Warzone star Aydan reveals why he couldn’t go pro in CDL

Theo Salaun

Call of Duty: Warzone star Aydan has made millions from playing shooting titles like CoD and Fortnite, but there’s a simple reason why he doesn’t think he could ever play in the Call of Duty League.

Aydan ‘Aydan’ Conrad’s accolades are serious. Across five separate Call of Duty titles, Fortnite, and a couple other games, he’s racked up over $500,000 in tournament earnings (according to EsportsEarnings).

Of that cash, a whopping $335,640 is from Warzone – where he sits at No. 2 on the all-time earnings list, right behind former CoD pro Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewren.

While Aydan has won multiplayer events (e.g. a Black Ops Cold War $50K with Scump) and competes with former CDL pros in Warzone tournaments, he doesn’t think he could crack the league. The simple reason why? He doesn’t like practicing.

Warzone star Aydan couldn’t play pro CoD due to “practice”

aydan nickmercs fortnite
Aydan’s gaming career truly took off when he and NICKMERCS duo’ed in Fortnite.

In a new interview, Aydan explained that he would have kept grinding CoD “in the Search and Destroy scene” if he hadn’t started playing Fortnite. There, he grew a brand and won events as a battle royale star before pivoting to Warzone.

While he apparently has considered a switch to professional multiplayer play, the BR star doesn’t think he’s cut out for it: “The CDL is completely different. It requires a lot of practice. I don’t think I ever liked practice even when I was playing sports growing up.”

aydan new york subliners
Aydan has been repping his New York Subliners during the CDL 2022 season.

Warzone and CoD multiplayer have very obvious common ground, but Aydan’s point is a fair one. Even when the games are played on the exact same engine, during the Modern Warfare 2019 season, there are serious differences in preparation.

Despite obvious commonalities in centering, movement, and gun skill – if Aydan doesn’t like practicing then he won’t enjoy grinding Hardpoint rotations or Search and Destroy strats.

Who knows, though, maybe he’ll get frustrated watching his New York Subliners lose matches and consider subbing in for them after a Loser’s Round exit at the CDL Stage 1 Major.

About The Author

Théo is a former writer at Dexerto based in New York and built on competition. Formerly an editor for Bleacher Report and philosophy student at McGill, he fell in love with Overwatch and Call of Duty — leading him to focus on esports for Dex.