LA Thieves bench SlasheR ahead of the Stage 2 Major

Los Angeles (LA) Thieves have benched Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat ahead of the Stage 2 Major after he struggled to perform alongside his teammates during Stage 2.

In his last three matches against London Royal Ravens, Atlanta FaZe and Los Angeles Guerrillas SlasheR posted below a 0.87 kill/death ratio. with his worst performance against London dropping as low as0.72 KD overall.

Zack “Drazah” Jordan will replace SlasheR for the Stage 2 Major after his performance in Challengers. Drazah and his Challengers teams have placed first at three different events this season. Their most recent victory was at the Stage 2 North American Playoffs. His team placed second overall at the Stage 2 group stage before the playoffs, and they recently placed first at the NA Challengers Open.

Drazah played on the OpTic Gaming Los Angeles roster during Modern Warfare alongside SlasheR. OpTic had a rocky start to Modern Warfare but was able to finish strong at the Championship with Drazah’s help.

LA Thieves become the first to bench SlasheR

SlasheR has competed in Call of Duty since late 2013 when he entered the scene with Team Ignite. He has played for teams such as FaZe Clan, 100 Thieves and Team Envy during his career. LA Thieves also announced his return to the organization alongside Kenneth “Kenny” Williams when they returned to Call of Duty. He is one of the franchised players for 100 Thieves, which is why his benching comes as a surprise.

Our starting roster for the Stage 2 Major will be:@Kuavo@TJHaLy@Vxnxm
@Drazah_
Drazah has been playing incredibly well in Challengers with multiple event wins under his belt this season. We’re excited to see him play on the big stage this week as we give Slasher some time off.

— LA Thieves (@LAThieves) April 5, 2021

Up to this point in his career, no team has benched SlasheR befire. That includes his time on 100 Thieves and OpTic Gaming Los Angeles from recent years. His time off from the starting roster will mark his first time stepping back from the starting roster since 2013. 

The LA Thieves face off against Paris Legion in the lower bracket of the Stage 2 Major on April 7 in their first match with Drazah as a starter.