Call of Duty League 2020 – Player of the Year

Looking back on the 2020 season, we pick our Player of the Year.

The Call of Duty League 2020 season saw many exceptional players compete. Veterans such as Ian “Crimsix” Porter and James “Clayster” Eubanks reigned supreme in the World Championships, while youngsters such as “Mackenzie” Mack” Kelley and Joseph “Owakening” Conley completely reformed teams. Picking the Player of the Year is always tough as there are so many different parts to a good roster. However, here at ESTNN we’ve picked our POTY who we think stood out and performed at the highest standard all season.

Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris – Atlanta FaZe

Atlanta FaZe’s aBeZy is our 2020 Call of Duty League Player of the Year. aBeZy was consistently one of the top performers on a stacked Atlanta FaZe roster and he single handedly won matches for the squad.

Pharris plays one of the hardest roles in the game, entry. As an entry sub, aBeZy is the first player into the hill and the first to engage in SnD. In most cases, your entry player is killed and the second player gets the trade. Not with aBeZy. He consistently put up over a 1.00 K/D at multiple events, dropping to a 0.91 at the lowest in just two events.

One of aBeZy’s best weekends came unexpectedly at New York. This was a shock to see as this weekend the 10mm rounds for the MP5 had been GA’d. This led to many SMG players transferring over to the M4 for that weekend. Pharris stuck with the MP5 and put up his best K/D, a 1.30, which was also the highest for any player that weekend. Achieving such a strong K/D on a weekend where the MP5 was the unfavourable weapon truly shows aBeZy’s skill and raw talent in the game.

Pharris is also the first player to engage in Search and Destroy — accounting for over 40% of Atlanta FaZe’s total first engagements in the Modern Warfare season. With a 0.95 K/D in first engagements, aBeZy is extremely competitive at the start of SnD rounds. And sometimes those first kills can win the match.

Best Play

aBeZy is proficient in all game modes, however his best play from 2020 comes in Search and Destroy. In the Modern Warfare season, Atlanta FaZe were known for leaving things late. This didn't phase aBeZy and he showed up when needed. Here, he got four important kills against the Dallas Empire in a game five. He finessed around the map and the Empire could not keep up with the speed of the tiny terror.

Pharris will stick with Simp and Cellium for the 2021 season. The trio will be joined by Arcitys, making Atlanta FaZe look like one of the strongest teams in the league once again.

Honorable Mentions

While aBeZy is our Player of the Year, there were some more players who stood out throughout the season.

Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro

Dallas Empire’s Shotzzy took home the Call of Duty League regular season MVP award. He achieved this through his redemption story of a 0.80 K/D in the first event, to being a main factor in the Empire’s Championship victory. One element of Shotzzy’s gameplay which made him stand out was his movement. Shotzzy had some of the most fluid movement in the game, making opponents oblivious to his position when up close.

Sam “Octane” Larew

Octane’s team, Seattle Surge, struggled throughout the year. However, Octane did not. His 1.25 overall K/D for the season was the highest in the league, and he held down lanes with ease. Octane’s stellar performances within an underperforming squad lead to the community reacting, calling for Seattle to “Free Octane”. Nicknamed the “Human Turret”, Octane was known for holding down power positions and defending the hill, along with his Sniping prowess in Search and Destroy. Seattle won few matches throughout the season, but Octane’s performances didn't drop, and he continued to be the best AR all season.