Sources: 100 Thieves acquire OpTic’s CDL spot, represented as LA Thieves

Sources have told Dexerto that 100 Thieves are entering the Call of Duty League by purchasing the spot previously held by OpTic Gaming Los Angeles.

[jwplayer C884pVlv]

After initially declining to invest in a slot for the Call of Duty League’s inaugural 2020 season, 100 Thieves are re-entering CoD esports after all for the 2021 campaign and beyond.

The spot that had been OpTic Gaming Los Angeles’ has now transferred ownership to the prominent esports organization, and sources have reported that 100T will rebrand the team to LA Thieves.

Immortals Gaming Club, which had purchased OpTic Gaming and one of two Los Angeles CDL franchise spots, recently sold the Green Wall back to Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez, who will remain in control of the brand.

At this time, it’s not yet clear whether the league will allow H3CZ to rebrand his Chicago Huntsmen franchise to OpTic. Since he’s already the CEO of Huntsmen, his reacquisition of the OpTic brand meant that control of one of the two teams would eventually have to change hands once again.

• Read More: Atlanta FaZe wins Black Ops 4 Throwback Invitational

According to recent reports from Esports Talk, the CDL was taking the stance that franchises should remain tied to the cities they were initially founded in. Thus, if H3CZ and NRG wanted their team to take on the OpTic Gaming insignia, they would have to sell the Huntsmen spot and move their Call of Duty operations to Los Angeles.

However, in those same reports, it was indicated that despite their initial unwillingness to enter the CDL, 100 Thieves and CEO Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag acquiring a spot was not totally out of the question, and now it’s come to fruition.

While brief, 100 Thieves’ first stint in Call of Duty esports was a very successful one; the team captured two major trophies in the then-called CoD World League and finished second in the CWL World Championship.

100T’s team became a fan-favorite, and when Nadeshot announced that they’d be leaving the esport due to the transition to franchising, many were left disappointed, especially considering Haag’s extensive CoD background.

• Read More: World Champion John nearing pro CoD return

The only question that remains now is concerning their roster – whether or not Nadeshot or his org will want to make any personnel changes remains to be seen, but if not, many will still expect the team to be a contender, considering that three of the four players are top-tier with championship experience.

LA THIEVES’ EXPECTED 2021 CDL ROSTER:

• Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat
• Kenny ‘Kuavo’ Williams
• Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly
• Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan

For SlasheR and Kenny, this will be their second stint with 100T after previously featuring for the org in its lone season of competition. Similarly, General Manager Eric ‘Muddawg’ Sanders is also returning to the red and black after leaving them for OpTic when the org parted ways from CoD esports.

As always, we will continue to update this story and bring you the latest as more information becomes available.