Can Seattle Surge go from worst to first in the 2021 CDL?

In 2020, the most disappointing roster was by far the Seattle Surge. Featuring some of the most notable players in Call of Duty history, Seattle, on paper, should have been fighting for a top spot in the Call of Duty League. 

However, things didn’t work out that way. The team finished dead last, tied with the L.A. Guerrillas, in 2020 after not winning a match at COD Champs. It truly was a fitting end for the team’s season in which they experienced an endless onslaught of frustrating moments.

Luckily for the Surge, 2021 is a new year. Seattle almost completely overhauled their roster, retaining only one player from 2020, and looks poised to make some noise in the new CDL season. Though, does the team have what it takes to completely turn the ship around and go from worst to first? 

The Seattle Surge’s chances in the 2021 CDL 

Seattle has some new faces on board for the 2021 season. (Picture: CDL)

While the Surge didn’t experience the same amount of overhaul that other rosters did, they came fairly close. The organization only chose to retain Sam “Octane” Larew from 2020, which wasn’t a surprise to anyone. Octane was arguably the league’s MVP last season and shined despite the rest of the roster underperforming. When Damon “Karma” Barlow retires from Call of Duty during the middle of the season, it’s clear that roster has troubles beyond repair. 

After dropping the other members of the roster, Octane was left to pick up the pieces. In the end, the Surge signed some fairly notable players. However two of the players didn’t actually play at COD Champs in 2020. Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson, Piece “Gunless” Hillman and Danny “Loony” Loza were the replacements to fill in the gaps alongside Octane. 

Prestinni is one of the more underrated players in Call of Duty, helping the Chicago Huntsmen place top 3 at Champs last year. His stats don’t always look impressive but he’s a tremendous support player. Gunless is considered by many to be one of the most talented players in the CDL but still hasn’t found a roster to build around. Lastly, Loony is a respected leader who plays an aggressive SMG and can outslay opponents at some times. 

All in all, the roster is solid but not overflowing with sheer talent. Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago all possess more talent and should be able to defeat Seattle with ease during the early events of 2021. However, going worst to first is all dependent on how a roster performs at the end of the year. 

Loony is a new member of the Surge and an integral part of the team’s success in 2021. (Picture: CDL)

Assuming this Seattle roster stays together for the whole year, which wasn’t a popular trend in 2020, they certainly have the potential to make a title run. Octane is one of the best all-around players in Call of Duty and can almost will his team to a victory at any given time. As long as his teammates around him are performing up to par, there’s no reason why Seattle can’t polevault themselves from last place to the top of the standings. 

Of course, the three new members of the Surge performing well isn’t a guarantee. Prestinni and Loony are prone to slumps during different points of a given season, as they’ve shown in the past. Gunless will likely perform up to his normal standard but in order for a team to succeed, every player needs to be on their game at all times. 

Take the Atlanta FaZe for example. In the 2020 COD Champs finals, Dallas was able to completely overwhelm them because some members of the roster had an off series. 

While Octane and Gunless are near locks to put up decent numbers in 2021, Prestinni and Loony are the keys to the Surge winning matches. The two SMG players need to secure the tough objective kills so Octane and Gunless can lock down spawns and fill up the stat sheet. 

• Read more: Do Dallas Empire have what it takes to become repeat CDL champions?

If all of this can come together by the season’s end, the Seattle Surge certainly has a chance at taking down the juggernauts of the Call of Duty League.