Find out who deserves praise for their regular season performances with the CDL 2021 End of Year awards.
The 2021 season experienced a fair share of controversy. The COVID-19 pandemic had a massive influence over this year’s competition. CDL fans were lucky enough to see their favorite teams compete on LAN by the end of the season. Despite the ups and downs, there have been many praiseworthy performances from individuals who have not wavered all season long. Here’s who I think deserves CDL 2021 awards.
Respawn Player of the Year: Chris “Simp” Lehr
Since winning Call of Duty Champs 2019 in his first competitive year, Simp has developed into one of the league’s most exciting superstars. The sub-machine gun player is often considered the smartest player in the league. He constantly puts himself in favorable situations and uses his Call of Duty IQ to torment his opponents. This year, he’s excelled in Control. He is, without a doubt, the most adept player when it comes to the Control game mode.
Furthermore, he’s also no slouch in the Hardpoint game mode, making him the obvious choice for Respawn Player of the Year. Although the Atlanta Faze roster is packed with talent, Simp is one of the foremost contributors to the team’s success and remains one of the most difficult players to face.
Search & Destroy Player of the Year: Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris
Simp’s teammate aBeZy is the other half of the Tiny Terrors duo. With Atlanta Faze’s dominance of the CDL this year, it’s no surprise that they are well represented when it comes to the 2021 CDL awards. aBeZy boasts a top three K/D when it comes to Search & Destroy. However, the most eye-catching statistic is his absurd first blood percentage of 20.6%.
aBeZy is fearless when it comes to Search & Destroy, and he is one of the main reasons why Atlanta Faze managed to alleviate their early-season Search & Destroy woes. His ability to consistently earn first blood puts his team in the best position to win round after round.
Rookie of the Year: Jamie “Insight’ Craven
Between Insight, Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez, and Eli “Standy” Bentz, the competition for Rookie of the Year was fierce. Ultimately Insight takes the award home thanks to his overall consistency across all three game modes. Insight excels at Search & Destroy and boasts the number one Search K/D (1.22) amongst players with more than ten maps played.
Cameron “Cammy” McKilligan deservedly receives a ton of praise for Toronto Ultra’s success this season. However, Insight’s addition to this roster early on was nothing short of transformative, with some even believing that Insight also deserved MVP consideration.
CDL 2021 Most Improved: Ben “Bance” Bance
Toronto Ultra enjoyed an excellent inaugural CDL season back in 2020. They were often touted as one of the league’s top teams, and that remains true this season. Through the ups and downs, Bance was never considered to be an indispensable part of this team. That all changed when Toronto Ultra achieved a massive victory taking home this year’s Stage 2 Major.
Before Bance’s unbelievable Stage 2 form, the sub-machine gun player was considering stepping away from the roster. His resilience was rewarded with one of the most heartwarming moments of the year. His play has advanced in leaps and bounds from last year, and it deserves recognition at the CDL 2021 awards.
CDL 2021 MVP: aBeZy
Last but not least we have the MVP award. This is oftentimes the most talked about award of the season. This year there was no clear favorite due to multiple top performers. However, I’ve decided to choose Atlanta Faze’s aBeZy. Although I believe Simp is the most talented player in the league, the award should be given to the most valuable player as it pertains to his team’s success. aBeZy is more integral to Atlanta Faze’s success than Simp is, and therefore he is my pick for CDL 2021 season MVP.
