Minnesota Rokkr BO6 Season Preview
Minnesota Rokkr Black Ops 6 Season Preview: The North Resets
As the offseason comes to a close, the Call of Duty League gears up for another thrilling season. The CDL's landscape has changed drastically, with franchises joining and new super teams being formed. The Rokkr, now a part of G2 Esports, enters into a new era for their franchise. After struggling in Modern Warfare 3, the team has reset its roster going into the new season. In this season preview, we’ll dive into Rokkr’s offseason moves, key players to watch, and what are their expectations compared to the competition within the CDL.
📸 Photo by @mediabyIsiah
Offseason Recap: Building off EWC Success
Signings:
+ Justice "Estreal" McMillan
+ Giovanni "Gio" Webster
+ Dylan "Nero" Koch
+ Paul "PaulEhx" Avila
Releases:
- Thomas "Lynz" Gregorio
- Conor "Diamondcon" Johst
- Lamar "Accuracy" Abedi
- Peirce "Gunless" Hillman (Pre-EWC)
- Eli "Standy" Bentz (Pre-EWC)
The Rokkr was one of the few teams to take a risk and change their roster for the Esports World Cup. They brought in both Estreal & Diamondcon to trial with the team. After finishing Top 16 at the event, it looked like a full reset was on the horizon.
After a couple of weeks into the offseason, it was unknown what direction the organization was going to head towards. They were linked with multiple players but weren't trying to quickly build their roster. After signing Estreal & Gio, their core had high enough potential to lure in Nero over Carolina. They'd finish the offseason rostermania by signing PaulEhx as the Main AR. With the four players signed and the coaching staff staying the same, the offseason was officially complete for the Rokkr.
The Minnesota Rokkr roster heading into Black Ops 6:
○ Justice "Estreal" McMillan
○ Giovanni "Gio" Webster
○ Dylan "Nero" Koch
○ Paul "PaulEhx" Avila
○ Daniel "Loony" Loza [Coach]
○ Alex "Alexdotzip" Purpora [Coach]
Offseason Reactions
Ronnie: "Minnesota Rokkr came into this new season needing a full rebuild after another disappointing season with the team failing to make COD Champs again. IGL Accra retired after a tough season, unless they ended up being dropped, while Estreal has been kept on the roster after being signed for EWC. Surprisingly, the organization sold French player Thomas "Lynz" Gregorio to LAG after just one season with the team that started well but faded in the second half of the season. So Rokkr needed to pick up 3 new players, and sadly for head coach Daniel "Loony" Loza, they were one of the last teams to get a squad together considering this and the lower budget than previous years. You can see some positives with the roster. If Loony can get them all on the same page and playing cod the right way, the team definitely has the slaying power to compete with teams around them."
Easy Mac: “The offseason started off on the wrong foot, looking like the Rokkr were going to be left in a position where they didn't have many options to pick from. I actually love the moves to sign both Gio & Estreal. Both players don't have much experience but have shown flashes of high potential, so if they turn into solid foundational players, the Rokkr can build off this offseason. The Nero signing was great, giving Estreal a strong SMG duo who will provide pace and is a great respawn player. Paul played well at EWC but has had a high variance in each of his times in the CDL. He'll be the player to watch to see how he fits into the roster."
Season Expectations
Ronnie: “Season expectations should be trying to make COD Champs something the team failed to do in MW3 and Vanguard. This type of roster has a pretty high ceiling when everyone is firing but also could end up being one of the worst players we have this year. It's going to take a lot of work from the players and coaching staff to put it all together, but they definitely have some talent."
Black Ops 6 Season Predictions
Best Placement: 8th
Team MVP: Nero
Final Regular Season Seed: 11th
Will they qualify for Champs: No
Easy Mac: “The middle of the pack in the CDL will be as competitive as ever this year. I think there are 8 teams that'll be battling for 5 spots at Champs and some good teams will be on the outside looking in. Sadly, I have Minnesota as one of those teams for now, but I honestly think they can shock teams if they click & the sophomore players take the next step."
Black Ops 6 Season Predictions
Best Placement: Top 6
Team MVP: Estreal
Final Regular Season Seed: 10th
Will they qualify for Champs: No
📸 Photo by @mediabyIsiah
Players to Watch in Black Ops 6
Ronnie: “Paul "PaulEhx" Avila. A lot of pressure will be on Paul's back after winning Challenger Champs and impressing for lore gaming at EWC. This is his chance for redemption after a horrid season on the London Royal Ravens in MW2. Questions are always asked about Paul maybe not being the best player at times, but if he can show the promise he showed on NYSL in VG, Rokkr could have pulled a blinder, picking up the talented but troubled player. A lot of pressure will be on him to perform, especially once we get to LAN."
Easy Mac: “I'm going to go with Gio. He's been receiving a lot of hate from other pro players about his playstyle last season. Players have talked about how he only plays for kills, isn't objective efficient, and can be an easy kill. He was a rookie on a team that didn't qualify for Champs though, so it's hard to overly judge him. He has plenty of time to develop into more of a team player and has shown to have good gunskill. If Minnesota wants to compete against the top teams this year, they'll need Gio to take that next step."
Stage 1 Matches
Qualifier Match 1: December 6th at 3:00 EST vs LA Guerrillas
Qualifier Match 2: December 7th at 4:30 EST vs Boston Breach
Qualifier Match 3: December 13th at 4:30 EST vs Cloud9 New York
Qualifier Match 4: December 15th at 7:30 EST vs LA Thieves
Qualifier Match 5: January 17th at 6:00 EST vs Toronto Ultra
Qualifier Match 6: January 19th at 6:00 EST vs Atlanta FaZe
Qualifier Match 7: January 25th at 3:00 EST vs Vancouver Surge
The first Minor begins on January 10th, while the first Major starts on January 30th.
