Call of Duty esports is a weird, high-stakes bubble where millions of dollars change hands over fractions of a second. If you’ve spent any time on Twitch or followed the Call of Duty League (CDL) since its inception in 2020, you know the name FaZe. It’s unavoidable. They are the "dynasty" that isn't quite a dynasty yet. They’re the team everyone expects to win, and yet, they’ve spent the last few seasons becoming the kings of second place.
It's actually kind of wild.
You have the "Tiny Terrors"—Simp (Chris Lehr) and AbeZy (Tyler Pharris). These two have been the most consistent duo in the history of the franchise. They move faster than the game engine arguably intends. Then you add Cellium (McArthur Jovel), a player so mechanically gifted and "snaky" that he literally forced the league to change how players interact with cover. In 2024, they added Drazah (Zack Jordan), the ultimate "villain" of the scene, to round out a roster that looks like a literal cheat code on paper.
But here’s the thing. Despite having a roster that should, by all accounts, be winning every single tournament, Atlanta FaZe has developed a "Sunday Problem." They dominate the qualifiers. They steamroll through the winner’s bracket. Then, they get to the Grand Finals and something... snaps.
The Simp and AbeZy Era: More Than Just Aim
When people talk about FaZe Call of Duty, they usually start and end with the submachine gun duo. Simp and AbeZy changed how the game is played. Before them, SMG players were either "entry bait" or "slayers." These two decided to be both.
AbeZy is the human entry frag. He plays with a level of aggression that borders on suicidal, yet he wins his gunfights. He forces the trade. Behind him, Simp cleans up with a clinical efficiency that earned him two MVP trophies before he was even legally allowed to buy a beer in some countries. They aren't just fast; they are synchronized.
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However, the game has changed since the "Cold War" days of 2021 when they were truly untouchable. The newer Call of Duty titles—the Modern Warfare II and III era—have lowered the skill gap. With faster "Time to Kill" (TTK) and maps that favor chaotic spawns over traditional lane logic, the pure mechanical advantage FaZe holds has been diluted. Teams like OpTic Texas and the Toronto Ultra have figured out that you don't beat FaZe by out-shooting them. You beat them by making the game as messy and uncoordinated as possible.
Why the "Superteam" Tag is a Double-Edged Sword
Honestly, being the favorite is exhausting. Atlanta FaZe enters every single Major with a target on their back that is essentially a neon sign.
The psychological weight is real. During the 2023 season, FaZe finished in the top 3 at almost every event but only took home one trophy. For any other organization, that’s a legendary year. For FaZe? It’s a failure. That’s the standard they’ve built.
- The Cellium Factor: Cellium is arguably the hardest player to kill in the league. His "damage dealt" stats are always through the roof. But critics (and some former pros) argue his playstyle is sometimes too slow. By staying alive so long, he sometimes leaves his aggressive subs out to dry.
- The Search and Destroy Identity: For years, FaZe was the "SnD Team." If the series went to a Game 5, it was over. You didn't beat them in Search. Recently, that aura of invincibility has faded. Teams are taking risks against them—mid-map pushes, unconventional utility usage—that catch the "fundamentally perfect" FaZe off guard.
The Rivalry That Defines the CDL
You cannot talk about FaZe without talking about OpTic. It’s the El Clásico of esports. When these two meet, the viewership triples.
The 2024 season saw a massive shift in this power dynamic. For years, FaZe owned OpTic. It was a "mental block" for the Green Wall. But lately, spearheaded by players like Shotzzy (Antonne Sulgi) and Dashy (Brandon Otell), OpTic has found a way to "out-finesse" the FaZe machine.
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It’s a clash of philosophies. FaZe plays Call of Duty like a game of chess—perfect trades, perfect positioning. OpTic plays it like a street fight. In the Modern Warfare III cycle, the street fight won more often than not. Watching FaZe lose a 150-point lead in Hardpoint because they got "broken" by a single unpredictable play from Shotzzy is painful for their fans, but it's exactly what makes the league worth watching right now.
The "SND" Problem and Coaching Shifts
Ben "BenJNIS" Nickles and coach Crowder (James Crowder) are the brains behind the operation. Crowder is widely considered the greatest coach in CoD history. He’s the one who kept the ego in check when three of the world’s best players were forced to share the spotlight.
But even a genius coach can't fix "ice."
"Ice" is that intangible ability to win when the pressure is highest. In the 2022 Vanguard season, FaZe made it to almost every Grand Final and lost them all. It became a meme. They were the "Silver Surfers." While they broke that curse in some ways, the community still questions their ability to close out against a hot team coming from the Loser's Bracket.
They often look like they’re playing not to lose, rather than playing to win.
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What’s Next: How FaZe Reclaims the Throne
So, how does Atlanta FaZe actually become the undisputed #1 again?
It’s not about their aim. They have the best aim in the world. It’s about adaptation. The "Old Guard" way of playing Call of Duty—holding spawns, rotating at 20 seconds—is being replaced by "flow state" gameplay.
They need to embrace the chaos.
- Drazah's Integration: Drazah was brought in to be the "X-factor." He’s a vocal leader and a pest on the map. For FaZe to succeed, they need to let Drazah be the primary playmaker, allowing Simp and AbeZy to focus purely on slaying rather than trying to micromanage the map.
- Hardpoint Consistency: Their Search and Destroy is still elite, but their Hardpoint has become "mid." They rely too much on winning 1v1 gunfights to break hills. Against teams with disciplined "set-ups" like Toronto Ultra, that just doesn't work.
- The Mental Game: They need to stop respecting their opponents so much. Sometimes FaZe plays with too much caution. When they play with the "ego-chall" confidence of 2019, they are untouchable.
FaZe Call of Duty is at a crossroads. They are too good to rebuild, but they haven't been dominant enough to be satisfied. They are the benchmark. If you beat FaZe, you’ve made it. If you are FaZe, anything less than a ring is a waste of a year.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Aspiring Pros
If you're following the FaZe journey or trying to learn from their playstyle, here is the "meta" takeaway from their recent seasons.
- Watch the Minimap, Not the Reticle: If you want to understand why FaZe is good, stop looking at their aim. Look at where they are on the map relative to their teammates. Notice how Simp always waits for AbeZy’s contact before he pushes a corner. That's the "trade" system that wins championships.
- The "Snaking" Debate: Love it or hate it, the "head-glitch" and movement mechanics used by players like Cellium are essential for high-level play. Practice your "crouch-cancel" and "strafing" in the firing range to emulate their survivability.
- Analyze the VODs: Atlanta FaZe loses when they get out-rotated. Go back and watch their losses against OpTic Texas in the 2024 Majors. Pay attention to how the opposing team uses "flanks" to disrupt FaZe’s setup.
- Follow the Transitions: The Call of Duty League moves fast. Keep an eye on the "Breaking Point" website or the "The Flank" podcast hosted by Zoomaa (a FaZe legend himself) for real-time roster updates and internal team drama that impacts performance.
The story of FaZe in Call of Duty isn't over. It’s just getting more complicated. Whether they can evolve past their "Silver" reputation and reclaim the throne depends entirely on if they can stop playing "perfect" CoD and start playing winning CoD.