Just four weeks into the Call of Duty World League (CWL), one team is making a change with the hope of salvaging their season.
Counter Logic Gaming has posted a 1-7 record through the first four weeks of the 11-week season, landing them in sole possession of last place and in danger of finishing the inaugural season in one of four relegation spots, which would see them exit the league.
The team is releasing Aaron “CMPLX” Vetelino and look for a new fourth player ahead of next week’s UMG South Carolina tournament and the rest of the league season.
CMPLX has been released from CLG. We need one for future league matches and UMG SC. Roster is myself, Felony, and Blfire.
— Anthony Zinni (@Methodz) February 4, 2016
Anthony “Methodz” Zinni, Mikhaeil “Blfire” Glushenok, and Tyler “FeLonY” Johnson will have a short time to find a replacement for Vetelino, but there may not be much talent on the market. While the prospect of joining a team in the pro level league is certainly appealing, many of the top talents outside of the top CWL level are locked up on organizations like Cloud9 and Team Liquid. Plus, with UMG South Carolina set to kick off its Challenger Division, a series of events for teams below CWL’s top level, there’s likely more money to be made as a top Challenger team for those players than at the bottom of the top league.
What is clear, though, is that Counter Logic needed a change. While many Call of Duty fans are quick to lament the speed players turn to roster movement to change their fortunes, in the competitive World League, where a poor finish can mean relegation and a struggle to return to the top level, a 1-7 start is close to a death sentence.
It’s not all bad for Counter Logic, though. The team has posted a 12-21 map record, winning just 36 percent of maps they play. But that’s similar to the pace of the four teams just above them in the standings: Luminosity Gaming, Dream Team, Team Kaliber, and H2k Gaming. If they can pick up a fourth player who fits better than Vetelino, even a small improvement could save their sinking ship.
