Censor Believes Substitutes Are “set up to fail” By The Call of Duty League

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Censor Believes Substitutes Are “set up to fail” By The Call of Duty League

New York Subliners substitute Doug ‘Censor’ Martin claims that he and other subs are set up to fail due to poor ruling from the CDL.


In a series of tweets, Doug ‘Censor’ Martin has revealed that he believes he and other substitutes; such as Tommey for the Dallas Empire, have been “set up to fail” by the CDL.

He stated how players such as Vivid, Spart and MackMelts have become starters in the League by “grinding Challengers and performing”. While players like himself and other substitutes are “warming a bench unable to get any practice”. He followed this up by revealing how he feels he is “in a situation where [he] can’t be used in any capacity to contribute towards the team” or himself.

Censor speaks about feeling ‘trapped being a sub'

To elaborate more on his thoughts, Censor posted a video explaining how being a sub has taken a toll on his mental health. And about how he feels he is trapped being a sub, because he is unable to compete.

Censor mentions how he thinks that subs should be able to compete together in Challengers. Some may say this could be unfair as these players are on a pro team so they would easily win. That might not be the case. As we have seen before, Dallas Empire’s Clayster believes that Team Singularity are a top 8 team in the world. We have also seen substitute players create what they call ‘Team Pine’. Players such as Gunless, Zer0, Saints and other substitutes have come together and scrimmed against other teams to get some practice.

Some people responded to Censor stating that he signed the contract. If he believed in himself, maybe he should have joined a Challengers team instead. Censor replied revealing how he wanted the benefits of a pro contract, even though it’s as a sub. He gets the guaranteed salary, a spot on a pro team, but he doesn’t get to compete.

It is definitely clear to see where Censor is coming from in this situation. Players like Vivid, Spart and MackMelts have all come through the Challengers system. While players such as Censor and Tommey may be over looked. Think about this, if you're the coach and have to make a change, who would you pick? A player who has grinded Challengers and played all year or a player who sat on the bench and hasn't competed in over six months? Taking this view on it, you can see why Censor may be upset about this situation. He's hungry to compete but unable to due to CDL ruling.

Censor provides a second update on the Challengers situation

He explained how he had a challengers team to compete with. 4 amateur players and himself, a professional. This is allowed. However the legal team had to confirm that Censor was the only professional on the team as CDL ruling states that there can only be one professional on a Challengers team. This is difficult as the legal team cannot verify the team quick enough for Censor to be able to play. This may be a roadblock for players like Censor as most challengers teams aren't formed and entered until a day or two before the event meaning they may not be verified quick enough.

It’s a tough situation for Censor and other subs, with players such as Chino coming in for OpTic, he has gotten his chance and being a sub has paid off however, some players like Censor and Tommey may never get the chance to play this year.

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Feature image: @TGPhoto_

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Charlie Cater
Charlie "MiniTates" Cater has been an esports writer since May 2020, specialising in Call of Duty. He is also a University Student studying esports.