuses was a throwback to the potential he still has. Likewise, ZooMaa has always maintained himself as an SMG every team needs to check their flanks for.
The compLexity Dynasty
Fans may remember a simpler time of 2013, one of trash talk and riveting gameplay. In that case, many may be excited for the return of James “Clayster” Eubanks and Ian “Crimsix” Porter. After seven seasons competing against each other, the two are now the veteran leaders on Dallas Empire. The two rose to prominence with their time on Complexity Gaming back in Black Ops II, establishing the foundations for the most dominant dynasty in CoD esports.
Following an abrupt cut from the roster in the Ghosts season, Clayster went on to find success in OpTic Gaming, FaZe Clan, and, more recently, eUnited. Crimsix followed a familiar path, being a part of the OpTic Gaming dynasty and becoming the most-winning player in CoD history. While both players boast two championship rings, they have faced criticism for not putting up the monster numbers they did in the past. Regardless of that, their tenure alone acts as an asset to any prospective team.
The CDL season is upon us. The year will kick off with Minnesota Rokkr hosting the first set of matches. As well, the first path-to-pro open event will be held there as well. Catch the Call of Duty action Jan. 24 – 26 on the official Twitch channel.
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Disclosure: Enthusiast Gaming owns and operates Daily Esports and Luminosity Gaming.
