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The three-time Call of Duty esports world champion, James “Clayster” Eubanks, will be taking a break from the competitive scene. The 29-year-old announced the news on Monday, July 19, ahead of the final week of Call of Duty League (CDL) Stage 5 group play.
Clayster Needs To Recharge
New York Subliners announced that Clayster will be sitting out the final week of CDL Stage 5 group play. In a tweet, the team stated that Clayster needs some time away from the competitive scene and will not be playing in the final two games of the regular season.
“Just need a break from it all. I’m sure you all have seen I haven’t been myself in quite some time, need to take a step back and get myself straight mentally,” said Clayster.
“Gotta take care of yourself over everything, and I don’t plan on this being “for good,” but I hope the boys crush it.”
The news follows the Subliners’ poor form, having lost three straight games in the final stage of the 2021 season. The CDL Stage 3 finalists entered CDL Stage 5 as one of the strongest teams but have yet to prove themselves a such.
Subliners kicked off the final stage of the season with a devastating loss against Los Angeles Thieves (2-3). They followed that up with two more defeats against OpTic Chicago (0-3) and the London Royal Ravens (2-3), who edged them out last weekend.
With three losses, the Subliners are now on a four-game losing streak. That includes a 1-3 defeat against Dallas Empire during CDL Stage 4 Major.
Despite their poor form, New York Subliners are still the fourth-best CoD team on the season with a 21-15 record. However, their current standings hardly inspire much confidence.
The 2021 CDL Championship is just a month away, and with many teams finding some serious traction, the Subliners will have to find some stability if they wish to compete for the title.
Diamondcon Steps In
Conor “Diamondcon” Johst will replace Clayster for the final two games of the regular season, as announced by the Subliners. Diamondcon has previously started with the team earlier in the season but has since competed in lower divisions.
Diamondcon joined the New York Subliners organization in December 2020, when he got picked up by Subliners’ Academy team. After proving his worth in the lower division of the CoD esports scene, the 21-year-old got promoted to the main roster.
Diamondcon joined Subliners’ CDL roster in January and played with the team throughout the first two stages of the season. He has helped Subliners finish third in CDL Stage 1 Major and top-four in CDL Stage 2 regular play.
Unfortunately, success was hard to come by in the second major of the season, where Subliners finished in seventh-eighth. The lack of success led to roster changes, with Diamondcon demoted to the academy roster and was later loaned out to Team Canada.
With Team Canada, Diamondcon finished second in Call of Duty Challengers 2021 Cup #16 North America and third in the 17th iteration of the competition. At the end of June, Diamondcon helped Team Canada win Call of Duty Challengers 2021 Open #4 North America.
The team would go on to qualify for the CDL Challengers 2021 Elite league. Diamondcon continued to impress with his performances, leading Team Canada to a runner-up finish in the CDL Challengers Elite League Stage 5 Playoffs, marking his most significant achievement in the second division of the CoD esports scene.
Subliners Continue with Diamondcon
Diamondcon will take over for Clayster for the remaining two CDL Stage 5 group stage matches. He will make his second appearance in the CDL on Thursday, July 22, when the Subliners clash with Paris Legion.
Odds for New York Subliners vs. Paris Legion Match
Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:
- New York Subliners -278
- Paris Legion +200
- New York Subliners -1.5 Maps -101
- Paris Legion +1.5 Maps -135
- Over 4.5 Maps +165
- Under 4.5 Maps -233
New York Subliners and Paris Legion have yet to meet this season, which introduces a lot of uncertainty about how this match will go. And it doesn’t help that Subliners are now missing their key player.
Considering their success over the season, Subliners should win and are priced as the favorites by the esports bookmakers. However, due to their recent slump in form, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility for the Legion to secure a W on Thursday.