One of the biggest shocks throughout this CDL season has been the constant struggles of the Los Angeles Thieves. Despite having a very turmoil first season in the CDL many fans expected to see the return of success to the team owned by Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag’s 100 Thieves.
With a sixth-place finish in Major 1 and an Eighth-place finish in Major 2, fans have been questioning the decisions made by the team management. Former world champion and coach Jordan “JKap” Kaplan coming under strong scrutiny. Although it is harsh to blame one person, here’s a look at why they are struggling.
Struggling for Kills
Going into Vanguard, it was hard to tell what team setups would be effective. Sam “Octane” Larew was brought in to recreate the success he helped bring the organization in Black Ops 4. With Dylan “Envoy” Hannon completing the roster and returning Kenneth “Kenny” Williams and Zack “Drazah” Jordan, the Thieves looked primed.
So far, none of the four players have positive K/D’s this season. Kenny having a 0.99 K/D is the best on the team. No matter what system and tactics, in CoD players just must get kills. In Vanguard it is almost impossible to win any games without getting close to the slaying the opposition.
Search and Destroy troubles
Quite the opposite to their Los Angeles rivals, the Thieves have been struggling in Search all season long. Tallying up 17 losses overall, with only having a positive record on Bocage. A team of the caliber of players such as LAT must be doing better in this game mode and need to find some consistency moving forward.
In Major 2, LA Thieves lost four out of their seven matches by a map five search and destroy. This shows that they are not clutching up when it matters, and the team is struggling to find some ice. They need to develop their calmness under pressure and try not to make rash plays in the moment. Which is often costing them.
LA Thieves also have been struggling with control, but with it only being played once in the map set, and how inconsistent the game mode is in general, it will be seen as a lesser focus for the Thieves.
Pacing Issues
This team has major pacing issues. You have Envoy who is often aggressive around the map and the rest of the team are very slow in comparison. Octane and Kenny play slow in this game and the team never seem to be on the same page, therefore, causing issues.
Drazah seems often lost at times, trying to fill in the gaps and overall, it seems like they are all confused of their roles on the team, and how they fit in with Envoy. They struggle to play off each other and will often get picked apart individually.
The future of LA Thieves
Moving into the future, if the struggles continue, LAT will surely be looking at changing the team. With Octane and Envoy being new acquisitions, they may avoid replacing them for now.
As Drazah has been struggling all season, it is likely we will see him dropped for a more aggressive SMG player to play alongside Envoy. LA Thieves substitute Nathaniel “Pentagrxm” Thomas is likely to get the chance ahead of other options.
Featured Image Courtesy of the Call of Duty League
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