Atlanta FaZe sign 2Pac as S&D Analyst

Call of Duty League (CDL) Stage 1 Major champions Atlanta FaZe have signed John “2Pac” Hartley as a Search & Destroy analyst. He will join FaZe as the fourth member of their coaching staff.

No, Not That 2Pac

Atlanta FaZe have bolstered their coaching staff with S&D analyst 2Pac. He joins head coach James “Crowder” Crowder, assistant coach Richard “RJ” Simoncelli, and analyst Austin “Easy Mac” O’Neil as the fourth member of FaZe’s coaching staff.

FaZe’s new signee might not be known for his music but has instead made a name for himself as an S&D analyst of Chicago Huntsmen. 2Pac was a part of the Chicago squad during the inaugural CDL season.

2Pac joined the Huntsmen in December 2019 and has helped the Chicago squad establish themselves as one of the best teams in the league. Although Huntsmen did not win the championship, they saw plenty of success in the inaugural season.

Huntsmen won the CDL Launch weekend, London, and Seattle Home Series while placing worst that top-four in only two out of eight CDL Season 1 Home Series. The Chicago-based squad ended up third in the CDL playoffs, pocketing $600,000 in tournament winnings.

Much of Huntsmen’s success in 2020 was due to their strong S&D performances. They ended the season with a 57.89% S&D win rate and a 52.91% S&D Map win rate.

Adding to that, Chicago boasted the third-highest average S&D round differential (0.53) and KPR (3.71) of 2020. All that largely thanks to 2Pac, who has helped Chicago transform into one of the best S&D teams in the league.

Atlanta FaZe Already a Deadly S&D Team

Atlanta FaZe currently occupy the top spot at the CDL standings are already the best S&D team in the league. But it’s not like they couldn’t improve.

FaZe’s main struggle of the season was on a recently added map Express, where they managed a 1-4 record. Regardless of their issues on the map, FaZe managed a deep run in CDL Stage 2.

They made it to the grand finals of Stage 2 Major but suffered an upset loss to Toronto Ultra. The Canadian squad won the series 5-3.

Shockingly enough, FaZe dropped two out of three S&D maps in Stage 2 Major finals. They got beat on Miami (6-3), Express (6-0), and even struggled on S&D – Moscow (6-5).

Although that marked FaZe’s only second series loss of the season, some improvements needed to be made. And those came in form of signing 2Pac.

FaZe Continue Their Road to Glory on April 25

After a disappointing loss in Stage 2 Major finals, FaZe will look to bounce back and reclaim their throne in Stage 3. In their opening match of CDL Stage 3 regular season, FaZe will face off against New York Subliners.

Odds for Atlanta FaZe vs. New York Subliners match

Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:

• FaZe -370
• Subliners +245
• FaZe -1.50 -149
• Subliners +1.50 -110
• Over 4.50 Maps +176
• Under 4.50 Maps -250

Subliners and FaZe will clash on Sunday, April 25, in their opening match of CDL Stage 3 regular season. These sides met once before – during Stage 2 group stage – when FaZe won 3-1.

Oddly enough, Subliners’ only map win of the series came on S&D – Express. That map has since become a huge thorn in FaZe’s side, managing a poor 25% win rate on it.

Outside of S&D – Express, Subliners proved no match for FaZe, who won Hardpoint – Garrison (250-202), Control – Raid (3-1), and Hardpoint – Apocalypse (250-195) with relative ease.

Whether 2Pac’s impact on FaZe will be seen in their first match together is anyone’s guess. However, with the experience he brings, FaZe should look much scarier on all S&D maps.