Carolina Royal Ravens BO7 Season Preview
Carolina Royal Ravens Black Ops 7 Season Preview: New Flock, Who Dis?
The offseason is officially over, which means the Call of Duty League is finally here. With new franchises, a great competitive game, & new rosters across the League, it is shaping up to be one of the best CDL seasons to date.
The Royal Ravens were another franchise that had rumors of whether or not they'd be competing in the Call of Duty League. While the Spacestation Gaming rumors were put to rest for now, they set their sights on a rebuild. While they kept the veteran leader Austin "SlasheR" Liddicoat, they'd bring in two rookies to add some firepower. In this season preview, we’ll dive into the Royal Ravens’ offseason moves, key players to watch, and what are their expectations compared to the competition within the CDL.
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📸 Photo by @syrupfx
Offseason Recap: The Ravenets Arrive
Signings:
+ Jay "Craze" Mallhi
+ Logan "Lurqxx"
+ Dylan "Nero" Koch
Releases:
- Dillon "Wrecks" Slotter
The Royal Ravens had a longer offseason compared to the rest of the CDL teams due to missing the Esports World Cup. Therefore, they went into the season with just SlasheR on the starting roster & Wrecks on the bench. They'd be forced to rebuild from the ground up while battling the teams around them for talent.
The Carolina roster heading into Black Ops 7:
â—‹ Austin "SlasheR" Liddicoat
â—‹ Jay "Craze" Mallhi
â—‹ Logan "Lurqxx"
â—‹ Dylan "Nero" Koch
â—‹ Brian "Saintt" Baroska (Coach)
Offseason Reactions
Ronnie: “The Ravens experienced a dramatic offseason, with rumors circulating about a potential takeover by Spacestation Gaming. Meanwhile, the organization dealt with the fallout from missing the Esports World Cup due to an administrative error.
In their rebuilding efforts, the Ravens have retained Slasher and head coach Brian Saint. This offseason, they have shifted their strategy compared to previous years, which focused on acquiring more experienced players to build around Slasher, like Tjhaly and Vivid. This year, however, they have taken significant risks by signing former Statlions players. Lurqx stands out as the biggest risk among the three new signings, while Nero brings raw slaying ability along with some experience. This new approach makes sense for an organization in their financial situation, as they are signing younger, inexperienced players with high upside potential."
Easy Mac: “Every offseason is usually highly eventful for the Ravens, as they almost always battle roster wipes & whether the franchise slot will be sold. This season has been no different, as the lone remaining player from last season will be Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat, but it's another season for the Ravens in the CDL.
The finished rebuild, though, has high potential to find some players for the future. Both Lurqxx & Craze are highly touted prospects who could be future building pieces for either the Ravens or the new franchise owners. They will have a great leader in SlasheR to help continue their development, while Nero has already shown the flashes gunskill that he’s known for."
Season Expectations
Ronnie: "The Ravens, featuring a young core and an inexperienced SMG duo, aim to establish themselves as a dark horse team by mid-season. They hope to compete for a spot on Sunday if the players come together and allow their experienced in-game leader, Slasher, to guide them effectively. Even if the Ravens don’t make it to Sunday, achieving the status of a solid mid-table team would be considered a successful season, given the challenges and constraints they face.
As always with Slasher-led teams, success in SND will be crucial. If they can become a formidable presence in that mode, they have the potential to upset any team in the league this upcoming season."
Season Predictions
Best Placement: 8th
Team MVP: Craze
Final Regular Season Seed: 12th
Will they qualify for Champs: No
Easy Mac: “It's hard to gauge this roster properly because it will take the lineup time to find consistency. There will be peaks & valleys, but good teams create a higher floor and are able to hit their peaks at a higher variance. The squad has the talent, though, so if they are able to click, they’ll be in the hunt to qualify for Champs. I do have them lower in my regular-season prediction because I think the early Stage I & II deficits will prove too much to overcome once they click in the second half of the season."
Season Predictions
Best Placement: 8th
Team MVP: Craze
Final Regular Season Seed: 11th
Will they qualify for Champs: No
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📸 Photo by @CODLeague
Players to Watch in Black Ops 6
"This season, a lot of pressure will be on Nero, as it feels like a final opportunity for him. He has recently secured his spot on the team and has committed to a role swap, making this the most crucial season of his career so far. Nero will be the second most experienced player on his team, which is a role he isn't typically accustomed to. However, this added pressure might be exactly what he needs to enhance his consistency. At his best, he is one of the most talented players in the league, and the role swap could allow his skills to shine more often compared to when he played as an SMG."
“Lurqxx is a bit of an unknown outside of his time with the Stallions in Challengers. While Craze is another great option, we were able to see more of his gameplay at both Challenger Champs & EWC, while also being in every Elite. Having good SMGs that aren’t prone to having really bad maps is key to doing well in the mid-field pack. If Lurqxx can play as well as his potential suggests, he’ll be a major reason Carolina shocks fans of the CDL.”
Stage 1 Matches
Qualifier Match 1: December 5th vs Boston Breach
Qualifier Match 2: December 12th vs Riyadh Falcons
Qualifier Match 3: January 9th vs Miami Heretics
Qualifier Match 4: January 11th vs G2 Minnesota
Qualifier Match 5: January 17th vs Toronto KOI
Qualifier Match 6: January 23rd vs OpTic Texas
Qualifier Match 7: January 25th vs LA Thieves
