Why Dallas Empire aren’t getting the most out of iLLeY and Shotzzy in CDL 2021

Alex Tsiaoussidis
CDL Dalles Empire Shottzy Illey

Dallas Empire is still one of the top teams in the Call of Duty League, but they’ve looked a little shaky from time to time, and it could be because they’re not getting the most out of iLLeY and Shotzzy. 

Dallas Empire is the second-best team in the Call of Duty League right now. But although they’ve been impressive with nine wins and four losses, there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

Fans hold all the players in high regard and have lofty expectations for the team. However, they’ve fallen a little short of the mark heading into the major, and it might be because they’re not getting the most out of Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro and Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal.

shotzzy dallas empire cdl 2021
Empire needs to regain their 2020 Champs form if they want to secure the number one spot again.

The dynamic duo joined the team in October 2019 and performed well in Modern Warfare. However, it feels like they aren’t being utilized correctly in Black Ops Cold War.

Shotzzy appears to take a backseat role more often than he used to. It isn’t necessarily a problem, but it hampers his potential and means he pops off less often than we’ve come to expect.

iLLeY, by the same token, is still rock solid but seems to be a few beats behind the player he was last season.

The most logical explanation is they may still be adapting to the game. After all, it’s slower and less chaotic than the previous title due to being four versus four instead of five versus five.

Dallas Empire's iLLeY.
iLLey is a powerhouse when he’s in good form, and that’s exactly what Dallas Empire needs right now.

In the end, though, the team is still doing lots of things right. It’s hard to criticize them, especially when they’re only 25 points behind Atlanta FaZe and can beat anyone on a good day.

However, if they want to push the envelope, they’ll need Shotzzy and iLLeY to get back to what they were doing last year. Then, we’ll see the team’s best more often and more consistently than we are now.

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About The Author

Alex is a former Dexerto writer based in Australia. He finished a law degree but realized it wasn't the career for him and decided to follow his dream of becoming a writer. Since then, he completed a graduate diploma and a master's degree in writing. Now he writes about his other passion; esports and gaming.