After a successful debut season in the Call of Duty League, it’s hard to believe that the Atlanta Faze have improved in their second year. Their dominance of opposing teams has been remarkable. Whether Atlanta is playing a top-five team in the league or a bottom-five team, the squad makes it look effortless.
A dynasty forms
All this is the result of getting four superstars to play on one team. The crew’s core of Chris “Simp” Lehr, Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris and McArthur “Cellium” Jovel remained untouched from Modern Warfare into Cold War. A move from five-man rosters to four also meant the skill level of the league would increase.
In preparation for Cold War, Atlanta Faze dropped two players and replaced them with one. Preston “ Priestahh” Greiner and Michael “MajorManiak” Szymaniak are incredible professionals in their own right. However, they are well outside the superstar caliber.
The decision to sign Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson paid off immediately. He is the fourth superstar on this roster. He has proven time and again that he can take over matches and the individual ability of each player makes Atlanta Faze dangerous on paper. All four players can take over matches in their own right.
We must factor in their shared team dynamic as well: four highly skilled professionals who lack teamwork would not have achieved similar heights. They, however, understand the game better than anyone. What’s more is that they form a cohesive unit that is nearly impossible to defeat even on their worst day.
Some fans may be wondering how the rest of the league allowed this to happen. Surely other organizations have the financial power to prise a few of these players away? According to multiple sources, several CDL players turned down the opportunity to sign to Atlanta Faze and play with Cellium and Arcitys. Simp and aBeZy were the final two members to close out this year’s roster. We can blame both the individuals who refused to sign for Faze as well as the organizations who failed to pursue Simp and aBeZy with enough enthusiasm.
Coaching the youth
Although the high skill level of the roster is a major reason for Faze’s continued success, we must take a moment to appreciate this team’s coaching staff as well. Top players with little to no guidance would fail to produce Atlanta Faze’s current glories.
Former professional player turned head coach James “Crowder” Crowder’s impact on the roster must not be underestimated. His experience is a valuable asset on a team with an average age of 21. Due to their absurd talent, we often forget that this Atlanta roster is a young one.
Crowder acts as a guiding light and calm presence when things go astray. In the video below, his influence on the team is clear to see. During the Stage IV Major grand finals between Atlanta Faze and the Dallas Empire, Faze were pushed to the brink. It was the first occasion all season that they looked less than perfect.
Crowder’s communication is flawless as he rallies his troops. The coach’s speeches between maps aren’t exclusively for motivational purposes: his level-headedness and understanding of micro-adjustments is something that few coaches in the league can bring to the table. In large part due to Crowder’s influence, Atlanta Faze won a nailbiter of a grand final.
We must also praise the organization’s effectiveness at addressing any issues that may crop up. Early on during the season, Atlanta Faze went through a rough spell of Search & Destroy performances. It seemed like their weakest mode. Faze quickly addressed the only hole in their game by bringing in Search & Destroy specialist John “x2Pac ThuGLorD” Hartley as a member of the coaching staff.
Since his appointment as the Search & Destroy analyst on April 21st, Atlanta Faze have posted a 21-10 map count in the game mode. This is a much-improved record and a large part of their success down the stretch.
Atlanta Faze in numbers
You won’t grasp an understanding of Faze’s remarkable play until you see the statistics yourself. For starters, the squad currently boasts a whopping 485 CDL points. To put things into perspective, the second-place team has earned a total of 330 CDL points. A match record of 32 wins and 4 losses puts them at a win percentage of 88.9%. This type of win rate is not a common occurrence in professional esports.
There are two sides to this coin. Surely Atlanta Faze fans are content with their dominance of the CDL. However, one has to wonder what effect their dominance is having on CDL viewership and outreach. Watching Faze beat up on teams over and over does not promote a level of excitement required to draw in new viewers. Luckily, a return to LAN was a step in the right direction. We saw the Dallas Empire push Atlanta Faze to a winner take all final map.
Others will argue that this dominance is the result of too few teams in the league. Those advocating for expansion teams use the state of Atlanta Faze as a means to justify their argument. They believe that there would be an even distribution of talent across the board with more franchises in the league. Now there’s no guarantee that this would occur as a result of expansion, but it doesn’t hurt to hope.
Whether you’re in awe of the new Call of Duty dynasty that is maturing right before our eyes or you’re sick of watching Faze pummel your franchise, the organization has earned our respect with one eye-catching display after another. The summit is theirs for the foreseeable future.
