Nadeshot’s 100 Thieves announce Call of Duty return

Welcome to the heist. Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag is officially back in Call of Duty, this time as organisation owner. Widely considered the leading pioneer for CoD esports, his 100 Thieves brand has announced the acquisition of top young talent. Kenneth “Kenny” Williams and Maurice “Fero” Henriquez, formerly of Team Kaliber (TK), are providing the core of the roster. Who will be next to join one of esports’ fastest-growing organisations?

Top Prospects

Kenny and Fero won four championships between them this year, both in their first full season of competition. Having competed briefly in Advanced Warfare, Kenny came out of the blue in late 2017. Immediately proving himself as one of the game’s top sub-machine gun (SMG) talents, he’s widely considered the overall MVP for WW2. Posting a 1.08KD over 367 maps in such an aggressive role is highly impressive, often putting Team Kaliber on his back at crunch time.

Fero is known for his extremely strong Search and Destroy (SnD), as well as sniper proficiency. He posted the highest kills per round of any player this season (0.86) and racked up a phenomenal 20% of all first bloods. Nadeshot is heeding his famous “SnD wins Championships” mantra, adding this versatile young star. The self-proclaimed “top prospect” has dramatically improved in respawn modes too as of late, averaging a 1.13 Hardpoint KD on the road to Stage 2 glory.

100 Thieves’ Kenny // Kyle Miller

However, the pair’s affinity for Team Kaliber would not last long. When Kenny remarked he couldn’t wait “to leave this trash org” on stream, Nadeshot was licking his lips. TK have limited financial backing compared to other organisations, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers-backed 100 Thieves. The success of the roster outshone the limits of the org, with Ian “Enable” Wyatt already confirming his exit. TK fans have enjoyed a remarkable season but will need to find another Kenny to reach these heights again.

Veteran Leadership

These acquisitions beg an obvious question, who will round out the line-up? With two young talents on the roster, surely a veteran leader is next on the checklist. If Nadeshot hopes to immediately rival OpTic Gaming’s fan support, he has few options. The most likely is three-time World Champion Damon “Karma” Barlow, dropped by the OpTic line-up in April. The split was far-from-amicable, and many fans would love a rivalry with his former team.

Former OpTic Gaming professional player Damon “Karma” Barlow // mlg.com

Karma has stated he wishes to be the main Assault Rifle (AR) player for any new squad. Fero and Kenny are highly competent SMG players so the role dynamics would be ideal. It is currently unconfirmed as to whether competitive CoD will be transitioning to 5v5 for the upcoming season; willingness to confirm a 4-man roster is understandably slim.

Discussion of Brandon “Dashy” Otell as a possible 4th has been rife, topping KD and slaying statistics all year on CompLexity. If neither Karma or Dashy are available or desired, the duo of Matthew “FormaL” Piper and Peirce “Gunless” Hillman seems promising. FormaL and Gunless are rumoured to have wanted to team together for several months, and as Main AR and flex players respectively, would mesh well with Fero and Kenny’s roles.

Only time will tell what Nadeshot’s next move is. Unlike forming his League of Legends roster, Haag has deep knowledge of the entire professional CoD scene. Fero and Kenny provide the ideal groundwork of superstar young talent, and the other pieces will slot into place soon enough. Activision should confirm or deny 5v5 on September 19th at the Black Ops 4 Season Reveal. Expect 100 Thieves and others to round out their line-ups once the landscape is settled.

Featured image courtesy of: 100thieves.com

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