Following the Stage 2 Major, the London Royal Ravens made yet another roster change by bringing in Alex ‘Zaptius’ Bonilla to replace the benched Thomas ‘Dylan’ Henderson.
London’s merry-go-round roster isn’t entirely their own fault: visa issues and family emergencies have certainly blighted their chances of keeping a consistent team all season.
That said, they’re sat dead last in the standings with a 2-10 record, and something had to change if they want to reach the playoff spots at the end of the season.
So, in steps Zaptius, replacing a player that many Brits grew to love thanks to his cracked-out playstyle during the Black Ops 4 season.
As Andrew ‘Enigma’ Campion points out during Reverse Sweep Round 11, Dylan was inarguably the worst-performing player on London when it comes to pure slaying.
Then, there’s one key mode in which London needs the most help, and Zaptius could help out with: Search and Destroy.
Zaptius had the third most bomb plants and fourth highest amount of hill time in the most recent North American Challengers Elite Series, leading his team in objective play and allowing them to slay out around him.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
This is in stark contrast to Dylan, who has always been a very fast player, leading to pacing issues in the London camp during the Cold War season.
Dylan had a 0.93 KD and 0.9 KD in Hardpoint and Control, respectively, in the bottom half of CDL SMGs, but it’s S&D where he really struggled.
In the mode, he had a 0.73, making him the worst player in the league in that regard. Zaptius’ objective play in Search could be all the difference for London, who are currently 4-12 in the mode this season.
Whether Zaptius really is the key to making London a competitive CDL side again remains to be seen, but just looking at the stats, this could be a great move.
