Atlanta FaZe was seen as one of the teams to be beaten at the start of the 2021 Call of Duty League season. But coming out of second place in 2020, with Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson now back in the mix, will they be able to live up to the hype and consolidate themselves as the main team?
Throughout the Modern Warfare cycle, FaZe proved to be one of the league’s most formidable forces. Never falling from the top four in all Home Series in 2020, consistency was one of its strongest factors.
While other teams had their ups and downs throughout the year, FaZe remained at the top of the pack from the weekend’s launch in January, until the Championship Grand Final in August.
Having signed Arcitys off-season, three of the four players on the renewed team won the championship together. Will this be the year you will do it again and make history like some of the youngest players to win two rings?
Atlanta FaZe CDL 2021 List
| Player | Previous Team |
| Chris ‘Simpleton’ Lehr | – |
| Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson | Chicago Huntsmen |
| McArthur ‘Cellium’ Jovel | – |
| Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris | – |
| Daunte ‘Squeaky’ Grey | AF Academy |
Three eUnited champions together again
Three of the five champions on the eUnited CoD 2019 list are back together under FaZe.
With the move back to the 4v4 competition, FaZe made some major changes before Black Ops Cold War. Michael ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak and Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner were both dismissed to make way for Arcitys.
After a year with the Huntsmen, he is now in the lobby with Simp and aBeZy once again. Together, this trio helped dominate the end of 2019 under the eUnited banners. They beat all opponents in the final months of Black Ops 4, securing first place in the CWL Pro League Playoffs alongside the CWL Champs the following month.
If the CDL never went into effect and the competition remained in the 5v5 format, there is a chance that the eUnited gold list is still leading the charge today. Three pieces of this winning formula are back and ready to run with Cellium.
Another trophy may be available to these former champions.
The duo Simp and Abezy, nicknamed Tiny Terrors, didn’t miss a beat. They are still capable of extraordinary highlights on any map and can never be considered lightly.
Meanwhile, Arcitys is often praised as one of the prominent AR players in the league in general. With 20-year-old Cellium keeping the red killfeed for FaZe, this could be the most aggressive line we see in 2021.
The Kickoff Classic means no disgrace for Atlanta
With all the momentum behind them, FaZe did not start the year with force. In their first series together, they were overthrown by the Florida Mutineers. Despite being a lackluster way to get the ball rolling, it could be just what the team needed.
“It was a good warning sign,” said coach James ‘Crowder’ Replays in a January 27 episode of Hardpoints. “In retrospect, it doesn’t mean much. But, it is a good warning sign.
Although the maps were close and the series went to game five, every aspect of the series was a disappointment, according to Crowder. “We played terribly from start to finish.” In view of this performance, there has already been a “change of culture” within the team.
They are practicing differently, approaching scrims with a new mindset and, generally, in a better way than they were before the Kickoff Classic. It may have seemed disappointing at first, but Crowder is “super excited that [they] lost ”, as they are now on the right track to succeed in the real opening matches.
The relevant topic starts at the 40:30 mark below.
Gathered in Group B alongside big hitters from OpTic Chicago and the Mutineers, it will not be an easy start by any means. But with the firepower on their side, FaZe must be able to swing out.
If they are not winning a series at once, make sure that each showdown must be at least played. Many of your competitors have rated them as one of the best teams for next year and if they recover from the Kickoff Classic, there is no reason not to close 2021 as champions.