The Los Angeles Thieves were the team to beat during the first stage of the Call of Duty League after tying with last years’ champions, the Dallas Empire, in Group A. After falling short of a victory at the Stage 1 Major, the Thieves have begun to fall in league rankings after undergoing meta and roster changes.
LA Thieves started the Call of Duty League season 4-1, placing them in the upper bracket at the Stage 1 Major. They were swept by the Los Angeles Guerrillas 3-0, knocking them into the lower bracket early in the tournament. They defeated the Toronto Ultra to keep their tournament dreams alive but eventually fell to OpTic Chicago to finish 5th overall. After losing to OpTic Chicago, the LA Thieves weren’t playing as they had been.
LA Thieves experience roster and meta changes
After getting reverse swept by the New York Subiners on March 21, LA Thieves moved Donovan “Temp” Laroda to the bench. He was replaced by WestR Challenger player Carlos “Venom” Hernandez. Despite the change in talent, LA Thieves continued to struggle against their opponents.
To combat their struggles, Kenneth “Kenny” Williams moved from his position as a flex role for the team to a submachine player. This would allow the team to better adapt to the meta and allow Thomas “TJHaly” Haly to explore the flex role. Both the roster changes and meta shifted proved to be unsuccessful and LA Thieves finished 1-4 in Group A.
LA Thieves were the only team in the Stage 2 groups to come out with only one win. They defeated Toronto Ultra in a nail-biting game five but failed to win another series afterward. The LA Thieves finished behind the London Royal Ravens and LA Guerrlias who were the bottom two teams at the last Major.
They will be put in the lower bracket of the Stage 2 Major to face off against the Paris Legion this weekend.
