4 players to watch during CDL 2021 Super Week

The Call of Duty League’s 2021 season continues after a brief scheduling hiccup, as Weeks 2 and 3 get blended into CDL 2021 Super Week — and four player storylines may define the weeklong action.

The CDL 2021 season has already proven to be full of surprises and this is, without a doubt, not your typical week of action. With 20 games split across a full seven days, the entire landscape of the league should shift dramatically by week’s end.

Considering the Atlanta FaZe Opening Week’s theatrics, it should be no surprise that there are some prominent names and teams to keep an eye on in this blended double-week. From possible roster changes to championship contention concerns, significant expectations may move by Week 3.

Considering the first week of gameplay, upcoming matches and overall season projections — here are four players who should be monitored during CDL Super Week.

Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas (Dallas Empire)

The Dallas Empire won CDL Champs in 2020 largely because Shotzzy proved to be the deadliest rookie in the league. But his 2020 MVP form looked, at times, like a thing of the past in the Empire’s 2-3 loss to the Minnesota ROKKR during Week 1.

• Read more: OpTic Chicago explain why CDL loss to Atlanta FaZe was a good thing

Dallas came into this season as favorites and continue to sit near the top of power rankings, but they’ve already dropped one spot and may drop more if Shotzzy’s form fails to return. In the team’s 3-0 win over the Seattle Surge, he posted a 1.40 K/D, but in the ROKKR loss, managed just a 0.98 (including a disappointing 5-13 in SND). This week, Dallas faces the London Royal Ravens, New York Subliners and Los Angeles Thieves — presenting three opportunities to prove they’re still the team to beat in 2021.

Obaid ‘Asim’ Asim (New York Subliners)

The Subliners lost Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto to injury before the season started and have yet to play with Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez due to visa complications. The undermanned unit therefore has Asim and Conor ‘Diamondcon’ Johst in their starting lineup, but many wonder if the currently 0-1 team will make a change once HyDra arrives.

The question is if it will be Asim or Diamondcon hitting the bench and both are already establishing their worth — and Asim has an opportunity to cement his already-budding impact. Despite being swept by the Thieves, Asim posted a 1.17 K/D in the match, proving the sharpness of his SMG play.

During Super Week, New York faces London, Minnesota, Dallas and Seattle. In fact, when we asked RØKKR’s Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi who he thinks is the biggest threat on the Subliners roster, he told us that Asim is their best player. If that sentiment is shared by the rest of his peers, Asim could be the difference maker for New York.

Seth ‘Scump’ Abner (OpTic Chicago)

When the media began doubting LeBron James due to his age, he co-opted the “Washed King” as his self-effacing moniker. In CoD, a similar situation arises as Scump may need to begin contending with Donut King concerns.

• Read more: CDL Super Week (Weeks 2+3): new schedule, teams, format, more

After sweeping the Paris Legion and notching a 1.04 K/D, OpTic fell 2-3 to FaZe and Scump struggled to a 0.82 K/D — including a donut, zero-kill effort in the first SND and a 0.55 K/D on SND overall. 

That loss is by no means any one player’s fault, as FaZe are an elite team and 2-3 is a tight match. Still, when OpTic face the Toronto Ultra, Los Angeles Guerrillas and Florida Mutineers this week, eyes will be on Scump (as they always are) to show some youthful thumbs, especially on SND.

Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman (Seattle Surge)

The 2020 benching drama, the Pokimane hype and, now, the monitor mania. There is no Gunless without some amount of colorful circumstance these past two seasons and the storylines write themselves.

In Week 1’s first match, the Surge got smacked 0-3 by Dallas and Gunless posted a 0.75 K/D. Then, he realized his monitor was set to 60 Hz, got it fixed overnight and dropped a 1.13 on 240 Hz during a 3-2 win over London the next day.

Against Minnesota and New York during Super Week, fans and opponents alike will be dying to find out if 40-bomb Gunless has been officially unleashed by the hardware upgrade and can push Seattle to heights the franchise hasn’t yet seen.